This is the first Stuart MacBride novel that I’ve read, which is something I now regret. I think perhaps I’ve been put off by looking at a couple of disturbing opening chapters and wrongly coming to the conclusion that these are production-line serial-killer thrillers. However I now see that I’ve missed the point. A Dark So Deadly does open with a victim confronting horrific circumstances but it is about so much more.

DC Callum MacGregor has been assigned to the ‘Misfit Mob’, a group of detectives who have for various reasons been sent into internal exile in Police Scotland. When mummifed remains start turning up on his patch, he is assigned the mundane task of phoning round museums to find where they might have come from. That’s when he’s not being beaten up by a minor local villain (and local minors) and receiving scant sympathy from his own team. The case takes on a new urgency when it emerges that the mummies are not ancient artefacts but the bodies of recently murdered victims.

Running alongside this is the story of Callum’s personal life and his troubled past. Callum is a fascinating character, both put-upon and determined. He can be heroic in his resilience but can also make you want to shake him. And each time you think things can’t get any worse for him, they do.

What I loved about this book was the way MacBride manages to balance very dark and serious storylines with broad comedy, a rich vein of observational humour (he really doesn’t like hipsters!) and moments of sublime absurdity. He does this without trivialising the horror of the murders and other dark events in the book. In fact, I felt the comedic voice of one victim in particular made the tragedy more poignant.

The team that Callum works with is brilliantly balanced – each with their own tragic flaw. There is even an aspiring author among them, willing to offer editorial comment on the progression of the narrative.

The marketing copy says this is a standalone novel. In a way that’s a shame because I would love to read more about the Misfit Mob. On the other hand the book is so much about Callum’s story that it makes sense to end it here. What’s certain is I will now be reading more by Stuart MacBride.

I found this book very difficult to warm to. From the first paragraph everyone seems to revile each other. They insult each other at will, they show little to no fellow feeling and i couldn't begin to care about the characters because of it. The stting is dark and the author takes trouble to portray his setting in all its ugly glory. I applaud his honesty and unflinching gaze but an unremittingly grim aspect is not one many of us will look forward to returning to. For me the whole thing is a bit too warts and all, a bit too dark and miserable. I wouldn't recommend it , but I acknowledge the writing is accomplised and realistic in its way. I like my crime stories with the odd hint of optimism obviously.

This is the first novel I have read by Stuart MacBride and I will be seeking out more in the future even though it was definitely not the usual read for me.

The novel centres on a group of ‘misfit’ police officers in Scotland, with the main character being DC Callum MacGregor. A murder at the local dump has links to three other missing people and the misfits need to work together to catch the killer.

The main characters are complicated and there are several storylines all intermingled. Many plot twists and numerous hilarious scenes make it a worthwhile read.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK, Harper Fiction and Stuart MacBride fro my free copy in return for my honest review.

Enjoyable. Recommended.

I'm starting with a hands up here as I make no secret of the fact that Stuart MacBride is one of my favourite authors ...EVER! It is the combination of gritty, no holds barred, gut punching, relentless, grit combined with full on laugh out loud humour and gruff poignancy that gets me every time.
A Dark So Deadly is the first in what I sincerely hope is a new series of books by MacBride. A Dark So Deadly features a group of misfit officers who are in the doghouse for one reason or another. The main protagonist, DC Callum MacGregor, has been relegated to the 'Misfit Mob' because he covered up for his pregnant girlfriend's mess up at a crime scene so she'd still get her maternity pay - wonder how that played out for him?

When the Misfit crew are called to an unusual murder at the local dump links are soon made to three missing people. All of this happens against the backdrop of a huge benefit gig (Tartantula) involving local musicians who are raising money for a children's writer, now suffering from Alzheimers. The multi stranded story is a deeply satisfying read, particularly because it blends humour, with witty observations of human nature and pathos.
A Dark So Deadly, similar to Steve Mosby's You Can Run, takes the theme of literature and creative writing and runs with it throughout the book. This provides many comic Haiku moments and is juxtaposed by lyrics from a character called Rapper Sick Dawg as well as a recurring fairytale by an aging author, suffering from Alzheimers.

MacBride's unusual style draws you in and, once it has you in its thrall, there is no getting away. The way he merges the story-lines is flawless. The hunt for a serial killer who mummifies his victims by smoking them is inspired. The plot twists are inventive and the denouement is fulfilling. Go get it now!

Excellent book with a brilliant storyline and great main characters. I would recommend this book.

I am a big fan of Stuart MacBride but very sadly I have not managed to get through this latest book. I have twice tried to read it and both times felt that the opening chapters would do a stirling job of stopping anyone from wanting to join our police force. If young recuits were realistically treated in this disrespectful and humiliating way then there is no hope for law enforcement in this country. Do characters such as "Mother" actually exist, is she based on real people? As Stuart's previous books have been so good I am going to give this another shot and hope that it soon steers away from these off putting opening scenes. Such a disappointment.

It seems that any detectives featuring in crime novels have dark back stories and convoluted lives. In this case, the entire squad have their problems. Perhaps it makes one wonder about the efficiency of Police Scotland on the day the Chief constable resigns after many months on special leave. Fascinating nonetheless.

This was my first book by Stuart MacBride and I had high expectations. Well, it was everything I hoped it would be. - great writing, witty dialogue and a suspenseful, original story line. I am off to buy more of his books now.

Thank you to Netgalley for an arc of this book. I requested it based on the description and the fact that it was written by Stuart MacBride, of whom I’d heard but never read any of his work. For the first few pages I struggled, thinking that I was going to have to abandon it. There was some unpleasant description and I just felt that it wasn’t my sort of thing. Then I got into the feel of the book and really began to enjoy the read. It’s a big book with a very complex plot and a lot of ironic humour, some of it course. There are also some pretty nasty scenes. Under the banter it’s extremely dark.

This stand alone police procedural centres around a detective squad know as The Misfit Mob, who are basically officer who are pretty useless or have done something for which they have been disciplined but are not so bad that they can be dismissed. They operate out of Oldcastle and are run by an uncharacteristic female Detective Inspector know as “Mother” . They also include Detective Sergeants McAdams and “Dotty“ Hodgkins, and Detective Constable Watt, with the main character being Detective Constable Callum MacGregor, all characters in their own right. Basically they are operating in the last chance saloon and get the work nobody else wants.

A different take on the police procedural and in the main very enjoyable. I now intend to rectify my neglect of this author’s work.

This is the first Stuart MacBride novel i have read, but as my mum has been a big fan for many years i started reading with high expectations.

This book centres around a group of police officers known as the misfit mob-. Basically they are the officers who Police Scotland want rid off but can't so they send them here to this department. DC Callum McGregor is one such officer, and the story starts as he connects mummified remains discovered on a tip to the cases of three missing men.

I liked the character of DC MacGregor, he is far from perfect but for me that was part of his appeal and kept me reading. I also loved the humour in this book. There is lots dotted about and i found myself laughing out loud. It also made it feel more real at times, we all banter with friends and colleagues and it was nice to see it incorporated so much into a plot.

What i didn't like was how grisly the book was at times. I don't see the need for a lot of descriptive text of brutal things but that is what you get here. I tended to skim read over some parts as otherwise i think i would have just given up. The other think i disliked was the length of the book- it just felt way too long. There were far too many unnecessary descriptive passages abour things that weren't really relevant to the plot overall. I also felt like i couldn't really connect to a lot of the characters, there was no real depth to some of them and in such a long book i think you need a better cast of interesting supporting characters.

All that aside i did enjoy the book, the plot was interesting and the main character intrigued me enough to keep reading.

In A Dark So Deadly, in a short 600 plus pages, MacBride offers us a British police procedural/ serial killer story involving the likes of a Hannibal Lector type. But, it's no ordinary police story. The lead character does Inspector Clouseau one better and is demoted to the Misfits Squad where "Mother" watches over the officers who bulloxed up their careers and reputations and DC Callum MacGregor is always one step from being suspended or one step past suspension. He is clawed in the crotch, bitten on the leg, punching his superiors, failing at his crazy home life, or simply not following directives. It's as if MacBride has given us the ultimate anti-hero. Also, the method of storytelling is not a straight narrative, but rather an Elmore Leonard-esque world of small talk and patter that seems to go nowhere fast, leading the reader along until without realizing it the action and intensity have really built up. And, it's not a cozy little tea party mystery, but one involving decomposed bodies, mummified remains, torture, depravity, and the like, it all adds up to a pretty worthwhile read.

As usual, Stuart delivers a gripping storyline full of suspense.

I don't read a lot of crime, but books like this make me want to read more! It took me a while to get into, but when I did the plot definitely gripped me, and I thought the characters were really well-developed.

It has taken me quite a long time to read this book as it’s quite slow at the start. There’s lots going on (a bit too much) so it’s hard to root for any single character. There were bits which I found interesting and exciting but overall it wasn’t for me. Thanks to Harper Collins and Netgalley for the ARC.

Excellent story line about Scottish policing. Great twist at the end.

If there is someone I trust to write an all through enjoyable 600-page crime novel is it Stuart MacBride. And, I have to admit that I'm not that fond of books that thick. Not everyone is capable of writing a book with so many pages and keeping the steam up all the way through. Stephen King is one that can do it. And, Stuart MacBride is truly a King when it comes to writing a story that is both hilarious, tragic, dark, sad and utterly engrossing.

This is a stand-alone book so no Logan McRae as far as the eye can see. At first, when I realized that it was a stand-alone book was I a bit worried. No Logan, no Roberta Steel? But, then again I love the Ash Henderson series (Ps I want more books about Ash Henderson). So, I shouldn't have been worried.

Instead of reading the book did I decide to listen to the audio version of it. And boy, I was hooked pretty much from the start. DC Callum MacGregor is a new favorite character of mine and I was thrilled when one of my favorite characters from the Ash Henderson series showed up.

A Dark So Deadly is a fantastic crime novel and I loved the whole Misfit Mob group which consists of cops that have done something wrong or are just troublemakers, etc. The case with the mummy seems not that complicated. Someone must have stolen a mummy from a museum. However, not everything is as it seems and the Misfit Mob soon realize that they may have a serial killer to catch. If they can work together.

Fabulous book. Loved the ending, truly shocking and surprising!

A great standalone book which is good for people wanting to try this author. As expected, this was up to the usual standard of MacBride

I enjoyed this one an easy five stars worth. Loved all the characters who were a bunch of total misfits and barely able to get along with each other. Their conversations, jibes and banter were deliciously dark and frequently very politically incorrect. MacBride does not hold back when he is writing speech.

Nor does he restrain himself when he is talking about the dark side of Scottish cities. The sights and smells, particularly the smells, are vividly described in great detail. Despite this the story moves at a good pace and more than 600 pages disappear in the twinkling of an eye. Different crimes appear and mingle and eventually combine into one. The main culprit is surprising to say the least. And Callum, our hero, spends more time than is reasonable being beaten up by various people.

Very nicely written, totally engaging and I loved every minute of it.

A book with great promise. Quite gripping but a bit of a muddled plot.

Police Scotland has created a “dumping ground” for those officers who don’t quite fit; the ill, those who have faced disciplinary action, those who refuse to play by the rules. DC Callum McGregor is an expectant father with a girlfriend who desperately needs to keep her maternity benefits, so it is in covering for Elaine’s on-the-job mistake that Callum finds himself joining Mother’s team at Oldcastle. Mother takes care of her castaways but they don’t always get along - or with anyone else for that matter.

It’s a matter of huge excitement when a mummified body turns up at the Oldcastle dump. Not an unusual occurrence – bodies turn up at dumps all the time – but it is the finding of this one dried up corpse that leads to the discovery of others who have been murdered in the process of being turned into modern day mummies. There’s a serial killer at large. Callum is one man with many pots up in the air between his disintegrating personal life and dire financial straits and as the investigation heats up, Callum’s tragic past and current investigations begin to converge.

The beauty of a standalone is the tantalizing possibility of it being a series starter. A DARK SO DEADLY introduces an irresistible new cast of characters (that this reviewer absolutely wants to see again) with the ‘Misfit Mob’. This ragtag collection of police officers is pure reading gold and it is a testament to the authors skill that he is able to create (again) a fresh set of police officers who are all complex, rich with backstory, and let’s not forget, hilarious. You can’t help but feel for Callum who has the whole world either badgering him for something or actively dropping bombs on him from a great height.

This ridiculously enjoyable book hurls along at a great pace, throwing up new dodgy villains and antagonistic colleagues for Callum to deal with at every turn. MacBride injects a terrific amount of energy and fizzy enjoyment into his novels and A DARK SO DEADLY is no exception. It’s rare you find a crime novel that is truly horrifying, whilst making you laugh out loud during the reading. Another great book delivered from a modern crime master.