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Sawbones
A serial killer is on the loose but he's chosen the wrong victim - a mobster's daughter - and now her father wants revenge. A gritty and violent crime story.Barrington Stoke specialise in books for reluctant, struggling and dyslexic
114 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2008
71 people are currently reading
837 people want to read
About the author
Stuart MacBride
87 books2,725 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
May 18, 2021
Three assorted ne’er do wells plus one unfortunate young man are chasing serial killer ‘Sawbones’ on behalf of mobster Mr Jones whose daughter Laura has been taken two days previously. The chase takes them from Illinois into Iowa.
It’s amazing how much you can pack into a novella of approximately 70 pages! This is a violent, gritty, raw, darkly exciting and action packed hunt that makes you gasp from time to time. Don’t expect pretty or polite language but do expect dark black humour and a bold, gutsy, brave and unpredictable character in Laura. What a good ending ..... and overall, it’s a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. I doubt I’ll forget this one in a hurry!
This is a republication.
With thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins, Harper Fiction for the copy in return for an honest review.
It’s amazing how much you can pack into a novella of approximately 70 pages! This is a violent, gritty, raw, darkly exciting and action packed hunt that makes you gasp from time to time. Don’t expect pretty or polite language but do expect dark black humour and a bold, gutsy, brave and unpredictable character in Laura. What a good ending ..... and overall, it’s a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. I doubt I’ll forget this one in a hurry!
This is a republication.
With thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins, Harper Fiction for the copy in return for an honest review.
May 15, 2021
I have always enjoyed the Logan Macrae series by this author so when I saw this book jumped at the chance of reading it. I didn’t realise initially that it was a novella and was a little disappointed as I am not that keen on short stories but was pleasantly surprised. The 68 pages are crammed full of action and detail and it made enjoyable reading. Originally published ten years ago so not really sure why it is being re released now but a decent read.
This is probably a little more gruesome than the usual Stuart MacBride stories and the is no lack of mutilated bodies.
This is the story of a serial killer who is cutting off the limbs of young women while they are still alive and leaving them to suffer for what remains of their lives. But maybe he makes a big mistake when he kidnaps the daughter of a gangster who is determined to do all he can to get her back alive. With men at his disposal the gangster knows they will stop at nothing to get his daughter back alive.
Good quick read with plenty of action.
I would like to thank both Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is probably a little more gruesome than the usual Stuart MacBride stories and the is no lack of mutilated bodies.
This is the story of a serial killer who is cutting off the limbs of young women while they are still alive and leaving them to suffer for what remains of their lives. But maybe he makes a big mistake when he kidnaps the daughter of a gangster who is determined to do all he can to get her back alive. With men at his disposal the gangster knows they will stop at nothing to get his daughter back alive.
Good quick read with plenty of action.
I would like to thank both Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
February 17, 2022
Sawbones was a Stuart MacBride first for me and I can gladly say it will not be the last. With brutal imagery and a raw and fantastical landscape, I flew through the pages of this short novella. Who instantly pops into your mind when you think of serial killers? Jack the Ripper, Jeffrey Dahmer, Harold Shipman, and Ted Bundy immediately come to mind. Well, MacBride’s Sawbones could give them all a run for their money. A man that kidnaps and tortures young girls to death by the hacking of their limbs for what seems like fun. What happens though when a serial killer takes the wrong girl and ignites the wrath of a notorious family?
I enjoyed Sawbones immensely. A story that could be easily lengthened and adapted as a Netflix original series. A deadly serial killer. A notorious family. A deadly vendetta. The story offers no protection. It strips back the layers of safety and put me in the here and now. Like all good serial killer stories, it makes you ask the difficult questions, why do human beings feel the need to hurt others? How can the psyche break that much that they can take pleasure in seeing young girls be mutilated and then killed? It’s the billion-dollar question that no one seems to be able to answer.
Told from the perspective of the driver hunting Sawbones we get plenty of dark humour and colourful language. There are plenty of personality clashes between the driver and the gang accompanying him and it makes for an interesting journey. They are against the clock to get their boss’s daughter back home safe, or their lives won’t be worth living either. The journey is fraught with cops, car trouble, and near misses. With a simple yet powerful prose the reader get’s a feel for the danger and boy does it pack a punch.
I enjoyed Sawbones immensely. A story that could be easily lengthened and adapted as a Netflix original series. A deadly serial killer. A notorious family. A deadly vendetta. The story offers no protection. It strips back the layers of safety and put me in the here and now. Like all good serial killer stories, it makes you ask the difficult questions, why do human beings feel the need to hurt others? How can the psyche break that much that they can take pleasure in seeing young girls be mutilated and then killed? It’s the billion-dollar question that no one seems to be able to answer.
Told from the perspective of the driver hunting Sawbones we get plenty of dark humour and colourful language. There are plenty of personality clashes between the driver and the gang accompanying him and it makes for an interesting journey. They are against the clock to get their boss’s daughter back home safe, or their lives won’t be worth living either. The journey is fraught with cops, car trouble, and near misses. With a simple yet powerful prose the reader get’s a feel for the danger and boy does it pack a punch.
November 12, 2017
4.5 stars
This is a novella that packs a punch. A serial killer has added the young daughter of a gangster to the collection of girls he’s killing. He’s doing it by sawing off their arms and legs and he’s just about to find out that there are men as nasty as he is. There are no characters here to like but the story is hugely compelling. I had to keep reading (though there should be a ‘gruesome alert’ on this book) to see how it would pan out. Very unpleasant but most entertaining.
This is a novella that packs a punch. A serial killer has added the young daughter of a gangster to the collection of girls he’s killing. He’s doing it by sawing off their arms and legs and he’s just about to find out that there are men as nasty as he is. There are no characters here to like but the story is hugely compelling. I had to keep reading (though there should be a ‘gruesome alert’ on this book) to see how it would pan out. Very unpleasant but most entertaining.
November 9, 2021
I'll read anything by Stuart Macbride - his writing gets under your skin but can also be very funny - in a dark way. This was no exception.
This book is set in the US (not Scotland as for Logan McRae series...which I love btw) and is a novella about a serial killer who kidnaps a bunch of young girls...one of which is the daughter of a mobster.
We follow the mobsters 'goons' as they track down the killer for retribution.
It worked so well with plenty of sass, violence & impertinence - I really liked it!
This book is set in the US (not Scotland as for Logan McRae series...which I love btw) and is a novella about a serial killer who kidnaps a bunch of young girls...one of which is the daughter of a mobster.
We follow the mobsters 'goons' as they track down the killer for retribution.
It worked so well with plenty of sass, violence & impertinence - I really liked it!
April 16, 2021
Quick 70 page read to squeeze into a lunch break. Will definitely be looking for more by Stuart macbride, his macabre style of gruesome writing really kept me captivated.
June 4, 2021
I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins, HarperFiction for a review copy of Sawbones, a novella set in the American Midwest.
A serial killer, nicknamed Sawbones, is kidnapping young women and leaving their mutilated limbs to be found. He picked the wrong family when he kidnapped 16 year old Laura Jones, because her father is a crime boss and knows just who to send to capture him.
I thoroughly enjoyed Sawbones which is a short, sharp tale of murder and mayhem. Yes, it’s violent and the language coarse, but it’s funny and engaging and held my attention throughout for its too short duration.
It is told from the viewpoint of the driver of the gang chasing Sawbones, so not only do we get a sense of the mission but also of the petty squabbles in the team. These are funny and give an idea of their priorities.
I’m not a great short story reader but then it’s Stuart MacBride so I was in. This is honestly one of the best I’ve read. It has excitement, wit, action and a little bit of characterisation all crammed in to a short format, and, yet, it doesn’t seem rushed or forced. I’m impressed with what he has done within the confines of the format.
Sawbones is a fun read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
A serial killer, nicknamed Sawbones, is kidnapping young women and leaving their mutilated limbs to be found. He picked the wrong family when he kidnapped 16 year old Laura Jones, because her father is a crime boss and knows just who to send to capture him.
I thoroughly enjoyed Sawbones which is a short, sharp tale of murder and mayhem. Yes, it’s violent and the language coarse, but it’s funny and engaging and held my attention throughout for its too short duration.
It is told from the viewpoint of the driver of the gang chasing Sawbones, so not only do we get a sense of the mission but also of the petty squabbles in the team. These are funny and give an idea of their priorities.
I’m not a great short story reader but then it’s Stuart MacBride so I was in. This is honestly one of the best I’ve read. It has excitement, wit, action and a little bit of characterisation all crammed in to a short format, and, yet, it doesn’t seem rushed or forced. I’m impressed with what he has done within the confines of the format.
Sawbones is a fun read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
December 8, 2022
This was fine, but not what I expected and wanted. It very much read like a thriller written by a man with cliché archetypes of male characters (the cheating boyfriend, the over-protective father, the religious-extremist-serial killer, the harsh ex-military guy, the guy we don't know we can trust etc.) and that is just not the typical thriller chlichés I like to read about, even if it can be fun for some.
July 24, 2021
This isn’t a fvking rescue mission! This is revenge.
৭০ পেইজের ছোট নভেলায় যা যা রাখা যায় সব আছে এর মধ্যে। ভায়োলেন্স,থ্রিল,অ্যাকশন,স্ল্যাশারহাউজ,ডার্ক হিউমার আর প্রচুর গালাগালি।
তিন বছর ধরে ত্রাস কায়েম করা সিরিয়াল কিলার স বোনস প্রতিবছর হাজির হয় আর ১০ জন করে সোনালী চুলের কিশোরী নিয়ে যায়। তবে এবার সিরিয়াল কিলার ভুল লোকের পাঙ্গায় পড়েছে। মোস্ট ওয়ান্টেড লিস্টের গ্যাংস্টার এর মেয়েকে কিডন্যাপ!!
বইয়ের সবচেয়ে ভালো জিনিস হচ্ছে কোনো সাইডকেই ভালো খারাপ মানদন্ডে ফেলা হয়নি৷ এন্টিহিরো টাইপ কোনো বিষয় নেই ( যে কিডন্যাপড মেয়েকে বাঁচাতে গিয়ে গ্যাংস্টার দলকে হিরো সাজানো।)
উভয়ের ক্রাইম'ই মারাত্মক। বিশেষত এক সময় মনে হচ্ছিলো সিরিয়াল কিলারের চাইতে গ্যাংস্টার দলকেই ধরে প্যাদানি দেওয়া দরকার।
Although it’s a good read!
৭০ পেইজের ছোট নভেলায় যা যা রাখা যায় সব আছে এর মধ্যে। ভায়োলেন্স,থ্রিল,অ্যাকশন,স্ল্যাশারহাউজ,ডার্ক হিউমার আর প্রচুর গালাগালি।
তিন বছর ধরে ত্রাস কায়েম করা সিরিয়াল কিলার স বোনস প্রতিবছর হাজির হয় আর ১০ জন করে সোনালী চুলের কিশোরী নিয়ে যায়। তবে এবার সিরিয়াল কিলার ভুল লোকের পাঙ্গায় পড়েছে। মোস্ট ওয়ান্টেড লিস্টের গ্যাংস্টার এর মেয়েকে কিডন্যাপ!!
বইয়ের সবচেয়ে ভালো জিনিস হচ্ছে কোনো সাইডকেই ভালো খারাপ মানদন্ডে ফেলা হয়নি৷ এন্টিহিরো টাইপ কোনো বিষয় নেই ( যে কিডন্যাপড মেয়েকে বাঁচাতে গিয়ে গ্যাংস্টার দলকে হিরো সাজানো।)
উভয়ের ক্রাইম'ই মারাত্মক। বিশেষত এক সময় মনে হচ্ছিলো সিরিয়াল কিলারের চাইতে গ্যাংস্টার দলকেই ধরে প্যাদানি দেওয়া দরকার।
Although it’s a good read!
August 9, 2022
This was pretty gruesome, but it did keep me riveted to what was going on. I will definitely be reading more of Stuart McBride. His authors notes are hilarious.
December 10, 2018
I’m a huge Stuart MacBride fan, and will happily devour his work. In fact, he’s one of the few authors whose short stories I am happy to read. Therefore, I was plenty eager to dive into Sawbones.
With Sawbones we have something different, taking a step away from the tartan noir MacBride is best known for. It still has what you expect from a Stuart MacBride novel, if in smaller quantities, ensuring you’ll be happy to power through this in no time at all.
In truth, this was more of a three-point-five star read, yet I opted to round it down. It was interesting, it was something different, and I enjoyed it; however, it didn’t quite wow me in the way Stuart MacBride usually does. It was fun, but far from my favourite read.
If you’re a big Stuart MacBride fan, it’s worth reading. If you’re new to Stuart MacBride, this is not the best example of his work.
With Sawbones we have something different, taking a step away from the tartan noir MacBride is best known for. It still has what you expect from a Stuart MacBride novel, if in smaller quantities, ensuring you’ll be happy to power through this in no time at all.
In truth, this was more of a three-point-five star read, yet I opted to round it down. It was interesting, it was something different, and I enjoyed it; however, it didn’t quite wow me in the way Stuart MacBride usually does. It was fun, but far from my favourite read.
If you’re a big Stuart MacBride fan, it’s worth reading. If you’re new to Stuart MacBride, this is not the best example of his work.
July 13, 2014
Began this today right after finising The Ritual. It's a book I've wanted to read for ages as I loved MacBride's Logan McRae series. If you've not tried these then I highly recommend them. The first ones (Cold Granite Dying Light Broken Skin) are some of the funniest, most original and gruesome crime writing I've ever read. I was seriously spitting out tea at some of these. I think MacBride then fell a little too in love with one of his more outrageous characters (Roberta Steel) and the latter novels were less believable.
I was intrigued about Sawbones when I saw it described as gory. Seriously? More gory than Flesh House? I swore I'd never eat meat again after that book. Then I read Meat and decided I was being a wuss.
So, I digress, Sawbones was a must read for me.
So far, I'm very impressed. MacBride's managed to make sadistic killers quite nice chaps. It's irreverent and funny, crisp and well written.
I'll update when finished.
Finished. This is a great little read. Little being quite an operative word as it's so short I read this in an hour or so. It's quite a nice premise--crime boss's 16-year-old daughter is taken by a serial killer and he sends his two best men, Harry and Mark, to find her and bring her back. They believe she's probably already dead (this killer's MO is to cut arms and legs off young blonde girls) and just want to find the guy and bring him back to Mr Jones for justice. Well, justice of a psychotic crime boss kind. Harry and Mark are seriously deranged, but that's what's so funny about this little story. We are manipulated into rooting for these guys as they torture and murder innocent people on their quest to rescue Laura. They've got a dead FBI agent in their boot along with a tortured young cop! It's so outrageous it's funny and very cleverly done.
I wanted Laura rescued. I wanted Sawbones to meet Mr Jones. I didn't care too much what Mark and Harry have to do to bring that about.
I've read too many serial killer novels to remember, but this one's reveal of the horror inflicted on the girls was original and genuinely chilling. Stuart MacBride's signature novel is gory humour. This one was much more straight-faced than the Logan McRae books as it's not necessarily played for laughs. Told in the 1st person by Mark, we're laughing at these weird, psychotic guys more than with them. They take themselves quite seriously.
Great fun and highly recommended. Short though, so don't rely on this one to take on holiday unless it's backed up by many, many more.
I was intrigued about Sawbones when I saw it described as gory. Seriously? More gory than Flesh House? I swore I'd never eat meat again after that book. Then I read Meat and decided I was being a wuss.
So, I digress, Sawbones was a must read for me.
So far, I'm very impressed. MacBride's managed to make sadistic killers quite nice chaps. It's irreverent and funny, crisp and well written.
I'll update when finished.
Finished. This is a great little read. Little being quite an operative word as it's so short I read this in an hour or so. It's quite a nice premise--crime boss's 16-year-old daughter is taken by a serial killer and he sends his two best men, Harry and Mark, to find her and bring her back. They believe she's probably already dead (this killer's MO is to cut arms and legs off young blonde girls) and just want to find the guy and bring him back to Mr Jones for justice. Well, justice of a psychotic crime boss kind. Harry and Mark are seriously deranged, but that's what's so funny about this little story. We are manipulated into rooting for these guys as they torture and murder innocent people on their quest to rescue Laura. They've got a dead FBI agent in their boot along with a tortured young cop! It's so outrageous it's funny and very cleverly done.
I wanted Laura rescued. I wanted Sawbones to meet Mr Jones. I didn't care too much what Mark and Harry have to do to bring that about.
I've read too many serial killer novels to remember, but this one's reveal of the horror inflicted on the girls was original and genuinely chilling. Stuart MacBride's signature novel is gory humour. This one was much more straight-faced than the Logan McRae books as it's not necessarily played for laughs. Told in the 1st person by Mark, we're laughing at these weird, psychotic guys more than with them. They take themselves quite seriously.
Great fun and highly recommended. Short though, so don't rely on this one to take on holiday unless it's backed up by many, many more.
October 19, 2008
Sawbones is a novella, set in the US, not part of MacBride's series books set in Aberdeen. There are some similarities though - I harbour a fond belief that this author couldn't write out his shopping list without some sly, black humour involved.
There is plenty of humour in SAWBONES. There's also a lot of gruesome moments, which again is pretty typical MacBride. He does love to gross you out, make you laugh, then make you stop and think what the hell am I laughing at for goodness sake! It's quite a tribute to the skill of the author that he can make that work in 114 pages, whilst he also tells a soberingly believable story. You see Laura's dad is not somebody to be messed with - he knows people - who know what to do with people, and there's a car full of those people chasing our serial killer across America, tracking the killer that the FBI have nicknamed Sawbones. Dealing with Laura's boyfriend, handling the interest of local State Troopers, calling in some big favours.
The reason they call this killer Sawbones - well he's a serial killer, I think you can probably work that one out. What the pursuers have in mind - well you can guess that without the need for much synapse snapping. What ends up happening - well maybe you aren't going to quite pick all the elements of that coming.
The story moves at a very rapid clip (one ancient and clapped out Ford Crown Victoria nothwithstanding). It's violent, it's brusque, it's unflinchingly gross is some places. It's funny, it's black, it's in your face in some places. It's highly entertaining and - I'm probably going to hell in a handbasket - because I just couldn't help but laugh a lot.
There is plenty of humour in SAWBONES. There's also a lot of gruesome moments, which again is pretty typical MacBride. He does love to gross you out, make you laugh, then make you stop and think what the hell am I laughing at for goodness sake! It's quite a tribute to the skill of the author that he can make that work in 114 pages, whilst he also tells a soberingly believable story. You see Laura's dad is not somebody to be messed with - he knows people - who know what to do with people, and there's a car full of those people chasing our serial killer across America, tracking the killer that the FBI have nicknamed Sawbones. Dealing with Laura's boyfriend, handling the interest of local State Troopers, calling in some big favours.
The reason they call this killer Sawbones - well he's a serial killer, I think you can probably work that one out. What the pursuers have in mind - well you can guess that without the need for much synapse snapping. What ends up happening - well maybe you aren't going to quite pick all the elements of that coming.
The story moves at a very rapid clip (one ancient and clapped out Ford Crown Victoria nothwithstanding). It's violent, it's brusque, it's unflinchingly gross is some places. It's funny, it's black, it's in your face in some places. It's highly entertaining and - I'm probably going to hell in a handbasket - because I just couldn't help but laugh a lot.
August 19, 2019
This book had so much potential. But the lackadaisical writing (marred with semantic errors) prevents it from getting to a place where it wants to be.
The plot is pretty much simple. A Mobster is on the heels of a serial killer who has kidnapped his daughter along with many other girls. There isn't really a cat and mouse game between them, thus making the story plain vanilla. I expected the villain to act smart and try to remain elusive. But to my dismay, he was subdued and sloppy.
A bunch of characters are thrown into the first chapter and it became difficult for me to keep track of who is who. I know this is a novella but that doesn't mean that the characters need not be given depth. There wasn't any driving factor in the book to keep us vested. I couldn't develop an affinity to any of the characters. The narration could've been more polished and the script needs to be re-edited.
Overall, it was slightly below par. But I'd check out his other books though.
The plot is pretty much simple. A Mobster is on the heels of a serial killer who has kidnapped his daughter along with many other girls. There isn't really a cat and mouse game between them, thus making the story plain vanilla. I expected the villain to act smart and try to remain elusive. But to my dismay, he was subdued and sloppy.
A bunch of characters are thrown into the first chapter and it became difficult for me to keep track of who is who. I know this is a novella but that doesn't mean that the characters need not be given depth. There wasn't any driving factor in the book to keep us vested. I couldn't develop an affinity to any of the characters. The narration could've been more polished and the script needs to be re-edited.
Overall, it was slightly below par. But I'd check out his other books though.
February 24, 2022
The problem with kidnapping victims off the street is that you don’t know who their family is. Serial killer “sawbones” made a grave error selecting a mobster’s daughter for his twisted murder plans.
Sawbones is the latest serial killer kidnapping young girls and sawing their limbs off whilst they’re alive. Most families would be devastated and unsure how to get their daughters back, but mobster “Mr Jones” knows the guys for the job. His only rule is that they bring the killer back alive so he can inflict his own kind of justice on him.
With unpredictable characters, foul language and raw violent imagery, this book certainly isn’t for the faint hearted. Anyone looking for an action-packed, fast-paced thriller and isn’t scared by some brutality and gruesome details, this is definitely one for you!
Sawbones is the latest serial killer kidnapping young girls and sawing their limbs off whilst they’re alive. Most families would be devastated and unsure how to get their daughters back, but mobster “Mr Jones” knows the guys for the job. His only rule is that they bring the killer back alive so he can inflict his own kind of justice on him.
With unpredictable characters, foul language and raw violent imagery, this book certainly isn’t for the faint hearted. Anyone looking for an action-packed, fast-paced thriller and isn’t scared by some brutality and gruesome details, this is definitely one for you!
March 22, 2023
This is a novella, which is a thriller set in the USA. The story is about a serial killer who preys on young girls. He makes a mistake by taking the sixteen year old daughter of a gangster, as soon the gangster and his mob are after him. Will they be able to capture him, and rescue the girl?
I found this book an easy read, which was fast paced, a bit gruesome and full of dark humour.
If you are looking for a short, quick read, and you love thrillers, then you will love this book. Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.
I found this book an easy read, which was fast paced, a bit gruesome and full of dark humour.
If you are looking for a short, quick read, and you love thrillers, then you will love this book. Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.
November 20, 2025
There was enough in this to keep me 'along for the ride', but it was a short ride of just over one hundred widely spaced pages. A set of violent characters hunting down an abducted gangster's daughter in the arse-end of America, taken by the titular Sawbones who is suspected of kidnapping and murdering young women. The writing is of the same standard as MacBride's darkly humorous Logan McRae series, but here when being asked to care about characters unfamiliar and events disconnected, it all feels a little over the top and cartoonish, reducing the appeal/enjoyment.
May 14, 2021
Saw bones by Stuart Macbride
I give this book 4 stars
They call him Sawbones: a serial killer touring America kidnapping young women.
The latest victim is 15 year old Laura Jones,daughter of one of New York’s most notorious gangsters. Laura’s Dad doesn’t care about the law, he wants revenge. And he knows just the guys to get it.
This time, Sawbones picked on the wrong family…
A stand-alone novella, with a plot that packs a punch incorporating violence and swearing.A slightly grisly but enjoyable read littered with dark humour. l sped through it way too quickly and that ending left me wanting more!
May 16, 2021
would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this short story
never a big fan of short stories but this one was something else
sawbones is a killer, not only that but he mutilates his victims by sawing off body parts whilst they are still alive
but hes made a mistake with one of his victims..hes only kidnapped a gangsters daughter, and he has sent his men on his trail...
will the fbi find him before the gangsters men find him
wow this is how short stories should be, short horrific and down right upputdownable...
never a big fan of short stories but this one was something else
sawbones is a killer, not only that but he mutilates his victims by sawing off body parts whilst they are still alive
but hes made a mistake with one of his victims..hes only kidnapped a gangsters daughter, and he has sent his men on his trail...
will the fbi find him before the gangsters men find him
wow this is how short stories should be, short horrific and down right upputdownable...
February 10, 2025
Really enjoyed this book. First time reading one of Stuart McBrides' books, but I could tell I'd like his writing just from the way he wrote about himself. I'm quite a slow reader but got through this short story in an evening so I could tell I was really engrossed. Can't wait to read more novels by him.
July 21, 2021
4.5 ⭐️
Two things; firstly, I would love a follow up book! And secondly, I need to read this authors other works!
Two things; firstly, I would love a follow up book! And secondly, I need to read this authors other works!
September 6, 2021
Gruesome , but good.
March 9, 2023
Classic Macbride story. Plenty of raw gorey imagery, and a ton of thrilling moments.
April 7, 2017
Read this a couple of years ago and can't believe I didn't rate it! Funny, gory, and downright yucky!!! True Stuart MacBride, one of my fav cop story authors.
September 14, 2025
Enormous fun. A mobster's daughter is abducted by a serial killer and some of his henchmen set off on a cross-state trip to find her.
April 16, 2021
Aspects of horror within this short story. This was a decent story with plenty of action and suspense.
December 4, 2022
Another MacBride book, the more I read this author, the more I enjoy his books. Another QuickRead and again I finished this one pretty fast, which is rare for me as I’m a slow reader!
It was gripping and suspenseful. A serial killer is on the loose and he has a pattern. Five girls go missing from states all across the country, then five sets of arms and legs are found by police and the killer disappears. Only to return in the future and repeat this pattern.
He leave no evidence and the police can’t catch him, he leave the FBI wondering who he is…
This time, he’s messed up, he’s taken a mob bosses daughter and the mob boss will stop at nothing to find the killer. Will the mob bosses foot soldiers find him in time, will the mob bosses daughter survive long enough to see her father again?
For a QuickRead, it’s was gripping, well written and suspenseful. I finished it fairly quickly and look forwards to reading more books by MacBride.
It was gripping and suspenseful. A serial killer is on the loose and he has a pattern. Five girls go missing from states all across the country, then five sets of arms and legs are found by police and the killer disappears. Only to return in the future and repeat this pattern.
He leave no evidence and the police can’t catch him, he leave the FBI wondering who he is…
This time, he’s messed up, he’s taken a mob bosses daughter and the mob boss will stop at nothing to find the killer. Will the mob bosses foot soldiers find him in time, will the mob bosses daughter survive long enough to see her father again?
For a QuickRead, it’s was gripping, well written and suspenseful. I finished it fairly quickly and look forwards to reading more books by MacBride.
April 14, 2024
I don't know how to explain my 2-star rating and I'll be honest about that, but here are my thoughts that led up to it:
Sawbones was a relatively quick read at about 70 pages, and although the blurb on the back was interesting enough to catch my attention, the writing wasn't.
When I read, as I'm sure most people do, my brain assigns a face and a voice to each character so the "film" I'm reading plays off well in my imagination. The writing in this book... confused me. It's set in America, yet some of the characters had sentences that were written in such a "British" way/ accent and I don't know how to explain it any other way, but it threw me so hard?! 🤨
Overall, I think the book actually could have benefited from a few extra hundred pages or so because you just can't fit this much detail into so few pages. Serial killer stories are great due to the suspense they create throughout reading, and I didn't feel it during this read 🥱
Novellas can be brilliant if done correctly, and I just don't feel that this is one of those instances.
It still gets 2 stars because I still vaguely enjoyed this and I found the plot interesting, but you can't just throw all these random little tidbits about characters throughout and not expect me to want more of it.
Ultimately, I didn't care whether anyone lived or died or exacted their revenge in Sawbones, because the author rushed it so much that he gave me nothing to care for 🤷🏻♀️
Side note: The synopsis mentions a twist? If you have read this book, please tell me what the twist is because I read absolutely 0 twists. Not one, this storyline was as straight as they come 🏹🧐
Sawbones was a relatively quick read at about 70 pages, and although the blurb on the back was interesting enough to catch my attention, the writing wasn't.
When I read, as I'm sure most people do, my brain assigns a face and a voice to each character so the "film" I'm reading plays off well in my imagination. The writing in this book... confused me. It's set in America, yet some of the characters had sentences that were written in such a "British" way/ accent and I don't know how to explain it any other way, but it threw me so hard?! 🤨
Overall, I think the book actually could have benefited from a few extra hundred pages or so because you just can't fit this much detail into so few pages. Serial killer stories are great due to the suspense they create throughout reading, and I didn't feel it during this read 🥱
Novellas can be brilliant if done correctly, and I just don't feel that this is one of those instances.
It still gets 2 stars because I still vaguely enjoyed this and I found the plot interesting, but you can't just throw all these random little tidbits about characters throughout and not expect me to want more of it.
Ultimately, I didn't care whether anyone lived or died or exacted their revenge in Sawbones, because the author rushed it so much that he gave me nothing to care for 🤷🏻♀️
Side note: The synopsis mentions a twist? If you have read this book, please tell me what the twist is because I read absolutely 0 twists. Not one, this storyline was as straight as they come 🏹🧐
November 10, 2021
'Sawbones' is a standalone novella from Stuart MacBride. The book is part of a series of novellas published by Barrington Stoke, and is aimed at readers who are struggling to enjoy reading due to dyslexia, and other problems with reading. As a result, the story aims to catch the readers attention from the opening page and the story is plot rather than character driven so not much time is taken up with introductions etc.
MacBride is no stranger to writing gruesome and violent novels, however his excellent Logan McRae or Ash Henderson series are known for their dark vein of humour. There is little potential for the same level of humour to appear in this story. But as the tale moves at a cracking pace that is not as issue as the reader does not have a moment to become bored at all.
Not a story for the faint-hearted due to the high level of violence and swearing but a strong and enjoyable tale none the less.
MacBride is no stranger to writing gruesome and violent novels, however his excellent Logan McRae or Ash Henderson series are known for their dark vein of humour. There is little potential for the same level of humour to appear in this story. But as the tale moves at a cracking pace that is not as issue as the reader does not have a moment to become bored at all.
Not a story for the faint-hearted due to the high level of violence and swearing but a strong and enjoyable tale none the less.
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