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chadjames312's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
andrew61's review against another edition
4.0
I love Scottish crime fiction and Stuart MacBride is one of my favourites. His writing is gritty but contains plenty of humour and whilst at times particularly nasty in the crimes described overall his books don't disappoint.
In book 5 of the series various gangs fight for supremacy in the streets of Aberdeen, drugs, guns and prostitution are behind it all with in this book an interesting thread of Polish revenge .
At times Logan Macrae's ability to survive injury stretched credibility but overall it was good solid crime writing.
In book 5 of the series various gangs fight for supremacy in the streets of Aberdeen, drugs, guns and prostitution are behind it all with in this book an interesting thread of Polish revenge .
At times Logan Macrae's ability to survive injury stretched credibility but overall it was good solid crime writing.
sooz_767's review against another edition
4.0
Just as gritty and disturbing as the rest of the series! This one was particularly icky for me as I have a phobia of eye injuries (specific I know!).
I listened to this one on audio and was very impressed by the author narrating it himself. The humour shines through with his Aberdonian accent, and also well done on all the other accents pulled off as well as I can tell!
I listened to this one on audio and was very impressed by the author narrating it himself. The humour shines through with his Aberdonian accent, and also well done on all the other accents pulled off as well as I can tell!
infi85's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lazygal's review against another edition
4.0
Five books in and we've finally got a clear idea as to why DS Logan McRae has so many problems with the higher-ups: his high "fuck-up to brilliance ratio" (quoth DI Steel). Sadly, so many of the problems happen between books and all too often there's stuff going on in between books we're not privy to (or get hints about, but no real exposition). In many ways that's one of the things that appeals to me, as there's a clear sense that life goes on in-between, that we're not tracking every minute of the character's lives.
Again, this is pretty gruesome, with people having their eyes gouged out and then lighter fluid poured in to the cavity. Why? Is it because they're Polish (there's a large influx of Polish immigrants/workers in Aberdeen)? Is there something else going on? McRae assumes the latter because one of Aberdeens 'finest', Simon McLeod, is blinded and he's sure that someone will be paying. Now that DI Insch is gone, DI Finnie is working with McRae and hoping for a Lazarus-like resurrection of his career (surely McRae can't be a much of a mess as rumored). Finnie has his own ideas as to how to do the investigation, and there are clashes between him, Steel, McRae and Professional Standards. No guesses as to how it all plays out. Despite the earlier books' portrayal, DI Steel really seems to be in McRae's corner, perhaps because her unit is "not at home to Mr. Fuck-Up".
I do feel sorry for McRae! In the past few books he's lost his girlfriend (twice), been forced to eat human meat, had several career set-backs and here, gets blown up (literally). Oh, and there's the question of the turkey baster and DI Steel's wife... What's next?
Again, this is pretty gruesome, with people having their eyes gouged out and then lighter fluid poured in to the cavity. Why? Is it because they're Polish (there's a large influx of Polish immigrants/workers in Aberdeen)? Is there something else going on? McRae assumes the latter because one of Aberdeens 'finest', Simon McLeod, is blinded and he's sure that someone will be paying. Now that DI Insch is gone, DI Finnie is working with McRae and hoping for a Lazarus-like resurrection of his career (surely McRae can't be a much of a mess as rumored). Finnie has his own ideas as to how to do the investigation, and there are clashes between him, Steel, McRae and Professional Standards. No guesses as to how it all plays out. Despite the earlier books' portrayal, DI Steel really seems to be in McRae's corner, perhaps because her unit is "not at home to Mr. Fuck-Up".
I do feel sorry for McRae! In the past few books he's lost his girlfriend (twice), been forced to eat human meat, had several career set-backs and here, gets blown up (literally). Oh, and there's the question of the turkey baster and DI Steel's wife... What's next?
nataliejs_'s review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
laurapf's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
zarahmitchell's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘Well ... He’s definitely unhinged. No sane person uses so many exclamation marks.’
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
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