Great Story -- But NOT For The Faint Of Heart!

If you like the writing style of Tony Parsons' DC Wolfe series starting with, The Murder Bag, or John Verdon's Dave Gurney's novels starting with, Think of a Number, then this will probably be a book you enjoy. However, if you like a story without the gruesome descriptions painted in vivid detail then skip this read. The narration by Worsley is top notch. His tone, pitch, emotion and voice ranges makes the story even better. The quality of the recording is professional.

The character development is written well and sets up the series. The story is fairly complex and left me wondering & trying to guess whats happenes next. At times, I guessed correctly but still enjoyed how the author led me there. The character interaction and dialog has a wide range of emotions.

Without spoilers, skip this if you're looking for an action-packed read, or a police procedural without the vivid descriptions of events and characters you're made to hate and detest.

I rated the story four stars because the gore is more than necessary, but the quality of the narration is a solid five star. I will definitely be listening to the next MacBride book and will listen to anything by Worsley.

18 people found this helpful

Just too grisly

Couldn't finish. The gory details in the autopsy room were just too much and IMO gratuitous. Too bad because I was interested in the plot and the characters.

16 people found this helpful

Violence and children don’t mix.

I’ve read a few books in the Logan McRae series and enjoyed them so much I ordered several more at the same time. Unfortunately I didn’t take time to read the subject matter. For me children and violence don’t mix. I skipped chapter after chapter because I just couldn’t listen. Usually I’m not squeamish but this book went too far. I’ll read other books in the series but this one wasn’t for me.

10 people found this helpful

Great new series to start reading

This book came up as a suggestion in Audible, when I was finishing another book. Decided to follow the Audible recommendation ( not the first time, I have been very happy with what Audible is suggesting to me.
I expected this to be a typical murder investigation, depressed police man who drinks to much 😊 ( yes the location in north scotland ).
This book took me by surprice, it provided much more what I was looking for. Interesting characters, interesting and complex murder plot, etc ( yes I grew up reading Agatha Christie 😊 ). Wheather it is DI Inch, PC Watchon, or any if the other characters from the book. Similary in a aprox 14 hour audio book, the plot is unfolding during the last 3 hours ( not only the last 30 minutes as I see to many times ).
Definently will look for more books from this serie.

2 people found this helpful

New for me...<br />

I think this was a bit slow to start for me but picked up. People complained the story was gruesome, that it was too much BUT, unfortunately crimes like what is portrayed in this novel is what our society is like.
I enjoyed the characters, the true to life story line, by the end, I couldn't stop too I finished it!
I loved the fact that everything was concluded and didn't leave you wondering what happened.

1 person found this helpful

Fantastic listen!

Love the narrator’s skills with Scottish accents, love the imagery of life in Aberdeen, love the humour.

1 person found this helpful

Predictable

When I can spot flaws in the police procedures and their approach then the author is sloppy in some way. I don't think the author gave the readers enough credit for basic smarts in solving a crime. I also didn't love how weak Logan seemed to be as a character. I like to get connected and invested in the characters so I want to see what they do next. This makes me want to skip to a later novel and see if the author's writing gets better.

1 person found this helpful

I liked this one

Intelligent, chock full of interesting characters who "look like cast of Deliverance" as they bear up under winter's rain, snow, wind and cold. The bits of humor wing through when one least expects them. Listen closely, the author entertains from first page to last. And the setting is Scotland. So interesting.

2 people found this helpful

Take a deep breath & steady your stomach, then begin listening. Repeat as needed.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed the Audible version narrated by Steve Worsley, who is brilliant with the various accents. Bravo, Mr. Worsley!

This is a darkly atmospheric crime fiction-police procedural set in Aberdeen, Scotland during the wintry Christmas season. I live in a state that’s heating up w climate change, but as I listened to the narrator describing the sky spitting ice and snow, I recalled winters in New England. Brrrrrr.

The storyline is very complex with protagonist DS Logan McRae investigating multiple child kidnapping and murder cases at one time. This book necessarily discusses uncomfortable topics about pedophilia and child rape, plus has graphic descriptions of crime scenes.

Overall, a good debut book made better by Steve Worsley’s brilliant narration.

Gratuitous violence/depravity towards children

I tried to listen to this book. Almost made it to the end but the gratuitous violence and depraved descriptions of acts done to little children became too much to handle. Also the descriptions of vileness and gore of dead animals began making me sick to my stomach. Do yourself a favor and skip this one