Snow, There is a lot of it featured in this latest feast of crime, dark humour and more criminals than you can shake a stick at form Stuart MacBride. It has a fair few twisty plot turns and the odd flurry of snow. A real treat.

DC Edward Reekie and his new boss DCI Victoria Montgomery-Porter ‘Bigtoria’ are tasked with transporting a dangerous criminal to his new home upon realise on compassionate grounds in the remote town of Glenfarach. After a dangerous drive through the snow, they arrive and deliver the prisoner safely, only to be called back again before they have even left - there has been a murder. An ex-policeman and gangster criminal has been found dead in his bungalow. With the whole village surrounded by cctv and a strict curfew in place, it becomes apparent this town is used for housing dangerous criminals upon their release from prison. With no one to investigate it falls to Bigtoria and Edward to take the case. Can they find the murderer before it’s too late?

I found this book very hard to read, the characters were very bland and the storyline didn’t grip me. I struggled though most of this book hoping it was going to pick up - it didn’t. It felt as though most of the middle could have been cut down as there wasn’t much going on. It’s a shame as I really like this authors work and I was disappointed.

I generally love the insanity of macBrides books but this one was right over the top. And just not as funny as they usually are. The hapless male cop and the domineering female cop play their normal roles plus some. New characters, same story, more insanity, and less humor so a meh overall.

I was given a copy by Netgalley. Opinions my own

The Dead of Winter by Stuart MacBride is a light hearted, entertaining, violent and bizarre crime thriller, with the characters being mainly comprised of peadophiles, conmen, murderers, drug dealers, corrupt policemen and a few honest policemen.
They all come together in one place in the middle of a blizzard and not everyone will survive.. Interesting seedy characters all stuck together in one place, where they all have ankle alarms, restricted movement and all at the end of long sentence living in a place where no one else wants them.
Very different story from the author, Stuart MacBride.
Highly recommended

I didn’t get this book at all. I persevered for a long time, thinking it would all fall into place.
Nothing made any sense

Stuart MacBride can write gritty, twisty, and very dark thriller but his dark and dry humour will always keep me hooked and turning pages even when the plot is very dark.
I loved this book as I loved the other books I read by this author: it's a great thriller that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Constable Edward Reekie has been seconded to accompany a senior officer on a prisoner transfer. However the transfer is to an isolated village in the heart of the Highlands, a penal colony for those who cannot be released into the public domain - the sex offenders, gangsters etc. As the weather closes in Reekie and his boss are trapped in the village and now someone is killing the residents.
This is a stand alone novel from Macbride and it contains all of his signature humour, violence and clever storytelling. The idea of the village of Glenfarach is brilliant and the twisty nature of the plot - who can Reekie trust - works with the classic 'closed room' scenario. It's as far away from cosy crime as you can get but is brilliant!

My thanks to Random House U.K. Transworld Publishers/Bantam Press for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Dead of Winter’ by Stuart MacBride.

Wow - what an opening chapter! It hooked me completely. Stuart MacBride is an established author of Scottish crime noir. I have enjoyed a few of his previous novels and was intrigued by this standalone crime thriller.

A few details of the plot: Detective Constable Edward Reekie has been assigned to pick up a dying prisoner from HMP Grampian and deliver him to the village of Glenfarach, located deep in the heart of Cairngorms National Park. There he will be able to live out his last few months in peace.

While Glenfarach might look like a quaint, sleepy, snow-dusted village, it is blanketed with security cameras, its inhabitants wear ankle monitors and there is a strict nine o'clock curfew. This is because Glenfarach is the final sanctuary for people who've served their sentences but can't be safely released into the general population.

Edward is accompanied by his new boss, DI Victoria Montgomery-Porter. She’s quite an abrasive character and after delivering their prisoner she is keen that they head back to Aberdeen before the approaching blizzards shut everything down. Yet things don’t go to plan as the body of an ex-cop-turned-gangster is discovered tortured to death in his bungalow. It’s up to the two Aberdeen detectives to take charge of the investigation.

‘The Dead of Winter’ is quite a ride. An intelligent and complex crime thriller with plenty of action along with MacBride’s signature snappy dialogue and dark humour. Personally I can’t get enough of his writing.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Not as good as some of his other books - this stand alone book follows a Scottish DC who has to transport a dying prisoner. But the weather closes in and people start dying, usually in gruesome manners.
I managed to finish it, but was not a fan of this like some of his other books.

I never repeat the blurb. Really disappointed with this...usually love this writer's books but this was 80% description and 20% narrative...If that. Really hard work.

Magnificent MacBride strikes again!

I’m a huge fan of Stuart MacBride’s previous works, so was very much looking forward to this. I was not disappointed, and found it to be hugely enjoyable.

I highly recommend this book to all.

Thank you to the author, publishers Transworld and NetGalley UK for access to this as an advance reader’s ebook. This is an honest and voluntary review.

MacBride’s characteristic dark humour takes centre stage as two police officers are trapped in the snowbound hell of a village full of the type of former prisoners no-one wants as their neighbour.

Pressured into following the family legacy of a police career DC Edward Reekie is making the best of it. Then he’s drafted in as the driver when DI Victoria Montgomery-Porter is sent to accompany an ageing and terminally ill gangster from prison to Glenfarnach a remote North East Scotland village where prisoners on licence (released with conditions of curfews, daily social work monitoring etc) can live their lives in relative peace. A peace that is about to be shattered with the brutal torture-murder of one of the residents. In an epic snow storm DC Reekie and DI Montgomery-Porter are drafted in to support the skeletal on site police team to investigate.

I enjoyed this book. We see the bulk of it from DC Reekie’s perspective, including the start where he’s about to be buried in a shallow grave before the story flashes back to follow the events leading up to that moment. This is a good choice as he straddles the line between human frustration (or whinging) about tramping through drifting snow and being the whipping boy of the DCI, with a sharp mind and a commitment to policing. The DI borders of the caricature which makes her somewhat harder to read.

I enjoyed the overall plot and writing, although it did run a little long for me. I also think it might not work for new MacBride readers. While it’s a standalone, so there’s no other book knowledge that’s needed, the darkness of the humour and how that’s applied to a story about a village of sex offenders and violent criminals, may be a step too far for someone who hasn’t cut their teeth on previous books by this author.

In Scotland there is a village, one worthy of its own TV series like The Prisoner, only this one doesn’t contain washed up spies like Patrick McGoohan’s ‘Number 6’. No, this village is a haven to murderers, paedophiles, and assorted sex offenders, not to mention the odd bent copper and disgraced scientist. All these not-so-good folks have done their time and paid their debt to society and so are entitled to be released. They are put into the village for their own safety, to keep them away from the tabloid press or vigilantes, or for the safety of the general public. Here they are released from prison to relative anonymity and security, they wear ankle tags, have regular social worker checks, and be closely monitored by the police, so what can possibly go wrong?

The start is as dramatic as it is weird, as the wonderfully named Detective Inspector Victoria Elizabeth Montgomery-Porter (or Bigtoria behind her back for she carries some heft) is digging a shallow grave. We know this from her partner Detective Constable Edward Theodore Reekie, who just happens to be dead, and the grave is meant for him. The story then goes back in time to discover just how we got here before a grand finale.

It is the heavy snow that traps Bigtoria and Edward in the village so when the murders commence it is up to them and the three local officers to must find the killer in a village with 200 possible suspects, suspects who truly are rather suspect. The snow is relentless and hampers them every step of the way, providing some fabulous descriptive passages and character frustration.

The plot starts as the murder investigation but eventually the reader starts to suspect there is more to it than that, there is and then it starts to take some unexpected turns as it progresses. The motivations are a little unlikely perhaps but its wonderful escapist fiction with regular surprises along the way that will have you wondering how the author came up with it. There’s a lot of incidents packed in to keep one engaged and it certainly moves along briskly enough.

In typical fashion it’s the double hander of the investigators that hold it together. Bigtoria is domineering and treats Edward as a personal lacky, whilst Edward is constantly carping about his lot. Their bickering is very entertaining and fills in what lulls there are in the action. Bigtoria’s love of the stage (it’s not Am-dram they’ve been on tour) proves vital in the end. Edward provides the conduit for the usual observations about life in Scotland, both the good and the bad, and not forgetting how Irn Bru does produce the biggest of belches.

The humour ranges from dark to blacker than a black cat in a coal bunker at midnight. Its storyline packed with murderers and sex offenders so some of it comes close to the line of good taste, but if you are not offended by comments such as ‘someone leaving me a dead nonce to brighten up my day’ you’ll be chuckling along.

The Dead of Winter is a wonderfully creative set up for an action-packed crime story with the author’s black humour running through it like the Blackpool in a stick of rock. Please write a follow up Mr MacBride!

i have read a few books by this author. I really enjoyed this . It was slightly different in a quirky sort of way. For starters I could not decide if I liked the characters or not. The main character especially , Victoria, was at times very hard to like BUT at other times I sympathised with her. I loved the twist, which was probably a double twist. We are also very cold at the moment and I really enjoyed that the book was set in snow, deep snow, and howling snow storms which made me feel less cold.

Another fun (and very cold) read by the master Stuart Macbride! At times I felt so cold I had to go and sit outside in the sun for a few minutes to warm up! 😆

Detective Constable Edward Reekie and Detective Inspector Victoria Elizabeth Montgomery-Porter or otherwise called Bigtoria (but never to her face!) have to deliver Mark Bishop to Glenfarach. A small town, or more like an outside prison, where ex-cons who cannot be released into society, live. It seems like a great idea but is it? Before they can leave a dead body is found and they get involved in trying to solve the murder. On top of this, a snowstorm hits the town and nobody can get in or out. Bigtoria is an absolute horror to work with and poor Edward has his hands full. As the temperature drops the body count goes up. Will Edward live to tell the tale......

Thank you to Netgalley, Random House UK
and Transworld Publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

EXCERPT: Bigtoria sank into an office chair, pulled the phone towards her and dialled. Sat there with the handset to her ear, frowning. Then hung up and had another go. More frowning. This time, instead of returning the handset to the cradle, she clicked the button-thing up and down a few times.
Edward wandered over. 'Problem, Guv?'
'Nine for an outside line?' She poked the button again. 'Not even getting a dialling tone.'
Sergeant Farrow tried another phone. 'Fudge.'
Edward joined in, but the receiver just hissed in his ear. 'This one's buggered too.'
'Honestly!' Sergeant Farrow picked up another handset, jaw working on something tough as she listened. 'How are we supposed to work like this? "State-of-the-art operation, designed to handle one of the country's most challenging offender-management environments" my . . . bottom.' Slamming the handset down.
'OK . . .' Edward raised his eyebrows at Bigtoria. 'So we've no mobile signal, the Airwaves are shagged, and the landlines are down. We're completely cut off, aren't we.' In a village populated with sex-offenders, murderers, and the general dregs of the criminal justice system.
'Bastard.'
And then some.

ABOUT 'THE DEAD OF WINTER': It was supposed to be an easy job.

All Detective Constable Edward Reekie had to do was pick up a dying prisoner from HMP Grampian and deliver him somewhere to live out his last few months in peace.

From the outside, Glenfarach looks like a quaint, sleepy, snow-dusted village, nestled deep in the heart of Cairngorms National Park, but things aren't what they seem. The place is thick with security cameras and there's a strict nine o'clock curfew, because Glenfarach is the final sanctuary for people who've served their sentences but can't be safely released into the general population.

Edward's new boss, DI Montgomery-Porter, insists they head back to Aberdeen before the approaching blizzards shut everything down, but when an ex-cop-turned-gangster is discovered tortured to death in his bungalow, someone needs to take charge.

The weather's closing in, tensions are mounting, and time's running out - something nasty has come to Glenfarach, and Edward is standing right in its way...

MY THOUGHTS: Black humour is Stuart MacBride's speciality, and he delivers it in spades - along with a rollicking good novel laced with crime and corruption.

The storyline is unique and intriguing and I was instantly drawn in. To be honest, I've never before read anything quite like this.

Edward Reekie - I bet he had a hard time at school - is treated appallingly by his boss DI Victoria Montgomery-Porter, aka Bigtoria. She's a horrible woman. Yet he doggedly continues to do his job, albeit with a fair bit of moaning and whingeing when he's in her company. But when your backs are against the wall, he's the one to rely on.

Initially, I thought the idea of a 'retirement' village for criminals who can't, for one reason or another, be released back into the community when they have served their sentences was a good idea. I have since changed my mind.

The Dead of Winter is fast-paced, entertaining and unpredictable. I loved it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#TheDeadofWinter #NetGalley

I: @stuart.macbride @randomhouse

T: @StuartMacBride @randomhouse

#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #murdermystery #scottishnoir #thriller #suspense

THE AUTHOR: Stuart MacBride lives in the northeast of Scotland with his wife Fiona, cats Gherkin, Onion and Beetroot, some hens, some horses and an impressive collection of assorted weeds.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam Press via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Dead of Winter by Stuart MacBride for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

This was my first book by Stuart McBride and I can’t wait to read all of the others. The Dead of Winter is one of the best crime thrillers I’ve read in long time. I loved the sharp, witty writing; twisty and exciting plot; chilling and creepy atmosphere , with chilling and creepy characters to match ( the never-ending snow was almost a character itself), and savoured every page. I almost feel bereft to finish this story and my only consolation is that I have a backlog of Stuart McBride”s earlier work to look forward to.

When Detective Constable Edward Reekie is tasked with taking a dying prisoner to his new home in the village of Glenfarach a place where criminals go to live out their days as they are not allowed back into society, he thought it would be a simple job.
Boy did he get that one wrong. Once he arrives, a blizzard cuts them off and then they discover a dead body.
With no backup, can Edward find the killer in this village full of criminals before the killer finds him?
Another brilliant book by Stuart Macbride. It’s a story that cuts to the marrow and I found it funny and disturbing at the same time.
No one writes this kind crime fiction better in my opinion and I highly recommend this book.

I have read lots of Macbride's books and loved them all however I had not read one for a few years. I remembered why i loved his books so much. This had the lot, great characters, gripping storyline, twists and turns, laugh out loud humour and a gorgeous setting. Loved it.

This is one creepy story. In fact all of Stuart MacBride’s stories are creepy. Even the titles are creepy. Creepy and so compelling that you can’t put them down. You have to know the next horrible thing one horrible character is going to do to an equally horrible character. The well written plot always goes smoothly on and on and on, pushing you, pulling you, dragging you, rolling right over you.

Not many authors can set a scene and transport you to it, envelop you in it, like he does. I swear I was cold and scared the entire time I was reading The Dead of Winter. MacBride has a way with words like no other author. Not traditional happy, funny, warm, wise uplifting words, but they sure do stick with you. They make you shudder and squirm and laugh in spite of yourself. Who can stop from letting loose a little snicker at this, “. . . throw in a voice so slithery it'd give porridge the creeps” or this, “The cat stopped licking its kneepits to stare at Edward, then returned to the task in . . . tongue.”

It was supposed to be a simple pick-up and delivery by Detective Constable Edward Reekie and his new boss Bigtoria – oops, sorry, DI Victoria Montgomery-Porter. Drop off an old dying prisoner to somewhere criminals go to live out the rest of their lives out of harm’s way and out of a way for them to harm again. Then get back to town before the blizzard hits. Good plan, but . . . .

We learn right off the bat in the “0” chapter what happens to Edward, but you’re not even halfway through the second chapter before you start to suspect you might not much care what happened or be very sad to see him go. He is an annoying little know-it-all who has no doubt he’s smart, funny, and has to get in the last word. Even death doesn’t seem to have shut him up. It’s a constant stream of comments, complaints, whining, pronouncements about Bigtoria’s attitude, behavior and incompetence, the food, the weather, the cold, the snow, and if only they would just have listened to him. The more time we spend with him the more we agree 100% when he says, “I never really wanted to be a police officer.”

It's noted in the book that a parade of never-ending grubbiness and passing the buck is a metaphor for modern Police Scotland. I don’t know about that, but the time spent in Glenfarach is never-ending cold, snow, torture, murder, danger, isolation, fear and uncertainty and passing the blame. Of course Edward knows who to trust and who to suspect, who’s guilty and who is innocent. But does he?

Don’t even think you can figure out what will happen next or that you can stay a step ahead of masterful author MacBride, because you can’t. Just let yourself be grossed out and creeped out and scared out of your wits in the gloomy, frozen, snowy dead of winter. Thanks to Random House UK for providing an advance copy of The Dead of Winter via NetGalley for my creepy reading pleasure. I loved it, can’t recommend it enough, and am voluntarily leaving this review. All opinions are my own.