The Second Murderer, Denise Mina
The Second Murderer, Denise Mina
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The Second Murderer
A Philip Marlowe Novel

Author: Denise Mina

Narrator: Scott Brick

Unabridged: 8 hr 12 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 08/01/2023

Synopsis

Philip Marlowe is on the hunt for a missing heiress—and up against a rival PI—in this smart and atmospheric authorized mystery from acclaimed crime writer and "one-of-a-kind storyteller" Denise Mina (James Patterson), the first woman to recreate Raymond Chandler’s infamous detective.

Has Philip Marlowe finally met his match?

It’s early fall when a heatwave descends on Los Angeles. Private Detective Philip Marlowe is called to the Montgomery estate, an almost mythic place sitting high on top of Beverly Hills. Wealthy socialite Chrissie Montgomery is missing. Young, naïve, and set to inherit an enormous fortune, she’s a walking target, ripe for someone to get their claws into. Her dying father and his sultry bottle-blonde girlfriend want her found before that happens. To make sure, they’ve got Anne Riordan—now head of her own all-female detective agency—on the case, too.
 
The search for Chrissie takes the two investigators from the Montgomery mansion to the roughest neighborhoods of LA, through dive bars and boarding houses and out to Skid Row. And that’s all before they find the body at The Brody Hotel. Who will get to Chrissie first? And what happens when a woman doesn’t want to be found?

In The Second Murderer, Denise Mina becomes the first woman to recreate Raymond Chandler’s infamous detective, delivering a clever and timely new take on Philip Marlowe, as well as a propulsive, dark, and witty mystery all its own.

About Denise Mina

Denise Mina was born in Glasgow in 1966. She left school at sixteen and did a number of poorly paid jobs: working in a meat factory, bar maid, kitchen porter and cook. Eventually she settle in auxiliary nursing for geriatric and terminal care patients. At twenty one she passed exams, got into study Law at Glasgow University and went on to research a PhD thesis at Strathclyde University on the ascription of mental illness to female offenders, teaching criminology and criminal law in the mean time. Misusing her grant she stayed at home and wrote a novel, Garnethill when she was supposed to be studying instead. Garnethill won the Crime Writers' Association John Creasy Dagger for the best first crime novel and was the start of a trilogy completed by Exile and Resolution. A fourth novel followed, a stand alone, named Sanctum in the UK and Deception in the US. As well as all of this she writes short stories published in various collections, stories for BBC Radio 4, contributes to TV and radio as a big red face at the corner of the sofa who interjects occasionally, is writing a film adaptation of Ida Tamson, and has a number of other projects on the go.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ceecee on April 22, 2023

4.5 rounded up Philip Marlowe is mulling over the Pascoe Pete case and feels disquiet, it’s just too neat and tidy. A phone call takes him out of his reverie, his presence is requested at Montgomery Mansions set high in Beverly Hills. The Montgomerys are old money, a special kind of powerful mega ri......more

Goodreads review by Iain on October 20, 2023

Whatever the merits of the decision to resurrect Philip Marlowe again, it was a bold and surprising choice to hand the task this time to Scottish crime writer Denise Mina. Marlowe is intrinsically linked to both the LA location and the tough no nonsense masculinity of the early 20th century. Masculi......more

Goodreads review by Karen on August 11, 2023

3.0 / 5 Probably didn’t help that I’ve not read the previous book, which would make the whole series make better sense. Unfortunately this wasn’t my book, I didn’t really click with the style and the generational references which I didn’t really understand. The book is about PI Philip Marlowe who is......more

Goodreads review by Chris on July 22, 2023

3.5 rounded up When heiress Chrissie Montgomery goes missing, Philip Marlowe is hired to find her. However, the family has also hired Anne Riordan to make certain Chrissie is found. The search takes them from high society all the way down to Skid Row with dangerous bars, dirty cops, and cheap run-dow......more

Goodreads review by R L HERSKOWITZ on August 11, 2023

4+ Stars Fun Marlowe read. The story would probably be better if listened. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I highly recommend it, especially to “Philip Marlowe” and “noir” fans. Trigger warning: physical abuse used in this story, but not talked about in detail.......more

Quotes

“Denise Mina is an even better writer than Raymond Chandler. She’s also a one-of-a-kind storyteller. I’ll leave it at that."—James Patterson

"What a pleasure to read my beloved Philip Marlowe as imagined by one of my favorite working crime writers. Denise Mina has the vision, wit, and soul to bring Marlowe and the Los Angeles of our noir dreams glimmering darkly to life."
 —Steph Cha, author of Your House Will Pay

“Terrific . . . On top of nailing Chandler’s atmospherics, Mina delivers a truly surprising plot. Noir fans will hope Mina returns to the mean streets of L.A. again soon.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A pitch perfect, cinematic homage to the master of noir crime fiction, Raymond Chandler, and his timeless hero, Philip Marlowe. Using whip-smart dialogue, and lush, sensual descriptions of the City of Angels, from Skid Row to the mansions of Beverly Hills, Mina's Marlowe faces danger at every turn with wit, compassion, and bourbon-proof smarts. I loved this book!”—Kathleen Kent, author of The Dime and Black Wolf

"Playful in its early stages, as Mina cheekily piles on Marlowe’s trademark similes . . . Female-forward in all sorts of ways—quite a change of pace for the legendary gumshoe."—Kirkus Reviews

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