Customer Reviews
Brilliant - By: Mr. Nigel Greenwood, 21 Nov 2008 
Fantastic debut novel - excellent characters, good story lines. Reminds me of Ian Rankin. Just caught up with this author & am ordering the rest of his books now
Fantastic debut - By: A. Douglas, 15 Nov 2008 I read a lot of crime thriller books & I am adding this author to my list. Logan is fantastic, he is a nice guy who gets back to work after being signed off for a year. My favorite has to be WPC Watson! She's a great character & just gets on with it, kicking down doors & crushing windpipes! I can't wait to read the next few books to see what happens with them.
Left Me Cold. - By: R. Howe, 29 Oct 2008 
When will I ever learn? There's a reason that you can buy certain books for a poundin outlet shops near Christmas. I thought I'd spotted a diamond here for my pound. Nice meaty book, nice & shiny, gripping Police procedural etc etc.
Oh dear oh dear. I'm beginning to think that us Brits don't 'do' crime anymore. Despite a great history with Christie, Rendell, Wingfield & P.D James, the current crop of UK crime writing is monumentally poor. Rankin remains the only one with any credibility.
In the last few months, I've read Peter James (mind-bendingly bad), Simon Kernick (utter utter rubbish) & Michael Robotham (staid & boring). And I'm afraid let's add MacBride to this list.
Plot? Fuggedaboutit! Simply have a lot of violence & a lot of swearing, & don't forget to have a girlfriend you describe as 'ball-breaker' (that's cringe-worthy enough as it is). Laughably, McRae's ex-girlfriend is the chief pathologist, something that bends believablility to the nth degreein itself.
The style is is GCSE standard, the settings are invisible, characters dire - there is nothing about McRae that really binds you to him & all this book really is is a collection of set pieces (with violence & swearing - NOTE violence & swearing by themselves makes a crime novel not.) that somehow rumble on to a conclusion.
There's very little of anything to recommend this book - its better than Peter James or Kernick, but that's not saying much. It isin big type though, so you can read it fast, if you're like me & always finisha book you'ver paid for (even if it is only a quid). The author studied English at University & I would've expected more from him. It seems that, disappointingly, UK crime fiction is going the same was as its film cousin - super-fast, crass & violent with no depth & laughable characters.
Avoid at all costs.
So annoyed!!! - By: Shiloh, 18 Oct 2008 
I read this bookin a bit of a rush - I wanted to know who had killed Georgie & why? What might happen between Logan & Jackie? Who was Miller's inside leak?
But I was so annoyed because I was still immersedin the story when I suddenly realised I had reached the last page. I'm not making that mistake again - am buying the next twoin the series together so I don't have to leave Lazarus after just one book!
Excellent debut - I tried reading Rebus & Skinner & couldn't get through them, so I won't compare Stuart MacBride to them - but if you like your heroes human, mistakes, a healthy chunk of reality, & a story that you dive into whether you want to or not, grab a copy of this!
A STUNNING read - By: Barry F. Cheverst, 13 Oct 2008 I am an avid reader of thrillers. Until a short time ago i hadnt even heard of Stuart Macbride, then i read this book, well, to put itin its placein my reads, its without question the best book i have readin years.
It has everything that keep you enthralled through its chapters, extremely well written, humourous, great content, & without doubt, it sinks Rebus into oblivion.
I am about to purchase the next bookin the series, hoping with bated breathe that its as good as Cold Granite.
If anybody has any doubt about this book, buy it, you wont regret i assure you, its a memorable read.......
