Brutal, brutally funny and gripping this Scottish crime story is deeply enjoyable and engaging. Coming off a disastrous court case Acting Detective Inspector Logan McRae finds himself back in uniform as a patrol sergeant in a remote Scottish town. When he finds the body of a very young girl in an outdoor swimming pool the case may be an opportunity to move back. The investigation is lead by Logan’s old boss, Detective Chief Inspector Steel and quickly develops into just one of the very many problems that shower down on him. Thieves who pull cash point machines out of the wall and vanish, local drug dealers with aspirations to move up the league and a mother desperate to find her daughter are all significant complications.
Logan McRae is a great character, he is capable, professional, determined and just unlucky enough to find that the solution to one problem is the start of another problem.This gives the plot mechanics great force and energy as events never quite unfold as might be expected. None of the cast are willing to a walk on part, all of them speak with clear individual voices that demand attention and engagement from the reader. The black humour is absolutely rooted in the cast and context and gives the story a depth and edge that allow the genuinely brutal action scenes deliver with force and momentum.
DCI Steele remains a joy to be with on the page, vibrantly lesbian and chaotic, she is dedicated, competent and very determined.
The plot mechanics are superbly structured as they overlap and press against each other, the reveals are brilliantly staged to complicate and reveal. The threads are drawn together very convincingly and the ferocious and deeply sad confrontation at the climax is natural and unforced
The outstanding confidence that Stuart McBride has to write this book creates a deep and abiding pleasure for a reader, they can can rest knowing that they are being moved along by a master. Top fiction, stunning crime fiction.
