Stuart MacBride

All That’s Dead by Stuart MacBride | #20BooksofSummer

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Author : Stuart MacBride
Title : All That’s Dead
Series : Logan McRae #12
Pages : 437
Publisher : Harper Collins
Publication date : May 30, 2019

| ABOUT THE BOOK |

Inspector Logan McRae was looking forward to a nice simple case – something to ease him back into work after a year off on the sick. But the powers-that-be have other ideas…

The high-profile anti-independence campaigner, Professor Wilson, has gone missing, leaving nothing but bloodstains behind. There’s a war brewing between the factions for and against Scottish Nationalism. Infighting in the police ranks. And it’s all playing out in the merciless glare of the media. Logan’s superiors want results, and they want them now.

Someone out there is trying to make a point, and they’re making it in blood. If Logan can’t stop them, it won’t just be his career that dies.

| MY THOUGHTS |

Few things get me as excited as the arrival of a new Logan McRae book so as soon as my pre-order arrived, I dropped everything and settled in for what I was sure would be an entertaining afternoon.

On his first day back at work after a year long absence, Logan McRae is hoping for a nice and easy ride but luck is not on his side. High-profile and anti-independence campaigner Professor Wilson goes missing from his home and that’s just the start of a major shit-storm all over the place. Social media goes mental, there’s a war brewing between between factions for and against Scottish Nationalism and the media is having a field day.

Gee, I wonder where Stuart MacBride got his inspiration from 🤔. All That’s Dead is extremely politically tinted, if you hadn’t guessed that yet, and thus sadly incredibly apt in this day and age. This may not be to everyone’s liking and I dare say the author took quite a risk putting this out there. Personally, it didn’t bother me at all. It makes for a great story and ultimately that’s all I’m ever looking for.

I always worry slightly about how much Logan McRae can actually be involved in an investigation, being that he now works for Professional Standards. I shouldn’t have though, because he’s not on the fringes of this one at all. Logan McRae is tasked with keeping an eye on the investigating Detective King and this puts him smack-bang in the middle of it all. There are some surprises, some twists, many dubious decisions and quite frankly, if I were the big chief who gets a say in these things, I’d fire pretty much the entire force.

The Logan McRae books are always a treat but even though I found this one a fabulous read and it had me hooked as these books always do, I also felt it was missing something. It’s hard to explain but there’s a special kind of Stuart MacBride magic that seemed to be lacking this time around. Many of the characters that normally bring a brilliant kind of dark humour to the table were now just plainly getting on my nerves. I missed that particular way Stuart MacBride has of combining the darkest of crimes with a healthy dose of chuckles, even sometimes at the most inappropriate moments.

Was this the best book in the Logan McRae series? I’m sorry to say that no, it wasn’t. Although I also fully admit that my expectations are always insanely high. But I did still enjoy it immensely and if Stuart MacBride decides to carry on with this series, I’ll still be every bit as excited as I used to be.

Can’t leave without mentioning that for a The Hobbit fan like myself, seeing “Tuftin Oakenbeard” pop up in the middle of a page genuinely made me laugh out loud.

All That’s Dead is available to buy!

Affiliate link : Bookdepository
Other retailers : Amazon US | Amazon UK | Kobo | Waterstones | Wordery

Book 1 from my 20 Books of Summer list.

Weekly Wrap-Up ( June 9)

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Looks like Summer pissed off again. Instead we’ve had huge thunderstorms, rain and gusts. One of my young trees toppled over and is currently quite elegantly stuck between two rubbish bins so it stays upright. Idea courtesy of the other half 🙄

Reading-wise, my week got off to a great start! And then my reading mojo decided to throw yet another spanner in the works, resulting in starting two books that quickly found their way back to the bookshelf. Instead, I watched some tennis and did a whole lot of absolutely nothing.

However, I did manage to read more than 3 books this week so that’s progress! And I would have finished another one yesterday if a certain buddy reader would have stopped procrastinating 😉😂

| BOOKS I READ THIS WEEK |

I’m switching back and forth between blog tour books and books from my 20 Books of Summer list and so far, it’s working like a charm. Fingers crossed I can keep this up! Reviews for three of those will be up on the blog this week.

| BOOKS I BOUGHT THIS WEEK |

This pre-order arrived at the start of the week so naturally I dropped everything and read it straight away. I mean, come on! It’s Stuart MacBride!

| BOOK POST THAT LANDED ON MY DOORSTEP THIS WEEK |

A giveaway win, two for a blog tour and one that might be for a tour? I’m not exactly sure. 😂 With thanks to Transworld, Orenda, Penguin and Jo!

| ON THE BLOG THIS PAST WEEK |

Monday : Nothing to see here

Tuesday : I was going to post and then I forgot what I wanted to do so I didn’t do anything 😳

Wednesday : This Week in Books

Thursday : Shared an extract of The House On The Edge Of The Cliff by Carol Drinkwater for my stop on the blog tour

Friday : Hosted a stop on the blog tour for Wolves at the Door by Gunnar Staalesen

Saturday : Took the day off

Sunday : Weekly Wrap-Up

| NEXT WEEK ON NOVEL DEELIGHTS |

Monday : Review | All That’s Dead by Stuart MacBride

Tuesday : Blog tour | Extract | What Lies Around Us by Andrew Croft

Wednesday : Blog tour | Review | A Modern Family by Helga Flatland

Thursday : Blog tour | Review | Sister of Mine by Laurie Petrou

Friday : Blog tour | Review | Without A Trace by Carissa Ann Lynch

Saturday : Taking the day off

Sunday : Weekly Wrap-Up

Oooh. Could this be the start of a busy summer?

Question of the week : How far ahead do you start planning your holiday reads? How do you decide which books to shove into your suitcase? Are there books you deliberately keep aside for when you’re on holiday?

That’s a wrap! Have a fabulous week and I’ll see you next time! Happy reading! xx

20 Books of Summer – 2019

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The 20 Books of Summer Challenge is an annual event run by the lovely Cathy, running from June 3rd until September 3rd. Since I nailed it last year, joining in again this year was a total no-brainer. And just like last year, I will be reading these 20 books on top of my other commitments because otherwise it just doesn’t feel enough like a challenge to me. Unless my reading slump continues, in which case I’ll be in serious trouble 😂

So, here are the 20 books on my list. For now. This list has gone through so many changes already and I can’t promise you’ll be seeing these same 20 books again at the end of it all. But that’s okay! Because it’s totally allowed!

In no particular order, with links to Goodreads for your convenience. Reviews will be added as and when they are written. I hope.

What do you think? I’m pretty excited about my list. Apart from two titles that are only there because Janel made me add them 😜.

Who’s joining in this year? The more, the merrier! It’ll be fun! I think 🤣

Wish me luck! xx

Some of my most anticipated books of 2019

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At the end of last year, I mentioned doing a post focusing on some of my most anticipated releases for the new year. Since then, it seems everyone and their dog has done a post like that so obviously my idea wasn’t as original as I thought it was. Anyway, I decided to share this list regardless and hopefully you’ll find something that will pique your interest.

Listed by publication date for digital and hardcover copies.

| JANUARY |

Steve Cavanagh – Twisted
Matt Wesolowski – Changeling
Will Dean – Red Snow
Steph Broadribb – Deep Dirty Truth
Diane Setterfield – Once Upon A River

| FEBRUARY |

Angela Marsons – Dead Memories
Jo Spain – Dirty Little Secrets
Stacey Halls – The Familiars
Louise Beech – Call Me Star Girl
C.J. Tudor – The Taking of Annie Thorne
Alex Michaelides – The Silent Patient

| APRIL |

Gillian McAllister – The Evidence Against You

| MAY |

Stuart MacBride – All That’s Dead
Alison Weir – Anna of Kleve : Queen of Secrets
Sarah Hilary – Never Be Broken
Melanie Golding – Little Darlings

| JUNE |

Karin Slaughter – The Last Widow
Alex North – The Whisper Man

| JULY |

Riley Sager – Lock Every Door

| UNKNOWN |

Sharon Bolton – The Poisoner

This is a weird one but I’ve included it anyway. I could have sworn the original publication date was May but Amazon now lists it as December 2020, which quite frankly I refuse to believe because I WANT IT NOW!

Honourable mention to Johana Gustawsson and the third book in the Roy & Castells series.

I have a feeling it’s going to be a great bookish year once again! Which book(s) are you looking forward to the most? Do let me know and I hope you’ve found something in this list that caught your eye. Happy reading! xx

My Top 20 Favourite Series of 2018 (part two)

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Welcome to part two of my favourite series of 2018. If you missed part one yesterday, you can find it here.

Let’s get to it. Once again, these are in random order. Except for the last one which is most definitely my favourite this year. 

| Stuart MacBride – Logan McRae |

No list is complete without the inimitable Stuart MacBride. This one is incredibly dark, disturbing and harrowing. Yet true to form, MacBride manages to infuse a healthy dose of humour that had me chuckling at the most inappropriate moments and that’s exactly what makes him stand out from the crowd. [my review]

| Fredrik Backman – Beartown |

Sheer magic. The Scandal was my favourite book last year and my expectations for this follow-up were insanely high but boy, did Backman deliver. [my review]

| Carol Wyer – DI Robyn Carter |

I’m not sure what I can say about Carol Wyer that I haven’t said before. I’m just such a fan of her writing and her dark side and this series will always remain a firm favourite. [my review]

| Matt Wesolowski – Six Stories |

Without a doubt, one of my most anticipated books of the past year, which was luckily published back in January because the wait would have been excruciating. Fiction with such a creepily delicious true crime feel to it, it left me reeling for days! [my review]

| Joseph Knox –  Aidan Waits |

Joseph Knox’s debut told me he was an author to watch and with this second book, he firmly cemented my belief and put himself out there as one of the best crime writers of today. [my review]

| Steve Cavanagh – Eddie Flynn |

This book probably deserves the award for best tagline of the year. It’s also the reason I grabbed this one as soon as it was available, not realising at the time it was part of a series. Thankfully, it read perfectly well as a stand-alone and I had no doubt it would end up on my list at the end of the year. [my review]

| Rachel Amphlett – Detective Kay Hunter |

No list is complete without the fantastic Rachel Amphlett and her brilliant Kay Hunter series! [my reviews here and here]

| Steph Broadribb – Lori Anderson |

Hard-hitting action from beginning to end with a kick-ass female protagonist! What more could you possibly want? [my review]

| Thomas Enger – Henning Juul |

The final instalment in the fantastic Henning Juul series can’t be missing from this list. Such a bittersweet moment, seeing everything coming together masterfully but also realising I was at the end of the line with this series! Thomas Enger was my first introduction to the Scandi-Noir genre and for that reason alone, the Henning Juul series will always hold a special place in my heart.  [my review]

| Sharon Bolton – The Craftsman |

This one was initially way up on my other list of favourite books until I realised it is the first one in a trilogy so it made its way onto this list instead.  The Craftsman is without a doubt my most favourite book from a series this year and Sharon Bolton firmly holds on to her spot on my list of go-to authors. Needless to say the follow-up, The Poisoner, is one of my most anticipated books of next year. [my review]

And there you have it. My favourite series of the year. 

Now is your chance to kick my bum (virtually, thank you) and tell me which series I’ve left out. Are there some you don’t agree with? Are there any you can’t wait to read? 

Hope you find something you like here and I’ve given you some ideas. Next week, I’ll hopefully be sharing my list of favourite stand-alones of 2018. That one is still a work in progress.

Until next time! Happy reading! xx

The Blood Road by Stuart MacBride @StuartMacBride @HarperFiction #mustread

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Author : Stuart MacBride
Title : The Blood Road
Series : Logan McRae #11
Pages : 496
Publisher : Harper Collins
Publication date : June 14, 2018

aboutthebook

Logan McRae’s personal history is hardly squeaky clean, but now that he works for Professional Standards it’s his job to police his fellow officers.

When Detective Inspector Bell turns up dead in the driver’s seat of a crashed car it’s a shock to everyone. Because Bell died two years ago, they buried him. Or they thought they did.

As an investigation is launched into Bell’s stabbing, Logan digs into his past. Where has he been all this time? Why did he disappear? And what’s so important he felt the need to come back from the dead?

But the deeper Logan digs, the more bones he uncovers—and there are people out there who’ll kill to keep those skeletons buried. If Logan can’t stop them, DI Bell won’t be the only one to die…

mythoughts

Stuart MacBride has been on my list of go-to authors for as long as I can remember. Every time there’s a new book of his on the horizon, my anticipations and expectations are sky high but I also always have faith that he’ll deliver. So of course I dropped whatever it was I was doing when I got the opportunity to read this one early and I didn’t regret it for a second.

The Blood Road is the eleventh instalment in the Logan McRae series and it’s every bit as brilliant and fresh as its predecessors. Logan McRae now works for Professional Standards but that doesn’t mean he’s not able to stick his nose into a good crime now and again. The Blood Road starts with a road accident and Logan McRae is rather confused at first as to why he’s called to the scene. Until he realises the dead body is DI Bell and that’s a huge shock because DI Bell died two years ago. They had a funeral and everything.

Lots of questions that need answering then. Why did DI Bell run and hide? Where has he been these last two years? Why did he come back? And who the heck did they bury in his place? Logan McRae sets out to investigate but danger lurks as there are people out there who will stop at nothing to keep the truth hidden.

What follows is an incredibly dark, disturbing and harrowing case that will chill you to the bones. My lips are sealed as you really need to get the full effect of this one but it’s one case I won’t forget in a hurry. It’s a truly frightening and, sadly, believable scenario. Yet, true to form, Stuart MacBride manages to lighten the mood with a healthy dose of humour. I found myself chuckling at the most inappropriate moments. It shouldn’t work but it actually does and really well too. Nobody does this as brilliantly as Stuart MacBride does and this is what makes him stand out from the crowd.

I worried when the magnificent team of Logan McRae and Roberta Steele was broken up but I shouldn’t have. The incomparable Roberta still makes unforgettable appearances but quite frankly, there are two new show-stealers in town by way of Rennie and most importantly, Tufty. These two have me constantly in stitches in their own unique inimitable ways and I dare say they are totally entitled to their own spin-off. I’d pay good money for that.

This has been one of my most favourite crime fiction series for years and it continues to blow my mind with every new addition. If you are not reading these, you are missing out! With a fantastic cast of characters, absolutely brilliant writing and a fabulous dollop of wit, this author should be on everyone’s bookshelves. I for one can’t wait for whatever Stuart MacBride comes up with next!

My thanks to the publisher for the review copy, which I received via Edelweiss.

The Blood Road is available to buy!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Bookdepository | Kobo | Wordery | Goodreads

My Top 20 Favourite Reads of 2017

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top20

Around this time last year, I first started to get this wee itch about starting a blog as I desperately tried to get my favourites of 2016 shared via twitter and realised there had to be an easier way to talk about books. I can’t believe a whole year has passed since then and I’m here talking about my favourite books of this year. Crazy!

Last week, I shared my favourite series of the year which I thought would help me narrow down this list. Boy, was I wrong. It’s been an amazing year for books and since I nearly read 300 (there’s still time! 😂), a top 10 was never going to happen.

So I present to you, My Top 20 Favourite Reads of 2017. With apologies to the authors/books I had to drop from the list. I feel bad but I had to narrow it down somehow or I may as well just have listed every book I’ve read.

In no particular order (except for the last one), here we go!

Stuart MacBride – A Dark So Deadly [my review]
Stuart MacBride – Now We Are Dead
Karin Slaughter – The Good Daughter [my review]
Sharon Bolton – Dead Woman Walking [my review]

Louise Beech – Maria in the Moon [my review]
Lesley Allen – The Lonely Life of Biddy Weir [my review]
Michael J. Malone – House of Spines [my review]

Alice Feeney – Sometimes I Lie [my review]
Barbara Copperthwaite – Her Last Secret [my review]
Barbara Copperthwaite – The Darkest Lies [my review]
Paul Cleave – A Killer Harvest [my review]

Thomas Enger – Cursed [my review]
Matt Wesolowski – Six Stories [my review]
Will Dean – Dark Pines [my review]
Johana Gustawsson – Block 46 [my review]

Alison Weir – Anne Boleyn : A King’s Obsession [my review]
Rachel Rhys – A Dangerous Crossing [my review]
Gill Paul – Another Woman’s Husband [my review]
Eve Chase – The Vanishing of Audrey Wilde [my review]

My favourite book of 2017

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Fredrick Backman – The Scandal / Beartown [my review]

I’m sure it comes as no surprise but I knew it the minute I started reading, that this was going to be my top book of the year!

***

And there you have it. Mahoosive thank you to all the authors, publishers and Netgalley for making my reading year so phenomenal! And to you, my fellow bloggers and readers of this blog, thank you for your support, for visiting and for commenting! ❤️

I wish you all a wonderful and peaceful Christmas and Happy Holidays! xx

A Dark So Deadly by Stuart MacBride @StuartMacBride

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33229330

5*

aboutthebook

Welcome to the Misfit Mob. It’s where Police Scotland dumps the officers it can’t get rid of, but wants to : the outcasts, the troublemakers, the compromised. Officers like DC Callum MacGregor, lumbered with all the boring go-nowhere cases. So when an ancient mummy turns up at the Oldcastle tip, it’s his job to find out which museum it’s been stolen from. But then Callum uncovers links between his ancient corpse and three missing young men, and life starts to get a lot more interesting.

mythoughts

First let me say, I am a huge Stuart MacBride fan. His Logan McRae series is one of my most favourite things ever. Like right up there with wine and boots. That’s saying something.

So when I first heard that he’d written a stand-alone, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Would I miss the characters I’ve loved for so long? Would it be as brilliant as everything else I’ve read by him?

The answer is : of course it’s as bloody brilliant! And actually, the Misfit Mob made for a nice change from the usual characters. We’re still in a dark, gloomy, wet and slightly depressing area of Scotland. We still have a host of fabulously realistic characters. And of course, the humour.

The Misfit Mob is made up of officers that Police Scotland can’t get rid of. If you think that knowledge creates some kind of bond between them, you’d be wrong. What it does provide, is banter and lots of chuckles.

DC Callum MacGregor’s life has been going downhill for a while now, and it’s not getting any better. For reasons you’ll have to discover yourself, he’s not exactly accepted. But things will soon become a whole lot more interesting.

This is a long book but at no point does it ever become boring. There’s a fabulous backstory that will leave you itching to find out more. There’s a serial killer with one of the most innovative ways to murder someone that I’ve ever read. There are twists and turns and I was so utterly engrossed that I stayed up way too late to finish.

So, no, I shouldn’t have worried. Stuart MacBride knows exactly what he’s doing and I can’t wait for his next book. Whether it is another Logan McRae, another Misfit Mob maybe or something else, I’ll be first in line. I’ll be using elbows, people. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

(Note : Since writing this review, it’s been revealed a new book is coming in November and it’s a Roberta Steel spin-off! I may have wet myself. Or scratched my boobs, in honour of the fabulous lady *ahem* herself. My elbows are greased! Is it November yet? How about now?)

Many thanks to Harper Collins UK and Netgalley for my advanced copy, which I chose to review.

A Dark So Deadly will be published on April 20th. That’s TODAY! Go get it RIGHT NOW!

Amazon US – Amazon UK – Goodreads