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Dark Blood
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Crime fiction fans are well aware that one of the most incendiary brands in the field is that of Tartan Noir: this is the generic term for those tough and uncompromising Scottish crime writers who have had such a seismic influence (notably Val McDermid and Ian Rankin -- the latter, in fact, has long been the best-selling male crime writer in the UK). The characteristics of Tartan Noir are pungently evoked Scottish settings (McDermid excepted), abrasive protagonists who pull no punches and a readiness to confront the darker aspects of society (and not just that of Alex Salmond’s fiefdom -- the best books in the field never come across as parochial or nationalistic, with such cities as Edinburgh standing in for any British city).
One of the fastest rising stars is Stuart MacBride, who won the International Thriller Writers Best Debut Novel Award, the CWA Dagger in the Library and the ITV3 Crime Thriller award for Breakthrough Author. But does MacBride justify all the hoopla? If you need an answer to that, perhaps you should pick up his latest novel, Dark Blood. But not if you're the kind of crime reader who likes comfortable, unchallenging fiction that slightly shakes (but never upsets) the status quo.
As in such books as Cold Granite, Broken Skin and Dying Light, MacBride is all about putting his characters through the wringer -- rather, in fact, as he does the reader. In the new book, Logan McRae, the author’s hard-nosed Aberdeen copper, is handed an assignment that is most definitely not to his liking. A career criminal, Richard Knox, has served his time and is told he will be allowed to live wherever he likes, despite his multiple convictions for rape and violence. He has taken the route adopted by many criminals -- found religion, claiming he is a changed man. His desire is to up sticks from Newcastle and make a new start. But unfortunately for Logan McRae, he has decided he wants his new home to be Aberdeen. Needless to say, his brutal past will not be buried for too long, and Logan McRae, forced to help with the ill-advised relocation, finds himself with the trickiest problems of his career. Particularly as other kinds of criminal activity in Aberdeen are at boiling point.
Dark Blood is full of the kind of scabrous and flinty writing that is very much Stuart MacBride’s trademark. This reviewer, for one, would not be surprised if he soon has a few more crime fiction prizes under his belt. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
Praise for Dark Blood:
‘A terrific writer … Brilliant … bodies abound, blood flows freely and McRae is a delight’ The Times
‘Stuart MacBride’s thrillers just keep getting better … One of the most disturbing novels in the highly successful Logan McRae series … admirers of tough, modern crime novels will be in seventh heaven – or should that be hell?’ Express
‘The plotting puts most writers in the genre to shame … This is quintessential Stuart MacBride: tartan noir etched in the darkest of hues with dialogue so sharp you might cut yourself’ Independent
‘Tartan noir’s greatest exponent’ Daily Mirror
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
60 of 63 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is one of the easiest books I've had to review in a while:
If you've loved the previous 5 Logan McRae books you'll love this because its very much up to standard.
If you've hated the previous 5 Logan McRae books you'll hate this because .......... its very much up to standard.
For the rest of us who don't have really strong emotions one way or the other you'll probably find it an entertaining enough read. Crime fiction is a very broad genre and covers everything from the crime literature of Ian Rankin & John Harvey through to the darker humour of people like Christopher Brookmyre and Colin Bateman to the serial killer by numbers of americans like Patterson and Deaver. All very, very different types of novel. MacBride writes his own thing. He's not up to the standard of the Rebus novels so if you want another Ian Rankin you'll be disappointed with this. However if you like a fast moving less heavy weight crime novel with a vein of twisted dark humour this will probably tick the boxes.
I was reasonably impressed with 'Dark Blood'... it was slower to get started than some of the previous books and the various crimes seemed at first unlinked but it came together fairly convincingly at the end. The supporting characters, especially the truly foul DI Steel are rather overblown and rather stereotypical but this makes for some cheap laughs and adds some humour thats lacking in many crime novels. DS McRae himself is a believable and likeable character who showing some good character development. The pressure of his job especially the constant criticism in both his personal and professional life is leading to a fairly serious drink problem which in turn is making his life far harder. The situation he's constantly in of three superiors telling him to do three different things which inevitably means two of them will want his head on a plate the next morning is one I can relate too and you genuinely feel sorry for the poor guy being stuck between a rock (the monsterous DI Steel) and a hardplace (the idiot DI Beattie)
For some reason MacBride gets a lot of critism for being 'unrealistic'. The easy rebuke to that is 'its fiction'. If you want realism read true crime books. Even then its unfair because there's more realism in these books than many others. When Big Hamish Moffat sends the enforcers round to McRae's house McRae is damn scared. Compared to Rebus's relationship with Big Ger Cafferty its more plausible. Likewise McRae's drinking and attitude problems lead to an almost weekly meeting with professional standards and he's on the point of losing his job several times in this book. Rebus gets away with far too much for far too long with almost no censure. 'Dark Blood' is forensically quite accurate and there are some details in it that could only have come from a pathologist. Although fairly graphic in places its not nearly as sadistically violent as some of the books Val McDiarmid or Mo Hayder have written.
All in all I enjoyed 'Dark Blood' and was glad I bought it.
I'll sign off with one of my favourite sermons: most of the criticism this book has picked up is because of the policies of the major publishers not the authors themselves. They're signing less and less new talent and giving popular authors multi book contracts that force them to turn out a new work every 12 months. As a result quality is slipping and great characters are being written into soap operas in print. If JRR Tolkien tried getting the Lord of the Rings published in 2010 most publishers wouldn't want to know and any that did print his works would expect a new episode of Bilbo Baggins adventures every 12 months. This policy is killing literature.
If you've loved the previous 5 Logan McRae books you'll love this because its very much up to standard.
If you've hated the previous 5 Logan McRae books you'll hate this because .......... its very much up to standard.
For the rest of us who don't have really strong emotions one way or the other you'll probably find it an entertaining enough read. Crime fiction is a very broad genre and covers everything from the crime literature of Ian Rankin & John Harvey through to the darker humour of people like Christopher Brookmyre and Colin Bateman to the serial killer by numbers of americans like Patterson and Deaver. All very, very different types of novel. MacBride writes his own thing. He's not up to the standard of the Rebus novels so if you want another Ian Rankin you'll be disappointed with this. However if you like a fast moving less heavy weight crime novel with a vein of twisted dark humour this will probably tick the boxes.
I was reasonably impressed with 'Dark Blood'... it was slower to get started than some of the previous books and the various crimes seemed at first unlinked but it came together fairly convincingly at the end. The supporting characters, especially the truly foul DI Steel are rather overblown and rather stereotypical but this makes for some cheap laughs and adds some humour thats lacking in many crime novels. DS McRae himself is a believable and likeable character who showing some good character development. The pressure of his job especially the constant criticism in both his personal and professional life is leading to a fairly serious drink problem which in turn is making his life far harder. The situation he's constantly in of three superiors telling him to do three different things which inevitably means two of them will want his head on a plate the next morning is one I can relate too and you genuinely feel sorry for the poor guy being stuck between a rock (the monsterous DI Steel) and a hardplace (the idiot DI Beattie)
For some reason MacBride gets a lot of critism for being 'unrealistic'. The easy rebuke to that is 'its fiction'. If you want realism read true crime books. Even then its unfair because there's more realism in these books than many others. When Big Hamish Moffat sends the enforcers round to McRae's house McRae is damn scared. Compared to Rebus's relationship with Big Ger Cafferty its more plausible. Likewise McRae's drinking and attitude problems lead to an almost weekly meeting with professional standards and he's on the point of losing his job several times in this book. Rebus gets away with far too much for far too long with almost no censure. 'Dark Blood' is forensically quite accurate and there are some details in it that could only have come from a pathologist. Although fairly graphic in places its not nearly as sadistically violent as some of the books Val McDiarmid or Mo Hayder have written.
All in all I enjoyed 'Dark Blood' and was glad I bought it.
I'll sign off with one of my favourite sermons: most of the criticism this book has picked up is because of the policies of the major publishers not the authors themselves. They're signing less and less new talent and giving popular authors multi book contracts that force them to turn out a new work every 12 months. As a result quality is slipping and great characters are being written into soap operas in print. If JRR Tolkien tried getting the Lord of the Rings published in 2010 most publishers wouldn't want to know and any that did print his works would expect a new episode of Bilbo Baggins adventures every 12 months. This policy is killing literature.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Whilst a fan of Macbride and a reader of all his previous Logan McCrae work, I found this book a let-down........largely due to a weak story line and an overblown emphasis on the foul and abusive dialogue offered by DI Steel......thw whole thing was neither here nor there and I look forward to much better fayre in the future
28 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
First of all I'd like to declare myself as someone that has read all the books in the logan macrae series. And also would like to say that the last review giving this book a one star review is just unfair, "unrealistic characters saying unrealistic things in an unrealistic setting", hmmmmmm, now unrealistic characters might be close to the mark but as a resident of aberdeen myself Stuart always stays fairly true to his location. Nice to see some local news stories making it into the book as well with Trumpy's golf course development featured. However, I must say I am starting to get tired of Stuart Macbrides preoccupation with describing the gruesome, just plain manky! That said if you're a fan of other macrae novels you'll no doubt read it cover to cover and enjoy the journey! Enjoy
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Second time reading this
This was another re-read, a friend had given it to me and I couldn't remember it (originally read in 2010). Read more
Published 3 days ago by Lainy
Downhill
As humans we are a mixed bunch and what appeals to one person may not appeal to another. This book did not appeal to me. Read more
Published 7 months ago by ichthus
I've had enough...
I have read the entire series so far and, sadly, this will be my last Stuart McBride book. While the first few books were really enjoyable, the author has been going down a route... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Rena Ruadh
Dark, but hilariously insightful to jobs in the public sector.
This was my first Macbride, and like many other reviewers was initially put off by the foul language and attitude of DI Steel. Read more
Published 9 months ago by S. Hartley
Too much of a struggle...
So far I have loved the previous Logan books but this one I have found really hard to get into. Nearly 100 pages in and I have felt that something is missing. Read more
Published 10 months ago by A. Douglas
Dark Blood
I didn't really enjoy this book. I am not too keen on humour in books. I will not be reading Macbride again.
Published 12 months ago by joy timothy
not as good as the last three
First of all these books are gory, gruesome, and graphically descriptive. They contain a lot of swearing and they are incredibly funny - yes funny. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Green Book Addict Librarian
Pitch black humour and thrills galore
McRae is involved in the re-location of a nasty serial-rapist of elderly men who wants to come home to Aberdeen. Read more
Published 14 months ago by D. Moore
raw, brutal and funny
I love the banter between McCrae and Steel who actually "steals" the heading of main character for me. Where does S MacBride think up her patter? Read more
Published 15 months ago by Kate the Great
Stuart MacBride.
I have now read all these books up to date and they get better and better. Once you start this book it is very difficult to put it down. Can't wait for the next one.
Published 15 months ago by Mrs. H. Tomlinson
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