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A review by martyfried
Close to the Bone by Stuart MacBride
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.