DC Edward Reekie is transporting a dying prisoner to see out his days in a town for offender not suitable to mix the main population. The storm settles in and he gets stuck I the town. Then one of the offenders is murdered and soon another, with a social worker missing, while the storm is raging.
Murder and mayhem, what’s not to like. A little implausible in places but an enjoyable read.

Crime procedurals and murder mysteries are my go to genre. I haven’t read books by this author before this one but it was really good

Thank you Random House and Netgalley for this ARC.
Stuart's writing and storylines just get better and better with every book. Vary quickly becoming one of my favourite authors.
Amazing plot and great characters and brilliant storyline. Brilliant as always.

The opening few pages of McBride's latest novel are really chilling and really memorable. The plot continues to set up suspense as it follows the investigation of a murder in a village set up for ex cons who can't be allowed to mingle with the public. Thuggish D I Bigtiria ( not her real name of course) and Edward Reekie (an enthusistic sidekick detective) escort a newly released prisoner to this remote location and subsequently find themselves cut off from the outside world by a severe snowstorm and faced with a series of bizarre and uncanny murders.
I was so intrigued by the premise of a village inhabited solely by ex cons I tried to find out if this was based on truth ... the results are worth investigating for your self so I won't spoil it. The murders I must say are horrific and unfortunately linger in the mind.

The story itself is compelling and absorbing in true McBride style and the macabre mood is lifted by teh author's skill for interfjecting humour both in terms of description and diialogue.

A super sense of place and a plot that keeps you guessing make for one of the best crime novels of the year so far.
Thank you netgalley for the opportunity to read this super book.
Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Another good read from Stuart Mcbride.

After transporting a dying prisoner from prison in Aberdeen to the prison village of Glenfarach, DI Porter and DC Reekie get stuck there due to a snow storm. As it happens they are needed when a resident is found murdered. Time for Porter and Reekie to investigate.

I have enjoyed previous works by this author and this one didn't disappoint. Happy to recommend to other readers.

Really enjoy this authors books
And this one didn’t disappoint
Plenty of twists and turns
Will keep you turning the pages
Thanks NetGalley

Not up to the usual from this author,a not entirely believable/credible story. Not many likeable characters apart from the young DC.

I was disappointed with this book which surprised me as I'm normally a big fan of the author's work. I think it was just too farfetched for me and I disliked too many of the characters. Hopefully we will get another Logan McCrae book soon.

The Dead of Winter unfortunately was a massive disappointment for me. This is only my second MacBride novel but again like his last one – No Less the Devil, I’m left wondering if there’s something I’m missing. I’ve been reliably told that his Logan series is very good, so perhaps that’ll be the next one I attempt to pick up.

I pushed through the story, but had it not been an advanced reader’s copy I’d have likely DNF’d it. The prologue was intriguing, and I was genuinely interested in seeing where the story would lead me. I am a complete aficionado when it comes to Scottish crime. I really enjoy reading about places I’ve seen and travelled to, that’s why I thought MacBride’s work would’ve been a good punt – I used to live in Aberdeen and I had my second child there, and although I cannot fault his picture setting of the location I just couldn’t find myself caring about the characters – something that is an absolute must for me to be able to enjoy a story.

So, into The Dead of Winter itself. DC Edward Reekie and DI Montgomery-Porter are tasked with picking up a dying convict from HMP Grampian and escort him to Glenfarich. A community for released prisoners who cannot be released back into the general community. It’s a community made up of sex offenders and violent criminals. Located in the Cairngorm national park, it sets an impressive locale if it is largely unbelievable. When one of the inhabitants is found murdered, with his eyeballs torn out and tied to a table, instead of feeling shocked at the finding I just found myself rolling my eyes. I just felt flabbergasted that someone could get away with this – the police are in situ, the police seems hugely inexperienced and making stupid mistakes, honestly. I wanted to get stuck into the story but just found myself becoming more frustrated with each chapter.

Now onto my biggest issue – DI Montgomery-Porter. My god, that woman is absolutely insufferable. She’s ratty, defensive, and just a good old-fashioned bitch. I really felt for DC Reekie, not only did he have to manage the problems that the case brought but having to constantly apologise for his DI’s unacceptable behaviour. I mean, I get that the constant problems that kept cropping up is infuriating but my god the woman took it out on everyone. I found myself muttering to my kindle “stop yelling at everyone.”

All in all, was a massive let down. Will I read any more Stuart MacBride novels, yes, I likely will because the writing is pretty solid and he knows his stuff but his last two books really failed to float the boat.

DC Edward Reekie finds he is accompanying his new, tough, hard-to-please boss, DI Victoria Montgomery-Porter, known on the quiet as 'Bigtoria'. The action is relentless, the humour is absolutely brilliant, and the characters are incredibly well portrayed. The whole plot is teeming with twists and turns. Definitely not a book to miss.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam Press via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Not what I was expecting

DC Edward Reekie accompanies DI Victoria Montgomery-Porter (aka Bigtoria) to transfer an eighty-year-old prisoner from Grampian prison to The Glenfarach Estate, where he would spend the rest of his life.

They are supposed to drop him at the Estate and immediately return home. Unfortunately, a dead body turns up, making DI Montgomery-Porter the most senior staff member. They will need to spend that night and more nights as the situation gets out of control, with more people dying.

Who is causing the carnage? It will take a miracle to get Victoria and Edward out of the Estate alive, there are not only killers, but they also find themselves trapped by the weather.

A murder mystery like no other! I wasn’t expecting a “comedy of errors” type of book when I started reading it. However, after getting over the bizarre way that Stuart McBride chose to author it, I accepted it would not be one of his “normal” murder mysteries and sat back and counted the bodies as they fell.


Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

Stuart MacBride fans will enjoy this new offering although the characters are very similar to those created in previous books.. The setting is unique and very atmospheric. Although I don’t think this is MacBride at his best all the hallmarks including the violence and the book will please his many fans of witch I am one.

I am a big fan of Stuart MacBride but unfortunately this one didn't grip me as I would expect.

I can't work out whether this was a particularly long book or whether it was just lagging in the middle.

I did however really like Edward Reekie, infact he was the only reason I made it to the end of the book.

Two police officers escort an ailing lifer to a secure village that houses ex-prisoners who are too dangerous to release into society. The village has an unlikely balance of cottage industries, cafes, a hotel and women - despite nobody producing anything and an absence of legal currency. There is a ton of snow, shaky communications brought about by poor weather and poor witring, and a problem with dead bodies and arson. There are twists for the sake of twists, and nothing is what it first seems.

The pacing was sloooow, the characters virtually indistinguishable and the plot so convoluted that the reader has to keep reminding themselves of why anything is happening.

Nothing quite adds up - least of all characters who are motivated by money in a cash free community. Nothing feels real, the location makes no sense with a secure, gated community with seemingly endless acres of snowy woodland. Yeah nah.

The Dead of Winter takes place in a Scottish village dedicated to housing hundreds of criminals that have carried out their sentence but can’t be released back into normal society for their own (and let’s be fair, the general communities) safety. And when I say criminals, I mean the scum of the earth, bottom of the barrel criminals. Rapists, Paedophiles, Gangsters, and maybe a handful of not so bad criminals (just a common mass murderer here or there).

And if that isn’t enough, our protagonists, DC Edward Reekie and DI Victoria Montgomery-Porter (aka Bigtoria) find themselves cut-off from the world in the mother of all blizzards (almost to hard to believe for Scotland) whilst navigating a conglomerate of nefarious activities (again, think about the criminals and you will realise these aren’t going to be petty crimes).

The action is non-stop, the humour is absolutely brilliant, the characters so well portrayed and the plot is riddled with twists and turns as it progresses from start to end.

Definitely not a book to miss.

As a long-time fan of Stuart MacBride’s writing, I knew what I was letting myself in for with The Dead of Winter and was not disappointed. It is an imaginative variation on the ‘locked room’ mystery. Cut off from the outside world by relentless blizzards, DI Mongomery-Porter and DC Reekie have their work cut out identifying the murderer as it could be any of the inhabitants of Glenfarach. This isolated village in the Cairngorms is home to around two hundred former convicted criminals who have completed their sentence, but cannot be released back into society. Add in the lack of even the most basic resources, and you have the nightmare that is The Dead of Winter.
At times this reads more like a horror film than a police procedural. It has all the trademark Stuart MacBride elements – dark, twisted humour (I even laughed out loud several times), the weird and wonderful words he uses to describe noises made by machines, and the relationship at the heart of the novel, young and slightly naïve male police officer paired with an older, superior female officer who is bad-tempered, domineering and hard to please.
Despite the gruesome violence and horrific murders, this book is highly entertaining and not meant to be taken too seriously. Having said that, I had to stop reading it in bed at night as it was creeping me out. What starts out as a murder investigation uncovers so much more. What do they expect if they put two hundred assorted sex offenders, paedophiles, violent gang members and bent coppers in one place? It sounds foolproof in theory, but all the supervision, ankle tags, curfews and rules in the world are not going to stop hardened criminals like these.
As usual the writing is very descriptive – I could almost feel the cold and damp seeping into my toes every time they went outside. The isolation gives the narrative an edge, and increases the claustrophobic atmosphere where everyone is a possible suspect. The Dead of Winter is hilarious and disturbing in equal measure and not for the faint-hearted. While it works as a standalone on one level, readers not familiar with Stuart MacBride’s other books might struggle. Thanks to Random House UK and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

Excellent character creation and brilliant dialogue kept me entertained and hooked from start to finish. I did, however, feel that this book was exceptionally long! Not that I minded but when you’re reading via a e-reader it came across as a bit of a beast!

I'm a huge fan of Stuart MacBride, but from the outset this just didn't sit well with me. I think it was the tone and the narrative voice, but it just set me on edge and, despite an intriguing (if highly implausible) storyline, I never felt like I was actually enjoying the book. Plenty of others have given this rave reviews, so I'll chalk it up to my bad and move on.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

I am a huge fan of Stuart MacBride but unfortunately I couldn't get into this book. I feel I didn't really believe in the characters and the plot.
This book will not stop me from reading Stuart MacBride books but sadly it was not for me

A moody and chilling crime novel with plenty of macabre humour. DC Reekie and his boss DI Victoria Montgomery-Porter aka"Bigtoria" are drawn into a murder investigation when a snowstorm leaves them trapped with a killer in a remote Scottish village. But this is no idyllic setting, as this is a community of violent and dangerous convicts. Never a dull moment, read it and shiver.