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nighthawk921's review against another edition
5.0
Once again I have nothing but good things to say about this book. I read it slowly as my break and reward for trudging through two unlikable book club books. Because of this I'm not sure if the pace of this book was a little slower than previous ones or it was just me. Either way I found it thoroughly enjoyable and, unlike others in the series, I had it partially figured out halfway through.
didactylos's review
4.0
Very enjoyable, but as it is part of a sequence some of it was very confusing, really needs to be read in order to make sense of what is going on. A different setting to most books of this genre.
historybooksandtea's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
myrdyr's review against another edition
4.0
I can always count on Stuart MacLean for an entertaining read!
nataliejs_'s review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
andrew61's review
3.0
I read book 7 well over a year ago and with a diet of conventional police procedurals it took me a while to get back into the black humour of this series but when I did I enjoyed the rip roaring ride as DS McRae has to solve several different crimes occurring simultaneously but at the centre murders that mirror the plot of a supernatural horror movie being filmed in Aberdeen.
Some great tangential themes including his girlfriend physical health and his relationship with the local gang leader and son make for a page turning read. Don't plan to leave it so long for book 9.
Some great tangential themes including his girlfriend physical health and his relationship with the local gang leader and son make for a page turning read. Don't plan to leave it so long for book 9.
fictionfan's review against another edition
4.0
More comedy than crime…
Logan McRae returns for an eighth adventure, this time as Acting DI. As a film about witchcraft is being made in the city, a series of horrific murders with an occult theme is taking place throughout the city. Meantime a young couple have gone missing and a gang war is brewing between the drug barons of the city. And as usual, every crime in Aberdeen seems to be dumped on poor McRae's desk.
As always, MacBride has come up with an interesting and complicated plot and the quality of his writing remains very high. However as the series has progressed the humour seems to have taken over more and more and while this makes the book an enjoyable read it does tend to reduce any sense of realism and detract from the flow of the story. The usual characters are there - DI Steel, now acting head of CID, Rennie and a brief return for Jackie Watson - but all the characters have become so caricatured that they seem to be more like pantomime characters than real people. This book also sees a reappearance for retired DI Insch, but his personality is so changed, mainly for comedic purposes, that he simply doesn't ring true at all.
The overall impression for me is that MacBride is bored with these characters and taking them to comedic extremes for his own amusement. And while there's no doubt it's still an amusing journey for the reader too, I no longer think of these as crime books but as fairly broad farce comedies. As a result, all the characters are there purely to be laughed at, including McRae, so I found I didn't feel any emotional involvement with them or tension as to the outcome. I'm not sure where the series is heading and I'll probably stick with it for another book or two but I think it may be close to the time that it should reach an end before it becomes too farcical. Overall then, an enjoyable read but lacking any sense of realism and with none of the grittiness of the early books. Falls somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me, so for old times sakes I've rounded up to 4.
NB This book was provided for review by Amazon Vine UK.
Logan McRae returns for an eighth adventure, this time as Acting DI. As a film about witchcraft is being made in the city, a series of horrific murders with an occult theme is taking place throughout the city. Meantime a young couple have gone missing and a gang war is brewing between the drug barons of the city. And as usual, every crime in Aberdeen seems to be dumped on poor McRae's desk.
As always, MacBride has come up with an interesting and complicated plot and the quality of his writing remains very high. However as the series has progressed the humour seems to have taken over more and more and while this makes the book an enjoyable read it does tend to reduce any sense of realism and detract from the flow of the story. The usual characters are there - DI Steel, now acting head of CID, Rennie and a brief return for Jackie Watson - but all the characters have become so caricatured that they seem to be more like pantomime characters than real people. This book also sees a reappearance for retired DI Insch, but his personality is so changed, mainly for comedic purposes, that he simply doesn't ring true at all.
The overall impression for me is that MacBride is bored with these characters and taking them to comedic extremes for his own amusement. And while there's no doubt it's still an amusing journey for the reader too, I no longer think of these as crime books but as fairly broad farce comedies. As a result, all the characters are there purely to be laughed at, including McRae, so I found I didn't feel any emotional involvement with them or tension as to the outcome. I'm not sure where the series is heading and I'll probably stick with it for another book or two but I think it may be close to the time that it should reach an end before it becomes too farcical. Overall then, an enjoyable read but lacking any sense of realism and with none of the grittiness of the early books. Falls somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for me, so for old times sakes I've rounded up to 4.
NB This book was provided for review by Amazon Vine UK.
lazygal's review against another edition
4.0
Less stock-charactery than the last DI McRae, which is good. He's got good instincts, but OMG has he had a horrible life thus far (read previous books for that backstory). Like Rebus, his relationships with the seedier underside of Aberdeen's rulers both stands him in good stead and leads to serious problems - I can't wait to see how he resolves this!
The twists and turns of the story are a little unexpected, with the bundles of bones that are left around McRae's house (ok, caravan) leading to a much larger mystery. At times one wants the action to stop briefly so readers, and the characters, can catch their breath while at others the comic breaks (especially when Steele is around) just annoys. While the culprits are hinted at, there isn't so much telegraphing that it's easy to figure out whodunnit, which to me is the mark of a good mystery. It was good that we get far less "the weather in Aberdeen is crap" than in previous books!
My hope for the next book is less Steele, and more of McRae getting a grip on his life and future. Whichever direction that might lead.
The twists and turns of the story are a little unexpected, with the bundles of bones that are left around McRae's house (ok, caravan) leading to a much larger mystery. At times one wants the action to stop briefly so readers, and the characters, can catch their breath while at others the comic breaks (especially when Steele is around) just annoys. While the culprits are hinted at, there isn't so much telegraphing that it's easy to figure out whodunnit, which to me is the mark of a good mystery. It was good that we get far less "the weather in Aberdeen is crap" than in previous books!
My hope for the next book is less Steele, and more of McRae getting a grip on his life and future. Whichever direction that might lead.
bgg616's review against another edition
4.0
MacBride's books are set in Aberdeen, in the underbelly of the city. He exemplifies the term Tartan Noir. This story involves a American movie about witchcraft, drug dealers, and gruesome murders.