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Ratchets up the tension and keeps it there' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'The plot twist is divine' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'The last quarter of the book goes to an all-time new level' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'MacBride is an absolute master of understated dark humour' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ And if anyone has the real Stuart McBride, please return him to his writing desk for his next book!
I view Dunk as the alter ego of the author. MacBride is laughing at himself. Not just comedy relief then, 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. The storyline is as expertly plotted as I've come to expect from the MacBride books. As an author myself, I love deconstructing the plot lines and following the different strands through. As a reader, every twist and turn, every carefully placed piece of additional information, every morsel of information all come together to a satisfying, grab you by the throat, fast paced read.Stuart MacBride is an automatic must-read for me... always fast, hard, authentic - and different' LEE CHILD 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. It's been seventeen months since the Bloodsmith butchered his first victim and Operation Maypole is still no nearer catching him. The media is whipping up a storm, the top brass are demanding results, but the investigation is sinking fast. 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.
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. It sounds like paranoia, but what if he's right? What if the Bloodsmith isn't the only monster out there? 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. 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
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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. In her investigation, Lucy is faced with a private school that only takes the best and brightest. She had a chance to attend there, but her father couldn't afford the fees so she went another way. But it is bittersweet to see what she could have had and how her life would have been different if she had attended there. She also finds a professor at another college who ran a study about loneliness. Then there are the perverts the police know about and the knowledge that for every one they know about, there are many more who have escaped the notice of the law. Can Lucy and Dunc find the killer before another murder occurs?
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? No Less The Devil is an object lesson in how to use, and manipulate, a terrifyingly bloodthirsty basic plot, and capture and hold the reader’s attention over a sustained period. MacBride is a prolific author whose style stays fresh and even topical and who handles extreme gore dispassionately, as if he is a pathologist or a police family liaison officer. 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. 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. 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.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!
Well, this new novel from Stuart MacBride is bound to stir up some controversy amongst his readers! 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. 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 loving memory of Grendel MacBride, my constant companion, muse, and very own little fuzzy serial killer. 2004-2021.I also enjoyed the frequent use of local slang, I’ve a few pals there so understood enough of it to recognise what was being said. 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...
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