Quite Ugly One Morning

By: Christopher Brookmyre

Narrated by: David Tennant

Yeah, yeah, the usual. A crime. A corpse. A killer. Heard it. Except this stiff happens to be a Ponsonby, scion of a venerable Edinburgh medical clan, and the manner of his death speaks of unspeakable things. Why is the body displayed like a slice of beef? How come his hands are digitally challenged? And if it's not the corpse, what is that awful smell? A post-Thatcherite nightmare of frightening plausibility, Quite Ugly One Morning is a wickedly entertaining and vivacious thriller, full of acerbic wit, cracking dialogue, and villains both reputed and shell-suited.©1996 Christopher Brookmyre (P)2004 Time Warner AudioBooks

Came for Tennant, stayed for the story...

Would you listen to Quite Ugly One Morning again? Why?

Certainly a story to listen to again, highly entertaining and even when you know whodunnit, these are characters well worth re-visiting.

What did you like best about this story?

All the characters in this story are interesting, even the bad guy, who you really can't wait to see get his comeuppance. The pacing of the story keeps you guessing, but gets you to the end at a gallop.

What about David Tennant’s performance did you like?

The story is set in Scotland so obviously a Scottish narrator suits perfectly. David Tennant has an extremely expressive voice, keeping the dialogue entertaining and the narrative passages engaging. Plus, he has a dead sexy voice that's no hardship to listen to either!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened to this in my car and on a number of occasions simply sat in the driveway before going inside because I wanted to hear "just a little bit more". Was tempted to take a road trip somewhere just so I could listen to it all at once!

Any additional comments?

A thoroughly enjoyable listen, recommended for anyone who likes a good crime drama with a healthy helping of humour!

Enjoyed It!

At several times while listening to this I had to make sure I didn't have anything in my mouth or risk spitting it right back out. While the story was predictable it was easy to follow and David Tennant is a joy to listen to.

Will listen again

What a treat!!! Full of dark humor and laugh out loud smart aleck dialogue and internal thoughts. I needed to keep pausing so I could stop laughing before I continued listening.

The only down side is the annoying and jarring music between sections. But it doesn't last long.

Gruesome but entertaining.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It was entertaining and I really enjoyed David Tennants reading.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

I was as expected.

Have you listened to any of David Tennant’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Not before but I will in the future.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not really.

Fast paced story with humour.

Christopher Brookmyre's writing reminds me of Carl Hiaasen. I laughed out loud. Written in dialect, his rollicking stories work best as audio books. David Tennant have a entertaining performance. Also worth a listen is Attack of the Unsinkable Rubber Ducks read by Billy Boyd.

A wicked romp

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'm a huge Christopher Brookmyre fan in general, and I love

What about David Tennant’s performance did you like?

David Tennant's rough and lively performance was perfectly suited to the material.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES!

Tennant was fantastic

Storyline was hilarious and David Tennant brought the whole thing to life. Had a few chuckles.

Expert recording of a very decent detective story.

If you could sum up Quite Ugly One Morning in three words, what would they be?

Gruesome, very funny at times, high paced.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Quite Ugly One Morning?

I was somewhat thrown aback at the unexpected parallels my live with my ex-boyfriend, also per chance anesthetist, and also a very close-minded, quite arrogant high-roller only ever looking to get admiration. I work in the medical field myself and found the description of the feelings between the management team and the "white-coats" very on point as was the exchange with the network manager. A highly amusing interlude on its own.

Have you listened to any of David Tennant’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't listened to other performances by David Tennant but was very taken in by this one. Not often does listening to an audiobook make me want to still buy the paper version and read it again to see how it is actually written down and wonder if I would have been able to make the story so animatedly come alive too. I also very much like the pace that David Tennant set, he kept calm and focused in moments where a lot was going on at the same time. Scenes I would have probably skimmed through if I were reading the book myself being excited by the turn of events and going fast in order to arrive at the conclusion immediately.
On a side note, how the narrator managed to portray so many characters so convincingly amazed me very much. Male or female, posh or very destitute. All were plausible and all were recognizable even after a time of absence from the main story lines.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Though this seems a very humorous detective story at first, it is more than that and actually rather gruesome at times. Besides the almost obligatory romance it does not really move you.

Any additional comments?

I really very much enjoyed this audio-book!

huh?

Tennant is a perfection. but the general production is crazy outdated. punchlines and guitar shredding.so weird.

Hilarious and entertaining

Where does Quite Ugly One Morning rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The performance rates up there with the best. David Tennant is my number 1 narrator, and he does comedy so well. The story is the best light comedy I've listened to so far.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The female doctor. This relatively straight character has some fantastic dry wit.

Which character – as performed by David Tennant – was your favorite?

The little old lady. How he does female characters so well is beyond me.

Any additional comments?

I only bought this audiobook because David Tennant narrated it in his native Scottish accent. I was delighted with David's performance, but was really surprised at how funny this book was. Its not a genre I would normally go for, but it was really, really entertaining. I can thoroughly recommend it if you want a light, funny listen.