I'm currently rereading the whole series. As with lots of books, they're even better a second time. I'd forgotten what a delightfully slow build this first one is. I'm nearly 30% in and we still haven't actually met DI Steel yet. She's lurking and been mentioned a couple of times, and when you know what a force of nature she is once she arrives on the scene this tactic is quite amusing. PC Rennie isn't in the novel yet either. Logan is arriving back to work after nearly a year off sick (after being stabbed) to a police station he barely recognises. Kids are disappearing. Some are being found dead. There's something incredibly refreshing about Stuart McBride's writing. He never does cliché. Mothers of missing children aren't saints sitting bravely but tearfully on the couch--they're exactly the flawed human beings they were before their kids were snatched. Even the missing kids aren't portrayed as angels no longer able to grace earth with their presence--they're often "horrible wee shites" as their own parents might say. Writers turning out formulaic crime novels would do well to read Stuart McBride. And he achieves all this without one word of exposition from his privileged position of narrator. This is all 3rd person stream of consciousness from Laz (Logan) McRae doggedly trying to do a good job hampered as much by the senior police officers as the Aberdeen criminal lowlife.Finished.It's been an interesting exercise re-reading this novel. My impression of the whole series was clearly colouring this one too much. You really don't get the humour or the great characters in this one that you do in the overall series, so if you've given this a go and quite liked it, then I strongly urge you to progress with the series because you've just started on a wonderful ride. I did find this one had faults, which I'd not particularly noticed on first reading. Obviously, any author writing in a pov style--the entire book from one main character's point of view--can find this limiting at times. We are following Laz (Logan) McLean's view of the world, so anything that happens when he's not there can't be shown, clearly. Except...when it's necessary to build some tension at the end...Stuart McBride suddenly switches pov to one of the young female officers and for a couple of chapters while she's in danger we're with her. It's incredibly jarring when you come across it. I'm not sure why McBride's editor let him get away with this, unless they realised they had a bit of a star on their hands and wanted this first book out there. I don't recall he does this again in the whole series, but I might be wrong. I also think the whole police force come over as incompetent in this novel--the solution to some of their crimes would seem obvious to a child, I would think. Seriously, if a little girl's body is found alongside a road with multiple impact injuries, what would be your first assumption? That she'd been hit by a car? Well, not if you're a policeman in this book. Your first assumption is that the road sweeper who found her beat her up. Hmm. This isn't just nitpicking. There are many instances where the incredibly obvious solution is the last one that comes to them, or they stumble on the solution by chance. Another example. They have a run-in with a vicious Alsatian dog. He bites one of them. He's owned by an equally vicious old mob enforcer, who they also have a run in with. Body is found in harbour killed in mob-style knee capping and with non-human shaped bites marks on him. Gosh, what can this mean? Seriously? Are you solving this crime? It took another two days and the results of the "mysterious" bite to be analysed before mob enforcer with vicious dog and mob-style victim with strange bite marks were connected. And this is Aberdeen, so it's not like there are bodies floating in the harbour every day!I sound as if I didn't like this book, which couldn't be further from the truth. Do read this series. It's brilliant. I've read all Stuart McBride's books, including his gruesome Halfhead and seriously wickedly funny and good Sawbones and would recommend them all to those with strong stomachs, no PC-credentials at all, and a good sense of humour.
Despite the fact that I never read more than one book at a time - ever - my goal is to have a really good book series waiting in the wings just in case I finish a book but don't have another that interests me. That's complicated a bit because I also hate re-reading a book, no matter how excellent it was (the only exception to that rule was the James Bond series by Ian Fleming).Over the last couple of years, favorites like Lawrence Block's The Burglar Who series, the series by Spencer Quinn featuring Bernie and his lovable canine companion, Chet, and the John Jordan Mystery series by Michael Lister have played the fill-in role quite nicely.But then there were no more. So now what? Enter a fellow reader here at Goodreads, who wrote a great review of one of the Logan McRae books by Stuart MacBride. All the books in the series, he said, are well worth reading (I believe there are 10, but don't quote me on that). The subject matter fit my requirements like a glove; good old-fashioned police procedurals featuring Det. Sgt. Logan McRae. Intrigued, I did a bit of research and - prompted by my online friend's review - set out to give the first one a try (did I mention I always try to read the books in any series in order)?Turns out this one, the first, is the author's first novel - he's written several other books - and for his effort, he earned the Barry Award for Best First Novel in 2006 (he's won at least a couple of others since then). Well, I said to myself, looks as if this series might be a winner. Taking a deep breath when I learned this one comes in at a hefty 457 pages, I took the plunge.And darned if it isn't a winner. I admit it got a titch boring right about the halfway mark, but I know some of that stemmed from the unusually nasty ice, snow and below-zero winter temperatures that had kept me and my husband practically housebound for days. The other downer was the city of Aberdeen, Scotland, the setting for the book; the only thing worse than the weather here in northeastern Ohio was the weather over there - and neither was making me happy. In the acknowledgements section, the author himself alludes to the grim surroundings, saying, "Aberdeen's really not as bad as it sounds. Trust me..."In fact, this book begins in winter, and yes, the weather is awful. McRae has just returned after recovering (for the most part) serious injuries incurred on the job. He's greeted by one of the worst possible crimes: The mutilated body of a three-year-old boy is found in a ditch. And don't think it won't get worse; another child goes missing, then another - and unless the perpetrator is identified and caught, it's pretty clear there will be even more. The investigation is impeded by leaks to a particularly aggressive reporter who tries to ingratiate himself with McRae, giving co-workers cause to suspect the detective himself. Along the way, McRae must deal with his own emotional issues - an apparently disgruntled ex-girlfriend who happens to be the forensic pathologist, and a fiesty but attractive co-worker who's in the running for next-girlfriend status, at least as far as McRae is concerned.The case takes on a number of twists and turns - mostly unexpected - as the race continues to find the serial killer before yet another child goes missing and the story concludes with a bang-up ending. Some of the language was a bit hard to decipher (thankfully I've got a daughter-in-law from London, so I understood most of the otherwise strange-to-me terminology). And, I even learned a few new words, such as "beturded" - used here to describe a parking lot after a dog left a deposit in the middle of it. Gotta love it.All in all, it was quite an enjoyable read. But as for the author's claim that Aberdeen (Granite City, to which the title refers) really is a place I'd like, I'll reserve judgment until I've read the second book in the series, which yes, I plan to do next time I hit a lull on my must-read list.
What do You think about Cold Granite (2006)?
COLD GRANITE (Police Procedural-Scotland-Cont) - VGMacBride, Stuart – 1st in seriesHarper Collins, 2005- HardcopyDS Logan McRae nearly died in the line of duty and is now back after a yearlong recovery. However, his first day back isn't the gentle return he'd expected as the body of a murdered four-year-old boy has been found. As more children go missing and their bodies found, the question is whether all the cases are related. It doesn't help that someone is leaking information to the press.*** I am an admitted fan of police procedurals, and this was a good one. I particularly liked that McRae wasn't an angst-ridden, alcohol-driven character--although McRae did his fair share of imbibing—whose relationship to his fellow officers and superiors is realistic. The subject matter is difficult; anytime children are involved, it's hard to read. The story was well plotted, with interesting twists and turns and good suspense. I even enjoyed the bit of a nod to Ian Rankin. Altogether, I enjoyed it and look forward to the next MacBride.
—LJ
This is Stuart MacBride’s first novel and as debuts go, it’s pretty tightly done. Detective Sargeant Logan McRae is back reporting for duty after a year off on sick leave. He was stabbed, multiple times (23, apparently) in the abdomen by a murderer nicknamed the “Mastrick Monster”. It took seven hours for a surgeon to sew DS McRae’s inside’s back together and he bears hideous scars and suffers from searing pain.But the book is not really about that. Instead it’s about the case he catches on his first day back on the job. The body of missing 3yo toddler David Reid is found in a ditch. He’s been strangled. Mutilated. As the mother of a 22 month old toddler myself, I did find parts of the novel a hard slog, but not because the novel is extremely graphic: it isn’t. In fact most of the details are revealed in a clinical, dispassionate way and are the true definition of less is more. You aren’t shown in verbal diarrhea by one of the characters what has happened to this poor child (and later, others). You’re given the basic facts and left to imagine it yourself. And that is far, far worse. It was all I could do not to scoop up my little boy and hug him during various stages of this novel.The child has been missing three months and was probably in the ditch for a good portion of that time. Forensic evidence is minimal and leads aren’t really in abundance. The media is howling for a result, a matter complicated by the fact that one of the journalists obviously has inside information. That leaves Logan’s superiors looking at him – if he isn’t the leak then he’d better find who is and fix it. Quickly!Then the dead kids start piling up.The cops are stumped. There is no clear pattern. Confidential information is still being leaked to the media. Every suspect they question doesn’t provide them with the answers they want to hear. DS McRae knows that time is running out to crack this case and put away this depraved individual. He’s dealing with other issues too – his ex-girlfriend, the cool-as-ice pathologist Isobel MacAlister. They were dating when the Mastrick Monster took her. And when Logan saved her and suffered at the hands of the killer. Why they are not dating now is not clearly explained but there’s definitely some unresolved issues there. They’re not getting resolved any time soon by the looks of things and seemingly ready to move on, Logan turns his eye to his assisting WPC Jacky Watson. The characters are believable and likable. Logan isn’t some cool, calm and sardonic cop. Nor is he a nutter slamming back alcohol just to function. He’s embarrassed about his “Police Hero” tag. Actually I think he blushes more in this novel the I’ve ever known a male main character to blush before. He makes mistakes. Errors in judgement. It was very refreshing to see his awkwardness and his lack of comfort and self confidence at times.Woven into the storyline, adding to the gloom is the description of the city. The novel is set in Aberdeen, Scotland and I don’t think it stops raining for the entire novel (which spans about 11-12 days, set in November). There is snow, and sleet as well. Despite Scotland being somewhat the motherland of my family (albeit quite a few generations back now) I’m no expert so I googled Aberdeen. Days average less than 7hrs in length in winter, in December. That lengthens to about 8hrs in January. A lot of the buildings are constructed from granite – all in all, it paints a pretty bleak picture! A perfect setting for this sort of miserable crime.It was a well written, well thought out, intricate little story with strength of characters and plot. The DS Logan McRae series is due to span 8 books (of which 6 are already published). I will definitely be buying the second book and if it’s as good as this one, I’ll keep going.
—Bree T
Stuart MacBride’s stunning debut novel Cold Granite propels DS Logan McRae into the detective hall of fame in no time at all.McRae is a likeable protagonist with a genuine back story: allusions to his professional and personal life pre-novel make this clear. He is haunted by an injury sustained in a previous case and is burned from the breakdown of a relationship.The star is presented as fundamentally human. He has hope, ambition and refreshing optimism when it’s warranted, despite his demons. He isn’t an alcoholic or a divorcee. He forms genuine opinions of people and situations, which evolve over time. He has highs and lows and no insanely outlandish eureka moments.The supporting cast are an equally excellent bunch. Detective Inspectors Insch and Steel steal every scene they appear in, particularly the single-buttock-perching, sweetie-munching, ever-ranting Insch who brings colour with each appearance. Journalist Colin Miller, lawyer ‘Sid the Snake’ Moir-Faquarson, pathologist Isobel and WPC Jackie ‘Ball-Breaker’ Watson are other stand outs.As the novel continues, the supporting cast also develop where lesser writers leave their extras to stagnate in the background. Interpersonal relationships between the factions also adjust as the story unfolds.Onto the case, and the chilling, sometimes gruesome, abductions and mutilations of children are investigated by Aberdeen’s police force. A secondary investigation involves the knee-capping and dumping of an Edinburgh chancer. It’s incredibly well-plotted, with red herrings and misdirection all along the way. Instead of your run-of-the-mill “someone’s a serial killer” thread, there are genuine suspects who are counted in and counted out like some sort of judicial hokey-kokey which makes a genuinely interesting and often surprising read.McBride’s writing style is excellent. With dry wit and enough black humour, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments both inside and outside of the dialogue – genuine audible guffaws. The Aberdeen McBride paints is authentic and consistent, with the weather becoming a de facto character and amusing running theme. The pace is also perfect, with no fillers yet always enough time to see the effects of various twists play out and think about what might happen next.My only quibble is with the very last page. A surprise twist in the denouement was weak. It seemed unnecessary and added nothing to the plot, causing what would have been a perfectly acceptable closing scene to end with an anti-climax. It would have been better omitted, but takes nothing away from what preceded it.In short, McRae is set up for a long and brilliant series in Aberdeen’s police HQ. MacBride’s story and patter are second to none, and he never misses a moment to develop his characters and plots. The only thing more inevitable than reading the next book, is not visiting Aberdeen ever again!
—Simon Taylor
