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The Oldcastle Novels
No Less The Devil
'We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.'
It's been seventeen months since the Bloodsmith butchered his first victim and Operation Maypole is still no nearer to catching him. The media is whipping up a storm, the top brass are demanding results, but the investigation is sinking fast.
Now isn't the time to get distracted with other cases, but Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh doesn't have much choice. When Benedict Strachan was just eleven, he hunted down and killed a homeless man. No one's ever figured out why Benedict did it, but now, after sixteen years, he's back on the streets again - battered, frightened, convinced a shadowy 'They' are out to get him, and begging Lucy for help.
It sounds like paranoia, but what if he's right? What if he really is caught up in something bigger and darker than Lucy's ever dealt with before? What if the Bloodsmith isn't the only monster out there? And what's going to happen when Lucy goes after them?
It's been seventeen months since the Bloodsmith butchered his first victim and Operation Maypole is still no nearer to catching him. The media is whipping up a storm, the top brass are demanding results, but the investigation is sinking fast.
Now isn't the time to get distracted with other cases, but Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh doesn't have much choice. When Benedict Strachan was just eleven, he hunted down and killed a homeless man. No one's ever figured out why Benedict did it, but now, after sixteen years, he's back on the streets again - battered, frightened, convinced a shadowy 'They' are out to get him, and begging Lucy for help.
It sounds like paranoia, but what if he's right? What if he really is caught up in something bigger and darker than Lucy's ever dealt with before? What if the Bloodsmith isn't the only monster out there? And what's going to happen when Lucy goes after them?
480 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 2022
417 people are currently reading
1124 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 508 reviews
January 15, 2022
It’s 17 months since The Bloodsmith killed his first victim, and the police are no nearer to catching him. Operation Maypole has run out of clues, the public have lost faith in them, the media are giving them a hammering, and The Top Brass are demanding answers.
Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh should be putting every waking moment into catching the killer, and she does her best, but demands are being made on her time in the form of Benedict Strachan. Strachan brutally murdered a homeless man when he was just 11 years old. He’s now 27 and has recently been released back into the community, but he claims that ‘They’ are after him, whoever ‘They’ may be. Is he telling the truth or is he just paranoid?
Lucy really isn’t in a great place herself right now, she’s clearly suffering from PTSD, and also has a stalker, and what with the extra pressure of Benedict Strachan, who pleads for her help, she’s definitely on a downward spiral.
I’d really become invested in this storyline, a typically gripping crime thriller from Stuart Macbride, until we got to about 80%, and then it just seemed to veer off into the realms of fantasy from whence it completely lost the plot, and so did I!
*Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam Press for an ARC. I have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh should be putting every waking moment into catching the killer, and she does her best, but demands are being made on her time in the form of Benedict Strachan. Strachan brutally murdered a homeless man when he was just 11 years old. He’s now 27 and has recently been released back into the community, but he claims that ‘They’ are after him, whoever ‘They’ may be. Is he telling the truth or is he just paranoid?
Lucy really isn’t in a great place herself right now, she’s clearly suffering from PTSD, and also has a stalker, and what with the extra pressure of Benedict Strachan, who pleads for her help, she’s definitely on a downward spiral.
I’d really become invested in this storyline, a typically gripping crime thriller from Stuart Macbride, until we got to about 80%, and then it just seemed to veer off into the realms of fantasy from whence it completely lost the plot, and so did I!
*Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam Press for an ARC. I have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
April 7, 2022
There is much that feels familiar in Stuart MacBride's latest crime novel set in Oldcastle, the blend of darkness with comic humour, satirical, biting and slapstick, but this time with new protagonists, DS Lucy MacVeigh and her physically unfit, class and inequalities conscious partner, DC Duncan 'the Dunk' Fraser. It has been 17 months since The Bloodsmith killed his last victim, but there have been no leads whatsoever, and with the torrid media coverage, the police hierarchy are washing their hands of Operation Maypole and the stench of failure associated with it. It lands on DI Alasdair Tudor's plate, who pushes it on to MacVeigh and the Dunk, who begin to take a fresh look at the case by revisiting each of the 5 victims and do find new evidence, but struggle when it comes to finding any connections between the dead.
It is made clear that MacVeigh has a traumatic past, she is suffering from PTSD, for which she is forced to see her no good therapist, we do eventually learn the details of the 'event', something she is not allowed to forget about, with Sarah Black hellbent on ensuring she continues to pay. Then there is Lucas Weir, aka Benedict Strachan, who at 11 years old killed a homeless man, making a full confession, but never identifying his accomplice. The frightened Strachan has been recently released from prison, he is asking for MacVeigh's help, talking of 'them' being after him, is he just paranoid? On top of all this, she has a stalker who slashed her car's tyres, resulting in her having to drive around in her late father's ugly, embarrassing pink Bedford Rascal. There is more, Charlie from Professional Standards is intent on talking to her, seemingly turning up everywhere, but she will do anything to avoid him.
MacVeigh has a bigger murder board in her home than the one at DHQ, as she and the Dunk follow all leads, including visiting the exclusive St Nicholas College, but there is even more to Lucy than you might imagine. The surprising twist that emerges near the end is likely to divide readers, with some no doubt finding it a step too far. Whilst it is definitely an unsettling direction for the book to take, I did find myself coming to terms with it as I read on. Otherwise, this is the kind of entertaining, dark, hilarious and thrilling crime read that we have come to expect from MacBride. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
It is made clear that MacVeigh has a traumatic past, she is suffering from PTSD, for which she is forced to see her no good therapist, we do eventually learn the details of the 'event', something she is not allowed to forget about, with Sarah Black hellbent on ensuring she continues to pay. Then there is Lucas Weir, aka Benedict Strachan, who at 11 years old killed a homeless man, making a full confession, but never identifying his accomplice. The frightened Strachan has been recently released from prison, he is asking for MacVeigh's help, talking of 'them' being after him, is he just paranoid? On top of all this, she has a stalker who slashed her car's tyres, resulting in her having to drive around in her late father's ugly, embarrassing pink Bedford Rascal. There is more, Charlie from Professional Standards is intent on talking to her, seemingly turning up everywhere, but she will do anything to avoid him.
MacVeigh has a bigger murder board in her home than the one at DHQ, as she and the Dunk follow all leads, including visiting the exclusive St Nicholas College, but there is even more to Lucy than you might imagine. The surprising twist that emerges near the end is likely to divide readers, with some no doubt finding it a step too far. Whilst it is definitely an unsettling direction for the book to take, I did find myself coming to terms with it as I read on. Otherwise, this is the kind of entertaining, dark, hilarious and thrilling crime read that we have come to expect from MacBride. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
August 21, 2025
Well, this new novel from Stuart MacBride is bound to stir up some controversy amongst his readers!
Let me explain. It’s a book of two distinct parts. The first 80% of the book reads like a traditional hunt for a serial killer, although one imbued with MacBride’s trademark grittiness and sarcastic humour. Someone has committed five brutal murders, including souveniring the hearts, of seemingly unconnected strangers in the Scottish town of Oldcastle. After seventeen months, the police investigation, ‘Operation Maypole’, is no closer to finding the killer nicknamed ‘The Bloodsmith’, and the case has now been bumped down the line to DI Turner and his team with instructions to make a fast arrest. DS Lucy McVeigh and her partner DC Duncan (the Dunk) Fraser are charged by Turner to take a fresh look at all the evidence to date while the team also investigate the recent killing of a homeless man found next to the killer’s signature message scrawled on a wall.
So, at close to four hundred pages of the novel, the plot is progressing steadily with Lucy and Dunk making headway on what connects the murders. It doesn’t have the pace and brilliance of McBride’s Logan MacRae series and while the main serial killer plot is interesting, it just isn’t gripping me yet and I don’t feel as invested in Lucy as I am with Logan. However, there’s an interesting subplot involving a very elite school, some precocious children and a creepy teacher that is looking promising and may also tie in with the opening scene of the novel that has so far not been explained. Then very abruptly, a totally unpredictable twist asks us to re-interpret everything we thought was happening. A very twisty shock of a bombshell indeed, that not all readers are going to be happy about.
What happens in the last 20% of the novel, will change your perception of what has been happening to Lucy. She’s depicted as a prickly, difficult character who overcame a difficult childhood to go on to become a well respected detective. Her insight and different way of looking at things has often provided the breakthrough needed to solve a crime. However, she is currently suffering PTSD from having recently killed a man in self-defence and is being harassed by his mother who believes she murdered him.
To make matters worse, Lucy has a stalker who keeps turning up at her home and work and someone called Charlie from Professional Standards is tailing her trying to get her to talk to him. It’s no wonder she is often grumpy and is nursing a constant headache which doesn’t improve her mood. Lucy is fortunate that she has the relaxed and affable Dunk as her partner and MacBride’s signature snappy dialogue, sarcasm and humour keeps their relationship interesting. After the major twist, the book takes on quite a different flavour. It’s almost as if MacBride has taken all the quirkiness and occasional bizarreness that usually colour his Logan MacRae series and condensed it all into the last hundred pages.
I did find that I got more accepting of the twist as I read on, but personally I’m not sure the added craziness and stretch of credibility was necessary as the novel was heading for a pretty thrilling ending without it. One thing is for sure, once you get over the initial shock, it’s a wild ride, very original and definitely edgy, but will you applaud or jeer at the end? You’ll just have to read it and make up your own mind.
With thanks to Random House UK via Netgalley for a copy to read. Original review first published in Mystery was suspense Magazine https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/no....
Let me explain. It’s a book of two distinct parts. The first 80% of the book reads like a traditional hunt for a serial killer, although one imbued with MacBride’s trademark grittiness and sarcastic humour. Someone has committed five brutal murders, including souveniring the hearts, of seemingly unconnected strangers in the Scottish town of Oldcastle. After seventeen months, the police investigation, ‘Operation Maypole’, is no closer to finding the killer nicknamed ‘The Bloodsmith’, and the case has now been bumped down the line to DI Turner and his team with instructions to make a fast arrest. DS Lucy McVeigh and her partner DC Duncan (the Dunk) Fraser are charged by Turner to take a fresh look at all the evidence to date while the team also investigate the recent killing of a homeless man found next to the killer’s signature message scrawled on a wall.
So, at close to four hundred pages of the novel, the plot is progressing steadily with Lucy and Dunk making headway on what connects the murders. It doesn’t have the pace and brilliance of McBride’s Logan MacRae series and while the main serial killer plot is interesting, it just isn’t gripping me yet and I don’t feel as invested in Lucy as I am with Logan. However, there’s an interesting subplot involving a very elite school, some precocious children and a creepy teacher that is looking promising and may also tie in with the opening scene of the novel that has so far not been explained. Then very abruptly, a totally unpredictable twist asks us to re-interpret everything we thought was happening. A very twisty shock of a bombshell indeed, that not all readers are going to be happy about.
What happens in the last 20% of the novel, will change your perception of what has been happening to Lucy. She’s depicted as a prickly, difficult character who overcame a difficult childhood to go on to become a well respected detective. Her insight and different way of looking at things has often provided the breakthrough needed to solve a crime. However, she is currently suffering PTSD from having recently killed a man in self-defence and is being harassed by his mother who believes she murdered him.
To make matters worse, Lucy has a stalker who keeps turning up at her home and work and someone called Charlie from Professional Standards is tailing her trying to get her to talk to him. It’s no wonder she is often grumpy and is nursing a constant headache which doesn’t improve her mood. Lucy is fortunate that she has the relaxed and affable Dunk as her partner and MacBride’s signature snappy dialogue, sarcasm and humour keeps their relationship interesting. After the major twist, the book takes on quite a different flavour. It’s almost as if MacBride has taken all the quirkiness and occasional bizarreness that usually colour his Logan MacRae series and condensed it all into the last hundred pages.
I did find that I got more accepting of the twist as I read on, but personally I’m not sure the added craziness and stretch of credibility was necessary as the novel was heading for a pretty thrilling ending without it. One thing is for sure, once you get over the initial shock, it’s a wild ride, very original and definitely edgy, but will you applaud or jeer at the end? You’ll just have to read it and make up your own mind.
With thanks to Random House UK via Netgalley for a copy to read. Original review first published in Mystery was suspense Magazine https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/no....
May 7, 2022
EXCERPT: Lucy stopped.
That feeling of being watched had returned, even stronger than before.
She spun around.
There - standing on the corner, twenty feet away, where the road played host to another row of crumbling warehouses. It was the man in the corduroy jacket. The one who'd been outside the cottage this morning. The one who'd got away.
Not this time.
ABOUT 'NO LESS THE DEVIL': It's been seventeen months since the Bloodsmith butchered his first victim and Operation Maypole is still no nearer to catching him. The media is whipping up a storm, the top brass are demanding results, but the investigation is sinking fast.
Now isn't the time to get distracted with other cases, but Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh doesn't have much choice. When Benedict Strachan was just eleven, he hunted down and killed a homeless man. No one's ever figured out why Benedict did it, but now, after sixteen years, he's back on the streets again - battered, frightened, convinced a shadowy 'They' are out to get him, and begging Lucy for help.
It sounds like paranoia, but what if he's right? What if he really is caught up in something bigger and darker than Lucy's ever dealt with before? What if the Bloodsmith isn't the only monster out there? And what's going to happen when Lucy goes after them?
MY THOUGHTS: 'We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.'
If you don't believe that the human mind is the most dangerous place on earth, you are probably not going to get the most out of this book. Stuart MacBride delves into the deepest recesses of the mind: PTSD, paranoia, delusions, hallucinations and psychopathy. Delicious stuff for me!
Set in the fictional Scottish town of Oldcastle, MacBride treats us to a new protagonist, DS Lucy McVeigh and her sidekick, the very out of condition DC 'the Dunc' Fraser, a bit of a whinger, but a good hearted one. Lucy has, of course, a traumatic past, but it turns out to be a bit more traumatic than we first think. Which is part of the problem. If it is a problem. It may be her salvation.
I couldn't help thinking, as I got to the end, that Lucy may have made a deal with the Devil, and we all know the Devil likes to come out on top. He just might have met his match in Lucy. This is definitely going to be an interesting series.
Now for those of you readers who don't have a great deal of psychiatric knowledge/background, there comes a point a little over 3/4 of the way through the book when you're going to be thinking 'wtf?' I thought that. I thought 'Has Stuart MacBride lost his marbles?' The short answer is no, he hasn't. Stick with it. Go with the flow. It will all become clear. Or clear enough . . .
MacBride goes in hard and fast with No Less the Devil. There's no fannying about. No sitting around drinking cups of tea and eating scones. It's breathtaking.
Lead on, Mr MacBride. I'm following.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
#NoLesstheDevil #NetGalley
I: @stuart.macbride @randomhouse
T: @StuartMacBride @randomhouse
#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #mentalhealth #murdermystery #scottishnoir #thriller
THE AUTHOR: Stuart MacBride lives in the northeast of Scotland with his wife Fiona, cats Gherkin, Onion and Beetroot, some hens, some horses and an impressive collection of assorted weeds.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of No Less the Devil 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 is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
That feeling of being watched had returned, even stronger than before.
She spun around.
There - standing on the corner, twenty feet away, where the road played host to another row of crumbling warehouses. It was the man in the corduroy jacket. The one who'd been outside the cottage this morning. The one who'd got away.
Not this time.
ABOUT 'NO LESS THE DEVIL': It's been seventeen months since the Bloodsmith butchered his first victim and Operation Maypole is still no nearer to catching him. The media is whipping up a storm, the top brass are demanding results, but the investigation is sinking fast.
Now isn't the time to get distracted with other cases, but Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh doesn't have much choice. When Benedict Strachan was just eleven, he hunted down and killed a homeless man. No one's ever figured out why Benedict did it, but now, after sixteen years, he's back on the streets again - battered, frightened, convinced a shadowy 'They' are out to get him, and begging Lucy for help.
It sounds like paranoia, but what if he's right? What if he really is caught up in something bigger and darker than Lucy's ever dealt with before? What if the Bloodsmith isn't the only monster out there? And what's going to happen when Lucy goes after them?
MY THOUGHTS: 'We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.'
If you don't believe that the human mind is the most dangerous place on earth, you are probably not going to get the most out of this book. Stuart MacBride delves into the deepest recesses of the mind: PTSD, paranoia, delusions, hallucinations and psychopathy. Delicious stuff for me!
Set in the fictional Scottish town of Oldcastle, MacBride treats us to a new protagonist, DS Lucy McVeigh and her sidekick, the very out of condition DC 'the Dunc' Fraser, a bit of a whinger, but a good hearted one. Lucy has, of course, a traumatic past, but it turns out to be a bit more traumatic than we first think. Which is part of the problem. If it is a problem. It may be her salvation.
I couldn't help thinking, as I got to the end, that Lucy may have made a deal with the Devil, and we all know the Devil likes to come out on top. He just might have met his match in Lucy. This is definitely going to be an interesting series.
Now for those of you readers who don't have a great deal of psychiatric knowledge/background, there comes a point a little over 3/4 of the way through the book when you're going to be thinking 'wtf?' I thought that. I thought 'Has Stuart MacBride lost his marbles?' The short answer is no, he hasn't. Stick with it. Go with the flow. It will all become clear. Or clear enough . . .
MacBride goes in hard and fast with No Less the Devil. There's no fannying about. No sitting around drinking cups of tea and eating scones. It's breathtaking.
Lead on, Mr MacBride. I'm following.
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
#NoLesstheDevil #NetGalley
I: @stuart.macbride @randomhouse
T: @StuartMacBride @randomhouse
#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #mentalhealth #murdermystery #scottishnoir #thriller
THE AUTHOR: Stuart MacBride lives in the northeast of Scotland with his wife Fiona, cats Gherkin, Onion and Beetroot, some hens, some horses and an impressive collection of assorted weeds.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of No Less the Devil 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 is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
November 15, 2021
2.5 - 3 rounded up.
It’s been nearly 18 months since the Bloodsmith killed his first victim of five and a few months since the last one. The investigation entitled ‘Operation Maypole’ is getting nowhere fast in apprehending this callous killer and the press and police top brass are getting impatient for results. DI Tudor is now placed in charge and DS Lucy McVeigh is made part of the team. Lucy however, is very distracted as not only is she struggling with possible PTSD, she has a stalker and if that’s not enough Benedict Strachan, a recently released child killer is pleading for her help and protection.
Well, if you like a read that has you on board the train to crazy town, then jump aboard this one! I usually love Stuart MacBride’s books but I’m extremely confused dot com about this one. In the first three quarters there are some intriguing plot twists, there’s tension and suspense. There are genuine moments of chill as you’d expect from this author and it looks like it’s shaping up for a jaw dropping ending. You are but not in the way you might expect. Lucy is an very interesting central character and a bit different which I do like and there are some good puzzles created through her.
However, the book is very long, it’s quite random at times and feels very disconnected, then chuck in a lot of characters, add in some very silly, juvenile dialogue that doesn’t match the very dark events then you begin to get the picture. At times my brain nearly explodes with trying to keep up with the evolving plot or alternatively its like it might feel if you imbibe something mind altering or more to the point, has the author???? This is particularly apt for the last 20% or so which is bonkers in my opinion and your mouth drops open with incredulity and I keep having to shake my head in an endeavour to take it all in. Really? Seriously?
Overall, this is far from being the authors best book and it’s not one for me. It’s a real shame as there is the makings of a very good plot here but it gets lost along a convoluted and meandering way.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House U.K., Transworld, Bantam Press for the arc in return for an honest review.
It’s been nearly 18 months since the Bloodsmith killed his first victim of five and a few months since the last one. The investigation entitled ‘Operation Maypole’ is getting nowhere fast in apprehending this callous killer and the press and police top brass are getting impatient for results. DI Tudor is now placed in charge and DS Lucy McVeigh is made part of the team. Lucy however, is very distracted as not only is she struggling with possible PTSD, she has a stalker and if that’s not enough Benedict Strachan, a recently released child killer is pleading for her help and protection.
Well, if you like a read that has you on board the train to crazy town, then jump aboard this one! I usually love Stuart MacBride’s books but I’m extremely confused dot com about this one. In the first three quarters there are some intriguing plot twists, there’s tension and suspense. There are genuine moments of chill as you’d expect from this author and it looks like it’s shaping up for a jaw dropping ending. You are but not in the way you might expect. Lucy is an very interesting central character and a bit different which I do like and there are some good puzzles created through her.
However, the book is very long, it’s quite random at times and feels very disconnected, then chuck in a lot of characters, add in some very silly, juvenile dialogue that doesn’t match the very dark events then you begin to get the picture. At times my brain nearly explodes with trying to keep up with the evolving plot or alternatively its like it might feel if you imbibe something mind altering or more to the point, has the author???? This is particularly apt for the last 20% or so which is bonkers in my opinion and your mouth drops open with incredulity and I keep having to shake my head in an endeavour to take it all in. Really? Seriously?
Overall, this is far from being the authors best book and it’s not one for me. It’s a real shame as there is the makings of a very good plot here but it gets lost along a convoluted and meandering way.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House U.K., Transworld, Bantam Press for the arc in return for an honest review.
November 9, 2021
So....I'm anxiously waiting for some of my book buddies to grab this & read it because we need to talk. Don't worry, we'll skip past the first 80%. I'm referring to the last bit, the final chapters I read with my mouth hanging open. But in the meantime, a few thoughts on the story & how it all began.
It's been seventeen months since the "Bloodsmith" started killing random citizens of Oldcastle & taking their hearts. Seventeen months that have resulted in 5 bodies, multiple investigations & zero leads. Down at the police station, it's the case no one wants. So when it's DI Tudor's turn to take on the whole mess, he wastes no time dumping it on DS Lucy McVeigh & her trusty sidekick DC Duncan Fraser.
Great...like she doesn't enough on her plate. Still reeling from a recent assault, Lucy is busy dealing with PTSD, a useless therapist, Tudor's expectations, Fraser's rants & the antics of a recently released killer. Oh, and there just might be someone stalking her. So does she want to be saddled with a career ending case? Sure, why not.
Lucy & Fraser begin revisiting the old crime scenes & turns out there is something new. Plus, thanks to a chilling prologue, readers know more than our intrepid duo which helps ramp up the tension as the investigation takes on new life.
If you've read any of MacBride's previous books, you'll probably feel right at home here. In keeping with tradition, the 2 MC's are a pair of cops....one who is perpetually cranky & demanding while the other is put-upon & given to stream of consciousness style rants. Dialogue is rapid fire, sarcastic & full of biting humour. Add in a whack of physical action & some slapstick & fans will definitely feel like they're watching a younger, transplanted version of Steel & McRae.
BUT....while subject matter, characters & their roles/relationships may feel familiar, don't get too comfy. And lose that smug little smile. I guarantee you have no idea where this is heading. To be honest, at one point I wondered if a "Dallas" style moment was pending...a scene where everyone wakes up & realizes it was all a dream.
This heralds the arrival of the aforementioned last 20% & THAT ending. There is nothing I can say without blabbing a potential spoiler so at this point, I'm walking away. You're on our own. Stay alert, keep hydrated, maybe strap on a helmet. My only comment is W...T...F...
3.5/5 stars
It's been seventeen months since the "Bloodsmith" started killing random citizens of Oldcastle & taking their hearts. Seventeen months that have resulted in 5 bodies, multiple investigations & zero leads. Down at the police station, it's the case no one wants. So when it's DI Tudor's turn to take on the whole mess, he wastes no time dumping it on DS Lucy McVeigh & her trusty sidekick DC Duncan Fraser.
Great...like she doesn't enough on her plate. Still reeling from a recent assault, Lucy is busy dealing with PTSD, a useless therapist, Tudor's expectations, Fraser's rants & the antics of a recently released killer. Oh, and there just might be someone stalking her. So does she want to be saddled with a career ending case? Sure, why not.
Lucy & Fraser begin revisiting the old crime scenes & turns out there is something new. Plus, thanks to a chilling prologue, readers know more than our intrepid duo which helps ramp up the tension as the investigation takes on new life.
If you've read any of MacBride's previous books, you'll probably feel right at home here. In keeping with tradition, the 2 MC's are a pair of cops....one who is perpetually cranky & demanding while the other is put-upon & given to stream of consciousness style rants. Dialogue is rapid fire, sarcastic & full of biting humour. Add in a whack of physical action & some slapstick & fans will definitely feel like they're watching a younger, transplanted version of Steel & McRae.
BUT....while subject matter, characters & their roles/relationships may feel familiar, don't get too comfy. And lose that smug little smile. I guarantee you have no idea where this is heading. To be honest, at one point I wondered if a "Dallas" style moment was pending...a scene where everyone wakes up & realizes it was all a dream.
This heralds the arrival of the aforementioned last 20% & THAT ending. There is nothing I can say without blabbing a potential spoiler so at this point, I'm walking away. You're on our own. Stay alert, keep hydrated, maybe strap on a helmet. My only comment is W...T...F...
3.5/5 stars
January 9, 2023
Not Logan McCrae, nor Ash Henderson, but another cop heads up this book and this time it is a woman - DS Lucy MacVeigh. I searched around but could not discover whether this is the start of a new series or whether it is a standalone. Whichever, it is an excellent book.
It becomes clear very quickly that MacVeigh has some serious issues, supposedly due to PTSD from an appalling event in her past. Nevertheless she is talented at her job and is very driven to solve crimes. She practically drags her offsider, DC Duncan 'Dunk' Fraser along with her.
As with all of MacBride's books the body count is high, the murders are brutal, the pace is relentless and the humour is black. For me this was a four star, very good book which I felt I had a good grip on until suddenly the author took the whole thing, threw it in the air and when the dust settled my outlook was totally changed.
I loved it. Sometimes thrillers are rather predictable. This one is outrageously the opposite. Five stars for an excellent, clever, fun read. I hope it may be the start of a series - there were certainly story lines there which could be followed up. Fingers crossed.
It becomes clear very quickly that MacVeigh has some serious issues, supposedly due to PTSD from an appalling event in her past. Nevertheless she is talented at her job and is very driven to solve crimes. She practically drags her offsider, DC Duncan 'Dunk' Fraser along with her.
As with all of MacBride's books the body count is high, the murders are brutal, the pace is relentless and the humour is black. For me this was a four star, very good book which I felt I had a good grip on until suddenly the author took the whole thing, threw it in the air and when the dust settled my outlook was totally changed.
I loved it. Sometimes thrillers are rather predictable. This one is outrageously the opposite. Five stars for an excellent, clever, fun read. I hope it may be the start of a series - there were certainly story lines there which could be followed up. Fingers crossed.
February 23, 2024
Lots going on with a high level of violence interspersed with sarcasm. The story was bounding along quite nicely until about 80% through when we went on a supernatural left turn which unfortunately didn’t hit the spot for me. Damaged souls all round.
August 19, 2022
This is a difficult review to write. Throughout most of the story, I felt it was a five-star read, then came the ending, which disappointed me—it didn’t feel right—and so I lowered my internal rating system to four stars. Then waited a while to ensure I got it right.
Few, if any, reviewers have mentioned the dedication, so I will:
In loving memory of Grendel MacBride, my constant companion, muse, and very own little fuzzy serial killer. 2004-2021.
This dedication is accompanied by a photo of Grendel, who may be a British Longhair, but I’m not certain. I immediately thought about all those people who post pictures of their cats on their social media pages (and I am guilty of this). We’re in for a wild ride, this dedication shows us. And indeed it is crazy and chaotic, but then Stuart MacBride books always are.
The story begins with a prologue, the murder of a homeless man by two children (preteens), then shifts into typical MacBride country—a police station in Oldcastle, a fictitious city in Scotland that serves as the setting for most of the author’s darker stories—madcap with a somber overcast. So the reader knows what to expect.
We follow DS Lucy McVeigh and her companion DC Duncan Fraser (the Dunk) as they search for a serial killer, The Bloodsmith, before he strikes again. There is the typical MacBride bombardment of disjointed messages from many sources. This must be how it is like to be autistic, or schizophrenic, I thought as I read this constant patter—unable to filter out incessant messages coming from various sources. Brilliant. Of course, the conscientious neurotypical reader can follow each of the threads, by paying close attention. Not a quick read then.
Mostly we are in Lucy’s head, and it soon becomes obvious that she is very troubled. Early in the story, it is revealed that she has PTSD, and about half-way through, we find out what caused it. The Dunk, on the other hand, seems to serve as comedy relief—woefully out of shape, dresses like a hippie from the 1960s, spouts constant pithy statements about the privileged few, until he meets some, at the super-exclusive St. Nicholas College for gifted children (referred to throughout the book as St. Nick’s). At St. Nick’s, the Dunk is reduced to a speechless twit in the posh, elegant environment. (The name “St. Nick’s” should clue the reader into the twists that will follow.)
I view Dunk as the alter ego of the author. MacBride is laughing at himself. Not just comedy relief, but a statement of where he fits into this cultural environment—-fiction based on reality. Dunk is constantly complaining about writers who don’t use punctuation properly in their reports and, at one point, likens himself Dr. Watson following Holmes (Lucy)—in other words, a writer, telling a story about Lucy’s investigative prowess.
Thus, Lucy and Dunk progress through a multitude of different environments, searching for clues that will lead them to The Bloodsmith. At one point, the cat theme is again introduced, when they discover the body of a suicide.
eight fat furry felines prowled through the long grass, each one staring up at Lucy and licking its lips… Let [GED] deal with the rotting, half-eaten corpse and cannibal cats.
Also, throughout the narrative, the presence of questionable “mums” rears its head over and over again; mums who fail to adequately nurture their children, who care about these children only after they are dead. ’Some of our parents can be a bit … hands off.’ says a character talking about the boarders at St. Nick’s. Throughout the story, there are scenes showing a lack of communication—people stuck in their own worlds, unable to connect with one another. Again a nod to the autistic/schizophrenic mindset. And when Lucy is offered a promotion, she asks herself …had she just sold her soul to the Devil, or only rented it … All clues to where the story is heading.
Then around the 80% mark the story takes a sharp turn. I was expecting some of it—the foreshadowing of Lucy’s PTSD—but not all of it. There are more twists and turns through the last 20%, some I liked and some I didn’t like. But at the end, I was left with an uneasy feeling, because many of the killers escaped justice. In real life, this is often true, but most of us read thrillers because we want things to end right, the culprits caught, and justice to prevail. When an author doesn’t give us that satisfaction, we are left with a feeling of unease. Yes, MacBride throws us tidbits: not all the culprits escape; some are captured/killed. But some flourish.
This is a very ambitious novel. There are many currents running through it. The emphasis on psychology (psychologists, PTSD, mental breakdowns, etc.), the emphasis on class and income inequality (Dunk’s ramblings, St. Nick’s, etc.), the emphasis on negligent parenting and child abuse (a common theme in MacBride’s work). But when these all come together in the end, I, as a reader, was left feeling bruised.
So, as a social commentary, it worked brilliantly. But as a story, it didn’t provide me closure. Of course, MacBride could argue that in several Patricia Highsmith stories, the criminal gets away with it, and Highsmith is considered one of the world’s greatest crime writers. (Highsmith also loved cats.) So, many will love this book, and many won’t. I loved most of it, and am giving it four stars.
ADDENDUM (added May 7): I’m going to add this book to my shelf of “top crime thrillers published in 2022”. Although it has a flawed ending, it is still one of the most ambitious thrillers published thus far this year. MacBride was reaching high with this one and didn’t quite pull it off. But that’s better than not attempting to grow beyond one’s comfort zone, which is true of so many authors.
Few, if any, reviewers have mentioned the dedication, so I will:
In loving memory of Grendel MacBride, my constant companion, muse, and very own little fuzzy serial killer. 2004-2021.
This dedication is accompanied by a photo of Grendel, who may be a British Longhair, but I’m not certain. I immediately thought about all those people who post pictures of their cats on their social media pages (and I am guilty of this). We’re in for a wild ride, this dedication shows us. And indeed it is crazy and chaotic, but then Stuart MacBride books always are.
The story begins with a prologue, the murder of a homeless man by two children (preteens), then shifts into typical MacBride country—a police station in Oldcastle, a fictitious city in Scotland that serves as the setting for most of the author’s darker stories—madcap with a somber overcast. So the reader knows what to expect.
We follow DS Lucy McVeigh and her companion DC Duncan Fraser (the Dunk) as they search for a serial killer, The Bloodsmith, before he strikes again. There is the typical MacBride bombardment of disjointed messages from many sources. This must be how it is like to be autistic, or schizophrenic, I thought as I read this constant patter—unable to filter out incessant messages coming from various sources. Brilliant. Of course, the conscientious neurotypical reader can follow each of the threads, by paying close attention. Not a quick read then.
Mostly we are in Lucy’s head, and it soon becomes obvious that she is very troubled. Early in the story, it is revealed that she has PTSD, and about half-way through, we find out what caused it. The Dunk, on the other hand, seems to serve as comedy relief—woefully out of shape, dresses like a hippie from the 1960s, spouts constant pithy statements about the privileged few, until he meets some, at the super-exclusive St. Nicholas College for gifted children (referred to throughout the book as St. Nick’s). At St. Nick’s, the Dunk is reduced to a speechless twit in the posh, elegant environment. (The name “St. Nick’s” should clue the reader into the twists that will follow.)
I view Dunk as the alter ego of the author. MacBride is laughing at himself. Not just comedy relief, but a statement of where he fits into this cultural environment—-fiction based on reality. Dunk is constantly complaining about writers who don’t use punctuation properly in their reports and, at one point, likens himself Dr. Watson following Holmes (Lucy)—in other words, a writer, telling a story about Lucy’s investigative prowess.
Thus, Lucy and Dunk progress through a multitude of different environments, searching for clues that will lead them to The Bloodsmith. At one point, the cat theme is again introduced, when they discover the body of a suicide.
eight fat furry felines prowled through the long grass, each one staring up at Lucy and licking its lips… Let [GED] deal with the rotting, half-eaten corpse and cannibal cats.
Also, throughout the narrative, the presence of questionable “mums” rears its head over and over again; mums who fail to adequately nurture their children, who care about these children only after they are dead. ’Some of our parents can be a bit … hands off.’ says a character talking about the boarders at St. Nick’s. Throughout the story, there are scenes showing a lack of communication—people stuck in their own worlds, unable to connect with one another. Again a nod to the autistic/schizophrenic mindset. And when Lucy is offered a promotion, she asks herself …had she just sold her soul to the Devil, or only rented it … All clues to where the story is heading.
Then around the 80% mark the story takes a sharp turn. I was expecting some of it—the foreshadowing of Lucy’s PTSD—but not all of it. There are more twists and turns through the last 20%, some I liked and some I didn’t like. But at the end, I was left with an uneasy feeling, because many of the killers escaped justice. In real life, this is often true, but most of us read thrillers because we want things to end right, the culprits caught, and justice to prevail. When an author doesn’t give us that satisfaction, we are left with a feeling of unease. Yes, MacBride throws us tidbits: not all the culprits escape; some are captured/killed. But some flourish.
This is a very ambitious novel. There are many currents running through it. The emphasis on psychology (psychologists, PTSD, mental breakdowns, etc.), the emphasis on class and income inequality (Dunk’s ramblings, St. Nick’s, etc.), the emphasis on negligent parenting and child abuse (a common theme in MacBride’s work). But when these all come together in the end, I, as a reader, was left feeling bruised.
So, as a social commentary, it worked brilliantly. But as a story, it didn’t provide me closure. Of course, MacBride could argue that in several Patricia Highsmith stories, the criminal gets away with it, and Highsmith is considered one of the world’s greatest crime writers. (Highsmith also loved cats.) So, many will love this book, and many won’t. I loved most of it, and am giving it four stars.
ADDENDUM (added May 7): I’m going to add this book to my shelf of “top crime thrillers published in 2022”. Although it has a flawed ending, it is still one of the most ambitious thrillers published thus far this year. MacBride was reaching high with this one and didn’t quite pull it off. But that’s better than not attempting to grow beyond one’s comfort zone, which is true of so many authors.
May 2, 2022
This is by far the most unsettling and intricate story I’ve read in a long time. From the first page, you are immersed in the story, in the thoughts and actions of Lucy McVeigh and her partner ‘the Dunk’. Well, he’s a DC but aside from useful for driving the car and running errands, he is not yet a very sharp and insightful policeman. On the contrary. We follow Lucy and Dunk all over Oldcastle and back, trying to find serial killer The Bloodsmith before he strikes again. Already five bodies have been found, not only dead but also horribly mutilated. To make Lucy’s life even more difficult, all her superiors are insisting this case should be solved very, very quick and there is also the matter of Benedict Strachan, who’s been in prison for eleven years after confessing to the murder of a homeless man. He desperately wants Lucy to help him. And if this not enough already, Lucy is tormented by her own memories, including the loss of her parents and her best friend after an event so gruesome she doesn’t want to think about it anymore.
Well, Lucy does her utmost to follow all the leads they have, starting with revisiting the homes of the victims where they indeed find some clues to work with. These clues take them to such unfamiliar places as the home of Benedict’s parents and to a very, very posh school for gifted children. Soon after Lucy and Dunk make some progress, there is another spanner in the works because now Lucy seems to be followed, not only by a suspect, but also by Charlie, a policeman from Professional Standards.
So far, nothing points us readers in the direction this story is finally taking. That is, if you miss the small hidden clues throughout the story. And of course, you need to be on your guard when reading a book by MacBride, because he’s a master in leading you one way, and the plot another. Still, as many other readers/reviewers, I was not completely prepared for what happened after the first shock. What can I say? This book touches a lot of subjects, neither of them very nice. But together they make for an astonishing reading experience.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for this review copy. (I immediately bought the paperback because this is a book to be re-read soon.)
Well, Lucy does her utmost to follow all the leads they have, starting with revisiting the homes of the victims where they indeed find some clues to work with. These clues take them to such unfamiliar places as the home of Benedict’s parents and to a very, very posh school for gifted children. Soon after Lucy and Dunk make some progress, there is another spanner in the works because now Lucy seems to be followed, not only by a suspect, but also by Charlie, a policeman from Professional Standards.
So far, nothing points us readers in the direction this story is finally taking. That is, if you miss the small hidden clues throughout the story. And of course, you need to be on your guard when reading a book by MacBride, because he’s a master in leading you one way, and the plot another. Still, as many other readers/reviewers, I was not completely prepared for what happened after the first shock. What can I say? This book touches a lot of subjects, neither of them very nice. But together they make for an astonishing reading experience.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for this review copy. (I immediately bought the paperback because this is a book to be re-read soon.)
November 8, 2021
I have read many books by this author and enjoy the ‘Logan McRae’ series but I’m afraid I struggled a little with this one. It felt like a fairly long read and my opinion seemed to change regularly throughout the novel. There were times when I thought I was getting to grips with it and enjoying it to other times when I couldn’t wait to finish. Some good characters written in the authors usual writing style but failed to grip me in the way MacBride’s novels normally do.
Seventeen months have passed since the Bloodsmith butchered his first victim and the police are no closer to catching him. Both the media and the police seniors are demanding results but the investigation is constantly hitting brick wall. Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh is looking at another case involving Benedict Strachan, who was just eleven when he hunted down and killed a homeless man. There was never any explanation for his actions, but now, after sixteen years, he’s back on the streets again and is asking Lucy for protection.
I would like to thank both Netgalley and Random House UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Seventeen months have passed since the Bloodsmith butchered his first victim and the police are no closer to catching him. Both the media and the police seniors are demanding results but the investigation is constantly hitting brick wall. Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh is looking at another case involving Benedict Strachan, who was just eleven when he hunted down and killed a homeless man. There was never any explanation for his actions, but now, after sixteen years, he’s back on the streets again and is asking Lucy for protection.
I would like to thank both Netgalley and Random House UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
March 9, 2023
No Less The Devil is a standalone crime thriller by bestselling Scottish author Stuart MacBride, known for his brilliant Logan McRae / Roberta Steel and Ash Henderson series. Set in the fictional Scottish city of Oldcastle, No Less The Devil fits within the Ash Henderson universe, but like A Dark So Deadly features its own set of unique characters.
Launching into this novel, I'd expected a tightly-plotted police procedural, featuring complex characters, gritty themes and dark humour. And that's exactly what it was ... up until about the 80% point.
A homeless man is found brutally murdered in a dilapidated cottage in the woods outside Oldcastle. The words "Help Me" written in blood on a nearby wall link the crime to a gruesome series of murders committed a couple of years previously by a killer dubbed "the Bloodsmith" by the baying press.
Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh, still recovering from a past trauma - the exact nature of which is gradually revealed over the course of the story - is deputed by her DI, Alasdair Tudor, to re-investigate the earlier crimes in the hopes of finding a link that will finally bring the criminal to justice. With the image- and class-conscious DC Duncan "The Dunk" Fraser in tow, McVeigh sets about the task in an intuitive but unorthodox manner. Hampered by the shadow of her own past trauma and a seemingly perpetual headache, McVeigh must also deal with the recent release of notorious murderer Benedict Strachan, convicted as an 11-year-old and now seeking McVeigh's protection from a shadowy menace he refers to only as "them". Not only that, a mysterious stalker is tracking her movements and causing damage to property, and she's also caught the attention of a very persistent officer from Professional Standards.
Despite all the obstacles, McVeigh and the Dunk are successful in unearthing new clues to the identity of "the Bloodsmith", including apparent links to the elite St. Nicholas's College. Can they capture the killer before he (or she) strikes again?
A completely unexpected plot twist takes No Less The Devil into a different style of psychological thriller to any previous work of MacBride's that I've encountered. The quantum shift required in the reader's understanding of the plot and characters up to that point is jarring and has, not unexpectedly, caused heated debate amongst MacBride's legion of fans. Whether it's a genre-defying masterstroke or a strange literary experiment is really up to each individual reader's judgment, I suppose. I'll admit I'm still a little on the fence, although the reading experience has made me realise that my tastes and expectations for crime fiction are fairly orthodox, and perhaps it wouldn't hurt me to read more books that push the traditional boundaries a little. This one certainly takes Ronald Knox's "Ten Commandments", shreds them into tiny pieces, soaks them with petrol and sets them on fire (probably on a railway line)!
Launching into this novel, I'd expected a tightly-plotted police procedural, featuring complex characters, gritty themes and dark humour. And that's exactly what it was ... up until about the 80% point.
A homeless man is found brutally murdered in a dilapidated cottage in the woods outside Oldcastle. The words "Help Me" written in blood on a nearby wall link the crime to a gruesome series of murders committed a couple of years previously by a killer dubbed "the Bloodsmith" by the baying press.
Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh, still recovering from a past trauma - the exact nature of which is gradually revealed over the course of the story - is deputed by her DI, Alasdair Tudor, to re-investigate the earlier crimes in the hopes of finding a link that will finally bring the criminal to justice. With the image- and class-conscious DC Duncan "The Dunk" Fraser in tow, McVeigh sets about the task in an intuitive but unorthodox manner. Hampered by the shadow of her own past trauma and a seemingly perpetual headache, McVeigh must also deal with the recent release of notorious murderer Benedict Strachan, convicted as an 11-year-old and now seeking McVeigh's protection from a shadowy menace he refers to only as "them". Not only that, a mysterious stalker is tracking her movements and causing damage to property, and she's also caught the attention of a very persistent officer from Professional Standards.
Despite all the obstacles, McVeigh and the Dunk are successful in unearthing new clues to the identity of "the Bloodsmith", including apparent links to the elite St. Nicholas's College. Can they capture the killer before he (or she) strikes again?
A completely unexpected plot twist takes No Less The Devil into a different style of psychological thriller to any previous work of MacBride's that I've encountered. The quantum shift required in the reader's understanding of the plot and characters up to that point is jarring and has, not unexpectedly, caused heated debate amongst MacBride's legion of fans. Whether it's a genre-defying masterstroke or a strange literary experiment is really up to each individual reader's judgment, I suppose. I'll admit I'm still a little on the fence, although the reading experience has made me realise that my tastes and expectations for crime fiction are fairly orthodox, and perhaps it wouldn't hurt me to read more books that push the traditional boundaries a little. This one certainly takes Ronald Knox's "Ten Commandments", shreds them into tiny pieces, soaks them with petrol and sets them on fire (probably on a railway line)!
April 29, 2022
Review to follow
April 29, 2022
I received a suprise copy of No Less the Devil by Stuart McBride from Penguin Books Australia and immediately my husband stole it and read it. So here are his thoughts:
This is book 5 in the Oldcastle novels. I am always a bit dubious about joining a series when I haven't read the others but I was mostly put at ease.
It starts with a murder and descends into multiple murders with victims over 17 months. Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh and her colleague The Dunc end up having to sort out the mess that The Bloodsmith Killer has caused. Multiple unsolved murders means the top brass are getting antsy. On top of this, Benedict Strachen was just 11 when he confessed to killing a homeless man, and he has just been released from prison. He begs for Lucy's help, claiming "they" are out to get him. is he paranoid? Or is it something bigger?
This novel takes the reader into some uncomfortable reading and spins the reader sideways with all the twists and turns. No spoilers but it will mess with you head! A really enjoyable read, very dark in many places. And Scottish - so I found myself reading it in a Scottish accent.
Thanks to Penguin Australia for keeping my husband entertained whilst off work sick. No Less The Devil is released May 3rd.
This is book 5 in the Oldcastle novels. I am always a bit dubious about joining a series when I haven't read the others but I was mostly put at ease.
It starts with a murder and descends into multiple murders with victims over 17 months. Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh and her colleague The Dunc end up having to sort out the mess that The Bloodsmith Killer has caused. Multiple unsolved murders means the top brass are getting antsy. On top of this, Benedict Strachen was just 11 when he confessed to killing a homeless man, and he has just been released from prison. He begs for Lucy's help, claiming "they" are out to get him. is he paranoid? Or is it something bigger?
This novel takes the reader into some uncomfortable reading and spins the reader sideways with all the twists and turns. No spoilers but it will mess with you head! A really enjoyable read, very dark in many places. And Scottish - so I found myself reading it in a Scottish accent.
Thanks to Penguin Australia for keeping my husband entertained whilst off work sick. No Less The Devil is released May 3rd.
June 6, 2022
No Less the Devil is most definitely a tale of two parts. The first 80% is a taut, twisty detective novel with wit and sarcasm aplenty…the norm for a Stuart MacBride novel. The last 20% however, had me flummoxed. I uttered the words WTF a lot and found myself physically scratching my head. If this was the plot all along it felt incredibly rushed and didn’t make much sense. I can’t give much more away without big spoilers, trust me, you’ll just have to read it for yourself.
No Less the Devil opens with the Bloodsmith still being at large. Seventeen months have passed and the officers conducting Operation Maypole are still no closer to cracking it. It’s like the perpetrator is a ghost, leaving no clues and no DNA behind. The public and the bereaved family members of the victims have no faith in their ability to catch them and the media are tearing them apart. DI Tudor is now in charge of the operation, acting more like a scapegoat rather than his superiors having any faith that his team will crack it. DS Lucy McVeigh is part of the team, and she is determined to bust it wide open.
McVeigh is a very complex character. She has the potential to ride all the way to the top in her police career. She gets results and isn’t afraid to bend the rules to get them. She is joined by her partner, The Dunk, which brings some much-needed satirical relief. An anti-establishment character who isn’t afraid to tell you what he thinks about those in power. He was my favourite character with his “unfit” ramblings whilst trying to keep up with McVeigh.
No Less the Devil is the examination of the case is pushed onto The Dunk and McVeigh, and they revisit each of the five crime scenes to try and look at it from a different perspective. Although they find new evidence, they are pulling at strings trying to find a connection between all five victims. Lucy is also preoccupied with the evolving problem that is Benedict Strachan. He has recently been released from prison after serving many years for the murder of a homeless man when he was eleven. He wants her help after professing that “they” are after him, is it just the ramblings of a deranged mind?
It’s clear she is struggling with PTSD so professional standards are on her back to engage with her therapist. They seem to be following her everywhere why can’t she get any relief and just get on with her damn job!
No Less the Devil opens with the Bloodsmith still being at large. Seventeen months have passed and the officers conducting Operation Maypole are still no closer to cracking it. It’s like the perpetrator is a ghost, leaving no clues and no DNA behind. The public and the bereaved family members of the victims have no faith in their ability to catch them and the media are tearing them apart. DI Tudor is now in charge of the operation, acting more like a scapegoat rather than his superiors having any faith that his team will crack it. DS Lucy McVeigh is part of the team, and she is determined to bust it wide open.
McVeigh is a very complex character. She has the potential to ride all the way to the top in her police career. She gets results and isn’t afraid to bend the rules to get them. She is joined by her partner, The Dunk, which brings some much-needed satirical relief. An anti-establishment character who isn’t afraid to tell you what he thinks about those in power. He was my favourite character with his “unfit” ramblings whilst trying to keep up with McVeigh.
No Less the Devil is the examination of the case is pushed onto The Dunk and McVeigh, and they revisit each of the five crime scenes to try and look at it from a different perspective. Although they find new evidence, they are pulling at strings trying to find a connection between all five victims. Lucy is also preoccupied with the evolving problem that is Benedict Strachan. He has recently been released from prison after serving many years for the murder of a homeless man when he was eleven. He wants her help after professing that “they” are after him, is it just the ramblings of a deranged mind?
It’s clear she is struggling with PTSD so professional standards are on her back to engage with her therapist. They seem to be following her everywhere why can’t she get any relief and just get on with her damn job!
March 11, 2025
Brilliant just brilliant. This book is your traditional police procedural but with a clever twist.
This book is why I read crime fiction, there comes a time that you want something different, something with an edge and a sprinkle of humor and well this book takes it to a whole different level. As always with MacBride you have multiple exquisite plots running at the same time, the characters are multidimensional and fun, each and every single one. Is no secret this author is one of my favorites, the intensity of the plot especially in this book is fascinating.
It is impossible not to see what is going on with Lucy but wow just wow…so nicely done. That I didn’t like the ending, that my friends is an understatement but it was masterfully done, so good I could read it again.
This book is why I read crime fiction, there comes a time that you want something different, something with an edge and a sprinkle of humor and well this book takes it to a whole different level. As always with MacBride you have multiple exquisite plots running at the same time, the characters are multidimensional and fun, each and every single one. Is no secret this author is one of my favorites, the intensity of the plot especially in this book is fascinating.
It is impossible not to see what is going on with Lucy but wow just wow…so nicely done. That I didn’t like the ending, that my friends is an understatement but it was masterfully done, so good I could read it again.
January 19, 2025
Ilga ir nuobodi knyga. Tris žvaigždutes skiriu vien dėl pabaigos, nes knygos pabaiga įdomesnė.
March 15, 2022
I would like to thank both Netgalley and the publisher, for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Now don’t ask me why, but I have to admit that I had not got round to reading any Stuart Macbride books, prior to this one. Not sure why, always intended to and have a few on my shelves.
I was hooked from the start with a great plot and some fantastic characters with amusing banter. It was a fantastic gripping thriller, that I was thoroughly enjoying until around 75-80%. But then it just eemed to go off on a tangent, that made me think had I picked up another book. Kept thinking it was going to turn out as a dream sequence.
I will definitely read more of this author, although I hope they don’t all change direction like this did, it was an easy 4.5 -5 stars, but I have to drop my score to 3 stars
Now don’t ask me why, but I have to admit that I had not got round to reading any Stuart Macbride books, prior to this one. Not sure why, always intended to and have a few on my shelves.
I was hooked from the start with a great plot and some fantastic characters with amusing banter. It was a fantastic gripping thriller, that I was thoroughly enjoying until around 75-80%. But then it just eemed to go off on a tangent, that made me think had I picked up another book. Kept thinking it was going to turn out as a dream sequence.
I will definitely read more of this author, although I hope they don’t all change direction like this did, it was an easy 4.5 -5 stars, but I have to drop my score to 3 stars
June 10, 2022
If you are looking for Stuart MacBride's dark humour and gritty crime fiction then you have come to the right place.
But if you are after a straight-up police procedural then you might find this one a bit too hard to swallow.
I don't want to spoil anything but the reviews are very mixed...which is completely understandable!
I personally really enjoyed this one and I liked the unconventional turn it took. Stuart MacBride is one of my favourite authors and although not perfect, this story is up there with his best in my opinion.
Definitely worth a try for crime fiction fans who don't mind going 'off piste'!
But if you are after a straight-up police procedural then you might find this one a bit too hard to swallow.
I don't want to spoil anything but the reviews are very mixed...which is completely understandable!
I personally really enjoyed this one and I liked the unconventional turn it took. Stuart MacBride is one of my favourite authors and although not perfect, this story is up there with his best in my opinion.
Definitely worth a try for crime fiction fans who don't mind going 'off piste'!
December 26, 2021
Going to be completely honest, I had NO idea how to even begin to rate this one!
There were times when it was a 3, and also times when it was a 5+++ so in the end I've plumped for a 4.
I adore Stuart MacBride's Logan McRae character and series. Oh my heart sang when I read Cold Granite - it was a revelation to me, a gritty, dark, evil, murder-filled crime thriller that made me laugh! If you've never read it then I highly recommend it.
In No Less The Devil we meet DS Lucy McVeigh and her sidekick 'Dunc' - they form the usual pairing format that we all expect and love from crime thrillers and I enjoyed their interactions.
There is also the astonishingly descriptive prose that is unique to Mr MacBride. He can convey, thoughts, sounds, places, weather, pain, expressions like no-one else I have ever read. The man is a gifted, literary genius. I felt that same adrenaline buzz that I felt from Cold Granite when reading one of his perfect turns of phrase. Thank you so much for writing books!
There is a horrible serial killer, the Bloodsmith, there is disruption within the police team and pressure for results. McVeigh doesn't get on ever so well with her boss and is given the unenviable task of cracking the case - knowing that her career could well end if she fails.
In the mix is old case where a young boy murdered a homeless person, he been released from prison and seeks out McVeigh for help. Added into this she is targeted by the mother of a murdered man and seemingly being stalked by the Bloodsmith, oh and then there's the small matter of Charlie from Professional Standards who is constantly sniffing around.
It's clear that DS Lucy McVeigh could solve pretty much anything with one hand tied behind her back, unsurprising really as she was bright enough to be a candidate for the ever so impressive and super exclusive St Nick's.
Anyway, there were also parts of this book that made me wonder if I'd lost my mind so look out for that...
If you are going to have any chance of keeping up with the storyline you need to be reading this over as few an amount of sittings as possible so make sure you've got drinks and snacks and a comfy chair!
There were times when it was a 3, and also times when it was a 5+++ so in the end I've plumped for a 4.
I adore Stuart MacBride's Logan McRae character and series. Oh my heart sang when I read Cold Granite - it was a revelation to me, a gritty, dark, evil, murder-filled crime thriller that made me laugh! If you've never read it then I highly recommend it.
In No Less The Devil we meet DS Lucy McVeigh and her sidekick 'Dunc' - they form the usual pairing format that we all expect and love from crime thrillers and I enjoyed their interactions.
There is also the astonishingly descriptive prose that is unique to Mr MacBride. He can convey, thoughts, sounds, places, weather, pain, expressions like no-one else I have ever read. The man is a gifted, literary genius. I felt that same adrenaline buzz that I felt from Cold Granite when reading one of his perfect turns of phrase. Thank you so much for writing books!
There is a horrible serial killer, the Bloodsmith, there is disruption within the police team and pressure for results. McVeigh doesn't get on ever so well with her boss and is given the unenviable task of cracking the case - knowing that her career could well end if she fails.
In the mix is old case where a young boy murdered a homeless person, he been released from prison and seeks out McVeigh for help. Added into this she is targeted by the mother of a murdered man and seemingly being stalked by the Bloodsmith, oh and then there's the small matter of Charlie from Professional Standards who is constantly sniffing around.
It's clear that DS Lucy McVeigh could solve pretty much anything with one hand tied behind her back, unsurprising really as she was bright enough to be a candidate for the ever so impressive and super exclusive St Nick's.
Anyway, there were also parts of this book that made me wonder if I'd lost my mind so look out for that...
If you are going to have any chance of keeping up with the storyline you need to be reading this over as few an amount of sittings as possible so make sure you've got drinks and snacks and a comfy chair!
October 18, 2024
MacBride serija apie Loganą man labai patinka ir džiaugiuosi, kad lentynoje guli dar neperskaityta viena jos dalis. Storos, įdomios, patrauklių veikėjų, gero humoro ir itin žiaurių nusikaltimų knygos jau seniai pavergė mane, tad nusprendžiau išmėginti ir kitą autoriaus darbą. "Beširdžiai" - atskira nuo serijos knyga: lygiai tokia pat stora ir tikėjaus lygiai tokio pačio malonumo iš istorijos. Deja, teko nusivilti...
Kas vos pradėjus skaityti šiek tiek atbaidė, tai pagrindinė veikėja. Ir, ŽINOMA, kaip ir daugelyje trilerių pagrindiniai tyrėjai turi savo tamsią praeitį, taip ir čia Liusė su savais demonais kovoja. Bet tokia nemaloni ta Liusė... Jokio cinkelio, jokio nieko, kad skaitytojui padėtų jai simpatizuoti ar bent atjausti. Kaip dažnai pagiriu Stuart Macbride humorą Logano serijoj, tai šioje knygoje jis tiesiog nusivylimas buvo. Perspausta su lėkštais juokeliais, kone visi nuovados pareigūnai turi visokias kvailas mažybines pravardes, kurios erzino ir nesiskaitė organiškai visai. Negana to, ir vertimas vietomis keistai skambėjo: "Tamsiai sūrus kąsnis", "šiltai žalias česnako kvapas" ir pan. Kas tai? :D
Ir jei pati byla dar galėjo būt visai nieko, koją pakišo istorijos ilgis. Na, labai per ilga ji. Pradžioj daug visko vyksta, vidurys ištęstas ir kalbos apie tą patį per tą patį. Pabaigoj irgi veiksmo davė, bet jau buvau pavargus nuo ilgų pliurpalų ir tampymosi, tai net nepasidžiaugiau ja. Džiaugiusi, kad turiu dar Logano serijos dalį. Ši, tai niekad dar nenuvylė!
Kas vos pradėjus skaityti šiek tiek atbaidė, tai pagrindinė veikėja. Ir, ŽINOMA, kaip ir daugelyje trilerių pagrindiniai tyrėjai turi savo tamsią praeitį, taip ir čia Liusė su savais demonais kovoja. Bet tokia nemaloni ta Liusė... Jokio cinkelio, jokio nieko, kad skaitytojui padėtų jai simpatizuoti ar bent atjausti. Kaip dažnai pagiriu Stuart Macbride humorą Logano serijoj, tai šioje knygoje jis tiesiog nusivylimas buvo. Perspausta su lėkštais juokeliais, kone visi nuovados pareigūnai turi visokias kvailas mažybines pravardes, kurios erzino ir nesiskaitė organiškai visai. Negana to, ir vertimas vietomis keistai skambėjo: "Tamsiai sūrus kąsnis", "šiltai žalias česnako kvapas" ir pan. Kas tai? :D
Ir jei pati byla dar galėjo būt visai nieko, koją pakišo istorijos ilgis. Na, labai per ilga ji. Pradžioj daug visko vyksta, vidurys ištęstas ir kalbos apie tą patį per tą patį. Pabaigoj irgi veiksmo davė, bet jau buvau pavargus nuo ilgų pliurpalų ir tampymosi, tai net nepasidžiaugiau ja. Džiaugiusi, kad turiu dar Logano serijos dalį. Ši, tai niekad dar nenuvylė!
April 14, 2022
It took me a while to get into this book as i felt it was quite disjointed. It's common now to jump about between timelines but I have to say that I'm not a huge fan as it takes a while before the reader can find a link between the threads. However once things began to gel, I quite enjoyed the writing and some of the characters, Black humour and the usual banter between police partners, and the story became quite interesting and I began to enjoy reading and come up with some theories.
However, at around 80%, someone captured Stuart McBride - probably aliens using posh umbrellas because they went to a top class school. One of the eleven year olds from the school, who had of course been brainwashed, was asked to finish the story in Stuart's absence, and so began the fantasy that was the final 20% of the book.
My questions weren't answered as we jumped from reality to fantasy to hallucination to the bizarre, to weird. I have no idea what happened or what ( or who) was real.
I dislike fantasy and would never have started reading this book if I had known that the ending was going to be frankly ridiculous. That is many hours of my life that I will never get back!
And if anyone has the real Stuart McBride, please return him to his writing desk for his next book!
Thanks to Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read.
However, at around 80%, someone captured Stuart McBride - probably aliens using posh umbrellas because they went to a top class school. One of the eleven year olds from the school, who had of course been brainwashed, was asked to finish the story in Stuart's absence, and so began the fantasy that was the final 20% of the book.
My questions weren't answered as we jumped from reality to fantasy to hallucination to the bizarre, to weird. I have no idea what happened or what ( or who) was real.
I dislike fantasy and would never have started reading this book if I had known that the ending was going to be frankly ridiculous. That is many hours of my life that I will never get back!
And if anyone has the real Stuart McBride, please return him to his writing desk for his next book!
Thanks to Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read.
November 20, 2021
I'm a great Stuart McBride fan so I was very excited to receive this book. The plot seemed to be building up and had me engaged. Lucy, the protagonist is possibly the most irritating character I've read in quite a while. I almost gave up reading a few times because she was so annoying. And then....I don't know what the author was thinking but the story went off on the most ridiculous and often confusing tangent and I really struggled to finish the book. I actually just scanned the last few pages. Very disappointing and if Detective Lucy McVeigh is the start of a series, unfortunately I won't be reading another.
April 14, 2022
Bitterly disappointed.
Having read The Coffinmaker's Garden on Pigeonhole a while back, the moment I saw No Less the Devil become available, I did not have to even read the synopsis before signing up.
And to be fair, three quarters of this book featuring DS Lucy McVeigh and her hilarious sidekick DC Fraser aka The Dunk, was trademark MacBride excellence. His usual gore, intrigue, and dark humour embodied in super characters and all written with a practised flourish.
Lucy and The Dunk are trying to catch The Bloodsmith and after 17 months Police Scotland are still without results. Their investigation is a page turner because of all the hints and questions which conspire to baffle the reader in the way you want a thriller to. What I didn't expect was to be plummeted headlong in a chasm of chaos where my brains were scrambled by a bizarre twist which did not work for me at all. It seemed nonsensical, mad and as if the final section of a completely different book had erroneously ended up in this one. The timeline became hard to follow as did thr sense of what was real and what was fantasy.
It left me confused and annoyed.
I am now hoping for a Study Notes guide to accompany No Less The Devil so that I have a smidgeon of a chance of understanding what on earth actually happened in the end
It won't put me off reading another MacBride novel but I might handle any further books I pick up with a little more caution and some blue nitrile gloves!
Having read The Coffinmaker's Garden on Pigeonhole a while back, the moment I saw No Less the Devil become available, I did not have to even read the synopsis before signing up.
And to be fair, three quarters of this book featuring DS Lucy McVeigh and her hilarious sidekick DC Fraser aka The Dunk, was trademark MacBride excellence. His usual gore, intrigue, and dark humour embodied in super characters and all written with a practised flourish.
Lucy and The Dunk are trying to catch The Bloodsmith and after 17 months Police Scotland are still without results. Their investigation is a page turner because of all the hints and questions which conspire to baffle the reader in the way you want a thriller to. What I didn't expect was to be plummeted headlong in a chasm of chaos where my brains were scrambled by a bizarre twist which did not work for me at all. It seemed nonsensical, mad and as if the final section of a completely different book had erroneously ended up in this one. The timeline became hard to follow as did thr sense of what was real and what was fantasy.
It left me confused and annoyed.
I am now hoping for a Study Notes guide to accompany No Less The Devil so that I have a smidgeon of a chance of understanding what on earth actually happened in the end
It won't put me off reading another MacBride novel but I might handle any further books I pick up with a little more caution and some blue nitrile gloves!
August 13, 2022
Gosh I LOVED this. So very much. Stuart Macbride has always been a "go to" author for me when I want twisted plotting, brilliantly vivid characters and unexpected outcomes, alongside his trademark dark humour.
With "No Less The Devil" he has outdone himself. Fully absorbing, both hilarious and very very disturbing this novel is a tale of two halves and goes nowhere you could expect or predict.
Intelligent, superbly written and an absolute blast to read, this may be my favourite Macbride yet. Awesomesauce.
With "No Less The Devil" he has outdone himself. Fully absorbing, both hilarious and very very disturbing this novel is a tale of two halves and goes nowhere you could expect or predict.
Intelligent, superbly written and an absolute blast to read, this may be my favourite Macbride yet. Awesomesauce.
May 6, 2022
Stuart Macbride not one of his best.
I have read all of Stuart Macbrides books and never been disappointed until now.
Gone is the brilliant realism of previous novels and the humour.
What we get now is a deeply unbelievable heroine.
I am greatly looking forward to a return to form with the next Ash Henderson or Logan McRae series.
I have read all of Stuart Macbrides books and never been disappointed until now.
Gone is the brilliant realism of previous novels and the humour.
What we get now is a deeply unbelievable heroine.
I am greatly looking forward to a return to form with the next Ash Henderson or Logan McRae series.
October 3, 2024
"Bandydamas nusikaltimą nuslėpti, įklimpsi dar giliau, nei įvykdęs patį nusikaltimą. Tačiau panašu, kad niekas to negirdi.
Karalius mirė, tegyvuoja pabaisa".
Įdomi byla,kai beveik 80 procentų skaitai ir supranti, kas vyksta, na o 20proc ir pabaiga - tokia paranoja, kad teko tikrai pagalvoti, ar skaitau tą pačią knygą, nes sunku buvo atsirinkti, kur tiesa, o kur melas.
Karalius mirė, tegyvuoja pabaisa".
Įdomi byla,kai beveik 80 procentų skaitai ir supranti, kas vyksta, na o 20proc ir pabaiga - tokia paranoja, kad teko tikrai pagalvoti, ar skaitau tą pačią knygą, nes sunku buvo atsirinkti, kur tiesa, o kur melas.
March 25, 2022
Stuart MacBride is an author whose books I really enjoy, but some of them tend to be a little graphic in terms of violence and so, being a reading wimp, I often have quite long gaps between reading him. This novel has a new central character – Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh and trusty sidekick DC Duncan Fraser, ‘the Dunk.’ Mirroring other characters from MacBride, there is a lot of humour, good dialogue and Lucy is the sarcastic, smart one, while the Dunk spouts monologues about the class system and how unfair life is. I am also pleased to report that this is not particularly graphic – certainly not compared to other books I have by MacBride, so it is safe if you do not enjoy too much violence.
This does open with two children killing a homeless man in the past, before taking the reader into the present. A serial killer, nicknamed the Bloodsmith, has been on the loose for seventeen months and McVeigh finds herself involved in the investigation. There is, it has to be fair, a lot of things currently going on in McVeigh’s life. Benedict Strachan, accused of murdering a homeless man when he was only eleven, has recently been released from prison and informs McVeigh someone is after him. Meanwhile, McVeigh has personal issues, having possible PTSD and being forced, against her will, to see a therapist. She also has professional standards on her back, has a stalker and is aware that the Bloodsmith will be difficult to catch after so long.
Well, this is a difficult crime novel to review without giving away plot spoilers. For the first two thirds of this book, I was in 5-star territory and then, for a while, it felt like I was on a roller-coaster and the plot went a little haywire. Eventually, by the end, I was invested again, but, well, this is not a run of the mill crime book. If you can keep an open mind and just go with it, then you should have an enjoyable ride and – I guess the real question is would I read another book featuring Lucy McVeigh? Yes, but I hope the Dunk would be plodding and puffing along behind her. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
This does open with two children killing a homeless man in the past, before taking the reader into the present. A serial killer, nicknamed the Bloodsmith, has been on the loose for seventeen months and McVeigh finds herself involved in the investigation. There is, it has to be fair, a lot of things currently going on in McVeigh’s life. Benedict Strachan, accused of murdering a homeless man when he was only eleven, has recently been released from prison and informs McVeigh someone is after him. Meanwhile, McVeigh has personal issues, having possible PTSD and being forced, against her will, to see a therapist. She also has professional standards on her back, has a stalker and is aware that the Bloodsmith will be difficult to catch after so long.
Well, this is a difficult crime novel to review without giving away plot spoilers. For the first two thirds of this book, I was in 5-star territory and then, for a while, it felt like I was on a roller-coaster and the plot went a little haywire. Eventually, by the end, I was invested again, but, well, this is not a run of the mill crime book. If you can keep an open mind and just go with it, then you should have an enjoyable ride and – I guess the real question is would I read another book featuring Lucy McVeigh? Yes, but I hope the Dunk would be plodding and puffing along behind her. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.
January 16, 2025
2.5⭐️
Ech, kokie skaitymo kalneliai buvo su šia knyga, bet pradėsiu nuo to, kad šiam detektyvui buvau užkėlus tikrai labai aukštą kartelę, nes Macbride labai pamėgau dėl serijos apie Loganą, kuri tikrai puiki. Tai to paties vyliausi ir iš šio kūrinio.
Pradžia buvo nebloga - pirmi keliasdešimt puslapių pasirodė įdomūs ir daug žadantys. Pati pagrindinė veikėja Liusė - sarkatiska ir, kaip aš pavadinčiau, macbraidiška😁 Deja, toliau sekė sunkumai: ateinantys 200 puslapių buvo tikra kančia. Verčiau save skaityti, nors buvo nuobodu, bet dėl mylimo autoriaus stengiausi ir tikėjausi, kad viskas dar čia įsivažiuos. Reikalai buvo pagerėję ties 240 puslapiu. Tada vėl buvau įtraukta į įvykių sukūrį ir buvo labai įdomu, kur link viskas vyksta ir kuo čia pasibaigs.
Deja, bet nuo 440 puslapio, kai suvokiau, kur autorius link pasuko ir kaip viską padarys, manęs absoliučiai nesužavėjo🙈 Manau, kad nuėjo vienu lengviausių kelių ir nebuvo nei patikimo, nei susižavėjimo, nei nuostabos. Pabaigiau skaityti, nes jau tiek perskaičius, kaip nepabaigt?😅
Labai man apmaudu, kad šįkart nepatiko. 😔
Ech, kokie skaitymo kalneliai buvo su šia knyga, bet pradėsiu nuo to, kad šiam detektyvui buvau užkėlus tikrai labai aukštą kartelę, nes Macbride labai pamėgau dėl serijos apie Loganą, kuri tikrai puiki. Tai to paties vyliausi ir iš šio kūrinio.
Pradžia buvo nebloga - pirmi keliasdešimt puslapių pasirodė įdomūs ir daug žadantys. Pati pagrindinė veikėja Liusė - sarkatiska ir, kaip aš pavadinčiau, macbraidiška😁 Deja, toliau sekė sunkumai: ateinantys 200 puslapių buvo tikra kančia. Verčiau save skaityti, nors buvo nuobodu, bet dėl mylimo autoriaus stengiausi ir tikėjausi, kad viskas dar čia įsivažiuos. Reikalai buvo pagerėję ties 240 puslapiu. Tada vėl buvau įtraukta į įvykių sukūrį ir buvo labai įdomu, kur link viskas vyksta ir kuo čia pasibaigs.
Deja, bet nuo 440 puslapio, kai suvokiau, kur autorius link pasuko ir kaip viską padarys, manęs absoliučiai nesužavėjo🙈 Manau, kad nuėjo vienu lengviausių kelių ir nebuvo nei patikimo, nei susižavėjimo, nei nuostabos. Pabaigiau skaityti, nes jau tiek perskaičius, kaip nepabaigt?😅
Labai man apmaudu, kad šįkart nepatiko. 😔
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