I could not get into this book and ended up not finishing it. It felt a bit laborious and I realised that life is too short to read something that I’ve lost interest in.

I really enjoyed this book, as I usually enjoy anything written by Stuart MacBride. For me, the element that really made the book was the central character of Angus, a somewhat awkward seeming man who lives with his mother, doesn't have a very exciting life and never seems to have any money.

The sense that Angus somehow remains trapped in his childhood and is unable to fully move on with his life, despite being recently promoted within the police force, was really well done. He is the kind of character that everyone will be able to empathise with, as everyone at some point in life will have felt feelings of inadequacy, not belonging, awkwardness and so on.

Angus has been assigned to work on a particularly grisly set of crimes committed by a murderer dubbed the Fortnight Killer. Every two weeks a couple is targeted - one is discovered tortured to death, generally nailed to a table or some such. The other is missing.

The plot as it unfolds is fascinating and disturbing, and there is so much to love about the book. Angus' old school friend, Ellie, is now a reporter for a local paper. She's constantly teasing him, causing him yet more embarrassment, yet it quickly becomes clear that she actually likes him.

Dr Fife, the US forensic psychologist working on the case with Angus, is fantastic - he insists on being kept undercover for fear of becoming a target of various psychopaths he's been involved with over the years, and his conversation with Angus and is great to read. Fife is full of hilarious one-liners and deliberately provocative statements designed to cause trouble. But he isn't just a two-dimensional character, he genuinely comes to care about Angus and tries to give him various bits of life advice.

Without wanting to give too much away, it's great to see Angus finally blossoming towards the end of the book, and also see his mother change too.

MacBride manages to do a lot with very little - in the case of Angus's mother creating a very imposing and realistic character who the reader in fact sees very little of. All of the characters are well drawn and their interactions are a highlight of the book. I would definitely recommend this, and thanks to Netgalley for the preview.

Another masterpiece by Stuart MacBride. I always look forward to his books, revelling in the humour and darkness within. As ever, this book did not disappoint and I recommend it to all.

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

Detective Constable Angus MacIver is in his first day in CID.. Thrown in at the deep end he joins the team as they are investigating the Fortnight Killer murders. He is tasked with baby sitting FBI profiler Dr Jonathan Fife. This isn't as easy a job as it sounds and causes Angus all sorts of headaches.

Another great book from Stuart McBride and one I really enjoyed and would definitely recommend to others.

In A Place of Darkness by Stuart MacBride

How I adore Stuart MacBride’s crime fiction! They can shock, horrify, enthrall and make me laugh so much it hurts! This is a stand alone novel set in Scotland’s Oldcastle, a particularly favoured spot for murderers. New Detective Constable Angus MacVicar is assigned to the team investigating the especially unpleasant Fortnight Killer, who murders couples, removing one from the scene, with alarming fortnightly regularity. Unluckily for Angus, he is given the job of keeping an eye on FBI investigator, Dr Jonathan Fife, who is a classic Stuart MacBride creation – totally memorable, unutterably annoying and, well, bonkers. I loved this book! The pace never lets up and the whole affair is thoroughly entertaining, if gruesome, and brilliantly written. While I miss Logan and Roberta, the double act of MacVicar and Fife filled the gap very well indeed.

I love Stuart MacBride he is one of my favourite authors but I struggled a bit with this book. It had it's usual comedy, gruesome murders and an unlikely pairing but I just felt something was off with it. Maybe it was just too long, I am not really sure.

I think Stuart needs to dial down the silliness a bit, getting rather annoying, esp. as there's a decent story underneath.

I'm a massive fan of Mr MacBride, and this will certainly tick many of the boxes for his loyal readership. Dry gallows humour? Gruesome murders? An unlikely pairing to solve the crimes? Tick.

Enjoyable and twisty, for sure, but it felt a little too long and would have been sharper for some editorial pruning. 4 stars.

EXCERPT: It had been a nice hallway at one point: wide with pictures on the walls, a cupboard for coats, and that interlocked parquet flooring that Mum always mooned over in the magazines. Now, bloody handprints smeared the walls with scarlet; bloody footprints tracked all over the wooden floor.
The scene examiners had laid their common approach path down one side of the hall to avoid the heaviest staining - the little metal trays clanging beneath Dr Fife's bootied heels.
A camera's flash flickered out from an open doorway.
Angus swallowed.
Even through the mask, the air tasted of hot copper and AAA batteries.

ABOUT 'IN A PLACE OF DARKNESS': Detective Constable Angus MacVicar has just landed his dream job – transferred out of uniform and assigned to Oldcastle’s biggest ongoing murder investigation: Operation Telegram, hunting the 'Fortnight Killer'.

Every two weeks another couple is targeted. One victim is left at the scene, their corpse used as a twisted message board. The second body is never seen again.

This should be the perfect chance for Angus to prove himself, but instead of working on the investigation’s front line, he’s lumbered with the forensic psychologist from hell. A sarcastic know-it-all American, on loan from the FBI, who seems determined to alienate everyone while dragging Angus into a shadowy world of conspiracies, lies, and violence.

It’s been twelve days since the Fortnight Killer last struck, and the investigation’s running out of time. Angus's shiny new job might just be the death of him…

MY THOUGHTS: Deliciously dark with plenty of black humour.

There were times while reading In a Place of Darkness that I didn't know whether I wanted to laugh or cry, and frequently did both. The one-liners are to die for. My favourite - 'about as useful as barbed-wire toilet paper.'

The plot is excellent, fast-paced and mind-boggling. But it is the characters who are the stars here. From the monolith that is Angus MacVicar to the diminutive Dr Jonathan (don't call me Jon or Jonnie) Fife, every one of them is entertaining in their own right.

I could envisage Angus as an exuberant golden labrador, over-eager to please and broken-hearted when reprimanded. He is quite naive in many aspects; a veritable babe-in-the-woods when it comes to women and romance. The twice divorced Dr Fife is his polar opposite- world-weary and jaded - at least that's the persona he likes to present. He's also mercurial, sarcastic and doesn't suffer fools easily. As he thinks most people are fools, it makes for some very interesting dialogue.

There are plenty of twists, turns, red herrings and even a little romantic interest for Angus. My one reservation is in regards to the final battle scene. It was honestly just too long and involved.

Although In A Place of Darkness appears to be a stand-alone, the ending leaves the possibility of a series wide open. I,for one, certainly hope to read more of Angus.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#InaPlaceofDarkness #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Stuart lives in the north-east 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 via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of In A Place of Darkness by Stuart MacBride for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Not sure why but this book just didn’t do much for me. It could have been the pa e that let it down because there was a lot of repetition which slowed it down. Plenty of drama as always with Macbride and comedy in dialect again which is what I always expect from this author.

I found this a difficult read to finish. It starts off really well, with the gruesome murder of a gay man and his husband missing. This turns out to be part of a sequence of similar events that are baffling the police. Enter Angus MaVicar a new Detective Constable.
Along with Angus and an FBI profiler there are a team of well drawn characters and like many previous books, be warned, there’s blood, gore and dark humour.

Overall, it’s a decent read, just too drawn out and with some implausible elements. Making it, for me, an OK read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for the opportunity to preview.

First appearance in a Stuart MacBride novel for Detective Constable Angus MacVicar and hopefully not the last!

A classic MacBride being that enjoyable & entertaining mix of everyday life, dark humour, unhinged characters and a whizz bang plot. Dr Fife is the other star of this book.

"In a Place of Darkness" is the first installment in Stuart McBride’s new series. Like all of McBride’s books, it's packed with witty dialogue, gruesome details, memorable characters, and unexpected twists. Above all, it's an entertaining and enjoyable read. I'm looking forward to the next book.

I really enjoyed this book. I am a big fan of Stuart MacBride and this storyline was thrilling from beginning to end. Another success!

“In a Place of Darkness” is a standalone thriller by author Stuart MacBride. I always enjoy this authors work as they are always sure to be full of great characters, well thought out plots and a touch of humour.

Detective Constable Angus MacVicar is newly transferred out of uniform and into the high pressure world of homicide investigation. He is excited to be joining Operation Telegram, the task force dedicated to catching the notorious ‘Fortnight Killer,’. The killer has a unique MO, every two weeks, a couple is targeted, with one body left at the scene as a macabre message board, and the other body disappearing without a trace. This means that more than ever the clock is ticking and the killer must be caught to avoid more murders.

MacVicar’s is assigned to work with a forensic psychologist from the FBI and is not the most popular person in the world. The psychologist is an egotist and continuously clashes with the rest of the team, this tempers Angus’ enthusiasm. The relationship between Angus and the psychologist makes enjoyable reading and I consider it one of the highlights of the novel. Lots of humour and razor sharp dialogue between the two characters make entertaining reading.

Angus MacVicar is such a good character that it would be no surprise to me if he turns up again in future novels. A new recruit who is keen to impress and determined to prove himself in the job.

A well thought out thriller that brings a smile to your face.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Random House UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I stopped reading the Logan McRae series because they became too ridiculous. I know they are stores but seriously do police officers talk and behave that way? . I tried my luck again with In the Dead of Winter and quite enjoyed that so thought I would give this one a go. It is another version of the McRae books, can he not think of something original or repeating the same characters over and over going to be his thing. Having said that I did quite like this novel.
DC Angus MacVicar has landed his dream job, so he thinks, being part of the team searching for the Fortnight Killer. Every two weeks a couple are taken and one is tortured while the other one is forced to watch whom then later disappears. Angus is confident he is going to be of use in the investigation but is instead saddled with an American know it all forensic psychologist from the FBI. As time is running out until the next killing is due Angus is putting himself in danger.

#InAPlaceOfDarkness #NetGalley

Another fantastic story from Stuart MacBride, again set in the fictional town of Oldcastle although with different lead characters.
This one sees an FBI profiler being drafted in to assist in the investigation of a series of murders. Some great characters, as usual very well written, typical MacBride humour throughout and plenty of action, gore, twists and turns.
An excellent thriller and hopefully the beginning of a new series. Definitely read this if you've enjoyed any of his previous works.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the advance copy.

Enjoyable Oldcastle romp from Stuart MacBride. The fortnight killer is active, every fourteen days another couple are attacked with one screwed to the table and the other taken away. For Angus MacVicar, just promoted out of uniform this could be his big chance in an investigation, but he is having to babysit a sarcastic American FBI profiler who may not be all he seems. MacBride's usual pacy and funny dialogue through this every enjoyable tale.

I love Stuart McBride and the Logan series so.i.was ever so excited to get this ARC

I was not disappointed with this. I was hooked from the beginning to the end

Thank you for the opportunity to review

On his first day as a detective, Angus MacVicar is placed in a squad investing 'the Fortnight killer'. This is a serial killer who mutilates one half of a couple before kidnapping the other. Oldcastle Police are baffled and so a hotshot FBI profiler is drafted in. Of course Johnathan Fife is brash, abrasive and a maverick, he's also got a fear of publicity and Angus is to be his minder.
There is nothing more exhilarating than a new Stuart MacBride novel. Yes, these are really deep and dark books which don't stint on violence but they also have great plots, fantastically drawn characters and a huge helping of extremely dry and dark humour. This book really tickled me, with laugh out loud moments in between the gruesome details and the razor sharp police procedural. It's an acquired taste!