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The Oldcastle Novels
A Dark So Deadly
Gripping standalone thriller from the Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author of the Logan McRae series.
Welcome to the Misfit Mob…
It’s where Police Scotland dumps the officers it can’t get rid of, but wants to: the outcasts, the troublemakers, the compromised. Officers like DC Callum MacGregor, lumbered with all the boring go-nowhere cases. So when an ancient mummy turns up at the Oldcastle tip, it’s his job to find out which museum it’s been stolen from.
But then Callum uncovers links between his ancient corpse and three missing young men, and life starts to get a lot more interesting. O Division’s Major Investigation Teams already have more cases than they can cope with, so, against everyone’s better judgement, the Misfit Mob are just going to have to manage this one on their own.
No one expects them to succeed, but right now they’re the only thing standing between the killer’s victims and a slow, lingering death. The question is, can they prove everyone wrong before he strikes again?
Welcome to the Misfit Mob…
It’s where Police Scotland dumps the officers it can’t get rid of, but wants to: the outcasts, the troublemakers, the compromised. Officers like DC Callum MacGregor, lumbered with all the boring go-nowhere cases. So when an ancient mummy turns up at the Oldcastle tip, it’s his job to find out which museum it’s been stolen from.
But then Callum uncovers links between his ancient corpse and three missing young men, and life starts to get a lot more interesting. O Division’s Major Investigation Teams already have more cases than they can cope with, so, against everyone’s better judgement, the Misfit Mob are just going to have to manage this one on their own.
No one expects them to succeed, but right now they’re the only thing standing between the killer’s victims and a slow, lingering death. The question is, can they prove everyone wrong before he strikes again?
596 pages, Paperback
First published April 20, 2017
790 people are currently reading
3779 people want to read
About the author
Stuart MacBride
87 books2,721 followersAka Stuart B. MacBride
The life and times of a bearded write-ist.
Stuart MacBride (that's me) was born in Dumbarton -- which is Glasgow as far as I'm concerned -- moving up to Aberdeen at the tender age of two, when fashions were questionable. Nothing much happened for years and years and years: learned to play the recorder, then forgot how when they changed from little coloured dots to proper musical notes (why the hell couldn't they have taught us the notes in the first bloody place? I could have been performing my earth-shattering rendition of 'Three Blind Mice' at the Albert Hall by now!); appeared in some bizarre World War Two musical production; did my best to avoid eating haggis and generally ran about the place a lot.
Next up was an elongated spell in Westhill -- a small suburb seven miles west of Aberdeen -- where I embarked upon a mediocre academic career, hindered by a complete inability to spell and an attention span the length of a gnat's doodad.
And so to UNIVERSITY, far too young, naive and stupid to be away from the family home, sharing a subterranean flat in one of the seedier bits of Edinburgh with a mad Irishman, and four other bizarre individuals. The highlight of walking to the art school in the mornings (yes: we were students, but we still did mornings) was trying not to tread in the fresh bloodstains outside our front door, and dodging the undercover CID officers trying to buy drugs. Lovely place.
But university and I did not see eye to eye, so off I went to work offshore. Like many all-male environments, working offshore was the intellectual equivalent of Animal House, only without the clever bits. Swearing, smoking, eating, more swearing, pornography, swearing, drinking endless plastic cups of tea... and did I mention the swearing? But it was more money than I'd seen in my life! There's something about being handed a wadge of cash as you clamber off the minibus from the heliport, having spent the last two weeks offshore and the last two hours in an orange, rubber romper suit / body bag, then blowing most of it in the pubs and clubs of Aberdeen. And being young enough to get away without a hangover.
Then came a spell of working for myself as a graphic designer, which went the way of all flesh and into the heady world of studio management for a nation-wide marketing company. Then some more freelance design work, a handful of voiceovers for local radio and video production companies and a bash at being an actor (with a small 'a'), giving it up when it became clear there was no way I was ever going to be good enough to earn a decent living.
It was about this time I fell into bad company -- a blonde from Fife who conned me into marrying her -- and started producing websites for a friend's fledgling Internet company. From there it was a roller coaster ride (in that it made a lot of people feel decidedly unwell) from web designer to web manager, lead programmer, team lead and other assorted technical bollocks with three different companies, eventually ending up as a project manager for a global IT company.
But there was always the writing (well, that's not true, the writing only started two chapters above this one). I fell victim to that most dreadful of things: peer pressure. Two friends were writing novels and I thought, 'why not? I could do that'.
Took a few years though...
The life and times of a bearded write-ist.
Stuart MacBride (that's me) was born in Dumbarton -- which is Glasgow as far as I'm concerned -- moving up to Aberdeen at the tender age of two, when fashions were questionable. Nothing much happened for years and years and years: learned to play the recorder, then forgot how when they changed from little coloured dots to proper musical notes (why the hell couldn't they have taught us the notes in the first bloody place? I could have been performing my earth-shattering rendition of 'Three Blind Mice' at the Albert Hall by now!); appeared in some bizarre World War Two musical production; did my best to avoid eating haggis and generally ran about the place a lot.
Next up was an elongated spell in Westhill -- a small suburb seven miles west of Aberdeen -- where I embarked upon a mediocre academic career, hindered by a complete inability to spell and an attention span the length of a gnat's doodad.
And so to UNIVERSITY, far too young, naive and stupid to be away from the family home, sharing a subterranean flat in one of the seedier bits of Edinburgh with a mad Irishman, and four other bizarre individuals. The highlight of walking to the art school in the mornings (yes: we were students, but we still did mornings) was trying not to tread in the fresh bloodstains outside our front door, and dodging the undercover CID officers trying to buy drugs. Lovely place.
But university and I did not see eye to eye, so off I went to work offshore. Like many all-male environments, working offshore was the intellectual equivalent of Animal House, only without the clever bits. Swearing, smoking, eating, more swearing, pornography, swearing, drinking endless plastic cups of tea... and did I mention the swearing? But it was more money than I'd seen in my life! There's something about being handed a wadge of cash as you clamber off the minibus from the heliport, having spent the last two weeks offshore and the last two hours in an orange, rubber romper suit / body bag, then blowing most of it in the pubs and clubs of Aberdeen. And being young enough to get away without a hangover.
Then came a spell of working for myself as a graphic designer, which went the way of all flesh and into the heady world of studio management for a nation-wide marketing company. Then some more freelance design work, a handful of voiceovers for local radio and video production companies and a bash at being an actor (with a small 'a'), giving it up when it became clear there was no way I was ever going to be good enough to earn a decent living.
It was about this time I fell into bad company -- a blonde from Fife who conned me into marrying her -- and started producing websites for a friend's fledgling Internet company. From there it was a roller coaster ride (in that it made a lot of people feel decidedly unwell) from web designer to web manager, lead programmer, team lead and other assorted technical bollocks with three different companies, eventually ending up as a project manager for a global IT company.
But there was always the writing (well, that's not true, the writing only started two chapters above this one). I fell victim to that most dreadful of things: peer pressure. Two friends were writing novels and I thought, 'why not? I could do that'.
Took a few years though...
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April 13, 2017
This is a standalone darkly comic novel from the prolific author Stuart MacBride, whose Logan and Steele books I absolutely adore. Set in the familiar fictional town of Oldcastle from the Ash series, we have DC Callum MacGregor, a put upon, conscientious good guy who has been shunted to the Misfit Mob, a unit for the troubled, deranged, damaged, and the incompetent whom the police force cannot sack. It is headed by DI Flora 'Mother' Malcolmson and includes the dying, irritatingly poetic DS Andy McAdams, wheelchair bound Dot, DC Watt, a man no-one wants to work with, and the beautiful black 'don't mess with me' DC Franklin, the most recent recruit who partners Callum.
Callum is in the unit because his pregnant girlfriend Elaine compromised a crime scene that allowed Big Johnny Simpson to go free. He takes the blame, doing this for love and so Elaine would not be fired and miss out on maternity benefits. He has to put up with non stop condemnations and insinuations that he is corrupt and incompetent from every corner and is being investigated by Professional Standards. It begins with Callum unexpectedly nabbing the slippery Ainsley Dugdale and arresting him with much furore. A mother and her children have a history of being domestically abused, Callum just has to do something about this. An ancient mummy turns up at a rubbish tip, only for another to turn up in a car boot. This leads the police to three missing men and the realisation they have a serial killer on their hands. At the age of 5, the boy Callum encountered a paedophile, and his parents and brother, Alastair, disappeared resulting in Callum entering the care system. He has never got over his traumatising past, and at long last there are developments that might tell him what exactly happened. His domestic bliss with Elaine is destined to blow up in his face as she reveals her true manipulative side. All the multiple threads slowly connect but not before a shed load of misery, numerous injuries and assaults, and close calls with death for our hero and the misfit team
This is just a fabulous read. The dark humour, comic touches and superb banter bear all of the trademark elements of MacBride's writing. What marks this out as a excellent read are the characters, just plain wonderful. Their interactions and relationships of this diverse collection of oddballs keep the reader gripped and glued to the book. There is only one gripe that I have and why I did not give the full five stars, it is too reminiscent of the Logan and Steel series. In reality that is a very minor complaint as I just loved it. Highly recommended. Thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.
Callum is in the unit because his pregnant girlfriend Elaine compromised a crime scene that allowed Big Johnny Simpson to go free. He takes the blame, doing this for love and so Elaine would not be fired and miss out on maternity benefits. He has to put up with non stop condemnations and insinuations that he is corrupt and incompetent from every corner and is being investigated by Professional Standards. It begins with Callum unexpectedly nabbing the slippery Ainsley Dugdale and arresting him with much furore. A mother and her children have a history of being domestically abused, Callum just has to do something about this. An ancient mummy turns up at a rubbish tip, only for another to turn up in a car boot. This leads the police to three missing men and the realisation they have a serial killer on their hands. At the age of 5, the boy Callum encountered a paedophile, and his parents and brother, Alastair, disappeared resulting in Callum entering the care system. He has never got over his traumatising past, and at long last there are developments that might tell him what exactly happened. His domestic bliss with Elaine is destined to blow up in his face as she reveals her true manipulative side. All the multiple threads slowly connect but not before a shed load of misery, numerous injuries and assaults, and close calls with death for our hero and the misfit team
This is just a fabulous read. The dark humour, comic touches and superb banter bear all of the trademark elements of MacBride's writing. What marks this out as a excellent read are the characters, just plain wonderful. Their interactions and relationships of this diverse collection of oddballs keep the reader gripped and glued to the book. There is only one gripe that I have and why I did not give the full five stars, it is too reminiscent of the Logan and Steel series. In reality that is a very minor complaint as I just loved it. Highly recommended. Thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.
December 29, 2020
EXCERPT: The Shogun pitched and yawed through the potholes like a boat. God knew how big the rubbish tip was, but from the wide, lumpy road, it stretched all the way to the horizon. A vast sea of black plastic, gulls wheeling and screaming in the air above - flecks of evil white, caught against the heavy grey sky.
And the smell...
Even with the car windows wound up, it was something special. The rancid stench of rotting meat and vegetables mingled with the sticky-brown reek of used nappies, all underpinned by the dark peppery odour of black plastic left to broil in the sun.
MacAdams slipped the four-by-four in behind a line of police vehicles and grubby transit vans. Had to be, what, eight cars? Twelve if you counted the unmarked ones. About three-quarters of the day shift, all out there playing on the tip.
The sarcastic, half-arsed-poetry-spouting git was right: this was an awful lot of people for one dead body.
ABOUT 'A DARK SO DEADLY': Welcome to the Misfit Mob…
It’s where Police Scotland dumps the officers it can’t get rid of, but wants to: the outcasts, the troublemakers, the compromised. Officers like DC Callum MacGregor, lumbered with all the boring go-nowhere cases. So when an ancient mummy turns up at the Oldcastle tip, it’s his job to find out which museum it’s been stolen from.
But then Callum uncovers links between his ancient corpse and three missing young men, and life starts to get a lot more interesting. O Division’s Major Investigation Teams already have more cases than they can cope with, so, against everyone’s better judgement, the Misfit Mob are just going to have to manage this one on their own.
No one expects them to succeed, but right now they’re the only thing standing between the killer’s victims and a slow, lingering death. The question is, can they prove everyone wrong before he strikes again?
MY THOUGHTS: (to the tune of 'My Favourite Things')
'People dismembered with axes and chainsaws,
Someone's been strangled with wire or some string,
A stabbing, a beating, a fresh torture victim,
These are a few of my favourite things...'
And, believe me, you are going to get it all in A Dark So Deadly by Stuart MacBride, plus a few things that have never crept their way into your worst nightmares.
The cast of characters is immense. But don't let that put you off. There's no way you'll be confusing any of this lot! Callum MacGregor has been banished to the misfits, supposedly for taking a bribe to cock up a crime scene. Detective Constable Rosalind Franklin punched a Superintendent. DC John Watt is a grumpy little git who clyped on his last team. DS Dorothy (Dotty) Hodgkin lost her leg above the knee in a high speed chase. Her wheelchair is named Keith (don't ask). DS McAdams, the sarcastic, half-arsed, poetry-spouting git, has terminal bowel cancer, and DI Malcolmson, aka 'Mother', is recovering from a massive heart attack.
None of them want to be in the misfits, none of them believe that they deserve to be there, but they do believe that the others do. The resentments fuel feuds and impede teamwork, but it enhances the plot.
MacBride is the master of black humour and sly snidery and sarcasm. While the subject matter is definitely dark, the dialogue will do more than raise a smile. Not a good book to read in public.
Dark, gripping, and wickedly twisty, A Dark So Deadly is a definite recommendation. Don't be put off by the size - 596 pages - this is a read that will have you frantically turning the pages.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.4
#ADarkSoDeadly #NetGalley
In Dante's 'Divine Comedy', Hell was divided into nine circles, each devoted to punishing a particular group of sinners. But up here, in the land of the living, it was roadworks and rush hour.'
THE AUTHOR: Aka Stuart B. MacBride
The life and times of a bearded write-ist.
Stuart MacBride (that's me) was born in Dumbarton -- which is Glasgow as far as I'm concerned -- moving up to Aberdeen at the tender age of two, when fashions were questionable. Nothing much happened for years and years and years: learned to play the recorder, then forgot how when they changed from little coloured dots to proper musical notes (why the hell couldn't they have taught us the notes in the first bloody place? I could have been performing my earth-shattering rendition of 'Three Blind Mice' at the Albert Hall by now!); appeared in some bizarre World War Two musical production; did my best to avoid eating haggis and generally ran about the place a lot.
Next up was an elongated spell in Westhill -- a small suburb seven miles west of Aberdeen -- where I embarked upon a mediocre academic career, hindered by a complete inability to spell and an attention span the length of a gnat's doodad.
And so to UNIVERSITY, far too young, naive and stupid to be away from the family home, sharing a subterranean flat in one of the seedier bits of Edinburgh with a mad Irishman, and four other bizarre individuals. The highlight of walking to the art school in the mornings (yes: we were students, but we still did mornings) was trying not to tread in the fresh bloodstains outside our front door, and dodging the undercover CID officers trying to buy drugs. Lovely place.
But university and I did not see eye to eye, so off I went to work offshore. Like many all-male environments, working offshore was the intellectual equivalent of Animal House, only without the clever bits. Swearing, smoking, eating, more swearing, pornography, swearing, drinking endless plastic cups of tea... and did I mention the swearing? But it was more money than I'd seen in my life! There's something about being handed a wadge of cash as you clamber off the minibus from the heliport, having spent the last two weeks offshore and the last two hours in an orange, rubber romper suit / body bag, then blowing most of it in the pubs and clubs of Aberdeen. And being young enough to get away without a hangover.
Then came a spell of working for myself as a graphic designer, which went the way of all flesh and into the heady world of studio management for a nation-wide marketing company. Then some more freelance design work, a handful of voiceovers for local radio and video production companies and a bash at being an actor (with a small 'a'), giving it up when it became clear there was no way I was ever going to be good enough to earn a decent living.
It was about this time I fell into bad company -- a blonde from Fife who conned me into marrying her -- and started producing websites for a friend's fledgling Internet company. From there it was a roller coaster ride (in that it made a lot of people feel decidedly unwell) from web designer to web manager, lead programmer, team lead and other assorted technical bollocks with three different companies, eventually ending up as a project manager for a global IT company.
But there was always the writing (well, that's not true, the writing only started two chapters above this one). I fell victim to that most dreadful of things: peer pressure. Two friends were writing novels and I thought, 'why not? I could do that'.
Took a few years though..
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of A Dark So Deadly by Stuart MacBride for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
And the smell...
Even with the car windows wound up, it was something special. The rancid stench of rotting meat and vegetables mingled with the sticky-brown reek of used nappies, all underpinned by the dark peppery odour of black plastic left to broil in the sun.
MacAdams slipped the four-by-four in behind a line of police vehicles and grubby transit vans. Had to be, what, eight cars? Twelve if you counted the unmarked ones. About three-quarters of the day shift, all out there playing on the tip.
The sarcastic, half-arsed-poetry-spouting git was right: this was an awful lot of people for one dead body.
ABOUT 'A DARK SO DEADLY': Welcome to the Misfit Mob…
It’s where Police Scotland dumps the officers it can’t get rid of, but wants to: the outcasts, the troublemakers, the compromised. Officers like DC Callum MacGregor, lumbered with all the boring go-nowhere cases. So when an ancient mummy turns up at the Oldcastle tip, it’s his job to find out which museum it’s been stolen from.
But then Callum uncovers links between his ancient corpse and three missing young men, and life starts to get a lot more interesting. O Division’s Major Investigation Teams already have more cases than they can cope with, so, against everyone’s better judgement, the Misfit Mob are just going to have to manage this one on their own.
No one expects them to succeed, but right now they’re the only thing standing between the killer’s victims and a slow, lingering death. The question is, can they prove everyone wrong before he strikes again?
MY THOUGHTS: (to the tune of 'My Favourite Things')
'People dismembered with axes and chainsaws,
Someone's been strangled with wire or some string,
A stabbing, a beating, a fresh torture victim,
These are a few of my favourite things...'
And, believe me, you are going to get it all in A Dark So Deadly by Stuart MacBride, plus a few things that have never crept their way into your worst nightmares.
The cast of characters is immense. But don't let that put you off. There's no way you'll be confusing any of this lot! Callum MacGregor has been banished to the misfits, supposedly for taking a bribe to cock up a crime scene. Detective Constable Rosalind Franklin punched a Superintendent. DC John Watt is a grumpy little git who clyped on his last team. DS Dorothy (Dotty) Hodgkin lost her leg above the knee in a high speed chase. Her wheelchair is named Keith (don't ask). DS McAdams, the sarcastic, half-arsed, poetry-spouting git, has terminal bowel cancer, and DI Malcolmson, aka 'Mother', is recovering from a massive heart attack.
None of them want to be in the misfits, none of them believe that they deserve to be there, but they do believe that the others do. The resentments fuel feuds and impede teamwork, but it enhances the plot.
MacBride is the master of black humour and sly snidery and sarcasm. While the subject matter is definitely dark, the dialogue will do more than raise a smile. Not a good book to read in public.
Dark, gripping, and wickedly twisty, A Dark So Deadly is a definite recommendation. Don't be put off by the size - 596 pages - this is a read that will have you frantically turning the pages.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.4
#ADarkSoDeadly #NetGalley
In Dante's 'Divine Comedy', Hell was divided into nine circles, each devoted to punishing a particular group of sinners. But up here, in the land of the living, it was roadworks and rush hour.'
THE AUTHOR: Aka Stuart B. MacBride
The life and times of a bearded write-ist.
Stuart MacBride (that's me) was born in Dumbarton -- which is Glasgow as far as I'm concerned -- moving up to Aberdeen at the tender age of two, when fashions were questionable. Nothing much happened for years and years and years: learned to play the recorder, then forgot how when they changed from little coloured dots to proper musical notes (why the hell couldn't they have taught us the notes in the first bloody place? I could have been performing my earth-shattering rendition of 'Three Blind Mice' at the Albert Hall by now!); appeared in some bizarre World War Two musical production; did my best to avoid eating haggis and generally ran about the place a lot.
Next up was an elongated spell in Westhill -- a small suburb seven miles west of Aberdeen -- where I embarked upon a mediocre academic career, hindered by a complete inability to spell and an attention span the length of a gnat's doodad.
And so to UNIVERSITY, far too young, naive and stupid to be away from the family home, sharing a subterranean flat in one of the seedier bits of Edinburgh with a mad Irishman, and four other bizarre individuals. The highlight of walking to the art school in the mornings (yes: we were students, but we still did mornings) was trying not to tread in the fresh bloodstains outside our front door, and dodging the undercover CID officers trying to buy drugs. Lovely place.
But university and I did not see eye to eye, so off I went to work offshore. Like many all-male environments, working offshore was the intellectual equivalent of Animal House, only without the clever bits. Swearing, smoking, eating, more swearing, pornography, swearing, drinking endless plastic cups of tea... and did I mention the swearing? But it was more money than I'd seen in my life! There's something about being handed a wadge of cash as you clamber off the minibus from the heliport, having spent the last two weeks offshore and the last two hours in an orange, rubber romper suit / body bag, then blowing most of it in the pubs and clubs of Aberdeen. And being young enough to get away without a hangover.
Then came a spell of working for myself as a graphic designer, which went the way of all flesh and into the heady world of studio management for a nation-wide marketing company. Then some more freelance design work, a handful of voiceovers for local radio and video production companies and a bash at being an actor (with a small 'a'), giving it up when it became clear there was no way I was ever going to be good enough to earn a decent living.
It was about this time I fell into bad company -- a blonde from Fife who conned me into marrying her -- and started producing websites for a friend's fledgling Internet company. From there it was a roller coaster ride (in that it made a lot of people feel decidedly unwell) from web designer to web manager, lead programmer, team lead and other assorted technical bollocks with three different companies, eventually ending up as a project manager for a global IT company.
But there was always the writing (well, that's not true, the writing only started two chapters above this one). I fell victim to that most dreadful of things: peer pressure. Two friends were writing novels and I thought, 'why not? I could do that'.
Took a few years though..
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of A Dark So Deadly by Stuart MacBride for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
For an explanation of my rating system, please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com
This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
November 5, 2022
When I first received this book, I was slightly appalled to see that it was 600+ pages in length. Now? I wish it was even longer. Callum MacGregor, and his merry band of misfits are darkly humorous, haiku spouting, banter loving, getting their butts whupped police. I haven't enjoyed a police procedural like this in a very long time. This story was so convoluted, and twisted that I didn't see how everything was going to get settled, but it all came together for one helluva story! I can only hope that this isn't a one-off, because I really would like to spend more time with these characters. Yep, I'd recommend this book My thanks to HarperCollins and Netgalley for the arc!
An old review from August of 2017.
An old review from August of 2017.
December 10, 2025
3.5 stars
This is a stand alone by the author. Detective Constable Callum MacGregor of the Scotland Police is a character that reminds me of Job in the bible. Every bad thing that you can imagine happens to him. He is assigned to a "misfit squad" because management believes that he took a bribe by ruining crime evidence and causing a major criminal to go free. In fact, it was his pregnant girlfriend, who is a crime scene technician. His squad is assigned what looks like a joke-- investigating a mummy found in a garbage dump. This is a very long book, 604p. It held my interest with some false leads, as the team gradually realize that they are dealing with a serial killer.
There is a humorous side to the book as some weird dietary habits are mentioned--raspberry jam on anchovy pizza?
I think the book was a little too long. The characters were believable and plot led up to a satisfactory ending. Another character that I liked was Rosalind Franklin, an attractive black woman, sent to the misfit squad after she punched a Superintendent who grabbed her bottom.
Some quotes by Callum:
"Why did no one ever come back when they were told to? Anyone would think that people didn't want to get arrested."
"Poor sod. Living with Franklin must be like trying to cross a minefield on a pogo stick every day. Blindfold. While sadists threw burning squirrels at you."
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, HarperCollins for sending me this book.
This is a stand alone by the author. Detective Constable Callum MacGregor of the Scotland Police is a character that reminds me of Job in the bible. Every bad thing that you can imagine happens to him. He is assigned to a "misfit squad" because management believes that he took a bribe by ruining crime evidence and causing a major criminal to go free. In fact, it was his pregnant girlfriend, who is a crime scene technician. His squad is assigned what looks like a joke-- investigating a mummy found in a garbage dump. This is a very long book, 604p. It held my interest with some false leads, as the team gradually realize that they are dealing with a serial killer.
There is a humorous side to the book as some weird dietary habits are mentioned--raspberry jam on anchovy pizza?
I think the book was a little too long. The characters were believable and plot led up to a satisfactory ending. Another character that I liked was Rosalind Franklin, an attractive black woman, sent to the misfit squad after she punched a Superintendent who grabbed her bottom.
Some quotes by Callum:
"Why did no one ever come back when they were told to? Anyone would think that people didn't want to get arrested."
"Poor sod. Living with Franklin must be like trying to cross a minefield on a pogo stick every day. Blindfold. While sadists threw burning squirrels at you."
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, HarperCollins for sending me this book.
October 30, 2017
Black humour, gruesome deaths, set in Scotland, totally entertaining - has to be a book by Stuart MacBride
I enjoyed this one an easy five stars worth. Loved all the characters who were a bunch of total misfits and barely able to get along with each other. Their conversations, jibes and banter were deliciously dark and frequently very politically incorrect. MacBride does not hold back when he is writing speech.
Nor does he restrain himself when he is talking about the dark side of Scottish cities. The sights and smells, particularly the smells, are vividly described in great detail. Despite this the story moves at a good pace and more than 600 pages disappear in the twinkling of an eye. Different crimes appear and mingle and eventually combine into one. The main culprit is surprising to say the least. And Callum, our hero, spends more time than is reasonable being beaten up by various people.
Very nicely written, totally engaging and I loved every minute of it.
I enjoyed this one an easy five stars worth. Loved all the characters who were a bunch of total misfits and barely able to get along with each other. Their conversations, jibes and banter were deliciously dark and frequently very politically incorrect. MacBride does not hold back when he is writing speech.
Nor does he restrain himself when he is talking about the dark side of Scottish cities. The sights and smells, particularly the smells, are vividly described in great detail. Despite this the story moves at a good pace and more than 600 pages disappear in the twinkling of an eye. Different crimes appear and mingle and eventually combine into one. The main culprit is surprising to say the least. And Callum, our hero, spends more time than is reasonable being beaten up by various people.
Very nicely written, totally engaging and I loved every minute of it.
November 18, 2018
Well dyamm. I did a quick check on the other reviews to make sure I wasn't writing similar reviews. I am so screwed. But I promise I was dictating while I was reading on my handy dandy little phone. So it's just tempting to quote from them. Yeah, that's the ticket.
"You think you’re having a bad day? DC Callum McGregor is having a bad life. " Sandy, GR reviewer.
A very bad, very sad life.
"This is a standalone darkly comic novel from the prolific author Stuart MacBride ...." Paromjit, GR reviewer.
I know, hard to believe those two review lines can be talking about the same book, but MacBride manages it with great skill.
After being transferred to a crew of other misfits because he covered for his pregnant girlfriend who screwed up a crime scene, McGregor hopes his life will start to improve. Not so fast there, buster. There is terrible verbal abuse by co-workers who think he took a bribe to mess up the crime scene. Professional Standards is still investigating him for the same reason and everyone he tries to arrest wants a chunk of him.
Eventually a little ray of sunshine does appear, in the form of several mummified bodies. Yep, the work of a serial killer certainly is a day brightener for The Misfits, especially when due to circumstances beyond the control of their superiors; they get to keep the case.
McGregor soldiers on, despite seeing his future devastated and several horrors from his past confronted. Not to mention still losing body parts to biters.
This is such a five star novel. Oddly enough, we are able to find humor in Callum’s life and circumstances. Much of it is supplied by others in the Misfit Mob; the DI who is known as Mother to those who earn the right to call her such, the especially abusive Andy who is dying of cancer and fancies himself an author, the ever fighting Dot and Watt, Dot missing most of a leg and Watt who is hated just about by everyone. Then Rosalind Franklin, a beautiful black woman with a large, but earned chip on her shoulder is transferred in as McGregor’s new partner. His biggest job evidently is to keep her from punching out co-workers.
Oldcastle is presented as a town where I really wouldn't want to spend any time and Police Scotland as an agency it would be best to avoid.
MacBride adroitly manages the many character lines and the many story lines.
We share the thoughts and motivations of the killer but never the identification. There is a deadly race on to find the last victim of the killer who still might be alive. It all makes sense at the end, albeit a sick sense.
MacBride does not spare us anything; there is true darkness and despair page after page. That we can smile at a book that features murder, child abuse, spousal abuse, adultery, abandonment and sexual predators sneakily speaks more to our optimism than to our darkness. Not a bad lesson from MacBride and one we should heed.
Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
"You think you’re having a bad day? DC Callum McGregor is having a bad life. " Sandy, GR reviewer.
A very bad, very sad life.
"This is a standalone darkly comic novel from the prolific author Stuart MacBride ...." Paromjit, GR reviewer.
I know, hard to believe those two review lines can be talking about the same book, but MacBride manages it with great skill.
After being transferred to a crew of other misfits because he covered for his pregnant girlfriend who screwed up a crime scene, McGregor hopes his life will start to improve. Not so fast there, buster. There is terrible verbal abuse by co-workers who think he took a bribe to mess up the crime scene. Professional Standards is still investigating him for the same reason and everyone he tries to arrest wants a chunk of him.
Eventually a little ray of sunshine does appear, in the form of several mummified bodies. Yep, the work of a serial killer certainly is a day brightener for The Misfits, especially when due to circumstances beyond the control of their superiors; they get to keep the case.
McGregor soldiers on, despite seeing his future devastated and several horrors from his past confronted. Not to mention still losing body parts to biters.
This is such a five star novel. Oddly enough, we are able to find humor in Callum’s life and circumstances. Much of it is supplied by others in the Misfit Mob; the DI who is known as Mother to those who earn the right to call her such, the especially abusive Andy who is dying of cancer and fancies himself an author, the ever fighting Dot and Watt, Dot missing most of a leg and Watt who is hated just about by everyone. Then Rosalind Franklin, a beautiful black woman with a large, but earned chip on her shoulder is transferred in as McGregor’s new partner. His biggest job evidently is to keep her from punching out co-workers.
Oldcastle is presented as a town where I really wouldn't want to spend any time and Police Scotland as an agency it would be best to avoid.
MacBride adroitly manages the many character lines and the many story lines.
We share the thoughts and motivations of the killer but never the identification. There is a deadly race on to find the last victim of the killer who still might be alive. It all makes sense at the end, albeit a sick sense.
MacBride does not spare us anything; there is true darkness and despair page after page. That we can smile at a book that features murder, child abuse, spousal abuse, adultery, abandonment and sexual predators sneakily speaks more to our optimism than to our darkness. Not a bad lesson from MacBride and one we should heed.
Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
July 3, 2017
5 STAR FANTASTIC!
A riveting and rollicking gritty read interspersed with classic black humour.
Stuart MacBride is best known for his Logan McRae series but this is a stand-alone novel and it really packs a punch. The main thread of the story is about DC Callum MacGregor who had apparently compromised a crime scene and as a result has been moved to be part of the Misfit Mob, the place unwanted officers are placed, where the cases they investigate are boring and never go anywhere. DC MacGregor and the rest of the Misfit Mob are left hoping that something more exciting will come their way ...and it sure does!
This is the first novel I have read by Mr MacBride but I am now going to be adding the Logan McRae series to my TBR list. Despite being a monster of a book at 600 pages I didn't feel it was too long and was engrossed from page one. I LOVED the humour too, there were some real laugh out loud moments that added to the appeal. It is rare you get a mystery thriller with humour thrown in for good measure! A quick and enthralling read, thanks to the fast paced intertwining plot lines and MacBrides ability to fool you through clever and unpredictable plot twists right from the start. Even when you think you know what is going to happen, you're shocked as the twists and turns keep coming from every angle. Only a master could write like this!
Highly recommended, an exceptional read. One of my favourite reads of the year so far!
Thank you to Stuart MacBride, HarperCollins, HarperFiction & NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A riveting and rollicking gritty read interspersed with classic black humour.
Stuart MacBride is best known for his Logan McRae series but this is a stand-alone novel and it really packs a punch. The main thread of the story is about DC Callum MacGregor who had apparently compromised a crime scene and as a result has been moved to be part of the Misfit Mob, the place unwanted officers are placed, where the cases they investigate are boring and never go anywhere. DC MacGregor and the rest of the Misfit Mob are left hoping that something more exciting will come their way ...and it sure does!
This is the first novel I have read by Mr MacBride but I am now going to be adding the Logan McRae series to my TBR list. Despite being a monster of a book at 600 pages I didn't feel it was too long and was engrossed from page one. I LOVED the humour too, there were some real laugh out loud moments that added to the appeal. It is rare you get a mystery thriller with humour thrown in for good measure! A quick and enthralling read, thanks to the fast paced intertwining plot lines and MacBrides ability to fool you through clever and unpredictable plot twists right from the start. Even when you think you know what is going to happen, you're shocked as the twists and turns keep coming from every angle. Only a master could write like this!
Highly recommended, an exceptional read. One of my favourite reads of the year so far!
Thank you to Stuart MacBride, HarperCollins, HarperFiction & NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 13, 2017
You think you’re having a bad day? DC Callum McGregor is having a bad life. After being raised in care, he became a cop to help people like himself. But the trajectory of his career took a nose dive after covering for his pregnant girlfriend when she screwed up a crime scene. Now he works in the unit of last resort with a motley crew who have all been “specially selected” for various reasons.
They are the dogsbodies who get all the grunt work….like picking through Oldcastle’s garbage dump after receiving reports of a body. DI “Mother” Malcomson & DS McAdams are hoping for a nice juicy murder case. Instead, they find a mummy.
Callum gets no end of grief from his co-workers who think he purposely contaminated a crime scene on behalf of a local gangster. So when DC Franklin joins the unit, he gets the babysitting job. She’s a gorgeous black woman, 3 things that ensure she’s had to put up with more than your average cop. And she wastes no time putting Callum in his place. Great…one more person to dump on him.
They get called out to an abandoned vehicle only to find the trunk is inhabited. By another mummy. It’s the start of an investigation that leads to more bodies, odd evidence, missing persons & forensic fumbles.
Of course, WE know what’s going on. In alternate chapters we peek over the shoulder of a deranged & twisted killer trying to buy his way into heaven. As the story progresses we get the 411 on what they’re doing & why, everything except their name (I’m just going to take a moment & say “Eeewww”).
And that’s only one thread of the story. There are multiple side plots having to do with domestic abuse, office politics & Callum’s personal life. There’s a large cast who are well developed with distinct personalities. Incredibly, despite the number of characters & story lines, you never feel lost or confused & everything is neatly woven together by the end.
To be honest, it took me a bit to fully sign on with this one. I’m a huge fan of the author & wait (im)patiently for his books. One reason is a gift for black humour that makes me giggle at the most inappropriate times & I missed that here. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of funny bits, particularly some of Callum’s dialogue in the second half as he comes into his own. It’s of the less dark variety but that’s just a personal preference thing & no reflection on the writing. I even got used to McAdams’ tendency to speak in haikus. Then a couple of things happened that changed Callum & his circumstances & from that point I was all in.
The evolution of the “Misfit Mob” feels authentic & is very well done. Initially they interact like bickering school kids, all of them resenting where they’ve ended up. But as the scope of what they’re dealing with becomes clear, they start to work as a unit & learn to tolerate each others’ personal tics. Oh they still squabble but it’s more like siblings instead of sworn enemies.
If you noticed and/or felt intimidated by the page count, you can relax. The story lines get equal time & it all zips along at a pace that keeps you on your toes. The killer is not the only man of mystery & you’ll keep reading into the wee hours just to learn the real identity of several of the characters. And as it heads into the last quarter, don’t be surprised if you find yourself curled up in the fetal position with every light on. It becomes compulsive reading & I’m willing to bet you’ll reach the end in less time than some books that are half the size. It’s a proper big stonking read with great characters & here’s hoping we run into Callum & his crew again.
They are the dogsbodies who get all the grunt work….like picking through Oldcastle’s garbage dump after receiving reports of a body. DI “Mother” Malcomson & DS McAdams are hoping for a nice juicy murder case. Instead, they find a mummy.
Callum gets no end of grief from his co-workers who think he purposely contaminated a crime scene on behalf of a local gangster. So when DC Franklin joins the unit, he gets the babysitting job. She’s a gorgeous black woman, 3 things that ensure she’s had to put up with more than your average cop. And she wastes no time putting Callum in his place. Great…one more person to dump on him.
They get called out to an abandoned vehicle only to find the trunk is inhabited. By another mummy. It’s the start of an investigation that leads to more bodies, odd evidence, missing persons & forensic fumbles.
Of course, WE know what’s going on. In alternate chapters we peek over the shoulder of a deranged & twisted killer trying to buy his way into heaven. As the story progresses we get the 411 on what they’re doing & why, everything except their name (I’m just going to take a moment & say “Eeewww”).
And that’s only one thread of the story. There are multiple side plots having to do with domestic abuse, office politics & Callum’s personal life. There’s a large cast who are well developed with distinct personalities. Incredibly, despite the number of characters & story lines, you never feel lost or confused & everything is neatly woven together by the end.
To be honest, it took me a bit to fully sign on with this one. I’m a huge fan of the author & wait (im)patiently for his books. One reason is a gift for black humour that makes me giggle at the most inappropriate times & I missed that here. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of funny bits, particularly some of Callum’s dialogue in the second half as he comes into his own. It’s of the less dark variety but that’s just a personal preference thing & no reflection on the writing. I even got used to McAdams’ tendency to speak in haikus. Then a couple of things happened that changed Callum & his circumstances & from that point I was all in.
The evolution of the “Misfit Mob” feels authentic & is very well done. Initially they interact like bickering school kids, all of them resenting where they’ve ended up. But as the scope of what they’re dealing with becomes clear, they start to work as a unit & learn to tolerate each others’ personal tics. Oh they still squabble but it’s more like siblings instead of sworn enemies.
If you noticed and/or felt intimidated by the page count, you can relax. The story lines get equal time & it all zips along at a pace that keeps you on your toes. The killer is not the only man of mystery & you’ll keep reading into the wee hours just to learn the real identity of several of the characters. And as it heads into the last quarter, don’t be surprised if you find yourself curled up in the fetal position with every light on. It becomes compulsive reading & I’m willing to bet you’ll reach the end in less time than some books that are half the size. It’s a proper big stonking read with great characters & here’s hoping we run into Callum & his crew again.
May 17, 2024
This is a darkly comic standalone mystery by best-selling author Stuart MacBride. The main protagonist is Police Scotland's Detective Constable Callum MacGregor.
DC Callum MacGregor, suspected of bollixing a crime scene to help a mobster called Big Johnny Simpson, is relegated to the 'Misfit Mob' - where disgraced and damaged cops go to wither. The leader of the squad is DI Flora Malcolmson (Mother), who survived a heart attack. In addition to Callum, other team members are DS Andy McAdams - who has cancer; DS Dotty Hodgkin - who lost half a leg; DC Watt - who's disliked by fellow cops; and DC Rosalind Franklin - a black woman who assaulted a superior officer who harassed her.
Callum's colleagues are always heckling him for taking a bribe to compromise a crime scene.....
.....but in reality Callum's nine-month pregnant girlfriend Elaine, a crime scene investigator, messed up the site.
Callum took the blame so Elaine would retain her maternity benefits, and the DC now supports Elaine - and caters to her cravings for Nutella and pickles - as they await the birth of their baby 'Peanut.'
At the beginning of the story, Callum chases down Big Johnny Simpson's henchman Ainsley Dugsdale. This is no easy task and Dugsdale gives Callum's crotch the iron squeeze before he's arrested. To add to Callum's woes, two kids watching the struggle harangue him with the epithet Piggy Piggy Piggy and steal his wallet. This leads to Callum tracking down the little thieves' mother, a battered girl with four children, an absent husband, and no money. Callum's determination to help the family forms one thread of the narrative.
In another storyline, the Misfit Mob discovers two mummified bodies - one in a garbage tip and one in the trunk of a car. Normally, the misfits are not assigned murder investigations, but other divisions are overloaded, so the castoffs get the case. It turns out a nefarious serial killer is at work, a disturbed person who kills and smoke-dries people (alongside fish) to make the humans into 'gods.' All members of the misfit squad work this case, which turns out to be complicated and difficult.
As Callum goes about his business, we get a flashback to a tragedy in his past. During a family trip when Callum was five, his dad stopped at a rest area so little Callum could go pee. In the loo, Callum was harassed by a kiddy fiddler who left when other men walked in. Callum was afraid to leave the restroom, and when he finally did, his family's caravan was there but his mom, dad, and twin brother were gone. Callum is still searching for answers about what happened to his family.
In fact Callum seems to be the unluckiest bloke in Scotland. He's always getting battered, bitten, unfairly accused, disrespected, lied to, taken advantage of, and blamed for things that go wrong.
Callum's only real friend seems to be disabled Dotty, who gives him a helping hand when needed.
Much of the fun of the book lies with the eccentric characters, all of whom have quirks. Mother gives out gummy sweets when she's pleased; cancer-ridden McAdams speaks in poems and haikus; wheelchair-bound Dotty craves chocolates from the vending machine; friendless Watt is sneaky and manipulative; and harassed Franklin is a militant feminist who looks for reasons to scold men.
In the end, all the storylines converge in surprising ways.
The book is long but moves fast, and is well-worth reading.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com
April 26, 2017
Stuart MacBride is best known for his Logan McRae crime series, but this is a stand-alone novel, featuring DC Callum MacGregor , who has been sent to Mother’s ‘Misfit Mob’ in Oldcastle, after suggestions that he compromised a crime scene. In fact, Callum was covering up for his pregnant girlfriend, Eileen, but that does not help the fact that his colleagues are all looking at him with suspicion and he is the butt of his new sergeant’s, Andy McAdams, jokes. The misfit mob are full of characters – from ‘Mother’ herself, to McAdams, who has terminal cancer and constantly makes up bad poetry for every occasion, the miserable John Watt, amputee Dotty, touchy Franklin and Callum himself.
For such a large novel, it is an accomplishment that MacBride deftly juggled so many intertwining storylines and that, having finished this, I just wish it was longer and I could keep reading. This is a book which deftly deals with many different threads – the main storyline involves the discovery of a mummy, which turns out not to be quite as old as first expected. With discussions on whether the murderer should be labelled ‘Imhotep’ or ‘Paddington,’ (the mummification process apparently being linked to Peru, rather than Egypt) we embark on a non-stop story; full of thrills, adventure and dark humour.
Much of the joy of this book is in the character’s and Callum is certainly central. It is fair to say that just about everything that can go wrong for him does go wrong. As well as being under suspicion at work, he has had a tragic childhood and relationship problems. His back story cleverly links in with the crime element of the novel, with running stories involving a local gangster called Ainsley Dugdale, a young single mother who Callum fears is being abused by her ex partner and Callum’s childhood and family history.
Of course, MacBride is a Scottish author and – as in his Logan McRae novels, he paints a really realistic portrait of the location his novel is set in. Oldcastle is presented as bleak and utilitarian. This is not Tourist Board Scotland, but we read of lock up garages, flimsy doors, dark stairwells and factories. I absolutely loved every second of this novel and it has made me want to go back and re-discover MacBride’s earlier books. I hope that the author does consider bringing back Callum and the rest of the ‘Misfit Mob’ in another novel – if he does, I know that I will be reading it.
For such a large novel, it is an accomplishment that MacBride deftly juggled so many intertwining storylines and that, having finished this, I just wish it was longer and I could keep reading. This is a book which deftly deals with many different threads – the main storyline involves the discovery of a mummy, which turns out not to be quite as old as first expected. With discussions on whether the murderer should be labelled ‘Imhotep’ or ‘Paddington,’ (the mummification process apparently being linked to Peru, rather than Egypt) we embark on a non-stop story; full of thrills, adventure and dark humour.
Much of the joy of this book is in the character’s and Callum is certainly central. It is fair to say that just about everything that can go wrong for him does go wrong. As well as being under suspicion at work, he has had a tragic childhood and relationship problems. His back story cleverly links in with the crime element of the novel, with running stories involving a local gangster called Ainsley Dugdale, a young single mother who Callum fears is being abused by her ex partner and Callum’s childhood and family history.
Of course, MacBride is a Scottish author and – as in his Logan McRae novels, he paints a really realistic portrait of the location his novel is set in. Oldcastle is presented as bleak and utilitarian. This is not Tourist Board Scotland, but we read of lock up garages, flimsy doors, dark stairwells and factories. I absolutely loved every second of this novel and it has made me want to go back and re-discover MacBride’s earlier books. I hope that the author does consider bringing back Callum and the rest of the ‘Misfit Mob’ in another novel – if he does, I know that I will be reading it.
April 18, 2017
I received a copy of A Dark So Deadly from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
A Dark So Deadly is, well, dark - dark in subject matter, humor and in human behavior. It revolves around DC Callum MacGregor whose career has been derailed after he takes the blame for his pregnant girlfriend after she compromises a crime scene. Worse, Callum is also accused of taking a bribe from a gangster in exchange for contaminating the crime scene. Instead of being fired, Callum is transferred to DI Flora Malcolmson’s team which consists of other officers who have screwed up royally or have other issues that make them undesirable - they cannot be fired so they’ve been sent to the Misfit Mob. They still have their jobs but they are pretty much no longer in positions to do anything but mundane work with the knowledge they’ll probably never see an exciting case again.
The Misfit Mob is: DI Malcolmson, called Mother by her misfits, recently back to work after having a heart attack; DS Andy McAdams, a gruff, rhyming cop suffering from terminal bowel cancer; Dotty, who is wheelchair-bound after losing part of her leg in an accident; DC Watt, a rather grumpy young man who turned in his former team for corruption but whose attitude turns everyone off; and the newest member of the Misfit Mob, DC Rosalind Franklin, who hit a superintendent. Franklin is teamed up with Callum almost immediately.
Callum and his colleagues are assigned the case of what looks to be a prank. A set of mummified remains has been found and everyone assumes someone has stolen them from a museum. What starts out as a seemingly innocuous case, however, turns out to be much more as more mummified remains - and some much fresher remains - are discovered. The Misfit Mob finds themselves investigating a serial killer.
In addition to the case is the drama in Callum’s life. Besides the accusations of bribery, he has some lasting baggage from his childhood. After an outing with his family when he was five, Callum was approached by a pedophile in a public bathroom. The creep ran off after being interrupted when some men walk into the bathroom. When Callum gets up the nerve to leave the bathroom, he finds the family car empty - his parents and brother are nowhere to be seen. They are never found and Callum ends up in the system. While he is off investigating his mummy case, there are astounding developments in his case.
The pace in A Dark So Deadly is good as is the writing. I think the best part of the book for me is the banter between all the members of the Misfit Mob. I laughed out loud many times. There is a lot of humor in the book which helps offset the grim parts. It is also a very complicated tale with several plot lines, some related, others not.
There are some things that bugged me though:
-The length. At about 600 pages, I felt it was maybe 200 pages too long.
-The radio! I found the constant inclusion of the radio - from song lyrics to dialogue from DJs/announcers to be distracting and annoying.
-Callum’s drama - can anything else happen to this poor guy? It's a bit over the top.
These issues didn’t ruin the book for me. I would readily read another outing featuring this rather unusual group of detectives. I liked most of the characters and felt each one was unique and nicely-crafted. It is definitely one for those who prefer their books to be dark and gritty. I’ve never read any of MacBride’s Logan McRae series but I think I will soon.
A Dark So Deadly is, well, dark - dark in subject matter, humor and in human behavior. It revolves around DC Callum MacGregor whose career has been derailed after he takes the blame for his pregnant girlfriend after she compromises a crime scene. Worse, Callum is also accused of taking a bribe from a gangster in exchange for contaminating the crime scene. Instead of being fired, Callum is transferred to DI Flora Malcolmson’s team which consists of other officers who have screwed up royally or have other issues that make them undesirable - they cannot be fired so they’ve been sent to the Misfit Mob. They still have their jobs but they are pretty much no longer in positions to do anything but mundane work with the knowledge they’ll probably never see an exciting case again.
The Misfit Mob is: DI Malcolmson, called Mother by her misfits, recently back to work after having a heart attack; DS Andy McAdams, a gruff, rhyming cop suffering from terminal bowel cancer; Dotty, who is wheelchair-bound after losing part of her leg in an accident; DC Watt, a rather grumpy young man who turned in his former team for corruption but whose attitude turns everyone off; and the newest member of the Misfit Mob, DC Rosalind Franklin, who hit a superintendent. Franklin is teamed up with Callum almost immediately.
Callum and his colleagues are assigned the case of what looks to be a prank. A set of mummified remains has been found and everyone assumes someone has stolen them from a museum. What starts out as a seemingly innocuous case, however, turns out to be much more as more mummified remains - and some much fresher remains - are discovered. The Misfit Mob finds themselves investigating a serial killer.
In addition to the case is the drama in Callum’s life. Besides the accusations of bribery, he has some lasting baggage from his childhood. After an outing with his family when he was five, Callum was approached by a pedophile in a public bathroom. The creep ran off after being interrupted when some men walk into the bathroom. When Callum gets up the nerve to leave the bathroom, he finds the family car empty - his parents and brother are nowhere to be seen. They are never found and Callum ends up in the system. While he is off investigating his mummy case, there are astounding developments in his case.
The pace in A Dark So Deadly is good as is the writing. I think the best part of the book for me is the banter between all the members of the Misfit Mob. I laughed out loud many times. There is a lot of humor in the book which helps offset the grim parts. It is also a very complicated tale with several plot lines, some related, others not.
There are some things that bugged me though:
-The length. At about 600 pages, I felt it was maybe 200 pages too long.
-The radio! I found the constant inclusion of the radio - from song lyrics to dialogue from DJs/announcers to be distracting and annoying.
-Callum’s drama - can anything else happen to this poor guy? It's a bit over the top.
These issues didn’t ruin the book for me. I would readily read another outing featuring this rather unusual group of detectives. I liked most of the characters and felt each one was unique and nicely-crafted. It is definitely one for those who prefer their books to be dark and gritty. I’ve never read any of MacBride’s Logan McRae series but I think I will soon.
April 14, 2017
Give me "Fifteen minutes, Twenty tops" and I'll tell you about this brilliant brilliant crime novel.
If Carlsberg did Crime fiction...
Anyway, probably one of the best I've read in the genre and certainly one of Mr MacBride's best (if not the) Review to follow.
If Carlsberg did Crime fiction...
Anyway, probably one of the best I've read in the genre and certainly one of Mr MacBride's best (if not the) Review to follow.
June 1, 2021
I've become a Stuart MacBride groupie after reading this. I liked his Logan McRae series (of the 4 I've read so far), but this one was better to me. It took a little bit to get into the flow; at first, it seemed all the characters were either complete assholes or total losers, or both. Well, they're all somewhat losers, sort of like the Slough House series by Mick Herron, one of my all-time favorites. And like Slough House, the characters grew on me.
There's a lot of really dark humor here, along with a really dark story. I recommend you don't even try to guess how it will end (I don't know if that's even possible), just enjoy the ride. I thought the audiobook was excellent, by the way.
I was enjoying this so much I even checked out the author's website. It was pretty entertaining. Even his bio here on Goodreads and the website are entertaining.
After reading this, I'm looking forward to continuing with the Logan McRae series soon.
There's a lot of really dark humor here, along with a really dark story. I recommend you don't even try to guess how it will end (I don't know if that's even possible), just enjoy the ride. I thought the audiobook was excellent, by the way.
I was enjoying this so much I even checked out the author's website. It was pretty entertaining. Even his bio here on Goodreads and the website are entertaining.
After reading this, I'm looking forward to continuing with the Logan McRae series soon.
May 4, 2019
Rating: 4.5 STARS
2017; Harper Collins
DC Callum MacGregor has been moved into the Misfit Mob squad. That is where the POlice Scotland stick officers that have been tainted in some way. Callum is accused of compromising a crime scene. In fact, the real culprit is his pregnant girlfriend who needs the maternity leave pay. For the sake of his new family he takes the blame and now must be one of the Misfits. Being in the Misfit Mob means that you get the "no-where" cases, but Callum lands a big case. A body has been found mummified but it turns out it has close ties to a current case. Since the other divisions are busy Callum and his team must solve the case...and hopefully without any mistakes!
This novel did take me a bit to finish but that is only because of the length. I would stop to finish off other commitments but always came back when I had time. I love all the quirky realistic characters and the dark humour. I know this is a standalone novel but I do hope we see more of Callum, Franklin, Mother and the rest. The chemistry between the characters are great and I was either enthralled or chuckling. The ending, which I didn't see coming was mostly great as it tied all the loose ends together. I really liked this novel and highly recommend it if you like gritty and dark humour in your suspense.
***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***
My Novelesque Blog
2017; Harper Collins
DC Callum MacGregor has been moved into the Misfit Mob squad. That is where the POlice Scotland stick officers that have been tainted in some way. Callum is accused of compromising a crime scene. In fact, the real culprit is his pregnant girlfriend who needs the maternity leave pay. For the sake of his new family he takes the blame and now must be one of the Misfits. Being in the Misfit Mob means that you get the "no-where" cases, but Callum lands a big case. A body has been found mummified but it turns out it has close ties to a current case. Since the other divisions are busy Callum and his team must solve the case...and hopefully without any mistakes!
This novel did take me a bit to finish but that is only because of the length. I would stop to finish off other commitments but always came back when I had time. I love all the quirky realistic characters and the dark humour. I know this is a standalone novel but I do hope we see more of Callum, Franklin, Mother and the rest. The chemistry between the characters are great and I was either enthralled or chuckling. The ending, which I didn't see coming was mostly great as it tied all the loose ends together. I really liked this novel and highly recommend it if you like gritty and dark humour in your suspense.
***I received an eARC from NETGALLEY***
My Novelesque Blog
April 9, 2017
Rambling, clichéd, chaotic, self-congratulatory, overblown, written like a bad Hollywood script.
How do I hate thee? Let me count the ways.
Rejected before the end of chapter six.
Thank you, NetGalley.com for providing this book for me to read.
Example of the never-ending prose. The whole book is like this.....
Callum logged off his steam-powered computer, stretched, yawned, slumped in his seat for a moment, then hauled himself to his feet. The office’s fluorescent lighting buzzed overhead, giving everything the warm and welcoming ambience of a horror film. Shame he was the only one there to enjoy it.
How do I hate thee? Let me count the ways.
Rejected before the end of chapter six.
Thank you, NetGalley.com for providing this book for me to read.
Example of the never-ending prose. The whole book is like this.....
Callum logged off his steam-powered computer, stretched, yawned, slumped in his seat for a moment, then hauled himself to his feet. The office’s fluorescent lighting buzzed overhead, giving everything the warm and welcoming ambience of a horror film. Shame he was the only one there to enjoy it.
February 14, 2018
The Misfit Mob RULES!!
Thank you NetGalley!
Okay, I like 'em dark and gritty and "twisty" and fun. This rang all my bells!
I love the Logan MacRae series, but this one is even better. Who'd a thunk??
Thank you NetGalley!!
Despite being 600+ pages, this was not a slow read... However, I didn't get much sleep last night.
Any shorter and I think both the story and character development would have lost something. It has a wonderful cast of characters (and such characters they are) and a great plot that just sucked me in and kept me reading "just a little bit more".
Thank you NetGalley!!!
It has the same Scottish slang as the Logan MacRae series that might slow a new reader down a bit, but I barely noticed. It has the same humor as the Logan MacRae series. While some of the characters might seem to have been "cut & pasted" from the Logan MacRae series, I think there was a stronger sense of empathy and compassion.
Thank you NetGalley!!!!
Finally, while the plot was gruesome, it wasn't too neat. Stuart MacBride left lots of loose ends so there is definitely hope in my heart for a continuing series.
Thank you NetGalley!!!!!
Thank you NetGalley!
Okay, I like 'em dark and gritty and "twisty" and fun. This rang all my bells!
I love the Logan MacRae series, but this one is even better. Who'd a thunk??
Thank you NetGalley!!
Despite being 600+ pages, this was not a slow read... However, I didn't get much sleep last night.
Any shorter and I think both the story and character development would have lost something. It has a wonderful cast of characters (and such characters they are) and a great plot that just sucked me in and kept me reading "just a little bit more".
Thank you NetGalley!!!
It has the same Scottish slang as the Logan MacRae series that might slow a new reader down a bit, but I barely noticed. It has the same humor as the Logan MacRae series. While some of the characters might seem to have been "cut & pasted" from the Logan MacRae series, I think there was a stronger sense of empathy and compassion.
Thank you NetGalley!!!!
Finally, while the plot was gruesome, it wasn't too neat. Stuart MacBride left lots of loose ends so there is definitely hope in my heart for a continuing series.
Thank you NetGalley!!!!!
June 14, 2017
I am an avid Stuart MacBride reader and love the Logan McRae series so I was really looking forward to reading this one. Unexpectedly I really struggled with this one and I failed to get engrossed like I usually do in his novels. I have read a lot of other reviews and it appears that I am in the minority, noting that there are lots of praise and admiration for this novel so I suggest you decide for yourself. I am a big enough of the author not to be put off by one disappointment and fully intend to read more of his work soon.
This stand alone novel features DC Callum MacGregor whose career was derailed when took the blame for his pregnant girlfriend after she compromised a crime scene. Callum is transferred to DI Flora Malcolmson’s team which is made up of misfits, other officers who have made mistakes and they are fed boring cases that no other officer wants. All sounds interesting but sorry it didn't work for me.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
This stand alone novel features DC Callum MacGregor whose career was derailed when took the blame for his pregnant girlfriend after she compromised a crime scene. Callum is transferred to DI Flora Malcolmson’s team which is made up of misfits, other officers who have made mistakes and they are fed boring cases that no other officer wants. All sounds interesting but sorry it didn't work for me.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
April 19, 2022
‘Just because you read a lot, Constable, it doesn’t mean you read deeply. Skimming across the surface like a water beetle, no idea of the pike swimming through the murky depths below.’
This comment, by DS McAdams in A DARK SO DEADLY, perfectly sums up the nature of this novel. It is a long book — nearly 600 pages — showcasing Stuart MacBride’s rat-a-tat comedy dialogue, and a reader can be so easily mesmerized into reading it quickly, thus missing whole threads of its narrative. Readers who don’t read intensely are likely to be flustered by the multiple conversations carried on simultaneously. If you just want to “feel good” while reading, I suggest you skip this one; if you want your senses to be stimulated while concurrently having your intellect challenged — and don’t mind dark, disturbing scenes — then this is a book for you.
I read this one using the technique I developed when studying for university exams: Read a couple of chapters, nap for 30 to 45 minutes to let my memory consolidate, then read again, all through the night and next day. Luckily, I am retired, with no other commitments, and the weather was poor enough to discourage outdoor activity, and so I was able to follow this pattern. The memory system needs time to absorb one complex idea before attempting to understand another, and A DARK SO DEADLY contains many complex ideas.
I’m not going to summarize the plot here. It’s been done by many other reviewers on Goodreads. Suffice to say that the main protagonist, DC Callum MacGregor has a personality similar to Logan McRae, the protagonist in Stuart MacBride’s long-running Logan McRae series. Thus, the only reason to introduce Callum as a new character was because his childhood experiences were unique (and strange) and, as such, provided the crux of the main narrative (plus allowed the author to introduce a surprise twist near the end). But “the Callum MacGregor” story was only one strand in a plot containing several interwoven threads.
The search for serial killer Imhotep (initially named Paddington) comprises the main storyline, although there are detours into (1) Callum’s attempts to protect an abused young mother and her four children, (2) Callum’s discovery of the real reason his parents disappeared when he was five years old, and (3) announcements, via radio broadcasts, of a tribute concert for famous Oldcastle author R.M. Travis, now dying of Alzheimer’s. There are also brief vignettes of Travis’s famous children’s book and rap lyrics based on them. All these detours mesh in the end, in unexpected ways. We are also privy to information about Imhotep’s early life, told in alternating chapters, that suggest why he ended up deranged, but don’t provide any clues as to who he is as an adult, or even how old he would be now, allowing the author to pull off another twist in the end.
The action takes place in a fictional town called Oldcastle, which is really a stand-in for the deterioration taking place within Scotland’s former powerhouse industrial sector. The jobs have disappeared. There are numerous descriptions of the decay taking place and the dismal atmosphere that has resulted from the loss of an accepted place in society for many members the working class. The reader must savour every word, every phrase, to follow all the sarcasm.
It was nice not having to do all the driving for a change. Just sit back and watch the scenery slip by. Even if it was all grey and rain-streaked.
A major attraction of Stuart MacBride’s books is always the humorous interactions between members of the police team. So we have DI Flora Malcolmson (Mother), DS Andy McAdams, DC Dorothy (Dotty) Hodgkin, DC John Watt, DC Callum MacGregor, and DC Rosalind Franklin (the newest member who is transferred in as Callum’s new partner), bickering and sometimes supporting each other, but mainly bickering. Franklin, in particular, has a chip on her shoulder, especially in her interchanges with Callum.
‘You’re all the bloody same, aren’t you?
‘Sadly.’ A slurp of tea. ‘What’s he do, this Mark of yours?’
‘Investment banking.’
And all sympathy for the guy died right there.
Forensic psychologist Dr. Alice McDonald, from MacBride’s Ash Henderson series, makes a few brief but important appearances.
And an overarching theme I haven’t seen mentioned much in reviews — a satire
about writers, and their delusions. When this is done well, as it is here, I love it. The emphasis on R.M.Travis’s gruesome children’s stories. McAdams and his terrible poetic haikus, plus comments about the book he is writing about the case. Just one example: ‘You know, moaning and whinging isn’t an attractive quality in a sidekick. You should watch that. I might have to trade you in for narrative purposes.’ Overall — an excellent skewering of authors, both published and would-be ones.
A DARK SO DEADLY is more satirical than the Logan and Steel stories, hits at more real-life targets, so you’ll either love it or wish MacBride had remained in the less caustic Keystone Kops territory. This one is Keystone Kops with a bite.
This comment, by DS McAdams in A DARK SO DEADLY, perfectly sums up the nature of this novel. It is a long book — nearly 600 pages — showcasing Stuart MacBride’s rat-a-tat comedy dialogue, and a reader can be so easily mesmerized into reading it quickly, thus missing whole threads of its narrative. Readers who don’t read intensely are likely to be flustered by the multiple conversations carried on simultaneously. If you just want to “feel good” while reading, I suggest you skip this one; if you want your senses to be stimulated while concurrently having your intellect challenged — and don’t mind dark, disturbing scenes — then this is a book for you.
I read this one using the technique I developed when studying for university exams: Read a couple of chapters, nap for 30 to 45 minutes to let my memory consolidate, then read again, all through the night and next day. Luckily, I am retired, with no other commitments, and the weather was poor enough to discourage outdoor activity, and so I was able to follow this pattern. The memory system needs time to absorb one complex idea before attempting to understand another, and A DARK SO DEADLY contains many complex ideas.
I’m not going to summarize the plot here. It’s been done by many other reviewers on Goodreads. Suffice to say that the main protagonist, DC Callum MacGregor has a personality similar to Logan McRae, the protagonist in Stuart MacBride’s long-running Logan McRae series. Thus, the only reason to introduce Callum as a new character was because his childhood experiences were unique (and strange) and, as such, provided the crux of the main narrative (plus allowed the author to introduce a surprise twist near the end). But “the Callum MacGregor” story was only one strand in a plot containing several interwoven threads.
The search for serial killer Imhotep (initially named Paddington) comprises the main storyline, although there are detours into (1) Callum’s attempts to protect an abused young mother and her four children, (2) Callum’s discovery of the real reason his parents disappeared when he was five years old, and (3) announcements, via radio broadcasts, of a tribute concert for famous Oldcastle author R.M. Travis, now dying of Alzheimer’s. There are also brief vignettes of Travis’s famous children’s book and rap lyrics based on them. All these detours mesh in the end, in unexpected ways. We are also privy to information about Imhotep’s early life, told in alternating chapters, that suggest why he ended up deranged, but don’t provide any clues as to who he is as an adult, or even how old he would be now, allowing the author to pull off another twist in the end.
The action takes place in a fictional town called Oldcastle, which is really a stand-in for the deterioration taking place within Scotland’s former powerhouse industrial sector. The jobs have disappeared. There are numerous descriptions of the decay taking place and the dismal atmosphere that has resulted from the loss of an accepted place in society for many members the working class. The reader must savour every word, every phrase, to follow all the sarcasm.
It was nice not having to do all the driving for a change. Just sit back and watch the scenery slip by. Even if it was all grey and rain-streaked.
A major attraction of Stuart MacBride’s books is always the humorous interactions between members of the police team. So we have DI Flora Malcolmson (Mother), DS Andy McAdams, DC Dorothy (Dotty) Hodgkin, DC John Watt, DC Callum MacGregor, and DC Rosalind Franklin (the newest member who is transferred in as Callum’s new partner), bickering and sometimes supporting each other, but mainly bickering. Franklin, in particular, has a chip on her shoulder, especially in her interchanges with Callum.
‘You’re all the bloody same, aren’t you?
‘Sadly.’ A slurp of tea. ‘What’s he do, this Mark of yours?’
‘Investment banking.’
And all sympathy for the guy died right there.
Forensic psychologist Dr. Alice McDonald, from MacBride’s Ash Henderson series, makes a few brief but important appearances.
And an overarching theme I haven’t seen mentioned much in reviews — a satire
about writers, and their delusions. When this is done well, as it is here, I love it. The emphasis on R.M.Travis’s gruesome children’s stories. McAdams and his terrible poetic haikus, plus comments about the book he is writing about the case. Just one example: ‘You know, moaning and whinging isn’t an attractive quality in a sidekick. You should watch that. I might have to trade you in for narrative purposes.’ Overall — an excellent skewering of authors, both published and would-be ones.
A DARK SO DEADLY is more satirical than the Logan and Steel stories, hits at more real-life targets, so you’ll either love it or wish MacBride had remained in the less caustic Keystone Kops territory. This one is Keystone Kops with a bite.
May 30, 2017
"Tartan noir" liberally laced with scathing wit makes for an outstanding police procedural!
Meet Mother's Misfit Mob - a detective unit of Police Scotland, the 'mob' is made up of coppers who for various reasons have been shunted here in disgrace, or if the 'powers that be' don't know what else to do with them.
First we have 'Mother' aka DCI Flora Malcolmson. She has had health issues recently and has been given the "Misfit mob" as a penance as she recuperates from a massive heart attack. Gruff and brusque, Mother's demeanor masks a warm heart.
Then we have our protagonist Detective Constable Callum MacGregor. Callum lives with his girlfriend Elaine who is nine months pregnant and on maternity leave from Police Scotland. Callum has had a horrendous childhood. When he was a wee boy of five he was abandoned by his family at a roadside toilet. He spent his life 'in care' and always had the feeling that he was unlovable. A voracious reader, Callum is an all round good guy with the most appalling luck... Callum has been sent to the Misfit Mob due to the allegation that he compromised a crime scene. We know that he is innocent of these charges, but don't find out the whole story right away.
Detective Constable John Watt known for his grumpy misdemeanor, has been transferred to the Misfit Mob after none of the other teams will work with him.
Detective Sergeant Andrew MacAdams is forty-two years old with terminal bowel cancer. He has only a short time to live, but soldiers on at work, preferring that to giving up and going in hospital. He is a favorite of 'Mother' and is constant tormenting Callum with innuendo about his prior disgrace. He is writing a novel and constantly spouts haiku and often talks in rhyme.
Detective Constable Rosalind Franklin, a beautiful black policewoman who has just joined the Misfit Mob after punching the superintendent of her old squad. (after he sexually harassed her)
Detective Sergeant Dorothy Hodgkin (Dotty) who is in a wheelchair after losing her leg in a high-speed police chase which ended in a crash.
It is autumn in Scotland, and every day seems to bring dour rain - which sets the mood for the novel nicely. The urban decay and poverty are very much in evidence. Along with them come the bleak and utter despair of some of the inhabitants. With subject matter that is at times grisly, the author has managed to intersperse enough levity that makes it palatable.
The Misfit Mob usually get all the boring cases that no one else wants. This is the case when a mummified body turns up at the local tip. Assuming the body has been stolen from a museum, they are tasked with the investigation. When another mummified body turns up in a car's boot, and tests are done on the body, it is now apparent that these are not old bodies, but more recent deaths. The Misfit Mob have inadvertently stumbled upon a serial killer investigation!
"You'll be a God and they'll worship you"
They find that the killer first brines his victim to dehydrate them, then smokes them as you would fish. The reader is made aware that the killer wants to purify them so that they will achieve divinity... They are calling this case 'Operation Imhotep'.
About half way through the novel the case is solved. But of course, that is impossible as there is still another half of the novel as yet unread. By about 55% in, I had it all figured out. Then about 75% in, I was sure I knew who the killer was. I was WRONG on both counts!
MacBride laced this novel with several astounding plot twists that took be aback. Despite the book's 626 pages, I found that it was a fast read due to the fact that it never failed to hold my interest throughout. Highly recommended to fans of character-rich police procedurals and folks who relish 'tartan noir'.
After reading this 'standalone' I found myself fervently wishing that it was the first in a series. I'd love to visit Mother's Misfit Mob again...
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from HarperCollins via Edelweiss in consideration of my review.
Meet Mother's Misfit Mob - a detective unit of Police Scotland, the 'mob' is made up of coppers who for various reasons have been shunted here in disgrace, or if the 'powers that be' don't know what else to do with them.
First we have 'Mother' aka DCI Flora Malcolmson. She has had health issues recently and has been given the "Misfit mob" as a penance as she recuperates from a massive heart attack. Gruff and brusque, Mother's demeanor masks a warm heart.
Then we have our protagonist Detective Constable Callum MacGregor. Callum lives with his girlfriend Elaine who is nine months pregnant and on maternity leave from Police Scotland. Callum has had a horrendous childhood. When he was a wee boy of five he was abandoned by his family at a roadside toilet. He spent his life 'in care' and always had the feeling that he was unlovable. A voracious reader, Callum is an all round good guy with the most appalling luck... Callum has been sent to the Misfit Mob due to the allegation that he compromised a crime scene. We know that he is innocent of these charges, but don't find out the whole story right away.
Detective Constable John Watt known for his grumpy misdemeanor, has been transferred to the Misfit Mob after none of the other teams will work with him.
Detective Sergeant Andrew MacAdams is forty-two years old with terminal bowel cancer. He has only a short time to live, but soldiers on at work, preferring that to giving up and going in hospital. He is a favorite of 'Mother' and is constant tormenting Callum with innuendo about his prior disgrace. He is writing a novel and constantly spouts haiku and often talks in rhyme.
Detective Constable Rosalind Franklin, a beautiful black policewoman who has just joined the Misfit Mob after punching the superintendent of her old squad. (after he sexually harassed her)
Detective Sergeant Dorothy Hodgkin (Dotty) who is in a wheelchair after losing her leg in a high-speed police chase which ended in a crash.
It is autumn in Scotland, and every day seems to bring dour rain - which sets the mood for the novel nicely. The urban decay and poverty are very much in evidence. Along with them come the bleak and utter despair of some of the inhabitants. With subject matter that is at times grisly, the author has managed to intersperse enough levity that makes it palatable.
The Misfit Mob usually get all the boring cases that no one else wants. This is the case when a mummified body turns up at the local tip. Assuming the body has been stolen from a museum, they are tasked with the investigation. When another mummified body turns up in a car's boot, and tests are done on the body, it is now apparent that these are not old bodies, but more recent deaths. The Misfit Mob have inadvertently stumbled upon a serial killer investigation!
"You'll be a God and they'll worship you"
They find that the killer first brines his victim to dehydrate them, then smokes them as you would fish. The reader is made aware that the killer wants to purify them so that they will achieve divinity... They are calling this case 'Operation Imhotep'.
About half way through the novel the case is solved. But of course, that is impossible as there is still another half of the novel as yet unread. By about 55% in, I had it all figured out. Then about 75% in, I was sure I knew who the killer was. I was WRONG on both counts!
MacBride laced this novel with several astounding plot twists that took be aback. Despite the book's 626 pages, I found that it was a fast read due to the fact that it never failed to hold my interest throughout. Highly recommended to fans of character-rich police procedurals and folks who relish 'tartan noir'.
After reading this 'standalone' I found myself fervently wishing that it was the first in a series. I'd love to visit Mother's Misfit Mob again...
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from HarperCollins via Edelweiss in consideration of my review.
April 9, 2017
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley.
It’s not hard to get wrapped up in Stuart MacBride’s latest offering, not when the descriptive passages drag you into the heart of the story. Consider this description of a garbage dump crime scene: “The rancid stench of rotting meat and vegetables mingled with the sticky-brown reek of used nappies, all underpinned by the dark, peppery odour of black plastic left to broil in the sun.” Takes you right into the heart of the story and drags you through the muck at the same time. This is a book that moves at a fast pace, yet I find myself reading slowly, savoring every word.
Callum MacGregor is the main character, and the author deftly hints at past troubles without fully describing what has transpired. One can’t help but continue to read and hope for an explanation, which Mr. MacBride offers naturally in drips and dribbles. MacGregor is the lowest member of the Misfit Mob, police who have been “exiled” to a separate division because of past conduct. The author allows us to meet and interact with all of them, through MacGregor, and their daily duties are a picture of multiple duties all threshed and jumbled together. MacGregor has his personal demons he must sort out while he and his coworkers struggle to solve the cases that come their way.
At the top of the list is a serial killer, and we are brought along to examine all the clues, be they promising or total dead ends. Mr. MacBride deftly separates his characters, making their quirks seem natural and their interactions realistic. The pacing is good, speeding up in some spots and then slowing down to make sure we catch up. The book and music lyric interludes before chapters are amusing and tantalizing at the same time, adding to the uniqueness of this book.
Although I earlier complimented the author on his writing, I did find that incomplete sentences were used so many times that it became bothersome and began to affect the flow of the story. I didn’t notice them until around Chapter 10 (though a quick look back showed they were there all along). Thankfully, the technique slowed somewhere around the middle of the book, and though the phrases continued throughout the rest of the book, either they were not used as frequently or I became used to them.
Although it is the story that propels this book, it is that same plot that eventually undermines it. Admittedly, the author’s use of characterizations to provide insight and depth make it difficult to set this book down. However, it is every author’s desire to fool the reader with a twist and thus provide an enjoyable read. Mr. MacBride had crafted an intense, realistic crime novel for most of the book, but the urge to confound the reader suddenly produced two unrealistic suspects. By the time the story twisted the third and final time, the author had left any strands of reality behind, along with me.
This was my first Stuart MacBride novel, and while I was disappointed with the twists, the characters intrigued me and the plot is a page-turner. Fans of the author will probably love this book, without question. I enjoyed most of it, and will probably give another MacBride novel a try. As for this book, three-and-a-half stars rounded to four.
It’s not hard to get wrapped up in Stuart MacBride’s latest offering, not when the descriptive passages drag you into the heart of the story. Consider this description of a garbage dump crime scene: “The rancid stench of rotting meat and vegetables mingled with the sticky-brown reek of used nappies, all underpinned by the dark, peppery odour of black plastic left to broil in the sun.” Takes you right into the heart of the story and drags you through the muck at the same time. This is a book that moves at a fast pace, yet I find myself reading slowly, savoring every word.
Callum MacGregor is the main character, and the author deftly hints at past troubles without fully describing what has transpired. One can’t help but continue to read and hope for an explanation, which Mr. MacBride offers naturally in drips and dribbles. MacGregor is the lowest member of the Misfit Mob, police who have been “exiled” to a separate division because of past conduct. The author allows us to meet and interact with all of them, through MacGregor, and their daily duties are a picture of multiple duties all threshed and jumbled together. MacGregor has his personal demons he must sort out while he and his coworkers struggle to solve the cases that come their way.
At the top of the list is a serial killer, and we are brought along to examine all the clues, be they promising or total dead ends. Mr. MacBride deftly separates his characters, making their quirks seem natural and their interactions realistic. The pacing is good, speeding up in some spots and then slowing down to make sure we catch up. The book and music lyric interludes before chapters are amusing and tantalizing at the same time, adding to the uniqueness of this book.
Although I earlier complimented the author on his writing, I did find that incomplete sentences were used so many times that it became bothersome and began to affect the flow of the story. I didn’t notice them until around Chapter 10 (though a quick look back showed they were there all along). Thankfully, the technique slowed somewhere around the middle of the book, and though the phrases continued throughout the rest of the book, either they were not used as frequently or I became used to them.
Although it is the story that propels this book, it is that same plot that eventually undermines it. Admittedly, the author’s use of characterizations to provide insight and depth make it difficult to set this book down. However, it is every author’s desire to fool the reader with a twist and thus provide an enjoyable read. Mr. MacBride had crafted an intense, realistic crime novel for most of the book, but the urge to confound the reader suddenly produced two unrealistic suspects. By the time the story twisted the third and final time, the author had left any strands of reality behind, along with me.
This was my first Stuart MacBride novel, and while I was disappointed with the twists, the characters intrigued me and the plot is a page-turner. Fans of the author will probably love this book, without question. I enjoyed most of it, and will probably give another MacBride novel a try. As for this book, three-and-a-half stars rounded to four.
November 18, 2018
I debated between 1 star and 2 star, but although I recognize the efforts of the author, this book was a torture to get through. At 596 pages, you really need to like something.
It's difficult to find a character to like. The essence of the characters is to treat each other as poorly as possible and then blame the other character for how you treat them. And then you moan, whine and blame everything but yourself for your miserable existence. And the dialogue during all this is cringeworthy. I wanted to like Callum, the main character of the book, but it's difficult to like the spineless sod who seems like everyone's punching bag. And the minute the girlfriend is introduced it's like a neon sign signaling what's going to happen to him in that relationship.
The flow in the story telling is all over the place. Who knew where it was going next. Which was the most suspenseful element of the book. There's also sections in present tense which I hate reading. Another element to slog through.
The plot of what happened to Callum's family should have been good but felt too surreal at the end. And then when you know "who dun it" for the mummy plot, I was simply disappointed.
I had to skim to get through this and even then it wasn't worth it. I should have just said this one is not for me and DNF'd the thing very early on. My husband only made it a couple of chapters in and then said "No way.".
It's difficult to find a character to like. The essence of the characters is to treat each other as poorly as possible and then blame the other character for how you treat them. And then you moan, whine and blame everything but yourself for your miserable existence. And the dialogue during all this is cringeworthy. I wanted to like Callum, the main character of the book, but it's difficult to like the spineless sod who seems like everyone's punching bag. And the minute the girlfriend is introduced it's like a neon sign signaling what's going to happen to him in that relationship.
The flow in the story telling is all over the place. Who knew where it was going next. Which was the most suspenseful element of the book. There's also sections in present tense which I hate reading. Another element to slog through.
The plot of what happened to Callum's family should have been good but felt too surreal at the end. And then when you know "who dun it" for the mummy plot, I was simply disappointed.
I had to skim to get through this and even then it wasn't worth it. I should have just said this one is not for me and DNF'd the thing very early on. My husband only made it a couple of chapters in and then said "No way.".
January 22, 2018
For anyone looking to start reading books by a Crime author this is the perfect start!
Callum and his “misfit mob” are the Police Scotland equivalent of the Raggy Dolls - they’re the rejects the more professional (boring) departments don’t want around sullying their reputation and stats.
The plot is adrenaline fuelled and full of action, I was gripped from start to finish! There are some pretty grisly descriptions but that just made me love it even more.
The dialogue is outrageously funny, it’s pure noir comedy at its best and made me feel that the characters were real. I could clearly see everything described, but luckily I could not smell what they could!
I’d love for this to become a series as I’m sure the chaotic crew could get up to more calamities!
Callum and his “misfit mob” are the Police Scotland equivalent of the Raggy Dolls - they’re the rejects the more professional (boring) departments don’t want around sullying their reputation and stats.
The plot is adrenaline fuelled and full of action, I was gripped from start to finish! There are some pretty grisly descriptions but that just made me love it even more.
The dialogue is outrageously funny, it’s pure noir comedy at its best and made me feel that the characters were real. I could clearly see everything described, but luckily I could not smell what they could!
I’d love for this to become a series as I’m sure the chaotic crew could get up to more calamities!
January 3, 2018
I cannot think of another crime book I have ever read that comes close to this. I could kiss every one of its glorious 600 pages. Storytelling at its very, very best. I can't believe these people aren't real! Although I'm rather relieved that some of them aren't...... Brilliant. My favourite novel of 2017.
February 11, 2018
very solid 4 stars
interesting characters, lots of plot. A fun read
interesting characters, lots of plot. A fun read
December 19, 2017
Never was a book better titled than A Dark So Deadly because it is very dark and very deadly.
This book takes place in a fictitious town (Oldcastle) near Edinburgh on the east coast of Scotland.
Lets start by saying "be very grateful you don't live in Oldcastle".
No one can accuse Stuart MacBride of not giving his readers their monies worth. This book is six hundred pages of story telling at it's best. You get three stories for the price of one all tied together by the central character, DC Callum MacGregor.
MURPHY'S LAW:-If it can go wrong it will go wrong. This is DC MacGregor in a nutshell. There were times whilst reading this book that I wanted to climb into the pages of the book wrap my arms around Callum, give him a man hug and tell him "It's OK Callum you can do this".
MacBride manages to marry the nasty darkness with a lot of humour, at times LOL funny. The humour is very necessary because without it the book would be just too gross.
Oldcastle police station has become the dumping ground for any officer deemed unworthy of normal police duty. They are the laughing stock of the force. Collectively known as the misfit mob. They are never offered anything important and as a result spend most of their days bitching and sniping at each other.
One day a mummy,of the embalmed for centuries type, turns up. It's presumed to belong to a museum who have misplaced it. The job of tracking down the museum is left to the misfit mob. This is where the dark side comes to life, pun intended. Things just get darker and darker.
Lots of red Herrings, lots of turns and twists. It will keep you guessing right to the end.
MacBride uses a bit of Edinburgh vernacular which some readers might find confusing but as an ex-patriot Scot from Edinburgh I just loved it.
I hope there is more of DC MacGregor to come.
This book takes place in a fictitious town (Oldcastle) near Edinburgh on the east coast of Scotland.
Lets start by saying "be very grateful you don't live in Oldcastle".
No one can accuse Stuart MacBride of not giving his readers their monies worth. This book is six hundred pages of story telling at it's best. You get three stories for the price of one all tied together by the central character, DC Callum MacGregor.
MURPHY'S LAW:-If it can go wrong it will go wrong. This is DC MacGregor in a nutshell. There were times whilst reading this book that I wanted to climb into the pages of the book wrap my arms around Callum, give him a man hug and tell him "It's OK Callum you can do this".
MacBride manages to marry the nasty darkness with a lot of humour, at times LOL funny. The humour is very necessary because without it the book would be just too gross.
Oldcastle police station has become the dumping ground for any officer deemed unworthy of normal police duty. They are the laughing stock of the force. Collectively known as the misfit mob. They are never offered anything important and as a result spend most of their days bitching and sniping at each other.
One day a mummy,of the embalmed for centuries type, turns up. It's presumed to belong to a museum who have misplaced it. The job of tracking down the museum is left to the misfit mob. This is where the dark side comes to life, pun intended. Things just get darker and darker.
Lots of red Herrings, lots of turns and twists. It will keep you guessing right to the end.
MacBride uses a bit of Edinburgh vernacular which some readers might find confusing but as an ex-patriot Scot from Edinburgh I just loved it.
I hope there is more of DC MacGregor to come.
June 15, 2019
If there is someone I trust to write an all through enjoyable 600-page crime novel is it Stuart MacBride. And, I have to admit that I'm not that fond of books that thick. Not everyone is capable of writing a book with so many pages and keeping the steam up all the way through. Stephen King is one that can do it. And, Stuart MacBride is truly a King when it comes to writing a story that is both hilarious, tragic, dark, sad and utterly engrossing.
This is a stand-alone book so no Logan McRae as far as the eye can see. At first, when I realized that it was a stand-alone book was I a bit worried. No Logan, no Roberta Steel? But, then again I love the Ash Henderson series (Ps I want more books about Ash Henderson). So, I shouldn't have been worried.
Instead of reading the book did I decide to listen to the audio version of it. And boy, I was hooked pretty much from the start. DC Callum MacGregor is a new favorite character of mine and I was thrilled when one of my favorite characters from the Ash Henderson series showed up.
A Dark So Deadly is a fantastic crime novel and I loved the whole Misfit Mob group which consists of cops that have done something wrong or are just troublemakers, etc. The case with the mummy seems not that complicated. Someone must have stolen a mummy from a museum. However, not everything is as it seems and the Misfit Mob soon realize that they may have a serial killer to catch. If they can work together.
Fabulous book. Loved the ending, truly shocking and surprising!
This is a stand-alone book so no Logan McRae as far as the eye can see. At first, when I realized that it was a stand-alone book was I a bit worried. No Logan, no Roberta Steel? But, then again I love the Ash Henderson series (Ps I want more books about Ash Henderson). So, I shouldn't have been worried.
Instead of reading the book did I decide to listen to the audio version of it. And boy, I was hooked pretty much from the start. DC Callum MacGregor is a new favorite character of mine and I was thrilled when one of my favorite characters from the Ash Henderson series showed up.
A Dark So Deadly is a fantastic crime novel and I loved the whole Misfit Mob group which consists of cops that have done something wrong or are just troublemakers, etc. The case with the mummy seems not that complicated. Someone must have stolen a mummy from a museum. However, not everything is as it seems and the Misfit Mob soon realize that they may have a serial killer to catch. If they can work together.
Fabulous book. Loved the ending, truly shocking and surprising!
December 31, 2019
It was an unexpected pleasure for me to discover this book in the ‘read now’ section of NetGalley. I immediately put aside the book I was reading and started on this one. I’m a huge fan of MacBride; he is one of the rare authors I want to have copies of all his books in paper, not just somewhere sitting in my tablet or pc. This is the kind of book you want to read more than once, preferably starting the second you finished it for the first time.
Plots, plots, plots within plots. There is so much going on here, and by the end of the book, it all happens to be a (small or bigger) part of one very intricate plot. I don’t know how he does it, but MacBride is able to combine the background story of Callum with the story of a serial killer without it becoming very obvious and most of all, not over the top. There was a point I thought I knew for sure what was happening and who was who in the story… until something else pops up and I noticed I was thinking along the wrong track.
I enjoyed the book from the first tot he last page. I let me laugh out loud sometimes and other times… secretly feeling so very sorry for the characters. It is brilliant!
Plots, plots, plots within plots. There is so much going on here, and by the end of the book, it all happens to be a (small or bigger) part of one very intricate plot. I don’t know how he does it, but MacBride is able to combine the background story of Callum with the story of a serial killer without it becoming very obvious and most of all, not over the top. There was a point I thought I knew for sure what was happening and who was who in the story… until something else pops up and I noticed I was thinking along the wrong track.
I enjoyed the book from the first tot he last page. I let me laugh out loud sometimes and other times… secretly feeling so very sorry for the characters. It is brilliant!
October 29, 2017
I'm a big Macbride fan. This was a little slow to begin with, especially the 1st 3rd. I think the main reasons were the plot was slow building, the writing was a little waffle city, abd characterisation was very very slow. I nearly gave up and DNF. However I persevered and the last 2 3rds did pick up dramatically. Callums character needed a big introduction, as opposed to Macbrides other characters. Logan for example was built over a huge fanbase of novels. This was one large novel. The plot and characters became alot more fun and intriguing. However the writing wasnt Macbrides best.
September 13, 2019
This was such a great read. I just had to read every day, it was almost impossible to put it down. Once you're a few chapters in, you're hooked. I know I was.
I'm always a bit picky when it comes to detectives, usually the plot is either way too predictable or just very bad, the characters can be very unlikeable or unrealistic, or the writing is just off. This book had none of those issues. It was a very pleasant surprise. I loved it from start to finish. And yes, some plotlines were a bit predictable, but most of them were very surprising and original. Even though I did figure out the killer in the main case, I could not have guessed the rest. It's just... a really good written book. It's got lots of humour and Scottish swearing and fantastic characters. I fell a little bit in love with Callum MacGregor. What a dumb idiot and yet a really good detective at the same time. I was kind of sad when the book ended. Would not have minded more of Callum and the Misfit Mob.
I absolutely enjoyed reading this and I will definitely be reading more of this author in the near future. Really glad I picked up that signed edition at Waterstones Inverness.
I'm always a bit picky when it comes to detectives, usually the plot is either way too predictable or just very bad, the characters can be very unlikeable or unrealistic, or the writing is just off. This book had none of those issues. It was a very pleasant surprise. I loved it from start to finish. And yes, some plotlines were a bit predictable, but most of them were very surprising and original. Even though I did figure out the killer in the main case, I could not have guessed the rest. It's just... a really good written book. It's got lots of humour and Scottish swearing and fantastic characters. I fell a little bit in love with Callum MacGregor. What a dumb idiot and yet a really good detective at the same time. I was kind of sad when the book ended. Would not have minded more of Callum and the Misfit Mob.
I absolutely enjoyed reading this and I will definitely be reading more of this author in the near future. Really glad I picked up that signed edition at Waterstones Inverness.
April 7, 2017
I have come to expect from Stuart MacBride a certain use of language, a certain Celtic/Scottish razor-sharp banter and a brutal realism in the unfolding of the story...with that in mind A Dark So Deadly does not disappoint. The setting is the fictional town of Oldcastle (used previously by the author and in particular the Ash Anderson books, Birthdays for the Dead and A Song for the Dying) as seen through the eyes of DC Callum MacGregor...."Squat grey council houses scrolled past on either side of the street, lichen -flecked pantiles and harled walls. Front gardens awash with weeds. More abandoned sofas and washing machines than gnomes and bird tables...." Macgregor has been accused of accepting a bribe and tampering a crime scene in order to allow Big Johnny Simpson escape a murder charge and because of this has been assigned to the "Divisional Investigative Support Team" Officers assigned to DIST are asked to work on boring impossible to solve cases, one step away from dismissal. When what appears to be a ancient mummy is discovered Macgregor and his colleagues from the Misfit Mob are sent to investigate. A post mortem examination reveals recent dental work and Macgregor now finds himself part of a murder investigation. As the body count mounts the race is on to reveal the identity to a killer who enjoys "smoking" his victims granting them a type of God like status.
This is one big story, stretching to some 600 pages with the action and crisp dialogue full on from the opening. There are some wonderful characters, and that fine turn of wit and black humour that is the signature of MacBride's writing. We encounter DCI "Poncy Powell" and Macgregor's immediate superior DI Malcolmson affectionately referred to as "mother" (not quite as gregarious and crude as DI Steele in the Logan McRae novels) And of course not forgetting that great witticism..."A sad excuse for a beard that looked as if he'd made it himself out of ginger pubic hair"... "Watt stiffened. Thank you, Constable, but I'm dealing with this.."Please forgive him. He's been in a bad mood ever since he got back from the doctor. They can't do anything about his frighteningly small penis, and it's upset him a bit."....."He wasn't a dick when I met him."Yeah well you know the old saying: some men are born dicks, some have dickishness thrust upon them, and some achieve dickosity all on their own."
This is a story full of murderers and paedophiles, of people living at the edge of society in squalor and depravity, a story where even the police survive by adopting a type of gallows humour. Where else but in Stuart MacBrides writing would you encounter a character like police officer Andy McAdams, dying of bowel cancer, still on active service, and able to create humour out of his terminal condition.."There he was standing at the bar, knocking back a sneaky whisky while the barman pulled the pints. "They've got him on another round of chemotherapy, Being colourful is how he copes. Great. Callum puffed out a breath. "I'm sorry he's dying. But now and then, it might be nice if he was colourful at someone else for a while...."
My only small criticism is the page count and I personally felt it would have been better condensed into 450 pages. As I reached the surprising conclusion and the perpetrator was finally revealed I felt, similar to many of the police officers, mentally battered and bruised and somewhat glad that the action was at an end. This however is a small and personal observation which did not detract from the telling of an exciting story from an author I greatly admire. I do hope Police Officer Callum MacGregor will return in the near future for another breathtaking roller coaster outing. Many thanks to the good people at Harper Collins for supplying me with a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written...
This is one big story, stretching to some 600 pages with the action and crisp dialogue full on from the opening. There are some wonderful characters, and that fine turn of wit and black humour that is the signature of MacBride's writing. We encounter DCI "Poncy Powell" and Macgregor's immediate superior DI Malcolmson affectionately referred to as "mother" (not quite as gregarious and crude as DI Steele in the Logan McRae novels) And of course not forgetting that great witticism..."A sad excuse for a beard that looked as if he'd made it himself out of ginger pubic hair"... "Watt stiffened. Thank you, Constable, but I'm dealing with this.."Please forgive him. He's been in a bad mood ever since he got back from the doctor. They can't do anything about his frighteningly small penis, and it's upset him a bit."....."He wasn't a dick when I met him."Yeah well you know the old saying: some men are born dicks, some have dickishness thrust upon them, and some achieve dickosity all on their own."
This is a story full of murderers and paedophiles, of people living at the edge of society in squalor and depravity, a story where even the police survive by adopting a type of gallows humour. Where else but in Stuart MacBrides writing would you encounter a character like police officer Andy McAdams, dying of bowel cancer, still on active service, and able to create humour out of his terminal condition.."There he was standing at the bar, knocking back a sneaky whisky while the barman pulled the pints. "They've got him on another round of chemotherapy, Being colourful is how he copes. Great. Callum puffed out a breath. "I'm sorry he's dying. But now and then, it might be nice if he was colourful at someone else for a while...."
My only small criticism is the page count and I personally felt it would have been better condensed into 450 pages. As I reached the surprising conclusion and the perpetrator was finally revealed I felt, similar to many of the police officers, mentally battered and bruised and somewhat glad that the action was at an end. This however is a small and personal observation which did not detract from the telling of an exciting story from an author I greatly admire. I do hope Police Officer Callum MacGregor will return in the near future for another breathtaking roller coaster outing. Many thanks to the good people at Harper Collins for supplying me with a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written...
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