Loved this Stuart MacBride return to Oldcastle with a new cast of characters. Angus is rather adorable, with a backstory that explains some of his choices, and Dr Fife is a fascinating character.
Hoping we get at least a few short stories with the two of them in the future.
In a Place of Darkness has conspiracy theories and the deluded idiots that believe them at its heart, and ramps up the tension with a series of brutal murders. As always the violence and horror is tempered with wicked one liners and the black humour of the relationships between the police.

Oh I loved this. Stomps along at a cracking pace and was just a joy to read.
More Angus and Jonathan please!

In a place of darkness by Stuart MacBride has a set of different characters in his latest book, Detective Constable Angus MacVicar, assigned his dream job and transferred out of uniform and onto Oldfield’s biggest ongoing murder case, Operation Telegram hunting the Fortnight Killer and a Forensic Pathologist on loan from America and as sarcastic as hell, from the FBI. Jonathon is determined to alianate everybody, while dragging Angus along with him into a world of lies, conspiracies and violence.
The storyline is of extreme violence but throughout the story is a dark sense of humour renowned in Stuart MacBride’s other books. From the ending there will be another story featuring Angus and Jonathon and I look forward to reading the next in that series.
Highly recommended

This latest book from Stuart MacBride is set in the fictional city of Oldcastle ...which seems to be Aberdeen by another name. In it we are introduced to a new character, Angus MacVicar, a gentle giant of a man starting his first day as a Detective Constable. This is in the middle of an investigation into an active serial killer who target couples and screws the hands of one to a table so they can witness his torturing of the other ( shades of the Piranha Brothers of Monty Python fame?). The investigation is not going well so an FBI Forensic Psychologist, Dr Fife, is drafted in to help and MacVicar is assigned to be his sidekick...thus the adventures begins. One of MacBride's strengths is his ability to create the most imaginative of characters and then bounce them off each other. This pairing is certainly no exception. Dr Fife is an irascible, hostile dwarf loaded down with lots of issues from his childhood but above all he is a very talented investigator. MacVicar is equally tainted by his upbringing but is more courteous and considerate and though he comes across as a lumbering oaf is in fact quite smart and has good detective instincts. The story is really about this odd coupling and the situations they encounter and really is a joy to read.
What makes MacBride's books so readable is that the plots are very devious and some of the villains so despicable but such darkness is balanced with hilarious down to earth humour. I spent nearly 15 years on and off living in Aberdeen and his backgrounds and dialogue seem so familiar to me. The whole story takes place throughout a protracted storm and torrential rain seems to be on every page but this provides good fuel for prolonged angry rants from both Fife and MacVicar. Again, very familiar to anyone who has spent time in Aberdeen! There are a lot of other characters who appear and each of them painted so vividly by the author - I really don't know how he can keep coming up with such colourful people.
I would strongly recommend this and every other book by Stuart Macbride. His books are a delight despite the morbid subject matter and make me roar with laughter. I do hope to see both Fife and MacVicar in future books because they are wonderful characters and a great dynamic together.
Many thanks to Netgalley and The Publisher for providing pre publication access to this book.

I don’t know where Stuart gets his ideas but I’m glad he does . I have read all his books so understand and appreciate his style. This is a brilliant standalone story - though the ending is ambiguous, might there be more? Angus is a rookie Scottish cop and he wants to create a good impression. He is tasked with babysitting an FBI profiler who is an obnoxious character. Therein lies the humour of the story. I was giggling reading the first chapter- the language is so funny. The final chapters are fast, furious and funny - despite the bloody ending to the story. I loved this book. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I am a huge Stuart MacBride fan, having read all of this books that ever came out. Logan McRae is one of my favourite detectives and I think I will need to add 'Angus the Terrible' to this list.

While some bits of the book were a bit predictable, I still enjoyed this very much. The relationship between Fife and Angus is incredibly fun to read and really had me rooting for them!

A brand new series from Stuart MacBride. Angus MacVicar is starting his first day as a detective constable and has to hit the ground running as the team are in the middle of an investigation to track down a serial killer. As with MacBride's previous books there is plenty of blood and guts and violence.
The best bits of the book are the characters. They are not necessarily likeable to start with but they definitely grow on you. The banter between the members of the police team is very entertaining. The plot was good and entertaining but I would have liked a few more twists.
Unfortunately the pace of the book is off. It was far too slow. The book is far longer than the story deserves. There were times when I felt that I was never going to make any progress through it. Also, there were a number of implausible elements, particularly those relating to Dr Fife's family background.
Nevertheless, by the end of the book the characters had won me over and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Stuart MacBride is a Scottish author, specialising in the Tartan Noir genre. And just what does this mysterious sounding phrase mean? Well, Tartan Noir refers to contemporary crime novels that are set in Scotland, with a combination of cynical heroes, gritty crimes and complex plotlines. Where MacBride excels is in bringing a vein of dark, and admittedly twisted, humour to his storylines. And this is all true in his latest novel, In A Place of Darkness. Set in the fictional town of Oldcastle, a place that becomes grimmer by the day, a serial killer is murdering couples. PC Angus MacVicar has become a detective constable and is assigned to his "dream job" of working with the investigating team. Now, for any readers familiar with the world of MacBride's characters, you know that Angus is headed for a fall - because excitement never ends well. Plus, being a police officer, well, the poor fellow is headed for disaster. On the bright side, he's a big guy and has cultivated some useful skills from his time LARPing.
Angus is assigned as the sidekick for the peculiar forensic psychologist assigned to the case, Dr. Fife and our deadly duo find themselves stumbling from one scene of disaster to another. With Dr. Fife's constant sarcasm providing light relief to the increasingly dark investigation.
There's no doubt that I enjoyed this story and laughed out loud numerous times. However, the story did lag in the middle and I feel that it could have been shortened. Perhaps by removing some of the references to Fife's past - though of course this plays a role in the storyline.
As for the final chapter, I'd like some more please! Roll on the next story for Angus and Jonathan.

I've not been a huge fan of the last few of Stuart MacBride's books but given that this is a new series, I decided to take a gamble and I'm glad I did.

The new cast of characters are great, with Dr Fife being a particular stand out. Whilst initially irritating, I grew to really appreciate what his expertise, witty put downs and sarcasm brought to the story. Angus - whilst a bit bland - was lovely and I was cheering him on throughout.

As expected from MacBride, the plot is well thrilling with plenty of dark humour and banter to lighten the dark subject matter.

That being said, the book is not without its faults. Firstly, it is far too long, with lots of filler. It could easily have been 100 or so pages shorter. Secondly, I found the ending and Dr. Fife's back story to be ridiculous and too far fetched. They were also wrapped up far too swiftly.

Overall, if you're a Tartan Noir fan, you'll love this as there's plenty of that classic MacBride gore and dark humour however, the far fetched ending and filler make me long for the classic Logan MacRae days.

Thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam and NetGalley for the ARC.

Another fantastic book by Stuart MacBride. You are starting to get used to the novels now being set in fictional Oldcastle even if it does sound like a dump to live in! Great new characters in this book and an excellent storyline that leaves you gripped wanting to read on and find out what happens next!

It’s DC Angus MacVicar’s first day and he’s as keen as mustard in his shiny Asda suit. He’s landed his dream job with Oldcastle’s murder squad currently underway with an enormous and shocking enquiry known as Operation Telegram, led by DCI Monroe. They are hunting a sadistic perpetrator known as The Fortnight Killer as every two weeks a couple are targeted. One is left brutally murdered at the scene and the other has disappeared. The killer always uses the corpse to leave a message that can only be described as twisted. However, if Angus thinks he’s going to get a coveted slot on the team’s investigative front line, then he’s to be sadly disappointed. Instead, he’s attached to a hotshot FBI forensic psychologist who seems to be a truly awful human being. Dr Jonathan Fife is beyond rude and offensive and so he goes down like a lead balloon with the Scottish team. He makes up for his diminutive stature with his mouth and doesn’t care who he alienates. However, most importantly, does he have anything helpful to impart? The clock is ticking as the next fortnightly killing is due in two days. Will they get their ‘man’ before disaster strikes again? Tick tock Oldcastle police team… and as for Angus let’s hope he emerges unscathed from his first investigation.

Stuart MacBride is well known for his Tartan Noir (very noir) combined with humour, it’s kind of his brand. There’s lots to praise here but the length, I mean 544 pages?? Really! That’s not to say don’t enjoy it, because I do but just skip the extraneous please.

Anyway, what’s good? Well, a lot actually, the plot for a start which is excellent and yes, despite the details, it is fast paced.
I absolutely love the vibes between the police team and those between the team and Fife, these jump off the pages. The dialogue and banter is fantastic, it’s colourful, very creative with some phrases that are well worth pinching! There’s humour and a lot of it which is a beacon of light in a very dark plot which definitely strays at times into gory territory. The characters are terrific, they’re all portrayed really vividly with the banter helping to imagine them. They all have funny nicknames which are highly appropriate. Fife as it turns out comes with quite the backstory and it’s a good one.

It’s a rollercoaster with brainwaves, breakthroughs, multiple twists and turns, tension and suspense, navigating around Oldcastle, MacVicar’s life, food (I’ll pass), the banter, more banter, Doctor Fife and his telling it how it is, laughs, groans, yucks, eye poppers and jaw droppers which makes for an entertaining mix. It builds to an exciting finish with some things that are unexpected and a tantalising final chapter.

Overall, it’s a good start to what I suspect will be a new series. I hope so as these characters are just too good for one offs.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK, Transworld for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

In a Place of Darkness is the usual riotous,outrageous, sweary,hilarious,dark,twisted and, most importantly of all, massively entertaining kind of book we've come to expect from Stuart MacBride.

Angus MacVicar is a newly-promoted Detective Constable, anxious to impress as he leaves his days in uniform behind him. Thrown in amongst a squad of smart-mouthed oddballs squeaky-clean Angus also finds himself pitched straight into the hunt for a sadistic serial killer and as the new boy is also tasked with babysitting an American criminal psychologist on loan from the FBI. Gentle giant Angus and the diminutive ,obnoxious and extremely rude psychologist are certainly the odd couple and as ever with Stuart MacBride the quite savage,but always witty ,banter between the characters is a big part of why his books are such fun.

I love Stuart's books as I always know I'm in for plenty of laughs,the odd "did he really write that" moment, a great crime story and a weird and wonderful....sometimes not so wonderful...cast of characters. Aside from Hamish the dog I don't think there's a completely normal character in this book.
All great fun,dark humour, witty banter a solid story with a touch of the surreal and a bit of social commentary in this one. Plenty of gore,plenty of action,another winner for Stuart.

4+ 🌟

A few years ago I borrowed a MacBride audiobook from my library, and after that one, I don't think I've caught up on an authors back catalogue so quickly.
He always gets the right mix of slightly wince inducing moments, and subtle humour .
Perfectly balanced.
This one has great banter between our two main characters, first day on the job Angus, and over from America to profile serial killers Jonathan. They're quiet the duo.
Throw in some twisty crimes, and plenty of adventure, and it's a sure fire winner for MacBride again

It's Angus MacVicar's first day out of uniform as a newly minted Detective Constable.

The Fortnight Killer, currently wreaking havoc in Oldcastle, is now onto victim number three. The team now have the services of profiler Dr Jonathan Fife.

Angus is given the job of babysitting him. Remember not to call him a dwarf...

What could possibly go wrong?

Brilliantly thrilling

Another blinder from Stuart Macbride.

Hellish and hilarious, this is dark as sin and doubly delicious, fairly rocking along sometimes disturbing sometimes laugh out loud.

All in all a brilliant, addictive, brilliantly written tale