Set in the cold of an Aberdeen winter this isn't the only chilling aspect of this excellent read. The characters are fabulously drawn, the setting is icy and the pace varies as the intensity and plot lines twist and turn.

This is an excellent read apart from some of the difficult subject matter. Grisly police stories have unpalatable subjects and acts. It's a fantastic novel and I'm pleased that there are others to enjoy later in the series.

The first book in this series is set in Aberdeen, the granite city. DS Logan McRae is back to work after a year off due to an injury sustained whilst on duty. Almost immediately a body is found, clearly murder, and the police work begins in earnest to find the killer. Gruesome and sickening, the child murdered has been abused and mutilated. Vivid descriptions make the story feel very real. I enjoyed this murder mystery but found some aspects overly complex. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this piece of escapism and my time out from a hectic world. The story grabs you from the outset and pulls you in and the storytelling really made it worth reading. Characterisation was on point and I know I will be looking out for new publications from this author or similar in the future. A recommended read.

Cold Granite is my first book by Stuart MacBride and I was so impressed that I have put his other works on my tbr list.
This is a must read, brilliantly put together with dark themes including child rape and murder.

One for crime thriller addicts.

#ColdGranite #NetGalley

Extremely well written and up to his usual standard. There are strong, believable characters and he really brings Aberdeen to life.
Thank you Stuart Mac Bride for keeping me sane during lockdown.
Thank you also to Netgalley and Harper Collins.

"Cold Granite" is the first book in the Logan McRae series, set in Aberdeen. Warning: themes include child rape and murder. No punches are pulled so it's not for the faint-hearted. Stuart MacBride writes dialogue brilliantly and it's wonderful to see the great Scottish patter represented so well. The things he thinks up for killers to do to people shall never cease to amaze me! On that note, I never thought I could be so traumatised by a wee bit of imaginary vomit. Don't think I'll ever get over the sheer vulgarity of that. It's a good read nonetheless. Aside from occasional revulsion, I'm loving Stuart MacBride at the moment and am simultaneously reading one of his Ash Henderson novels, a series I also highly recommend.

The subject matter is not for the faint hearted but this is an extremely well-written book. The characters are well developed and believable whilst the writer’s understanding of police procedures appears to be comprehensive. I look forward to reading more in this series.

This is only the second Logan McRae book by Stuart MacBride that I've read. The first one was the 12th book of the series. I know it's probably better to read the books in order, but All That's Dead is the first Logan McRae book I came across, so yeah I read that first.

Anyway, getting back to this one, despite the fact that it's taken me so long to finish it (I started it in August!) I really enjoyed it. I love a good thriller and especially when the book has one lead detective.

It was a bit grim reading with the storyline involving children going missing/turning up dead, but it was really well written.

I will definitely be reading the rest of the Logan McRae series and also the other books written by Stuart MacBride.

Thank you to Stuart MacBride and NetGalley for the chance to read this book.

one that hits home if you are a parent.... a delicate subject matter but handled brilliantly by the author..... i read this and although it was always my worst nightmare it was one that i couldn't put down.... a great book of twists and subject matter that will bring your inner fears to the fore.....

One for the crime thriller addict which is a must read, brilliantly put together

DS Logan McRae and the police in Aberdeen hunt a child killer who stalks the frozen streets. It's DS Logan McRae's first day back on the job after a year off on the sick, and it couldn't get much worse. Four-year-old David Reid's body is discovered in a ditch, strangled, mutilated and a long time dead. And he's only the first. There's a serial killer stalking the Granite City and the local media are baying for blood. Soon the dead are piling up in the morgue almost as fast as the snow on the streets, and Logan knows time is running out. More children are going missing. More are going to die. And if Logan isn't careful, he could end up joining them!
This is the first in this brilliant series, strong characters, a well written story that had me glued to my kindle. Red herrings a plenty all add to the enjoyment. I loved Logan although I’m sure more about him will be revealed in future books. The descriptions of Aberdeen were so vivid that I felt as though I was actually there A gritty read which I loved

Having read a number of later Logan McRae novels it was a real treat to pick up this first novel in the series, which sees Logan as a Detective Sergeant returning to duty after a lengthy period of absence resulting from a stabbing. All of the attractive features of the later books are present, together with a hint of the pleasure to come if this debut novel were to result, as it did, in a series. Stuart MacBride has a rare gift of capturing the grim realities of police detective work in Scottish cities and conveys the mood perfectly. The camaraderie that helps to sustain officers is well captured and somewhat dark humour is used to good effect to lighten what could otherwise be occasionally grim reading. Characters are exceptionally well drawn and much more three dimensional than in many examples of this genre.

If you’re new to Stuart MacBride start here and discover the enjoyment of working through an excellent series. Highly recommended.

The first in the Logan McRae series, this is a gritty story about the hunt for a child serial killer. What elevates this above other similar books is the very dry sense of humour which pervades the pages, making the characters come alive. This is a fantastic series and one which fans of thrillers and police procedurals will love.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

Black it is but well written and with strong believable characters and ... Aberdeen. What more can one want? Whilst the story is black I love the black humour and just feel for Aberdonians in their traffic jams around Anderson and River Drives. The descriptions are great - Union St on a wet day, I feel the rain and yes, it's nothing like rain elsewhere, even where I live on the west coastI look forward to reading more of DI McRae and Team. Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Oh, how glad I am that I downloaded this book as it’s the first in the series, so all the others are in front of me to savour. There really is nothing better than starting a really good detective series and seeing the character development. I already love Logan McCrae and the other main characters. Great plot, well written and a fabulous sense of place.

To start I have to say that I loved this book and did not want to put it down. It is an easy read with a great pace and such a variety of characters that it is easy to relate to them. There was many twists, red herrings galore and great descriptions of scenery. The main story has lots of little stories that keep the reader on their toes. I laughed out loud at some of the descriptions but at others I wanted to cry as this had many gruesome parts which really added to the reality.
It was good to read a Scottish Noir that was not set in Edinburgh or Glasgow, although it certainly is not a great advert for a tourist attraction , as stated it rains every day and Stuart has painted this city as a depressing place. I don’t live there and so the description of the city did not bother me but I can see that perhaps some of the residents there could not see some of the humour.
Great start to the series describing the characters very well.

Brilliant thriller from start to finish, it managed to take my mind off everything else happening in the world just now even if only for a few hours every time I picked it up. DS Logan McRae has just returned to work from sick leave having been severely injured on a previous case and is caught right in the middle of a case involving child abduction. To make matters worse every move the police make is being reported to the press making their job even harder. Everyone is under suspicion from the lowest PC to the Detective Inspector in charge of the case.

#ColdGranite #NetGalley
Suspense at its best.
DS Logan McRae’s first day back on the job after a year off on the sick, and it couldn’t get much worse. Three-year-old David Reid’s body is discovered in a ditch: strangled, mutilated and a long time dead. And he’s only the first. There’s a serial killer stalking the Granite City and the local media are baying for blood.Soon the dead are piling up in the morgue almost as fast as the snow on the streets, and Logan knows time is running out. More children are going missing. More are going to die. And if Logan isn’t careful, he could end up joining them.
The most loveliest thing about this book is its setting and characterization.
However narration of the story is simple and suspense is slowly going but the suspense is best in this book. I definitely recommend this book to everyone.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advance copy.

Having read this book initially when it was first published (because I am live in Aberdeen and I love books in this genre) I have to admit, I found it just OK.

Here we are almost ten years later and I'm reading it again and unfortunately, my opinion has remained the same. I find the author's writing style rather immature and although there is an element of excitement at recognising some of the areas of Aberdeen he incorporates into his story, he has not named them as they are here in the city, which confuses me. But perhaps other authors basing their stories on real towns and cities do the same.

I will however, endeavour to read the read the rest of the series and hope that these books improve for me as I go.

Lots of potential but this feels like a debut as it's a bit clumsily put together: too many plotlines, too many red herrings, too much repetition as people keep doing and saying the same thing repeatedly, not enough pace. But McRae has personality, the banter lifts things, and the setting is atmospheric. It does seem like it's set back in the 1980s rather than 2005 with the sexist descriptions and gender politics. I'd have liked less genre cliches and a tighter plot - but there's something fresh here and I'd happily dip into the later books.

This was a fast paced mystery novel that was my first introduction to Aberdeen as the backdrop for a detective series. And it worked well.