Review:In the Cold Dark Ground by Stuart MacBride

In The Cold Dark Ground by Stuart MacBride, Trade Paperback, January 2016, 528p.

4.5 stars.

Okay – I will attempt to get through this review without too much flailing, gushing and incoherent squealing. No promises, however. This book was much too good to promise the impossible.

In the Cold Dark Ground might just be the best Logan McRae novel published thus far. I’ve read all 9 in the past two years, and loved them all. The cases that McRae investigate are usually dark and twisted, which is right up my alley. This one was no different. There was a very satisfying who-dun-it with all the appropriate red herrings and twists.

That isn’t what made this book into a 4.5 star read – that would be the personal story lines that came to a head in this book. I will attempt to not spoil anything, but some major changes happen during In the Cold Dark Ground. Things that just made me drop the book on my lap and loudly exclaim “oh, my god.” There were also moments that made me a bit teary, and wonder how the hell Logan was going to get out of this mess that he finds himself in.

I really enjoy MacBride’s tongue in cheek exploration of corruption, and in this book, that is played to the extremes. There are some very memorable scenes with Napier (who sounds so much like my grandfather it is scary), and we get to meet some interesting characters who work in internal affairs.

This book was thoroughly enjoyable, but the last few pages truly had me squirming in my seat, wondering what the hell is going to happen in the next book. That is the sign of a really great series, where you read a complete story with a solid ending, but are already checking out the publication dates for the next book. (Couldn’t find a date, assume it’s not written yet. Might need to abduct Stuart MacBride and force him to write the next one now. Although, it would suck if my life became a B grade adaptation of Misery.)

 

Awesome January ’16 Releases

At the end of each month, I am going to share a couple (2-5) books that are due for release in the following month, and my current level of excitement for their publication. I like to talk about newly published books as much as the next person, but my real motivation is to discover new-to-me-authors and keep up to date with the growing list of series that I read! Anyway, onto the list!

In The Cold Dark Ground – Stuart MacBride
Series: Logan McRae #10
Publication Date: January 14, 2016

Sergeant Logan McRae is in trouble…

His missing-persons investigation has just turned up a body in the woods – naked, hands tied behind its back, and a bin bag duct-taped over its head. The Major Investigation Team charges up from Aberdeen, under the beady eye of Logan’s ex-boss Detective Chief Inspector Steel. And, as usual, she wants him to do her job for her.

But it’s not going to be easy: a new Superintendent is on her way up from the Serious Organised Crime Task Force, hell-bent on making Logan’s life miserable; Professional Standards are gunning for Steel; and Wee Hamish Mowat, head of Aberdeen’s criminal underbelly, is dying – leaving rival gangs from all over the UK eying his territory.

There’s a war brewing and Logan’s trapped right in the middle, whether he likes it or not.

I’ve been following the McRae series for awhile now, and the anticipation for this book has me in knots! MacBride manages to balance dark and horrific plots with inappropriately hilarious humour in this series. The last book in the series ended with Logan in a very precarious position. I preordered a copy of this book in November (on Amazon) but then managed to get my hot little hands on a copy a couple of days ago. I’m now trying to ignore the holiday season so I can pretend I’m in gritty Aberdeen with Logan and Steel.

Coffin Road – Peter May
Publication Date: January 14, 2016

A man is washed up on a deserted beach on the Hebridean Isle of Harris, barely alive and borderline hypothermic. He has no idea who he is or how he got there. The only clue to his identity is a map tracing a track called the Coffin Road. He does not know where it will lead him, but filled with dread, fear and uncertainty he knows he must follow it.

A detective crosses rough Atlantic seas to a remote rock twenty miles west of the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. With a sense of foreboding he steps ashore where three lighthouse keepers disappeared more than a century before – a mystery that remains unsolved. But now there is a new mystery – a man found bludgeoned to death on that same rock, and DS George Gunn must find out who did it and why.

A teenage girl lies in her Edinburgh bedroom, desperate to discover the truth about her father’s death. Two years after the discovery of the pioneering scientist’s suicide note, Karen Fleming still cannot accept that he would wilfully abandon her. And the more she discovers about the nature of his research, the more she suspects that others were behind his disappearance.

Coffin Road follows three perilous journeys towards one shocking truth – and the realisation that ignorance can kill us.

Considering how much crime/thriller fiction I read, it’s a bit of a worry I haven’t touched any of Peter May’s work. I’m not sure I’m ready to emotionally invest in his much acclaimed Lewis Trilogy – but Coffin Road is a standalone that is calling to me. I will be putting a hold on this one at the library and giving May a try!

A Death in Sweden – Keven Wignall
Publication Date: January 1, 2016

Dan Hendricks is a man in need of a lifeline. A former CIA operative, he is now an agent for hire by foreign powers on the hunt for dangerous fugitives. It’s a lethal world at the best of times, and Dan knows his number is almost up. His next job could be his last—and his next job is his biggest yet.

The target sounds trackable enough: Jacques Fillon, who gave up his life trying to save a fellow passenger following a bus crash in northern Sweden. But the man was something of an enigma in this rural community, and his death exposes his greatest secret: Jacques Fillon never existed at all.

Dan is tasked with uncovering Fillon’s true identity—but can he do so before his own past catches up with him?

This is another standalone (so strange that I have listed two that I am excited for when I normally stick to series) that I am really looking forward to reading. It is currently generating quite a bit of buzz on the internets, as amazon seem to be really pushing the publicity. I’m not complaining, all that buzz has brought to my eye another book that I’m sure I will enjoy. I will most likely buy this one on kindle when I forget to take my book to work, and cannot stand the thought of a break without glorious words!