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37 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
Cold Granite - fast, great debut, 6 Feb 2006
I got it home and couldn't put it down. It is a great read, dark, grisly but with some great humour. Regardless of what some people on here have said, I found it believable, the characters were all realistic and I thought that 'lazarus' was particularly good, as were both the DI's and good old 'ball-breaker'. I am half way through, and can't wait to get home and read a bit more...A note to the people that are critical on here, have you any books in print? IF I had written this book, I would be so proud of it. A fantastic (if somewhat gruesome) story, told well and really does grip me to the point where I have no option to read on and on, sleep, work or eating being the only thing interfering so far ! Good work to the author, and look forward to the next in the line (I really do hope that Logan becomes a long term character)
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21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
A cracking debut, 24 Oct 2006
As an Aberdonian born and bred, it is great to finally be able to read a crime novel that is set in the Granite City. The descriptions of Aberdeen and Aberdonians are accurate and well-observed and will particularly be enjoyed by those who know the city.
It is full of gritty characters and with a gripping plot it is a cracking good read - with a good helping of typical Aberdonian droll humour thrown in for good measure. This has definitely made me want to read "Dying Light" and any others that follow.
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34 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
The New Kid On the Block, 19 Aug 2006
Having read all the Rebus and half way through the Skinners series this was a welcome alternative.
Great debut you instantly warmed to the central character particularly liked the fact that he isn't the all confident all knowing Skinner, Logan is a complex figure full of doubts in both his job ability and his personal life.
There's good element of him solving the cases without the sudden leap of inspiration he resolves things with diligent policework and trusting his damaged gut.
It is a fairly gruesome book but maybe fairly accurate of the times where only sensational murders do grab the headlines.
Certainly going to read his future novels and feel that for a debut novel this ticks a lot of boxes, particularly liked that in a similar vein to Red dragon this alouds to a previous case that has left the central character both physically and mentally scarred but without just spelling it out in one flashback.
The setting of Aberdeen I guess is as much a character as any in the book and with Taggart having sewn up Glasgow and Rebus and Skinner dominating Edinburgh, Logan could easily put Aberdeen on the Murder Map.
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32 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
Excellent Read, 3 Jun 2006
I don't normally read crime novels (I'm more of a sci-fi fan if I even bother reading anything these days). This book was suggested by a friend and I have to say it's excellent - what you would call a real ripping yarn.
In fact the last book I read prior to this was "The Da Vinci Code" and I have to say I preferred "Cold Granite" on almost every level.
I've just completed it in two marathon reading sessions as I literally couldn't put it down - a rare gift in a writer these days.
The characters are interesting, the subject matter (which could obviously be fairly offensive in the hands of a less skilled author) is handled sensitively and there are more than enough twists and turns in the plot to hold the interest. Some of the local references are also superb, especially the references to Rowies (I still miss having one in the morning !) - there's also a healthy streak of black humour running through the book although this is never overdone.
I lived in Aberdeen for 26 years, and yes, the description of the city has obviously been slightly exaggerated for dramatic effect but it's nowhere near as jarring as some of the previous reviews (some of whom seem unable to review a Scottish crime novel without mentioning R***s) would have you believe.
I've also just ordered the next book in the series and I look forward to further installments.
Thoroughly recommended.
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23 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
Imitation Rebus - get a life!, 5 Mar 2007
one of the reviewers says it's a poor imitation Rebus! it's nothing like Rebus and Stuart MacBride isn't even trying to imitate Rebus. If you are going to compare all crime fiction which have main characters in a police/DI/DS role then stop reading these books or write your own and see if you can do it! The characters are fantastic, the environment and descriptions extremely gritty and believeable. I look forward to Stuart MacBride's future novels and DS Logan.
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18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
A great debut novel, 11 Jan 2006
I am dismayed to read some of the other reviews for this excellent book. Some of the poorer reviewers seem to be stuck in some kind of Rebus reverie where they can't see beyond the end of their last Rankin novel.
Cold Granite is an excellent book, dealing with a sensitive subject in an infinitly readable, darkly humourous way.
I'm a huge Rebus Fan but the similarities between the two are simply thats they're both scottish and both great novelists.
Basically, if you want another Rebus novel I suggest you head off and buy one, if you want an excellent crime novel and a gripping read then buy this.
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14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
Couldn't put it down!, 27 April 2006
I dont read books too quickly, partly because of how busy I am normally, but somthing really odd happened when I picked this one up, I couldn't put it down aagin!, and more so I was rather dissapointed when I finished reading it.
the story was I found very gripping, and being from Aberdeen myself, I found it interesting seeing how he used the loactions around the city... and the characters were far from 2 dimentional, every one different to the next, and decsribed perfectly. The humour running though the book was great, very dark and pretty sarcastic at times, which suited me right down to the ground, again another reason to not want to put the book down!
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17 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
Fantastic Read !, 22 Mar 2007
I could not put this book down ! I read it in one day. I would thoroughly recommend reading this, and am now reading his second book 'dying light' and its just as gripping ! Cant wait for his next 2 books in May and September !
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
A good read with a nice line in black humour, 13 Oct 2005
I must say that I found this debut novel very entertaining. Some way from being the best debut I have read but enjoyable nonetheless. I was also perplexed by the other less enthusiastic reviewers who seem determined that this should be compared with Rankin. Why? Logan and Rebus operate in very different areas of the genre. Lets read this book for what it is - an entertaining and darkly humorous police story and not make erroneous, pseudo-intellectual comparisons.
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17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
As good as the blurb says - for once, 2 Mar 2006
I was dubious and put this book back on the shelves a few times before deciding it would be good company on a flight. In the event, I couldn't put it down and kept sneaking off to read another chapter whenever I could. As a police procedural it conveys a lot of the action and tension behind the scenes, and gives a flavour of a confused murder inquiry chasing a number of leads from a variety of crimes that may - or may not - be linked. There is a lot of humour in the book and a few laugh-out-loud lines, plus the characters come over as human beings with failings and strengths. I used to live in Aberdeen, so I knew many of the locations, but I doubt if not having done so would hinder another reader.I look forward to the next in the series.
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