Bloodshot

This is the third book by Macbride with the Logan McRae character and it doesn't disappoint. There is quite a cast of characters including DIs Steel and Insch. Throw in several constables, coroners and of course WPC Watson as Logan's significant other you have a lot of entertainment. The crimes and criminals are so gruesome that the bits of humor thrown in help alleviate some of the graphic violence. The interplay between Logan and his bosses, Steel and Insch make for interesting reading. The story takes place in Aberdeen, Scotland which, as described by the author, is a very dreary, depressing place. This novel deals with a serial rapists, a murderous eight year old boy and a vareity of other minor criminals who tend to frustrate Scotlands finest. This series is sometimes compared to the Ian Rankin Inspector Rebus novels but they are really quite different. Rebus is grittier and more cynical than McRae and the stories much darker. They are actually two excellent series of books that appeal to anyone who likes British/Scottish crime stories. Well worth the read.

MacBride has become my favorite crime thriller writer. Against the dreary backdrop of Aberdeen, Scotland, a wonderful cast of police characters, gathered around detective sergeant Logan McRae, fuss and stumble through their investigations, surviving embarassment after embarassment, until they finally and spectacularly solve the crimes. MacBride's characters are each unique and droll. And MacBride has a Wambaugh-like sense of cynical humor with which he peppers his books. This book explores, among other things, the bondage, sado-masochism scene in Aberdeen with eye-opening detail. All in all, this is another wonderful book from the word processor of Stuart MacBride.

This is the third in a fabulous series by Stuart MacBride. The author writes gritty crime books featuring Detective Sergeant Logan McRae. The books are set in Aberdeen, Scotland and the writer is able to paint a picture of the city. I studied there and reading McBride's description is bringing the city alive for me again. But, more than that, MacBride's characters are human. Logan McRae makes mistakes and has his moments of glory, which makes him a fantastic main character. He screws up at work and in his private life, but he is not the typical 'tragic hero' for whom everything goes wrong. Rather, he has his ups and downs just like everybody else. The storylines are incredibly well-written and it is difficult to put the book down. MacBride portrays crime and crime solving in a very realistic way which contributes to making the characters come alive. And, if I had known when I lived in Aberdeen, that the coppers went to Archibald Simpson's for a drink after their shifts, I certainly would have shown up there once or twice... !!!

Bloodshot is the third mystery in Stuart MacBride's series featuring Detective Sergeant Logan MacRae. The story takes place in Aberdeen, Scotland. MacRae is working on three cases that all demand his attention. The first case involves a famous football player, Rob Macintyre, who is the main suspect in a serial rape case. After MacRae's girlfriend, Constable Jackie Watson, is attacked by Macintyre while working undercover, he is immediately arrested as the serial rapist that they were after. Unfortunately because of a lack of evidence and a tough lawyer, he is let go and free to rape more women. While trying to work the cases, MacRae is put into a tug of war between his superiors on which case is more important for him to work on. Detective Inspector Steel is a tough-talking, chain-smoking lesbian who demands MacRae's attention on a different case. Detective Inspector Insch is obese and easily angered by MacRae. He wants him working the Macintyre rape case. Insch is positive that Macintyre is the culprit no matter what other evidence might prove otherwise. The second case involves a murder committed by an 8-year-old boy named Sean Morrison. After stabbing an old man with a knife, Sean has disappeared and the cops can't find him anywhere. There is something more sinister going on for such a young boy to change so drastically into a murderer. What went wrong in his life for him to change so suddenly? The third case involves a man whose dead body was dumped at the hospital. He was brutally sexually tortured until he bled to death. After some investigating they find out that this man was involved in the porn business and the S & M scene. Who killed this man? Was this a sexual escapade gone terribly wrong? Bloodshot is a fantastic police procedural/detective mystery that will keep you guessing until the last page is turned. I enjoyed this well-plotted mystery and will look for the previous books in the series. Armchair Interviews says: Bloodshot is a great book that mystery fans will inhale in one.

MacBride doesn't miss a beat in Bloodshot, the latest entry in his excellent Aberdeen, Scotland based series featuring Detective Sergeant Logan McRae. In the beginning of the book Logan's girlfriend Constable Jackie "Ball Breaker" Watson lives up to her nickname while busting a suspected serial rapist. When that suspect turns out to be a popular football star with a seemingly unshakable alibi who calls upon the services of a despicable solicitor and the sympathies of a gullible public, things, as usual, get complicated. McRae's personal life gets complicated too, as a misunderstanding with Jackie causes him to finally act on his long suppressed attraction for Rachael Tulloch, the deputy Procurator Fiscal. MacBride combines the mundane, the horrific and the ridiculous skillfully to produce another enormously satisfying read. Along with Ian Rankin and Denise Mina, MacBride is a leading figure in a Scottish crime wave that's producing some of the best mysteries in the world. The writing in this series is always great and the weather in Aberdeen is always awful.