Logan McRae

Look, let's just admit that I'm a huge fan of this series and get it over and done with. Love DI Steel, love her glorious over the topness, love McRae's constant sooking and all being put upon. Love the madness of the world in which they have to try to operate as functioning police members, love the supporting cast, love the gallows humour. Love the whole damn thing. Even love those that don't quite live up to the other books in the series (and let's face it - we're talking bees d's worth of not living up to that which came before).

I'll therefore plead to some lacking in objectivity.

CLOSE TO THE BONE has the requisite things going pear-shaped left right and centre - with cases piling up at the door refusing to maintain an orderly line. Including McRae balancing a personal life that almost, in the last book, accidentally veered towards normal, committed and stable. Meanwhile Steele is behaving like everyone's worst nightmare caricature. Even more-so in this book as she's dragged kicking, screaming, bitching and moaning into "Management". I even, for a very brief period in my life, found myself interested in the outcome of a wildly popular paranormal novel, but only because it looks like some nutcase is basing a series of murders on scenarios from that book.

But, more importantly, underneath the lunacy and the caricature there are little ripples in the reality. Sure Steel is considerably more over the top in the book than she's been in others. Maybe because the idea of Management scares her more than babies, shared parenthood and responsibility. Okay so McRae seems to be playing a slightly straighter bat on the one hand, and yet, maybe this settling down thing has some complications that he's not being completely up front about.

With MacBride there's often been that thing in the undercurrent, that hint of the reality underneath the gallows humour and that glimpse behind the mask that's intriguing. That and the over the top nature of the characters as a coping mechanism for what they must deal with on a day to day basis. Sure in this book some of those elements are stretched out to the point where you can actually see through the elastic. Don't care. Loved it.
 

Here's the thing. You hoard a book because it's a favourite series, and there's no sign of the next one yet. But then there are noises about the next one, but that's not out for ages, but you can't wait any longer so you read the one you've had tucked away. Then you've not got that little thing of joy hidden away in the bookcases anymore. So now you're stuck in that horrible no man's land, because the next book's not out for ages, and you've given into temptation. It's a nightmare.

Mind you, that's about the only complaint I can come up with about SHATTER THE BONES. But then I'm a huge fan of Stuart MacBride's Logan McRae series. He's one of those writers that combine violence, brutality and some truly shocking story lines with absolute laugh out loud moments, a heap of creative swearing, some terrific insights into human nature and, in this case, social commentary into the bargain. There's a sense of urgency, lunacy and hurtling madness about most of the investigations in the McRae books that feels real. There are believable, fantastic characters performing over and above the call of duty, desperately hanging onto family and personal in the middle of an absolute storm of crazy.

In SHATTER THE BONES MacBride is also taking a wee shufty at the madness of reality TV - the way that a frenzy of interest and concern whips up when a mother and daughter are kidnapped, an interest that seems unlikely to have occurred without their TV profile. In amongst the kidnapping, the reactions, an investigation hampered by a total lack of forensic information, and some very cunning acts on the part of the kidnappers, further hinderance comes from closer to home. When the serious crimes squad sends in an "expert" you just know that things are going to get complicated, but the level of idiocy of this bloke is beyond the pale.

Whilst a lot of the madness, and the characters and their personal situations are carrying forward from the earlier books (thank goodness DI Steele remains a standout as frankly I'd be spitting the dummy well hard if she backed off), there are things that are moving forward. McRae's actually in danger of developing a personal life of his own, the relationships between the team are expanding a little, and ranks are progressing. There's also more than a few smacks around the head at the end of this book, and there's a final scene that's an absolute kicker.

CLOSE TO THE BONE is out in January 2013. I might ... just ... last ... until ... then.

The problem with an author making it onto my "Pre-Order IMMEDIATELY list" is that once the book arrives I have that dreaded "do I read immediately or hoard" dilemma.  It's easier with some of my all time favourite authors - there's a few, well not to put too fine a point on it, aren't as young as they used to be.   Stuart MacBride, on the other hand, is a young man.  Last time I set eyes on him he looked to be in remarkably good health.  But still, you never know.  Publishers are queer folk and they may suddenly have a brain freeze, or worse still, Stuart may just get distracted by .. well gardening stuff... and forget to write the next one.

So I've come up with a reasonable compromise with these books which is simply "hang onto them until you can stand the suspense no longer!".  I held out pretty well with DARK BLOOD but I'm really really pleased I didn't keep it up forever (and the latest book has arrived so it's not like I don't have another one to hoard ... just for a little while.)

DARK BLOOD starts out with one of the best opening sequences I have read in years.  One of those opening pieces that make you sit up straight and pay attention.  From there the reader is launched into a world of missing informants, sawn-off sledgehammers, fake money, counterfeit goods and jewellery shop robberies.  Add to the standard mayhem of Aberdeen on a normal day (well a MacBride normal day anyway), and about the only thing that McRae, Steel and the entire Aberdeen command can agree on is that having one of England's most notorious sex killers "dumped" into their patch on his release from jail is just about the height of all cheek.  Which is bad enough, but a Northumbrian DSI tagging along to "keep an eye on things" is dangerously close to taking liberties.

There is always something comforting about returning to a favoured series character - and Logan McRae is one of my favourite characters, although DI Steel is not above giving him a bit of a nudge.  Having said that, other readers of these books will be wondering what exactly I'm sniffing if I think McRae, Steel or any of the circumstances of MacBride's books are comforting.  But in a strange (okay so slightly twisted) way, they are comforting.  That's not to say that things also don't move on in their lives, albeit sometimes slowly.  McRae's been doing quite a strong line of greatly put upon, martyrdom in recent books, but in DARK BLOOD he's actually firing up a bit, getting a bit bolshie.  Which needless to say doesn't go down well.  Nobody could possibly have imagined it would go down so badly that DI Steel would be giving him "advice" on how to get on with others mind you.  But advice she does dole out.  At the same time that the impending birth of her child is making her life a lot more complicated than she thought it would... especially with conciliatory and caring not exactly coming naturally to DI Steel.  As usual McRae doesn't just have to deal with Steel, DI Beattie seems to be going out of his way to behave like a prat, whilst all the time journalist Colin Miller is needling away at the police in general and McRae in particular.

The problem with an ongoing series has to be that it's sometimes too easy to slip into familiar patterns, particularly where the characters and their interactions are concerned.  Avoiding this DARK BLOOD has something a little more edgy about McRae - sure he's still a bit of a martyr to the cause, but there's just the occasional flash of a fight back.  DI Steel is still delightfully, gloriously over the top, but she's softening just a little, impending parenthood is obviously going to have some sort of affect, but what exactly... well some things aren't to be contemplated too closely.  DARK BLOOD also veers away from the more gruesome aspects of some of the recent books, and works harder on a really tight, taut, pacey and interesting plot.  There's a realistic feel of pressure - external and within, of competing priorities, and changing levels of urgency.  It feels like each of these characters is doing a fine line of tight-rope juggling - personally and professionally.  MacBride also isn't afraid to ditch popular characters, to put them in unexpected situations, to pick them up again, and generally to move his chess pieces where the will takes him.  But, as always, there's a real underlying humour - some of it observational, some of it almost slapstick, but always with sneaking sense of great affection.  The characters for each other, the author for his cast, and in the case of this reader, the reader for the whole package.

DI Steele deserves her own fan club.  It would have to be a club where swearing, drinking, smoking and fiddling with your bra strap were perfectly acceptable behaviours of course.  You've also got a ready made slogan as fans of the wonderful Logan McRae series from Scottish author Stuart MacBride will be aware.

BLIND EYE is the 5th book in this funny, gruesome, funny, ferocious, unflinching, funny series featuring DS Logan McRae and a passing parade of DIs and DCIs.  DI Steele makes a very high profile return in BLIND EYE, in fact she's in danger of completely stealing the show, although McRae also has to deal with the considerably more prickly DCI Finnie as well.

In true MacBride style, not only are the characterisations vivid, unflinching and frequently decidedly unflattering, the subject matter of this book is confrontational.  Somebody is preying on Aberdeen's Polish community - not killing, but dreadfully maiming a series of men.  Gouging out their eyes and burning the sockets, the crime seems inexplicably cruel and utterly and totally ruthless.  The victim's are understandably too scared to talk, and the only witness - a paedophile on the run - doesn't exactly inspire anybody's hope in being able to sort this.

As the investigation grinds on, and the maiming take a particularly startling turn, McRae finds himself having to deal with Finnie's increasing sarcasm and what seems like antagonism, as well as Steele's glorious excess - which now includes a rather personal component, making McRae increasingly squeamish.  

Undoubtedly the subject matter that MacBride touches on in all his books is going to be unpleasant reading for some people.  He balances that beautifully with humour - sometimes gallows style, frequently black and downright hilarious in other places.  He writes gruesome but highly realistic plots which don't shilly shally around with your sensibilities.  You'll often come out of one of these books feeling a little like you've been slapped around the head and shoulders with something quite quite icky.  MacBride also writes fantastic police characters - McRae's increasing dithering around nicely balanced by the iron wit and will of DI Steele, both of them up against the sarcasm and terseness of Finnie.  Settling in with these characters is rapidly becoming more and more like a visit with favourite friends.  Sure you've heard the stories before.  Sure you've seen them when they have a few too many before.  Who cares - good mates are extremely hard to find.