balthazarlawson's review against another edition
3.0
This book is told in the first person of DC Ash Henderson of the Oldcastle CID. He is not a nice person. In fact he a very bad person and totally unlikeable. He is the sort of police officer who gives other police officers a bad name. He shouldn't even be a police officer and should really be behind bars.
But he is not alone. A lot of the police in the story are bad and should be behind bars or anywhere else except in uniform. They are all unlikeable.
This is the tail end of murder hunt that has been going on for eight years and has claimed the lives of two of the psychologist working the case and several police. The serial killer has been active all the time but is good and has been able to elude any kind of suspicion.
I do think this book is a bit drawn out and the writing style annoying. There are too many three way conversations, two people on the phone and a third person interrupting, two people talking and the radio interrupting and any number of combinations. It got so annoying as to be distracting.
Otherwise, this is a gritting and slightly enjoyable read.
But he is not alone. A lot of the police in the story are bad and should be behind bars or anywhere else except in uniform. They are all unlikeable.
This is the tail end of murder hunt that has been going on for eight years and has claimed the lives of two of the psychologist working the case and several police. The serial killer has been active all the time but is good and has been able to elude any kind of suspicion.
I do think this book is a bit drawn out and the writing style annoying. There are too many three way conversations, two people on the phone and a third person interrupting, two people talking and the radio interrupting and any number of combinations. It got so annoying as to be distracting.
Otherwise, this is a gritting and slightly enjoyable read.
wormskiz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
nighthawk921's review against another edition
4.0
Not as good as the Logan McRae series but still enjoyable and definitely dark.
bookstarreviews_'s review against another edition
4.0
4.5⭐️
I was hooked on this book and couldn’t get enough of it. I really liked the characters and Ash acted like any father would in the situation. I am excited to read more of Stuart’s work
I was hooked on this book and couldn’t get enough of it. I really liked the characters and Ash acted like any father would in the situation. I am excited to read more of Stuart’s work
anetq's review against another edition
1.0
This is a crazy book, the premise is murder - and the "birthday cards" the killers sends to the parents a year after: polaroids of dead 13y old girls.
Pick any plot line from any crime novel and it's in there:
✓ Detective with a trauma in the past
✓ Detective has family trouble: divorced, angry ex-wife, troubled teenage daughter
✓ Detective has money troubles, owes loan shark, hunted by bone breakers
✓ Sordid past: Detective has been demoted
✓ Has to go see jailed former boss in jail for information
✓ Troubled by the Big Case that was never solved
✓ Stripper girlfriend
✓ Co-worker in love with boss
✓ Super eccentric / neurotic (new) forensic psychiatrist
✓ Eccentric / Drunk (old) forensic psychiatrist, who gave up because of The Case
✓ Locations all over Scotland: Up, down and out the islands...
✓ Assortment of gangsters helping and impeding his work
✓ Serial killer manhunt
Oh yeah and the list goes on...
✓ His daughter is one of the victims
✓ ...which he never told his wife and daughter
✓ ...and he's lying about all sorts of stuff
✓ ...to everyone (about different things)
✓ He beats up people. Not all because they did something.
✓ He waterboards a guy in a wine cellar - with his own red wines
✓ Dodgy rat lady in basement by the mortuary
✓ His second daughter get's abducted [because nothing was happening, it might have gotten boring?]
✓ Locates supposed victim, who's hiding second from gang boss (in different city) in under age marriage - but doesn't tell anyone.
✓ Second daughter's abduction is a hoax
✓ but she ends up dead too
✓ he still owes money to gangster
✓ and they kill his brother
✓ with a gun with his prints on it
So basically our detective is f*cked, mega f*cked, every plot move is in this book, every cliché, everyone is compromised or dead, and this book is apparently first in a series?!
Not much social commentary really. But lot's of misery. I guess if you want fast paced and insane (if clichéd) plots, this is the book for you?! As a reader I really am a sucker for plot, but this is ridiculous! Fun enough to finish, because it was crazy, but not going to read the rest of the series...
Pick any plot line from any crime novel and it's in there:
✓ Detective with a trauma in the past
✓ Detective has family trouble: divorced, angry ex-wife, troubled teenage daughter
✓ Detective has money troubles, owes loan shark, hunted by bone breakers
✓ Sordid past: Detective has been demoted
✓ Has to go see jailed former boss in jail for information
✓ Troubled by the Big Case that was never solved
✓ Stripper girlfriend
✓ Co-worker in love with boss
✓ Super eccentric / neurotic (new) forensic psychiatrist
✓ Eccentric / Drunk (old) forensic psychiatrist, who gave up because of The Case
✓ Locations all over Scotland: Up, down and out the islands...
✓ Assortment of gangsters helping and impeding his work
✓ Serial killer manhunt
Oh yeah and the list goes on...
Spoiler
✓ His daughter is one of the victims
✓ ...which he never told his wife and daughter
✓ ...and he's lying about all sorts of stuff
✓ ...to everyone (about different things)
✓ He beats up people. Not all because they did something.
✓ He waterboards a guy in a wine cellar - with his own red wines
✓ Dodgy rat lady in basement by the mortuary
✓ His second daughter get's abducted [because nothing was happening, it might have gotten boring?]
✓ Locates supposed victim, who's hiding second from gang boss (in different city) in under age marriage - but doesn't tell anyone.
✓ Second daughter's abduction is a hoax
✓ but she ends up dead too
✓ he still owes money to gangster
✓ and they kill his brother
✓ with a gun with his prints on it
So basically our detective is f*cked, mega f*cked, every plot move is in this book, every cliché, everyone is compromised or dead, and this book is apparently first in a series?!
Not much social commentary really. But lot's of misery. I guess if you want fast paced and insane (if clichéd) plots, this is the book for you?! As a reader I really am a sucker for plot, but this is ridiculous! Fun enough to finish, because it was crazy, but not going to read the rest of the series...
yanagnl81's review against another edition
3.0
Het duurde lang voor ik in het verhaal zat. De aanloop was vrij lang. Het taalgebruik is vaak grof, net als het geweld dat in het boek voorkomt.
Uiteindelijk vond ik het toch een erg spannend boek. Het liep wat mij betreft erg teleurstellend af, daarom geef ik maar 3 sterren.
Uiteindelijk vond ik het toch een erg spannend boek. Het liep wat mij betreft erg teleurstellend af, daarom geef ik maar 3 sterren.
fonril's review against another edition
5.0
This is quite a dark, psychological thriller. The sheer amount of aggression is intense but also compelling. Ash as a main character is extremely flawed, he's not been a great parent, has got himself entangled in debt with some very dodgy characters and is definitely rough around the edges. Lets just say he's not averse to kicking down doors or using his fists to get the answers he wants. Pairing him with psychologist Alice McDonald works well to balance his dark anger with her inexperience and clumsiness.
It took me a bit to get into the rhythm of the book but once I did, it held a great pace. It didn't tie every thing up neatly by the end, some things were left unanswered or for the reader to fill in the blanks. That also may be because it's part of a series and I've immediately moved onto the sequel to find out what happens next.
It took me a bit to get into the rhythm of the book but once I did, it held a great pace. It didn't tie every thing up neatly by the end, some things were left unanswered or for the reader to fill in the blanks. That also may be because it's part of a series and I've immediately moved onto the sequel to find out what happens next.
bgg616's review against another edition
4.0
Another fast-moving police thriller from MacBride. He makes it seem as though Scotland is full of serial killers, pedophiles, and sadistic murderers.Detective Constable Ash Henderson is the "baddest" bad boy cop I've ever come across, but as the reader, you may hope he gets away with it. MacBride isn't for the faint-hearted, but the violence doesn't come across as gratuitous. I appreciated the part of the story set in the Shetlands. Despite its length, it never drags and the ending is truly a surprise.