Inspector Logan McRae has returned to work after a year on sick leave, after being seriously injured in a knife attack, but if he thinks he’ll be eased in gently then he’s in for a shock, because the mother of all cases is awaiting him!

Aberdeen based anti independence campaigner Professor Wilson has gone missing, with only bloodstains in his kitchen to indicate that something sinister has occurred. There are serious tensions between those for and those against Scottish Nationalism, and Wilson ( an arrogant and opinionated individual) has made many enemies in general, but in particular amongst those in favour of independence.

This storyline is certainly topical, as a spate of grisly crimes unfold against the backdrop of the political tensions in Scotland, and it features a group called Alt Nats and their desire for an Independent Scotland. Some of the Alt Nat members are certainly not averse to using extreme violence against those who’s views differ from theirs.

Logan’s injuries are still causing him pain and, (combined with very little sleep), he’s struggling to make sense of events, aware that he’s being blind sided by a world where every spotlight makes the corners where it doesn’t shine, an even darker and deeper threat.

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. Another absolutely unmissable read from the extremely gifted Mr MacBride!

All That’s Dead Stuart MacBride

I’ve read most of this series- they are books I enjoy when I’m reading them, but don’t particularly go back to reread. This instalment is the same; gripping, gruesome and funny, but not one that will linger in my memory (though once DCI now DS Steel does).

I am a huge fan of Stuart MacBride so to say I was delighted to get a review copy of the latest Logan MacRae would be an understatement. It lived up to all my expectations. If you’re into tartan noir you may be familiar with these books. If not, obviously it would be great to start at the first book but this is comprehensible even if it’s your first MacBride. Sometimes the noir aspects are a little too visceral for me but this was beautifully balanced, grim but not too grim, funny without losing tension. Nice and twisty. Clever. Just great.

I haven’t read all of the books in this series, so I’ve missed some of the developments involving a couple of recurring secondary characters. But, this story is a cracking standalone and I enjoyed it.

Macrae’s plotting is skilled, the settings are vibrant but best of all, the characters and dialogue feel like real people. This tale is a clever mix of police procedural, with some blood and gore, but well in context and not gruesome. But more than that, he’s taken on real time issues involving Scottish nationalism in a Brexit context. There’s a lot to think about and he’s not afraid to tackle attitudes which may not be popular, but are part of the cultural identity and deserve to be explored. I really enjoyed that insight, but best of all, it’s a book that keeps you turning the pages. Filled with dark humour and fast paced, it’s another winner.

My thanks to Harper Collins for a review copy via Netgalley.

This is the 12th book in the Logan McRae series by author Stuart MacBride. I have read all of these books but could easily be read as a stand alone. The Logan McRae series is set in Aberdeen.
Inspector Logan McRae is back at work after a year off on the sick and looking forward to an easy case to ease him back into the daily grind. But his bosses have different ideas.
Professor Wilson an high profile anti-independence campaigner 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. Someone is making a point, and they are making it in blood. Logan’s superiors want results, and they want them now.

All the usual characters are here resulting in a witty crime novel that is enjoyable to read. I find that this series is a bit hit or miss with me, I always enjoy the banter between the characters but sometimes find the plot doesn't deliver. But rest assured this one is a hit and well worth a read.

I would like to thank both Net Galley and Harper Collins for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Like the curate's egg this book was good in parts. Some chapters were absolutely gripping and others were tedious . There were ling crude conversations between the detectives which did not move the story along at all and were very boring. In my humble opinion this is not one of Mr. Macbrides best.

Well this may be the twelfth in the series but it is a new one to me and I really need to catch up on the earlier books. I found this to be an enthralling, occasionally humorous and enthralling read, a brilliant crime thriller with fantastic characters and plenty of twists to keep me guessing!

Inspector Logan McRae is returning to work a year after being stabbed and seriously injured. He's anticipating a gentle re-introduction to work but the disappearance of a vocal, acerbic anti-independence campaigner, Professor Wilson thwarts this. With nothing but blood stains and his dog left behind, DI Frank King is supposedly in charge of the investigation. However, a journalist is threatening to make a huge splash of revelations regarding King and Logan is set on initially to determine the veracity of the accusations and to assist in the case. Media interest in the Professor is high, the pressure from their superior officers unrelenting as they want results - preferably yesterday! However, as bloody packages add to the suspense and mystery, there are many other events impacting on the case and there'll be surprising revelations, more victims and other red herrings before the perpetrators can be brought to justice in this fast paced crime thriller.

I really enjoyed reading this and have no hesitation in highly recommending it to anyone who enjoys crime thrillers. 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'll definitely be endeavouring to read more books in this series in future!

Many thanks to the publishers for granting my wish to read this book via NetGalley. This is my honest review after choosing reading it.

Logan returns to work one year after a near fatal stabbing. He should have been given an easy case to ease him in...not a chance.

Logan and his perpetually annoying boss have somersaulted positions; he is now a DI to her dramatic drop to DS. Not that she seems to have noticed. The banter is just as good, if not better.

As always one simple case turns into a medusa's head. Just as Logan thinks he has the answers to one abduction/murder the mad hairdresser weaves in another and plaits three more together.

I think a lot of female readers will be pleased at the radical reduction of Steel gouging around in her bra for lost crumbs and straying small animals. They are the bits you don't want to be reading in public.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book till the last few sentences where Tufty gets his moment in the sun starring as...The Biggest Spoiler Ever.

This is the first Stuart MacBride book I’ve ever read and so all the characters in the 12th outing for Logan McRae in All That’s Dead were unknown to me. Honestly though it didn’t matter one iota as every single character leaps off the page courtesy of the briefest, yet impressively, detailed description of both physique and clothing. The “standard sex offender’s moustache” as an example. His dialogue is astonishing too. I’m not that well versed in Aberdeen vernacular (who is!) but MacBride’s dialogue and descriptions are mostly darkly comic except when it comes to the grisly bits of which there are a good few. It’s a pacy thriller in which Logan returns from sick leave and, through no fault of his own, ends up babysitting a frankly astonishingly inept team of officers. Everything is thrown into the mix - an affair, an extremely dysfunctional family, Brexit, Scottish independence to name but a few. I would describe Stuart MacBride as a Scottish version of Jo Nesbo but with more humour. A thoroughly recommended read and I would definitely read my way through the rest of this series. Thanks to HarperCollins for the ARC

I didn't enjoy this story, it was more like the Key Stone Cops than police procedural, crime solving. The language was very earthy and the dialogue childish. Sorry not for me, I just couldn't get past the childishness.

Brilliant as usual, Stuart MacBride never disappoints.
Back at work after being stabbed, Logan hopes he's will ease back in slowly, So he's quite happy when he is asked to look into DI Kings past. What is meant to be a simple job takes a much more sinister and complex turn due to the case DI King is currently working on.
I honestly would recommended this book and the entire Logan MacRae series.

Complex police thriller with an interesting cast of characters.
Lots of twists and turns and some Scottish phrases/insults I haven't heard in a long time.

I was so looking forward to this book and it did not disappoint!

Being set in Scotland is always a bonus for me, I love the descriptions and that I end up hearing it in the accent.

Logan is a great character and there are some real funny bits mixed in with the high paced thrills. The writing is so distinctive and his voice is very real.

The small parts from other characters are really good and I have always enjoyed the fact that it’s not just police procedural, it’s an internal affairs police procedural which always makes for thrills and awkwardness!

Good read, good addition to the series and makes me like the character even more.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.
I'm going to be more than al ittle bit baised here probably however, as I've been on the Logan McRae journey since the first book all those years ago.
Frankly Stuart MacBride has never failed to deliver with these books and this installment is no exception.
Here's to the next one.

This is the first Logan Mcrae book I have read, and it certainly won't be the last. A cracking story, with great characters, and a genuinely witty dialogue, the book was almost unputdownable. Even the gruesome bits didn't put me off. It's always good to find a new author, and Stuart MacBride is a great find.

If this is the way police work with and speak to each other,we have a problem. If the storyline was separated out,it could be good but the context is unconvincing. The attempt to replicate the way Scots address each other is inaccurate and demeaning. The nationalist/unionist background is unconvincing. The language is vulgar,coarse and irrelevant to the story. I am disappointed by this book which I found hard to finish.

An atmospheric, menacing, suspenseful start draws you in the Logan McRae's next case. Returning from sick leave, after his last job resulted in a near-death experience, Logan finds himself in a babysitting role, to save a colleague's career, and avoid being the establishment's sacrificial lamb.

Political in nature, this story focuses on a fictitious Scottish Nationalist organisation, who appear to be using crime, to further their political agenda, or is this just a smokescreen for something else? The story has an authentic ethos, dealing with contemporary issues, like social media and the dark web. The crimes are grisly, but seemingly unconnected until Logan and his colleagues, painstakingly begin to make the connections, but they are against the clock, and each delay means another atrocity.

Scotland's historic battle with England over its self-determination and its 21st-century implications are important in this plot, which has many twists. The clues are there, you just need to widen your perspective to see them.
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Logan is a quirky, yet charismatic character, even though this is only the second book I've read in the series, I like him and his cynical outlook and self-deprecating humour. The interactions between the police colleagues are realistic and amusing, a necessary contrast with the terrible crimes they investigate.

This story focuses more on the detective team, and less on the antagonists and crimes, than the previous book I've read. Despite this, it is an absorbing, adrenaline-fueled read. The final chapter makes me think this could be the last we see of Logan?

I received a copy of this book from Harper Collins UK - Harper Fiction via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Having read all of the author’s books I was overjoyed to be approved for an advance copy of All That’s Dead. Coming from the area the book is set in means that MacBride’s brilliant descriptions of settings and traffic nightmares are wonderfully familiar. As always the characters are a delight, the dialogue is realistic and the story line is relevant, peppered with a brilliant sense of humor. My thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oh it’s very very good! Aberdeen’s finest at their most “real”. You certainly get a feel for life as a copper in Aberdeen- if anything you get too much Station detail but this is a really excellent book which anyone who likes the genre will enjoy.

Characters continue to build from previous outings which is good and adds depth to the, frankly complex, characters presented.

In a way, reviewing the twelfth book in a series feels superfluous- if you’re new to Logan McRae then the completist in me says go back to the start (seriously, on you go, they’re great). If you’re not new then you’ll know what to expect - violence, some gruesome descriptions, mordant Scottish wit and an underpinning police procedural that recognises that everyone, including our hero, is flawed.

This, like earlier books, is compellingly readable.