No Less The Devil by Stuart MacBride

No Less The Devil by Stuart MacBride
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - in and out over 1 week

Pages - 480

Publisher - Bantam Press

Source - ARC

Blurb from Goodreads

'We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.'

It's been seventeen months since the Bloodsmith butchered his first victim and Operation Maypole is still no nearer catching him. The media is whipping up a storm, the top brass are demanding results, but the investigation is sinking fast.

Now isn't the time to get distracted with other cases, but Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh doesn't have much choice. When Benedict Strachan was just eleven, he hunted down and killed a homeless man. No one's ever figured out why Benedict did it, but now, after sixteen years, he's back on the streets again - battered, frightened, convinced a shadowy 'They' are out to get him, and begging Lucy for help.

It sounds like paranoia, but what if he's right? What if he really is caught up in something bigger and darker than Lucy's ever dealt with before? What if the Bloodsmith isn't the only monster out there? And what's going to happen when Lucy goes after them?



My Review

I love MacBride's Logan series and do enjoy his banter throughout his tales. In this one Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh is on the case of the Bloodsmith butcher, seventeen months, taking body parts and the police are seemingly no further forward. Lucy is also contacted by the now released killer of a homeless man, Benedict Strachan who was only a child when he committed the murder. If all that isn't enough Lucy is recovering from an attack, pushed to see a counsellor by her superiors or risk being taken off the case. Tis a busy book with a fair amount of bouncing between the case, Benedict and knowing something bad happened to the sergeant but not what.

It took me ages to settle to the book because it was jumping about. Benedict was a kid when he brutally murdered a homeless man, now released but his delusions have him in a deep grip. Why does Lucy give him any time? So we have that vein of the story. Then we have the something bad happened but we don't really know what because she doesn't want to gab about it but is going to a therapist, reluctantly and under threat. And then then main course, the investigation into the Bloodsmith, the brutality of the bodies, what is the motive, why does he gut them? As Lucy and her colleague dig into the case Lucy is being stalked, is it the butcher?

The book has so much going on and for me it didn't flow, it jumped too much. Then it got to a part where I had to go back and re read a few chapters because I was so confused to what was going on. What had I missed. I am the first to admit my concentration is a bit off just now but I don't think I am alone in feeling like this. It goes from being mysterious and suspense to just off the chart madness and I really struggled to gel with that. 2.5 rounded up to 3 because I do like his work, I did enjoy some of the laughs and the Dunk but otherwise, I can't say this was my favourite nor even close. MacBride is a witty writer, he combines macbre with humour and usually hooks you early on, this one just wasn't my fave of his offerings.

Available for pre-order from Amazon click HERE out to buy 28th April 2022. .

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The Coffin Maker's Garden by Stuart MacBride

The Coffinmaker’s Garden by Stuart MacBride
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages - 496

Publisher - HarperCollins

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

A village on the edge…
As a massive storm batters the Scottish coast, Gordon Smith’s home is falling into the North Sea. But the crumbling headland has revealed what he’s got buried in his garden: human remains.


A house full of secrets…
With the storm still raging, it’s too dangerous to retrieve the bodies and waves are devouring the evidence. Which means no one knows how many people Smith’s already killed and how many more he’ll kill if he can’t be found and stopped.


An investigator with nothing to lose…
The media are baying for blood, the top brass are after a scapegoat, and ex-Detective Inspector Ash Henderson is done playing nice. He’s got a killer to catch, and God help anyone who gets in his way.



My Review

Firstly let me say I didn't realise this was book three in a series and I haven't read the first two. That said, I liked it so much I will be going back and getting/reading them. A storm is raging and the house of Gordon Smith is slowly crumbling.....right into the sea. When part of it goes in his neighbour clocks human remains and detectives go in and have a look, elderly Smith is nowhere to be seen. Ex copper Ash Henderson is helping the team and comes across horrors in Smith's basement however evidence is falling into the sea and they already risked their lives by going in. An investigation kicks off with an unlikely alliance and lots of hinderance along the way. Where is Smith, how did he get away with it for as long as they did, how can they prove it with only old pictures, frictions in the team and another killer on the loose.


Oooh so obviously as I said I hadn't read the previous two books so Ash to me was new and brilliant, damaged - seriously the guy has a gun shot to the foot and hobbling. Grief stricken and had some temper and fists on him. He is very protective of his colleague who has her own demons to battle and trying to keep her heed out the bottle. So much has obviously transpired with these characters and I do love a bit of a rogue good guy.

There are two investigate themes in the book, one is a child killer and the police are actively investigating that. The main theme is the finding of this Smith and any evidence before it crumbles into the sea. A killer who has operated for years, victims men and women, undetected and now being hunted. We also have a wild card crackpot criminal who is desperate to find her grand daughter but she isn't opposed to battering someone, has a criminal history and not a fan of the police.

It has plenty of action, characters to love and hate, lots happening, bad words so don't pick it up if you get offended with swearing. There is also violence mentions of torture and harm to animals so just an FYI. I do enjoy Scottish characters/fiction and as I say I will be getting and reading books one and two. Not sure if he is coming back to this series but I do hope so, they are a good cast and I would like to hear more about them, 4/5 for me this time.

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Now We Are Dead by Stuart MacBride

Now We Are Dead by Stuart MacBride
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 4 days

Pages - 396

Publisher - Harper Collins

Source - Bought

Blurb from Goodreads

From the No. 1 bestselling author of the Logan McRae series, comes a standalone spinoff featuring DS Roberta Steel
Sergeant Roberta Steel has recently been demoted after being caught fitting up a suspect. The trouble is, the man she got sent down has had his sentence quashed now he’s back on the streets. And women are being attacked again. But if DS Steel goes anywhere near him his lawyers will get her thrown off the force for good.

The Powers That Be won’t listen to her not after what happened last time. Besides, she’s got more than enough ongoing cases to keep her busy perhaps she should focus on solving them instead of harassing an innocent man?

But Steel knows he’s guilty and the longer he gets away with it, the more women will suffer. The question is: how much is she willing to sacrifice to stop him?


My Review

DS Steel lost her title after being exposed of setting up a criminal. Doesn't matter he is a filthy rapist and guilty of sin but not of what she set him up for. Now he is out and women are being attacked again, Steel has to leave him be or be seen as harassing him but when did Steel ever do as she was told.

A wee standalone for Steel with the tiniest cameo of Logan, we see the team working along together to solve cases. The sweary Scottish banter we have come to know and love from MacBride over the years well the police are trying to use some other words to replace the swearies.

Steel is one of those characters you can't help but route for because even when she is in the wrong he heart or morals are still in the right place. She is a good woman with a sailors gob on her and often goes about things the wrong way but with her heart in the right place. I enjoyed it, action, banter, good vs bad, 4 stars for me this time. If you haven't read any of the previous books you can totally get away with picking this up and starting with this one!

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All That's Dead by Stuart MacBride

All That’s Dead by Stuart MacBride
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - 2 days

Pages -400

Publisher - Harper Collins

Source - Netgalley

Blurb from Goodreads

The stunning new Logan McRae thriller from No. 1 Sunday Times bestseller Stuart MacBride.

Scottish crime fiction at its very best.

Darkness is coming…

Inspector Logan McRae was looking forward to a nice simple case – something to ease him back into work after a year off on the sick. But the powers-that-be have other ideas…

The high-profile anti-independence campaigner, Professor Wilson, has gone missing, leaving nothing but bloodstains behind. There’s a war brewing between the factions for and against Scottish Nationalism. Infighting in the police ranks. And it’s all playing out in the merciless glare of the media. Logan’s superiors want results, and they want them now.

Someone out there is trying to make a point, and they’re making it in blood. If Logan can’t stop them, it won’t just be his career that dies.



My Review

I have missed a few of the books, this is book 12, I can't remember which one I last read but i has been a few, I will need to go back and catch up. Logan is day one back at the job after being off with a horrendous injury. He is with Professional standards but as he is monitoring one of the police he is in the midst of the action rather than a fence sitter. A gobby professor who is very action online and vocal on politics has gone missing, blood found in his kitchen, the investigation is on.

We flip between the police investigation, Logan dealing with being back on the job and his lasting effects from his injuries and the bad guy. Now let me say straight out the book is filled with a lot of political stuff from different angles, online stuff, the peoples views, zenophobia, hate and they all go hand in hand. I am not a huge fan of political stuff, I don't always get it, some of it is above my head and if I am honest I get bored with it very quickly. So for me it is surprising I got on so well with the book. I think because the political stuff comes from the angle of their beliefs and we hear the why behind some of it. Whilst they are clearly bams for the hate/violence done in the name of beliefs it gives you a bit of insight into that frame of mind, utter madness but MacBride helps paint a picture so you can peek behind the curtain most of us genuinely couldn't fathom.

As with his previous books I have read we get the inappropriate unpc humour, bad language, swearing and misbehavior from some of the characters we know and love from the series. I started reading MacBride years ago and fell away when I discovered new authors after reading this it was like putting on an fav blanket and catching up with old friends. Brutal violence, shocking beliefs, hate and anger mixed with swearing galore - if these guys had a swear box they would be minted, and dark humour. All the things in MacBride books that fans came to love from book one, 4/5 for me this time.

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A Dark So Deadly by Stuart MacBride

A Dark So Deadly by Stuart MacBride
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Time taken to read - dipped in and out over 3 days

Pages - 608

Publisher - HarperCollins

Blurb from Goodreads

Welcome to the Misfit Mob…

It’s where Police Scotland dumps the officers it can’t get rid of, but wants to: the outcasts, the troublemakers, the compromised. Officers like DC Callum MacGregor, lumbered with all the boring go-nowhere cases. So when an ancient mummy turns up at the Oldcastle tip, it’s his job to find out which museum it’s been stolen from.

But then Callum uncovers links between his ancient corpse and three missing young men, and life starts to get a lot more interesting. O Division’s Major Investigation Teams already have more cases than they can cope with, so, against everyone’s better judgement, the Misfit Mob are just going to have to manage this one on their own.

No one expects them to succeed, but right now they’re the only thing standing between the killer’s victims and a slow, lingering death. The question is, can they prove everyone wrong before he strikes again?


My Review

A cop no one trusts, they think he took a bribe. A cop moved to the team for violence and two with health issues, they are the "Misfit Mob". DC Callum MacGregor is our main character, distrust is rife among his colleagues, rumored to have taken a bribe. Callum just wants a decent crack of the whip, when they get called to a dumped mummified corpse the team think this is another dead beat case. It slowly transpires there is a killer on the loose and the Misfit Mob must come together to solve it whilst trying to survive the force politics as well as their own person issues.

Oooooh I do hope this is the start of a new series and not just a one off standalone. The characters are flawed and very human in some of their questionable choices and damaged personalities. Poor Callum must be one of the most unlucky humans in the world! A sad childhood story, colleagues that don't trust him, a baby on the way and just when you think things can't get worse for him another strike of bad luck hits. As he struggles to juggle personal blows amidst a case that throws curve ball after curve ball you can't help but be drawn into the dark world MacBride has created.

We glimpse snippets of the killers world, the team interaction, the domestic side of DC MacGregor as well as the integration of the teams newest officer. If you have read MacBride before you can expect his usual humor and swearing from his Scottish characters. It is well paced and ties up earlier memories of MacGregors which initially I found a wee bit out of sync with the previous chapter however as the stories progresses it all takes shape perfectly. With twists and turns, swearing, violence, murder and mayhem this newest offering has all of MacBrides trademark writing but with fresh new characters and a chilling killer. 4/5 for me this time, thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins for providing me with a review copy. A Dark So Deadly is out now to buy in hardback and e book.

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Author event & signing with Stuart MacBride

Well tonight I went with my friends to see Stuart MacBride, one has never been to a signing before so was in for a treat. We have seen Stuart before, he is always funny, has some "fruity" language and fabulous tales to share. He warned that this book has a lot less swearing and bad language in it due to so many emails and complaints from people. I find this sad, you will always have complaints from people and I fear, the bad language is only the start, next they will be calling for getting rid of Steel because she is a lesbian. Far too much censorship these days and the characters we have come to know and love are for their potty mouths and short comings. That said I do understand where he is coming from but I sincerely hope the next book returns the characters to their usual expressions.



A new author, well to me anyway, introduced him, Russel D McLean another Scottish author whom I had not heard of before. He was also funny and I will need to, at some point look him up. Or maybe I will get one of his books via a publisher for the review pile. Either way I definitely will need to check him out, the picture below is him and both he and Stuart are on twitter if you wish to follow them.c





As a result of tonights fabulous hilarity and reading I have bought the 45% hangover, Shatter the bones (I accidentally bought the one after this) and the new one which was the tour for tonight, The missing and the dead. So even though the event was free, I think the authors do well to do these as I hadn't heard of the 45% hangover, which is a novella of Steel and Logan.



The publishers had given Stuart the advertising poster on a big pole to put up and he was damn well going to do it, although it was a tad tricky :P





I can't recommend you going to see this man enough if the opportunity comes your way. His genre is crime, set in Scotland. It is dark, bloody and really takes you through the events in vivid description. It is a great series (I have read to book 6 or 7 I think) if you like gritty crime and don't have an issue with some swearing you will love these books.

Review - Dark Blood by Stuart MacBride

Dark Blood by Stuart MacBride
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Re-read! Time taken to read 2.5 days

Blurb From Goodreads

The new Logan McRae novel set in gritty Aberdeen from the author of Cold Granite and Blind Eye Richard Knox has served his time, so why shouldn't he be allowed to live wherever he wants? Yes, in the past he was a violent rapist, but he has seen the error of his ways, found God, and wants to leave his dark past in Newcastle behind him and make a new start—or so he says. Detective Sergeant Logan McRae isn't exactly thrilled to be part of the team helping Knox settle into his new Aberdeen home, and he's even less thrilled to be stuck with DSI Danby, the man who put Knox behind bars for 10 years, supposedly here to "keep an eye on things." Only things are about to go very, very wrong. Edinburgh gangster Malk the Knife wants a slice of the development boom Donald Trump's golf course is bringing to the Granite City, whether local crime lord Wee Hamish Mowat likes it or not, while three heavies from Newcastle want a "quiet word" with DSI Danby about a missing mob accountant, and Richard Knox’s dark past isn’t done with him yet.

My Review

This was another re-read, a friend had given it to me and I couldn't remember it (originally read in 2010). Logan McRae and DI Steel along with the rest of the team are juggling cases and just trying to get the job done. Richard Knox is a rapist who preyed on the elderly and is now out and needing to be kept safe and monitored. Soon a web of deceit and entanglement to other criminal links become apparent and everything kicks off.

DS McRae and Logan are hilarious, the language is atrocious as they constantly argue and banter with each other. McRae's character might annoy some as he is a tad whiny and not as strong as his previous appearances in books but again if you know the history you would maybe forgive it in this story. The crimes and some of the scenes are gritty and gory and not for anyone easily offended. I would also say if your not familiar with Scottish slang you might struggle to get the humor and understand some of the content.

It is a busy novel with a lot going on which makes for a page turner and pulls you in. I don't always read books in sequence but for these I would say you really should as it helps understand McRae's frame of mind and their is reference to previous happenings from the other books. I enjoyed it and will look out for the next in the series, 4/5 for me this time (same rating as when I read it previous).

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