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  • Lockdown

  • By: Peter May
  • Narrated by: Peter Forbes
  • Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (738 ratings)
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Lockdown cover art

Lockdown

By: Peter May
Narrated by: Peter Forbes
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Summary

They said that twenty-five percent of the population would catch the flu. Between seventy and eighty percent of them would die. He had been directly exposed to it, and the odds weren't good.

A city in quarantine.

London, the epicenter of a global pandemic, is a city in lockdown. Violence and civil disorder simmer. Martial law has been imposed. No-one is safe from the deadly virus that has already claimed thousands of victims. Health and emergency services are overwhelmed.

A murdered child.

At a building site for a temporary hospital, construction workers find a bag containing the rendered bones of a murdered child. A remorseless killer has been unleashed on the city; his mission is to take all measures necessary to prevent the bones from being identified.

A powerful conspiracy.

DI Jack MacNeil, counting down the hours on his final day with the Met, is sent to investigate. His career is in ruins, his marriage over and his own family touched by the virus. Sinister forces are tracking his every move, prepared to kill again to conceal the truth. Which will stop him first - the virus or the killers?

Written over 15 years ago, this prescient, suspenseful thriller is set against a backdrop of a capital city in quarantine and explores human experience in the grip of a killer virus.

©2020 Peter May (P)2020 Quercus Editions Limited

What listeners say about Lockdown

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

There is a reason it wasn't published in 2005...

I'd just finished coffin road and saw this coming out a few days later, so bought it as I've read around 6 of May's books and all but one has been excellent.

This one is impressive for his thinking of a flu pandemic in London 15 years ago... and that's about all. Wooden story, tired old tropes about how pandemic will go down and truly wooden dialogue. There is a reason it wasn't picked up and published when he first wrote it - it's just not very good. In the intervening years May has become a much better writer. You can see the bones of that here, but it's not a good book and without the lockdown would never have seen the light of day.

The end is so far signalled ahead of time it all feels like an inevitability. Avoid unless you're a super fan. I'm going to return it.

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52 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

This book should have been labelled fantasy.

As a lover of Peter May's books, I couldn't stop reading this one; because it was to daft for words. The virus we now know to be believeable. The main character Jack and the burn victim in this story were unbelieveable. Anxiously awaited this book and was left feeling grateful that this wasn't the first Peter May book I'd ever read or, I may have missed out on many other good reads.

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20 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

More dated than prescient

I’m not often troubled by an overly sensitive Political Correctness detector, but this book made me cringe in so many places, starting with Tom whom we deduce is gay because of nudge nudge references to sore backsides. And while novelists are of course supposed to be able to inhabit the minds of their characters, it feels rather creepy for a white, middle aged male author to give voice to the thoughts of his younger, Asian, disabled female character about how great it is having sex with his white, middle aged, male protagonist. The lockdown details were interesting and the plot adequate, but overall this felt like an airport novel from the last century that should have stayed there.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Q
  • 17-05-20

As ever Peter May brilliance

As simple as the plot is the detail is utterly captivating and mesmerising brilliantly plotted Fantastically breathtaking narrated a combination of talent on talent roll on the next release Q

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Even during a lockdown this is bunkum!

In the introduction to this book we’re told that this novel languished unpublished in May’s drawer because the publishers thought it too unbelievable.
Even as the UK experiences a second wave of coronavirus infections this book remains unbelievable.
The main characters’ immense physical stamina, psychological coldness and relentless determination to do their job - no matter what - stretches credibility beyond anything that 2020 has shown us can be true. Absolute bunkum (and not in a good way).

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Overall I enjoyed this

This isn't only about the country in the midst of a pandemic, but really it is a murder story.

I love the way that Peter May writes, he goes into details that don't leave the reader feeling lost.

My only 'gripe' is that I found the manner of the ending,and the abilities of an injured man a tad unbelievable. However, I did enjoy it and am delighted that Mr May has very generously donated the proceeds towards the current needs caused by the Covid-19 virus.

This was beautifully read by Peter Forbes, as per usual!

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Gripping right to the end

I didn't want to rush this, but haad to download on audible as reading puts me to sleep, the characters were great, even chucking in Walter Smith at the end, haha..but as the book got into the last 2 hours, It was like I was pulled into the story and told I'm not going anywhere I was definitely in lockdown mode..to think Peter May could write a book about something that hadn't yet happened is genius alone unless he was in it with all the other governments who by some conspiracy theorists reckonings this lockdown was deliberately planned by World leaders..anyway I'd recommend the book and I am now ready for my 2nd Peter May book..

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Good idea but quite predictable and far fetched!

The book made a strong start and the premise is good, but it became ever more predictable and and far fetched as the story went on. It did have some interesting bits and I didn't dislike the book, but there is much more the author could have done with the general story. However, good narration.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent, Lockdown.

As I have come to expect from Peter May. Great storyline, couldn't put it down.. Sorry to finish. Brilliantly read by Peter Forbes. This book is definitely more than worth a listen.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A prophetic tale!

An amazingly accurate description of life under lockdown with a grisly find and a dangerous investigation to give extra excitement. Had me in thrall from beginning to end, and I could listen to the narrators voice all day!

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3 people found this helpful