The 8th of Stuart MacBride's Logan McRae novels and a first read for me. I've read and enjoyed the previous books in the series, some more than others, but always excitedly await each new addition to the series. I kept this one for a long time awaiting a "rainy day" when I needed a treat.I found this book quite similar to the previous one in many ways - the titles are not dissimilar, they both deal with showbusiness, and they continue the story arc of girlfriend Sam's recovery from injuries sustained in a fire. As ever the actual crimes are very gruesome, some of the police stupid, and professional criminals threatening. Despite Steel's mantra of "We are not at home to Mr F***-up" they frequently seem to be hosting an open house for him, rarely have so many coppers made so many mistakes in such a short time - perhaps this is realistic...The plot of the crimes themselves is intricate and believable, but I felt that it took too long to play out, which make the book feel like it was trying to reach a certain length rather than tell us the story and then stop. A revelation near the end of the book has been obvious throughout the last two books and came as no surprise to anyone with half a brain - so it felt like a bit of a cheap shot.Enjoyable as ever, but not one of the better books in the series. 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.
What do You think about Witheet (2013)?
With the dark humor & great characters, I like this series as much as Rebus.
—Sami
Geestig,keihard goed geschreven boek met leuke personages.
—Asully
Bloody and twisted as usual with great characters
—Gaea
I found the writing very hard to follow
—johnsmith
