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slavicsongbird's review against another edition
4.0
I genuinely thought this book was going to get a nice solid 3 stars at first but the last third or so was just brilliant! Now it gets 4.5 stars and the only reason I rounded it down to 4 was because I did get a little bored in the earlier bits.
kcfromaustcrime's review against another edition
5.0
Look, we all know what I'm going to say here, so let's just get straight to it.
The Logan McRae series is the bees knees of Scottish police procedurals. The plots are intricate, often confrontational (as is very much the case with this one) and the characters are brilliant. Grumpy, put upon McRae (is that a new girlfriend we spy, god knows what's going to happen to her then) to AKA Detective Sergeant Simon Occasionally-Useful-When-Not-Being-A-Pain-In-The-Backside Rennie, DS Roberta Steel (demoted / still over-the-top) and PC Quirrel (together they are North East Division's answer to Blackadder and Baldrick), all make an appearance in THE BLOOD ROAD.
Quick bit about the plot - McRae's now works for Professional Standards (followers of this series will be aware that's .... a tad of leap in it's own right...), so when DI Bell turns up dead in the driver's seat of a car, stabbed, it's a bit of a surprise to all. What with them having buried him two years ago, or so they thought. Needless to say a bit of a shufty around in Bell's past is called for, which is right up Professional Standard's corridor (so to speak). When that expands to include the investigation of the possible suicide of a currently serving officer, McRae and his little team of mad buggers find themselves knee deep in dodgy coppers, old cases, odd goings-on, and unfortunately the series of missing kids that the major crimes division is also investigating. There's a lot of cross over, crossing under, crossing off, and generally getting cross - as you'd expect from a Stuart MacBride novel.
There's also the question of missing kids, and the possibility that something seriously horrible is happening to them, so if you're a reader who doesn't like that sort of (fictional) plot then this may not be the novel for you. Which will be a pity because you'll be missing out on a heap of wise-cracks, an impressively bolshie young lady, some dedicated coppering, some seriously manipulative behaviour (Steel wants a night out with the wife, whether McRae likes the idea or not), and some clever thinking and persistence as you'd expect.
But then again you knew I was going to say all of that, and you know I've already pre-ordered ALL THAT'S DEAD - 12th book in the Logan McRae series, due to lob into my Google Books account around the 19th of May.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/blood-road-stuart-macbride
The Logan McRae series is the bees knees of Scottish police procedurals. The plots are intricate, often confrontational (as is very much the case with this one) and the characters are brilliant. Grumpy, put upon McRae (is that a new girlfriend we spy, god knows what's going to happen to her then) to AKA Detective Sergeant Simon Occasionally-Useful-When-Not-Being-A-Pain-In-The-Backside Rennie, DS Roberta Steel (demoted / still over-the-top) and PC Quirrel (together they are North East Division's answer to Blackadder and Baldrick), all make an appearance in THE BLOOD ROAD.
Quick bit about the plot - McRae's now works for Professional Standards (followers of this series will be aware that's .... a tad of leap in it's own right...), so when DI Bell turns up dead in the driver's seat of a car, stabbed, it's a bit of a surprise to all. What with them having buried him two years ago, or so they thought. Needless to say a bit of a shufty around in Bell's past is called for, which is right up Professional Standard's corridor (so to speak). When that expands to include the investigation of the possible suicide of a currently serving officer, McRae and his little team of mad buggers find themselves knee deep in dodgy coppers, old cases, odd goings-on, and unfortunately the series of missing kids that the major crimes division is also investigating. There's a lot of cross over, crossing under, crossing off, and generally getting cross - as you'd expect from a Stuart MacBride novel.
There's also the question of missing kids, and the possibility that something seriously horrible is happening to them, so if you're a reader who doesn't like that sort of (fictional) plot then this may not be the novel for you. Which will be a pity because you'll be missing out on a heap of wise-cracks, an impressively bolshie young lady, some dedicated coppering, some seriously manipulative behaviour (Steel wants a night out with the wife, whether McRae likes the idea or not), and some clever thinking and persistence as you'd expect.
But then again you knew I was going to say all of that, and you know I've already pre-ordered ALL THAT'S DEAD - 12th book in the Logan McRae series, due to lob into my Google Books account around the 19th of May.
https://www.austcrimefiction.org/review/blood-road-stuart-macbride
abbienk's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
balthazarlawson's review against another edition
4.0
Logan McRae is back working in Professional Standards. Also back is a dead detective who appears to have died a second time. Then there is the suicide of another detective who McRae has been trying to get in touch with but with little luck. Throw in a staff shortage and a growing list of missing children and McRae finds himself investigating the murder of the twice dead detective. But it's only suppose to be for a short time while a replacement is found. It's the usual sort of confusion to be found in Aberdeen. Though things turn dark and nasty as McRae finds that most of the cases are somehow connected.
All the usual characters are back but there is a lack of clarity at times with this novel as a change of page or paragraph suddenly has a jump in the thought process, like a record on the turn table being knocked. It's still an enjoyable read even though it lacks the edge the earlier books in the series have.
All the usual characters are back but there is a lack of clarity at times with this novel as a change of page or paragraph suddenly has a jump in the thought process, like a record on the turn table being knocked. It's still an enjoyable read even though it lacks the edge the earlier books in the series have.
nighthawk921's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent as usual with an ending that had me on the edge of my seat. And it had all my favorite people: McRae, Steel, Rennie and Tufty!! Excellent.
kirkw1972's review against another edition
5.0
'm a latecomer to this series. I read A Dark so Deadly a wile back then started on the McRae series. I read Cold Granite just last week and still have the ones in between that and this latest one so some of the questions I have will no doubt be answered as I play catch but I did like the continuation from Book 1 to it's conclusion here with the Livestock Mart - the market for selling children.
This is another instance where I've read an ARC from netgalley and then had to go out and get the remaining books as I find yet more new favourite authors. This, like the first and I assume the rest is full of dark humour as McRae and colleagues try and solve the murder of DI Bell for the second time as well as tracking down this mysterious market. You'd need a sense of humour in those circumstances.
It moves along at quite a good pace, my interest was captured from start to finish and if it wasn't for the fact that Kindle Fire battery life is rubbish I'd have probably read it all in one go.
This is fast turning into a must read series. Completely engaging, fantastic and I love the characters.
This is another instance where I've read an ARC from netgalley and then had to go out and get the remaining books as I find yet more new favourite authors. This, like the first and I assume the rest is full of dark humour as McRae and colleagues try and solve the murder of DI Bell for the second time as well as tracking down this mysterious market. You'd need a sense of humour in those circumstances.
It moves along at quite a good pace, my interest was captured from start to finish and if it wasn't for the fact that Kindle Fire battery life is rubbish I'd have probably read it all in one go.
This is fast turning into a must read series. Completely engaging, fantastic and I love the characters.
historybooksandtea's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75