A review by dannilmp
No Less The Devil by Stuart MacBride

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This isn't my first Stuart MacBride read, and, considering the ending of this one; I'm very glad it wasn't! We are introduced to Lucy McVeigh, and her sidekick, the Dunk. I found this pair to be quite entertaining, with Lucy's take on life, compared to the Dunk's political comments. 

Focussing on the plot, we follow a serial killer case which has reached a dead end after 17 months, and a new development is needed to help break the case, which seems to be Lucy's strong point. While it was intriguing to follow through the logical points and the evidence, I think the interest (for me personally) came more from Lucy's character. Cleary there is more to this police officer than meets the eye...

While I can agree, looking at other reviews, that the last 20% of the book or thereabouts, certainly seemed more unhinged and took the book in a completly different direction to the focus being on the Bloodsmith; that this character development and the closer look into the psyche held my interest. A reread of this will defintely be intersting, as the points revelaed at the end of the book could be more easily noticed throughout, once you know what you're looking for. 

A thought provoking ending as well, coupled with the Scottish humour and dialect (well written and readable in the text) makes this one of my favourite MacBride books, alongside Halfheads. There are questions about the ending that I will likely keep turning over for a little while, espeically as there are other peoples fates to ponder as well...
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