Blind Eye

Someone is preying on Aberdeen's growing Polish community. Men are found abandoned, barely alive, on building sites with their eyes gouged out and the sockets burned. Threatening letters arriving at police headquarters make it clear that the attacks will continue. The victims are too scared to talk to police, and the only witness is a paedophile on the run. Grampian Police are not making much progress in capturing the offender they have tagged Oedipus. There is another big case happening at the same time (involving firearms) and Detective Sergeant Logan (`Lazarus' or `Laz') McRae has his hands full. McRae is also hoping for a promotion: one of the Detective Inspectors is about to retire, and catching Oedipus could only enhance his chances. This is an interesting, and at times brutal, police procedural. There is plenty of action, mostly in Aberdeen but also in Poland. There are also some juicy red herrings, some fascinating personal challenges (especially for DS McRae and Detective Inspector Roberta Steel). This is not a novel for the squeamish, but it does have some delightful humour. I am reading this series out of order, and this is my first exposure to DS McRae and his superior officer, DI Roberta Steel. It won't be the last: these are characters worth exploring and I'll be tracking down the earlier four novels. Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Detective Sergeant Logan ("Lazarus," or just "Laz" for short) McRae, of the Grampian Police, has his first big case in six months. It's been longer than that since his last, disastrous, one. And the present one isn't going well. There are actually two big cases going on. One has to do with a caravan full of heavy-duty firepower. And the fear is that there is a turf war in the offing. The second one poses a more imminent problem. Six businessmen in the area have been attacked, in the most horrific way imaginable, having their eyes gouged out and the optic nerve and eye sockets burned. All the victims have been Polish, indicative of the anger, resentment and just plain racism at work in the community, mirroring hate crimes arising out of the issue of immigration and hatred of immigrants, both legal and otherwise, extant in many parts of the world. McRae lives and works in Aberdeen [the author's place of residence as well]. He is tempted to begin a new relationship with another member of the police force, but is a little out of practice. He also is hoping for a promotion, since a Detective Inspector is about to retire and McRae is one of three thought to be in line for the job. But first he must catch the man they call "Oedipus." His DCI thinks he is a natural for it, given his "experience with serial weirdoes." Detective Inspector Steel is going through her own personal issues, describing herself as "a forty-three-year-old lesbian chain-smoker who swears like a f***ing sailor and boozes it up every night." They make for an interesting team. Once again Mr. MacBride gives the reader a sometimes brutal but always interesting police procedural, sure to please his growing number of fans as well as gaining him new ones. Recommended.

Stuart Macbride has become my favorite author and nobody does it better. Blind Eye is more in line with Cold Granite than Flesh House - it's incredible exciting and a bit lighter than Flesh House, though no less absorbing. Logan McRae's personality is getting more and more developed and we see a lighter, dare I say comic side of his boss Roberta Steele. Not to be a spoiler but Logan's soul and morals are bared in this book in a surprising, but believable way. It's a long read - 516 pages - but well worth the hours you spend. Thank you Mr. MacBride. Please keep it up!

I've read all MacBride's Logan novels and this one was a welcome return to form. The last one, Flesh House, while good was very violent and dark - a real departure from earlier outings. While Blind Eye isn't short on the more vicious aspects of the crimes committed (the title is a major clue), I'm happy to say the overall tone is considerably lighter than the past few entries and much more in line with the first book, Cold Granite. Another reviewer felt the banter between Logan and his crass, lesbian boss Steel was far-fetched and weak. I respect the reviewer's opionion but strongly disagree - I laughed out loud several times during their exchanges...especially when Steel and her partner want children and she practically orders Logan to volunteer his "services"! I delighted in this scruffy, oddball duo with their warped yet winning cameraderie (if you can even call it that). Yes you have to suspend disbelief to a certain degree - after all, nearly everyone in the book - good and bad guys - are barmy, but that is what makes it all the more enjoyable a read!

Although Aberdeen, Scotland Detective Sergeant. Logan McRae is still healing from the brutal Flesh House case he investigates nasty hate crime assaults on Polish immigrants; even the cops are horrified with what has happened to the eyes of the victims. DCI Finnie believes the prime suspect Gilchrist is a malcontent who loathes the influx of foreigners from East Europe for taking the jobs away from locals. However, Logan wonders if something else is the motive beyond the attacks when even a crime boss is beaten. Instead Logan considers a mob war between Scottish mobsters and Polish gangsters while Finnie tells him to stop thinking as that is not standard operating procedure for a DS. Meanwhile, McRae feels a double whammy when Finnie punishes him by sticking him with loud mouth Detective Inspector Roberta Steele to keep witness Rory Simpson, a pedophile, safe from an angry female stalker. This is a strong Scottish police procedural that is owned by Logan but contains a deep support ensemble especially the cops. The investigation is cleverly devised so that Logan is once again an outsider in trouble with his superiors especially pompous Finnie. Fans will enjoy his latest case as he works around the bureaucrats to solve the hate crimes. His back case load is also worth reading (see BLOODSHOT, DYING LIGHT and COLD GRANITE). Harriet Klausner