Cold Granite

If this is MacBride's first book, we aficianados of good police procedurals have a lot to look forward to. As some other reviewers have pointed out, his hero,Detective Sgt. Logan McRae is a believeable cop, not a whining, dissolute misfit, like so many other fictional detectives. Secondly, his description of Aberdeen and the way he skillfully weaves its lousy weather into his plot is satisfying. Thirdly, the plot itself has twists and turns that keep the reader engaged. All in all, this is an excellent first effort by a very talented author who, in my estimation, will soon be among the short list of best-selling cop thriller authors. I look forward to many more years of MacBride and Logan McRae.

This is an exceptionally mature and complex book considering it is MacBride's first novel. His comfort with the material and sureness of plotting remind me of Jim Kelly, whose first novel The Water Clock was another spectacular debut that has borne out over several follow-ons. I know that MacBride has written more books since but this was only recently recommended to me so I'm going to try and review it in isolation. On the face of it, this is a really good police procedural that has a strong cast of characters, including the requisite flawed protagonist, who is a just-back-from-horrible-on-the-job-injury Detective Sergeant Logan McRae. He's a bit of a head case (natch) but he's also bright, insightful, and his earlier scrape with death has given him a perspective that few other experiences can provide. The main storyline involves the abduction and murder of young children. The introduction of these murders is handled with respect and compassion by the author but also with unflinching directness. Some of the murders have obviously common threads but others are far outside the profile and are deeply frustrating for the investigating team. There may or may not be an association with a known thug who has been fished from the local waters, quite dead and minus his kneecaps. With so much going on, it would be easy to make hash of the story, but MacBride weaves it all together with deftness; he doesn't waste a word. For those of you who are familiar with the Dalziel and Pascoe mysteries of Reginald Hill, there is a police supervisor named Insch that bears more than a passing resemblance to Dalziel...and that's a good thing. Finally, as if there isn't enough going on (and, believe it or not, I never had a problem keeping track - unlike some other books that require backtracking to keep straight), there is a marvelous turn on how the media can, by the stroke of a pen, manipulate the facts of an investigation and influence the opinion of a willing public that is always happy to believe the worst. There is some awesome writing coming out of Scotland these days and the Tartan Noire movement is extremely well-named. I'm not sure MacBride is ready for official membership yet, but, based on this, he has his feet in the water.

This is MacBride's first novel, but it feels like he's been doing this all his life. His work is solid, confident, and full of all things noir, from the freezing rains to the sad, lonely murdered children tossed away like roadkill. MacBride shows us an Aberdeen so real you'll come away with a cold. It's no surprise this was one of the novels short-listed by the International Thriller Writers as Best First Novel. MacBride's the real deal.

an extrodinary read. stuart macbride has done for aberdeen, scotland what ian rankin has for edinburgh. as a police procedural novel, this book raises the genre to a new level. an exceptional plot that keeps a reader guessing. i am looking forward to reading his future novels.