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Dead I Well May Be Audiobook
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(4.00) - 823 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
This Irish bad-boy thriller, set in the hardest streets of New York City, introduces us to Michael Forsythe, an illegal immigrant escaping from the Troubles in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Clever, fearless, and handy with a pistol, young Michael is just the fellow to be tapped by Darkey, a New York crime boss, to join his gang of thugs fighting for their turf. But just as Michael is being anointed Darkey’s rising star, he inadvisably seduces Darkey’s girl. Suddenly the tables are turned, and Darkey plans a very hard fall for young Michael. But Darkey fails to account for Michael’s toughness—or his determination to wreak vengeance upon those who betray him.
A natural storyteller with a gift for dialogue, McKinty delivers us a stunning new noir voice, dark and stylish, mythic and violent—complete with an Irish lilt.
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"I love this author! I originally got the book thinking it was a cop story. Ha! Little did I know I was getting into Irish crime. I'm not a big fan of organized crime, or mob books, but this book is so very much more. Warning, there is lots of violence, bad language, etc., but I still couldn't put it down, and as soon as I was done, I got the other books in this series. Then I found everything else I could find by this author. I listened to the books, which I believe made them even better. The narrator was stunning. It is extremely well written, and the main character is so compelling you find yourself liking him and pulling for him even though if it were a story in the news you might want him put away for a very long time. The author's use of language is almost lyrical. Very Irish, very literate, very good."
— Jennine (4 out of 5 stars)
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“Gerard Doyle gives a riveting performance…Doyle is brilliantly understated, dark, and ironic…Tender and brutal, this is an amazing book boasting a stunning performance. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”
— AudioFile -
“Dead I Well May Be, as a portrait of violence and revenge, is a gem.”
— Washington Post -
“McKinty…is a storyteller with the kind of style and panache that blur the line between genre and mainstream. Top-drawer.”
— Kirkus Reviews -
“A literate, funny, wise old soul in the body of a dangerously naive teen, his Michael draws us close and relates a fantastic tale of murder and revenge in low, wry tones, as if from the next barstool…One of the best crime fiction debuts of the year.”
— Booklist -
“Michael Forsythe is a crook, a deviant, a lover, a fighter, and a thinker. His Irish-tough language of isolation and longing makes us love and trust him despite his oh-so-great and violent flaws. When you finish this book, you just might wish you’d lived the life in its pages, and thought its thoughts, both horrible and sublime.”
— Anthony Swofford, author of Jarhead
Awards
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Winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award
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An AudioFile Best Audiobook of the Year
Dead I Well May Be Listener Reviews
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" First in the series, very violent, not for everyone. I listened to this on disc. "
— Debra, 2/15/2014 -
" Great book - will continue to read this author. This book is a tale about a young immigrant from Ireland who ended up in the gangs of NY. Well told but wish there was a sequel. "
— Sharon, 1/25/2014 -
" WoW this book is about mofia guys in NY. They are crazy! (I think I need to read a happy book soon) "
— Brooke, 1/23/2014 -
" Excellent first book of a trilogy.... "
— Mike, 1/23/2014 -
" Michael Forsythe #1 "
— Rochelle, 1/14/2014 -
" Lyrical Irish gangster story. Lots of incomplete sentences and poetic images. Even though the protagonist is a criminal, the reader is willing to hang in there with him through a long, violent jouney towards redemption, of a sort. "
— John, 1/3/2014 -
" McKinty's writing is alive and crackeling dialogue and witticisms, along with ocassional sarcasm. I will be watching and enjoying him in the future. "
— John, 12/25/2013 -
" I always enjoy Adrian McKinty's novels, this one certainly included. "
— Wilma, 10/11/2013 -
" This first volume of the trilogy is fast paced. It's laced with violence, sex and profanity but still has a good deal of sentimentality about it. "
— Anna, 9/30/2013 -
" Well it is really only half-read. Did not enjoy the "voice" of the narrator but may go back to it one day "
— Jan, 8/24/2013 -
" Kept me interested. A good thriller with convincing characters that stood off the page. The part that takes place in Mexico was convincing and I know the country pretty well. "
— Clive, 7/10/2013 -
" One of those fantastic books where the antagonist is also the protagonist. Well intention-ed Michael will cuss his way into your heart. :) "
— Erin, 7/2/2013 -
" All the best thing a novel could be--witty, detailed, an intense, exciting story-line!!! It kept me reading through the end and back again. "
— Kimmy, 4/16/2013 -
" If you aren't squeamish about blood, this book is required. "
— Adam, 4/4/2013 -
" This was a new author for me. A fairly dark crime story set in Manhattan in the mid 1990's. A bit gruesome in the middle but otherwise an excellent book. "
— Carol, 11/30/2012 -
" Least favorite of the 3...Angela's Ashes and 'Tis "
— Mischelle, 11/7/2012 -
" This author is Amazing....great prose, intense characters and storytelling....dark like Andrew Vachss without the preachiness evident in his recent work. The bad guys are the good guys...sort of. Must read, not for the squeamish "
— Janet, 9/19/2011 -
" Good read, WAY too much swearing. "
— Andywilson, 9/12/2011 -
" can't read these books fast enough!!! "
— Jennifer, 4/2/2011 -
" Dark gritty crime novel that takes the reader from Belfast to New York City and then to Mexico. A very good read though a bit too long. Loved the narration on the audio by <strong>Gerard Doyle</strong>. His Irish accent really made the listen enjoyable. "
— Sandi, 3/8/2011 -
" I'm LOVING this as an audiobook - like sitting on a barstool listening to the yarn unspool. "
— Holly, 2/12/2011 -
" Great book - will continue to read this author. This book is a tale about a young immigrant from Ireland who ended up in the gangs of NY. Well told but wish there was a sequel. "
— Sharon, 10/14/2010 -
" First in the series, very violent, not for everyone. I listened to this on disc. "
— Debra, 9/3/2010 -
" Not usually a noir fan but this was interesting, funny at times and well written. <br/> <br/>Thanx Erin for reading it first! "
— Johari, 8/20/2010 -
" Insane hero, lots of violence and profanity, great writing, wonderful first book. I can't wait to read more from McKinty. "
— Erin, 8/10/2010
About Adrian McKinty
Adrian McKinty was born and grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland, during the Troubles. His father was a welder in Harland and Wolff—the shipyard where they built the Titanic; his mother was a school lunch lady and secretary. Adrian went to Oxford University on a full scholarship where he studied philosophy.
Emigrating first to America and then Australia he found work as a door-to-door salesman, a driver, a bookstore clerk, a barman, a high school English teacher, and a semipro rugby player.
His debut crime novel, Dead I Well May Be, was shortlisted for the 2004 Dagger Award and was optioned by Universal Pictures. He is the author of more than a dozen crime novels that have been translated into over forty languages. He has won the Edgar Award, the Anthony Award, the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award, the Barry Award, the Macavity Award, the International Thriller Writers Award, and is a three-time winner of the Ned Kelly Award.
His 2020 novel The Chain was a New York Times bestseller and appeared on twenty-five best-of-the-year lists. His 2022 novel The Island was an instant New York Times bestseller and made five best-of-the-year lists including those of the London Times and the New York Times.
Adrian is a member of the Linnean Society and the National Audubon Society. He lives in New York City with his wife and two children.
About Gerard Doyle
Gerard Doyle, a seasoned audio narrator, he has been awarded dozens of AudioFile Earphones Awards, was named a Best Voice in Young Adult Fiction in 2008, and won the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. He was born of Irish parents and raised and educated in England. In Great Britain he has enjoyed an extensive career in both television and repertory theater and toured nationally and internationally with the English Shakespeare Company. He has appeared in London’s West End in the gritty musical The Hired Man. In America he has appeared on Broadway in The Weir and on television in New York Undercover and Law & Order. He has taught drama at Ross School for the several years.