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amber_faith_27's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
martyfried's review against another edition
5.0
I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Steve Worsley who does a great job. If anyone cares, I started listing audiobooks under ebooks, partially because it's easier than searching all the audiobook versions to find the right one, and also because audiobooks have no page count, a statistic I might want to know in the future.
This one was typical for the series, which I happen to like a lot. There's a lot of humor, interesting people, and pretty intricate plots. The police sometimes seem like a slapstick comedy, but Logan McRae always seems to come through in the end in spite of all the obstacles, mostly put in place by his boss, Detective Chief Inspector Steel, a lovable character who complains all the time, insults people constantly, blames them when things go wrong but takes credit when they go well, and is very demanding. Perhaps she's not so lovable by the people she works with, but it seems like in spite of their complaining, they don't dislike her. A typical move by her was to write in one of her teams notebook: ‘FIND THOSE BLOODY TRAMPS, YOU LAZY WEE BAWBAG!!!’ above a list of three names and a crude drawing of male genitalia. Or the way she gives orders, such as "‘I don’t give a badger’s hairy arsehole if they’re on Jeremy Kyle with “My Girlfriend Won’t Swallow”: I told you to get your finger out and visit the bloody parents and at least look as if you’re doing something.’"
There are lots of laughs, such as when someone reported they had arrested one person, and was told "you said he was dead". He answered "Well, he got better."
There are some pretty horrific crimes committed, so the humor is a welcome relief. People are getting their kneecaps smashed up by a hammer, and refusing to tell the police anything. One guy died by getting a tire wedged over his head and shoulders, accelerant added, and set on fire. So be prepared for some crazy crimes and crazy people.
This one was typical for the series, which I happen to like a lot. There's a lot of humor, interesting people, and pretty intricate plots. The police sometimes seem like a slapstick comedy, but Logan McRae always seems to come through in the end in spite of all the obstacles, mostly put in place by his boss, Detective Chief Inspector Steel, a lovable character who complains all the time, insults people constantly, blames them when things go wrong but takes credit when they go well, and is very demanding. Perhaps she's not so lovable by the people she works with, but it seems like in spite of their complaining, they don't dislike her. A typical move by her was to write in one of her teams notebook: ‘FIND THOSE BLOODY TRAMPS, YOU LAZY WEE BAWBAG!!!’ above a list of three names and a crude drawing of male genitalia. Or the way she gives orders, such as "‘I don’t give a badger’s hairy arsehole if they’re on Jeremy Kyle with “My Girlfriend Won’t Swallow”: I told you to get your finger out and visit the bloody parents and at least look as if you’re doing something.’"
There are lots of laughs, such as when someone reported they had arrested one person, and was told "you said he was dead". He answered "Well, he got better."
There are some pretty horrific crimes committed, so the humor is a welcome relief. People are getting their kneecaps smashed up by a hammer, and refusing to tell the police anything. One guy died by getting a tire wedged over his head and shoulders, accelerant added, and set on fire. So be prepared for some crazy crimes and crazy people.
nonna7's review against another edition
5.0
Reading Stuart Macbride is kind of like riding a rollercoaster inside a fun house. Not only do you go up and down at often dizzying and breakneck speeds, but you come face to face with strange characters, mirrors that distort everything and, sometimes, ghosts and weird noises. Acting DI Logan McRae is still living in a "caravan" (aka trailer) after his flat was destroyed by a fire two years ago. Someone is leaving bones tied with ribbon at his front step. He thinks they're just chicken bones until he learns otherwise.... Someone has "necklaced" a homeless veteran of the Kuwait war, tortured him and set him on fire. Meanwhile, a gang war over high grade cannabis is threatening to break out, and a film of a popular book about witches is being filmed in a former porn studio. Macbride is one of the best crime writers out there. His dark humor is twisted beyond belief. There aren't a lot of writers who can make you laugh, be outraged, then cry and laugh again - often in the same paragraph. This is why I NEVER miss the newest Stuart Macbride.
fat_girl_fiction's review against another edition
4.0
I always feel like I'm in a safe pair of hands with a Stuart MacBride novel, especially those featuring the only sane in policeman in Aberdeen, Logan McRae. Close to the Bone is no exception.
In this story, the first victim we come across is a man who has been 'necklaced', which for those not up to date on their gang related terminology is when somebody's head and arm is stuck through a tyre, which is then set alight. What follows is more gruesome murder, all centred around a book called Witchfire, which is currently being made into a film. There is a certain crew member which most fond readers of the Logan McRae series will be surprised and delighted to find has returned, if only briefly.
MacBride does two things that I absolutely adore, and that balance out each other perfectly. His dark, horrific murders, described in perfect detail and the humour from his eccentric characters, particularly DCI Steel and DS Rennie. I also enjoy the fact that the characters are progressing in their careers. Logan himself is now an Acting DI.
This plot in particular is interesting and I really enjoyed how everything comes together. Every small case is all part of one big plot.
We also have to contend with Logan's personal life, and I'm personally awarding myself ten points for working out what was going on with Logan's girlfriend. (I've not read Shatter The Bones by the way.)
The writing and dialogue is quick witted, and I find myself laughing and then grimacing in horror. Stuart MacBride is a genius and I'm not far off reading all of the Logan McRae books now. I can't wait to get my hands on another!
In this story, the first victim we come across is a man who has been 'necklaced', which for those not up to date on their gang related terminology is when somebody's head and arm is stuck through a tyre, which is then set alight. What follows is more gruesome murder, all centred around a book called Witchfire, which is currently being made into a film. There is a certain crew member which most fond readers of the Logan McRae series will be surprised and delighted to find has returned, if only briefly.
MacBride does two things that I absolutely adore, and that balance out each other perfectly. His dark, horrific murders, described in perfect detail and the humour from his eccentric characters, particularly DCI Steel and DS Rennie. I also enjoy the fact that the characters are progressing in their careers. Logan himself is now an Acting DI.
This plot in particular is interesting and I really enjoyed how everything comes together. Every small case is all part of one big plot.
We also have to contend with Logan's personal life, and I'm personally awarding myself ten points for working out what was going on with Logan's girlfriend. (I've not read Shatter The Bones by the way.)
The writing and dialogue is quick witted, and I find myself laughing and then grimacing in horror. Stuart MacBride is a genius and I'm not far off reading all of the Logan McRae books now. I can't wait to get my hands on another!
caitlind14's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
margenotbutter's review against another edition
4.0
I had been disappointed by Stuart MacBrides last book, which was not Logan-centric, so this was a relief. I have read peoples criticisms below and while I understand people did not like the amount of comedy in the book, I felt it made the book much easier to read as without it I think the number of storylines in place would have confused and frustrated me. However I ended up really enjoying it.
zimo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.25
booksuperpower's review against another edition
4.0
This is the eighth book in the Logan McRae series. Having read this one before any of the others, a bad habit of mine, I can't honestly compare it to the other seven. But, for me it was a wonderful change of pace. I will give a full review closer to the release date of the book. However, I do suggest a pre-order.
si0bhan's review against another edition
4.0
I adore all of the Logan McRae novels, each book pushing Stuart MacBride higher up on my list of favourite authors. In fact, there are only a couple of authors I rate above Stuart MacBride – and those are my cream of the crop authors. Thus, whenever I see a story with his name on the cover, I jump at the book. Any book that belongs to the Logan McRae series is grabbed even quicker. Whilst I was late joining the McRae party, I’m well and truly an adoring fan.
Close to the Bone was another fun addition to the Logan McRae series, although I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’ve enjoyed some of the others. In fact, at times the story seemed to really drag. Yes, there were many wonderful aspects. Everything you would expect from Stuart MacBride could be seen; however, it wasn’t quite what some of the other books happened to be.
Truthfully, I think I know what did it for me. The last few books have seen more and more of the psychologist nosing his way into things (or being pulled into things, depending upon how you look at things). I enjoy his character, I really do. There was too much of him here, though. Now many will find he adds a lot to the story – yet I found myself unable to suspend belief in the way I needed to. Well, not so much suspend belief as ignore the reality of my world. You see, I belong to the psychology department at the University of Aberdeen, thus allowing me to know how the department works. The layout of the building, the way things played out, and all the other small things meant I wasn’t as pulled into the story as I could have been. As I should have been. I found myself going ‘nope, not correct’ every time something came about which I knew the truth about. Now throughout the series I have loved reading about a city I know well – however, I found it jarring to suddenly be inside of a building I knew well, and trying to input the story into the small setting. Such a thing will not have an impact on other readers, but it was off putting for me.
Thus, I blame my lack of enjoyment on being too close to the setting.
It wasn’t just that, though. The above is an entirely personal thing, which I tried to prevent from influencing my enjoyment of the book. After all, it wasn’t as though the entire book took place inside of the building I know so well. In fact, very little happened. It’s just the thing that stuck with me most. What did influence me into viewing this as one of my least favourite in the series was how long it took me to become pulled into the story. There were times when things seemed to drag. As always, a lot was going on – and yet I wasn’t enjoying things as I usually was. I wanted to know how things came together, and yet I wasn’t crazy excited about any single aspect of the story. Some aspects were more fun than other aspects – but, as a whole, things simple were. I’m really not sure what it was: I simply wasn’t as engaged as I usually am.
There was still plenty of the usual MacBride marks to be seen: the dark humour, the interwoven stories, and the gritty crime. It just wasn’t my favourite of the series.
I’m positive, however, that I will adore the next. After all, the Logan McRae series has become one of my favourite series.
Close to the Bone was another fun addition to the Logan McRae series, although I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’ve enjoyed some of the others. In fact, at times the story seemed to really drag. Yes, there were many wonderful aspects. Everything you would expect from Stuart MacBride could be seen; however, it wasn’t quite what some of the other books happened to be.
Truthfully, I think I know what did it for me. The last few books have seen more and more of the psychologist nosing his way into things (or being pulled into things, depending upon how you look at things). I enjoy his character, I really do. There was too much of him here, though. Now many will find he adds a lot to the story – yet I found myself unable to suspend belief in the way I needed to. Well, not so much suspend belief as ignore the reality of my world. You see, I belong to the psychology department at the University of Aberdeen, thus allowing me to know how the department works. The layout of the building, the way things played out, and all the other small things meant I wasn’t as pulled into the story as I could have been. As I should have been. I found myself going ‘nope, not correct’ every time something came about which I knew the truth about. Now throughout the series I have loved reading about a city I know well – however, I found it jarring to suddenly be inside of a building I knew well, and trying to input the story into the small setting. Such a thing will not have an impact on other readers, but it was off putting for me.
Thus, I blame my lack of enjoyment on being too close to the setting.
It wasn’t just that, though. The above is an entirely personal thing, which I tried to prevent from influencing my enjoyment of the book. After all, it wasn’t as though the entire book took place inside of the building I know so well. In fact, very little happened. It’s just the thing that stuck with me most. What did influence me into viewing this as one of my least favourite in the series was how long it took me to become pulled into the story. There were times when things seemed to drag. As always, a lot was going on – and yet I wasn’t enjoying things as I usually was. I wanted to know how things came together, and yet I wasn’t crazy excited about any single aspect of the story. Some aspects were more fun than other aspects – but, as a whole, things simple were. I’m really not sure what it was: I simply wasn’t as engaged as I usually am.
There was still plenty of the usual MacBride marks to be seen: the dark humour, the interwoven stories, and the gritty crime. It just wasn’t my favourite of the series.
I’m positive, however, that I will adore the next. After all, the Logan McRae series has become one of my favourite series.
offmessage's review against another edition
5.0
If you like Logan McRae (and I really do) then you are going to love this one. All the characters are there, writ as large as ever (even Insch makes a cameo return!), the trademark gore is in full technicolor and McRae muddles his way through as he always does. I particularly enjoyed this one, although more for the soap opera aspects than the actual main plot ;)