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A review by tasmanian_bibliophile
Blind Eye by Stuart MacBride
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