Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
I've been a bit naive in my thinking on Scottish independence: I thought it was a part of a country deciding that it wanted to go it alone. This is an extremely complex and gruesome case, but Stuart MacBride always manages to lighten the atmosphere a little with spades full of humour, and some brilliant one liners, especially from DS Roberta Steel. But that is just window-dressing for the real treasures in this novel: the wonderful writing and the amazing characters. King explains: “You know how the Alt-Right is full of white supremacists, gun nuts, racists, and neo-Nazis?
MacBride delivers plenty of humour to leaven the dark deeds and weighty issues; McRae’s interactions with colleagues such as DS Steel and DC “Tufty” Quirrel are a particular highlight. Professor Wilson an high profile anti-independence campaigner has gone missing, leaving nothing but bloodstains behind.
The writing is great, as always, and I’d forgotten how much I enjoy his use of contemporary Scots banter and dialect – again always exaggerated, but very funny, and not at all problematic for non-Scots to enjoy. This may not be to everyone’s liking and I dare say the author took quite a risk putting this out there. The writing style of MacBride and Mark is different, but not much so as both use (for me at least) the same style – and a lot of Scottish words. The smoky tang of whisky catches in his nostrils as they step in close, their breath warm against his cheek.
In the meantime, Scotland is facing the kind of political nightmare that parallels our contemporary politics of Brexit, with a deadly battle between those who support the union between England and Scotland and the extreme Alt-Nats, intent on a independent nation, by whatever means necessary, as they create a poisonous climate of fear with gruesome and brutal murders.It is equally interesting to see the once feckless Logan MacRae turn into the voice of reason and often the only adult in the room. Like many all-male environments, working offshore was the intellectual equivalent of Animal House, only without the clever bits. Well ok, just that if you are looking for quality writing, brilliant observation and genuinely addictive plots within your crime fiction, this series and this author should be high up on your reading list. As there is a cloud of suspicion over the lead detective DI King, Logan is attached to the investigation.
Putting credibility of the basic premise to the side, the plotting in this also felt stronger to me than the last couple I’d read. It is a real page turner and, whilst the events are dark, there is a thread of humour to lighten it, especially through the interactions of the characters.I was never in doubt as to which character I was listening to and whilst some narrators come between the reader and the book, Worsley never does. As I read the fjnal chapter, and with knowledge that Stuart MacBride has been testing the waters with new characters in recent books, I wander if that was the last of Logan and the team, it felt like a curtain being drawn, and if so, it was quite a fitting end to a well loved and thoroughly entertaining series with much enjoyed characters. Since I started reading his novels about five years ago I have eagerly awaited each and every instalment and he never fails to produce a book that utterly grips me. If you are looking for a gripping political mystery thriller with a witty inspector, read All That’s Dead! We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others.
Great Deal 
New Comment