Highly recommended, you cannot beat these books, they are well written, great characters with some special 'quirky' dry humour

This is the debut book featuring Logan McRae who is on the hunt for a child serial-killer, it's his first day back at work after being injured during a previous case.

Great books

👍👍Gritty and gripping police procedural set in the Granite City: thrill ride🎢😲!

😍😍 Loved it! The bleak, winter Aberdeen weather provided an appropriately depressing atmosphere for this fast-paced race to stop a serial killer in his gruesome pursuit and dispatch of small boys. With some flirting and intrigue amongst colleagues, a determined pest of a reporter and a growing list of dead children, Detective Sergeant Logan "Lazurus" McRae and his battered, recovering body are the spearhead for an ever-widening investigation. We're talking heaps of frenzied grief for despairing parents and soul-destroying searches for missing kids. The pace of action never slowed and author Stuart MacBride worked in just the right amount of backstory and character insights without distracting from the investigation.

I can't think of any element of this story that did not work for me. Yes, the subject crimes are horrible but, unfortunately, all too realistic. I originally picked up this book because I love stories set in Scotland, but this is no tourist promotion. It's a very dark and gritty look at the underbelly of the city's most desperate creatures. But really well done and gripping from start to finish.

Thanks to publishers Harper Collins and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

Thank you Net Galley for the chance to read this book even though it has been published for a while. A great start to a whole new series of crime novels and as such I am now on the 4th book. I highly recommend this author and this series.

DS Logan McRae, on his first day back at work following a knife attack, is put in charge of a murder investigation. The victim is just 4 years old and soon afterwards other young children go missing. McRae finds himself in a race against time before more bodies are found. And can he discover the identity of the mole who is leaking details to the press, or will the PCC blame him?

This was a good book with many different twists and turns along the way. At times I found it slightly confusing with all the different subplots, however I felt it all came together at the end with a satisfying conclusion.

A good thriller to read, and definitely an author to be aware of.

Well, what can I say? What a book this is ... there aren't enough superlatives to say how much I enjoyed it ... just brilliant and a must-read for any fans of crime novels. This is the first in the Logan McRae series but I have read subsequent stories before this one and can confirm that it made no difference to my enjoyment of this book.

Now, I must warn you that this book deals with the disturbing and upsetting subject of child murders with the additional sub-plot of the murder of a gangster and there are graphic descriptions of the crime scenes so if you are of a nervous disposition or easily offended, I would probably steer clear of this particular one.

The characters are strong, well developed, interesting and believable with authentic dialogue throughout and despite the dark subject matter, there are many moments of humour which made me chuckle on several occasions which helped to lighten things a little. The setting of Aberdeen in the winter is perfect and creates further atmosphere. The pace is non-stop with twists, turns and red-herrings throughout which certainly kept me on my toes and guessing until near the end.

Don't let this series pass you by ... highly recommended.

I have to thank HarperCollins UK via NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review.

After a year away due to illness Logan McRae is tasked with tracking down the murderer of a 4 year old boy who has been strangled ,mutilated and left in a ditch

Even though the subject matter is horrifying this book has been well written and i highly reccomend this

Great book will be reading other books by this author.
Will also recommend this book to others.
Great read! 5*****

One of the strongest detective led murder mysteries that I've read. An amazing story, told very well, with believable characters. How many ways are there for a young child to lose their life at the hand of adults?

Loved it.

I read an advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

Gritty, thrilling and tense. I loved this book. Great characters. A complex plot with plenty of twists. The story is set in Scotland and follows the progress of the Aberdeen police, in particular, DS Logan McRae. There is just the right amount of humour to counter the gruesome qualities of the crime. Highly recommended.

Aberdeen in winter, and a child serial killer on the loose. Or is there? An unsolved gangland murder. A known pedophile released by the courts on a technicality. DS Logan (Lazarus) McRae quite literally returns from the dead into this maelstrom. With the city in various stages of panic and outrage, Macbride has McRae ricochet through the Granite City.
Macbride's writing is, like his characters and city, spare and gritty. With few words he gives his characters distinct and meaningful personalities.
I for one will be following DS McRae's career with close attention.

Wow , what a grerat read. I could not put this book down. The author has a wonderful way with words and despite the subject matter of the book, he made me smile with his images of drunks and many other things, too numerous to list. He has a way of gripping the reader and not letting them go. I cannot wait to read other McRae books by this author.

I have read several books by this author and always enjoy them. I am sure I have read the book version of it at some time. However I accepted the invitation to read-read Cold Granite. Set in the chilly area around Aberdeen, this is a strong story of murder, child abuse and police frustration. However the author always makes me laugh with his sardonic wit. I look forward to reading his latest book now.

A well-written nitty-gritty crime read. With rounded believable characters, The subject was to me a little off putting-but child murders do happen. so I persevered and I am glad I did. Lots of twists and turns and inter-weaving. A great read recommended.

Again the wonderful Logan, courageous and smart, a police detective doing tough work with all the vulnerabilities of an awkward serious man, looking for a partner too. - this is a grizzly set of murders compounded by a prying journalist - is it a serial killer? Full also of very plausible red herrings - there is never a slow moment as he and colleagues sift through circumstances old and new ... real characters - a young but tough police sergeant who has Logan's right hand side - and he does need help from colleagues - he's just been seriously wounded from previous heroics ...and lost his ice cool GF who Is presently examining the bodies which are 'his'...trafficking young foreign girls young boys ... children are disappearing too - so Logan trying also to save his boss's job, takes it all on - and more or less gets successes. I could not put it down.

I'm not a massive fan of detective fiction but for some reason this one caught my eye and definitely my imagination.
The character of Logan was a fun and realistic narrator, hard done by but plucky and lucky all at the same time. I loved his ham fisted attempts at trying to get the attention of Jackie, and all the forbidden thoughts he had about her.
There was an authenticity to the police banter, drinking descriptions and the characterisation of Insch and Steel especially.
Whilst I was interested in the investigation there were a lot of red herrings and it sort of took a back seat the interaction between the main characters, still it was a pacy read and I loved all the sleuthing.
The subject matter is dark - grim really - but there was so much comedy in it too that I didn't feel too bleak about reading it - in fact I looked forward to reading it so much I have bought the next in the series!

This crime story deals with a harrowing topic - the kidnap, abuse and murder of small children. It make distressing reading at times. However the central characters are well written and a cut above many crime novels. I will definitely read more Stuart MacBride novels.

A brilliant start to an outstanding series. MacBride engages readers from the outset in this first DS Logan McRae tale, as well as bringing cold, damp Aberdeen to vivid life on the page. McRae, recently returned from a year out 'on the sick', is likable and easy to follow. There's terrific banter and black humour among the Aberdeen cops as they investigate some tough crimes, including the death of a four-year-old boy. With a serial killer on the loose and more children going missing, the stakes are high and the pressure intense. MacBride laid down a terrific early marker with this debut, showcasing his talent for mixing brutality and banter, and keeping the pages whirring.

This was an excellent read. Not something I would usually pick up but It had me hooked from the outset and throughout. Will be keeping an eye out for more in the future.

http://DS Logan McRae is just back from a year's sick leave after he was attacked by a killer. He's just about OK and he's supposed to be easing himself back into the swing of the job in a gentle way - until three-year-old David Reid's body is discovered in a ditch. He'd been missing for some time and it came as no surprise that he was dead, but he's the first of several child murders. To add to the complications the police even have a body but no child reported missing. A serial killer, a child killer and abuser, is on the loose in Aberdeen and the press are missing no opportunity to bay for blood. As if that wasn't bad enough there seems to be a leak from within Force Headquarters: a local journalist, Colin Miller, quickly finds out everything that's happening.

I've long been a fan of Stuart MacBride's Logan McRae series: it's crisp and well-written with plots which are realistic but keep you guessing until the last moment, but as with many series, I joined it late, so it was good to have the opportunity to go back to the beginning and see where it all came from. I'm glad that I did. It's not unusual for a good crime series to have a mediocre start, but MacBride hits the ground running. The characters are excellent: even relatively minor players are fully fleshed out. McRae is professional but likeable. Colin Miller, the journalist, is unprofessional and infinitely dislikeable - his colleagues at the Press and Journal even suggest that a little police brutality wouldn't go amiss - but when you get to know him you develop a sneaking regard. My favourite was WPC Jackie Watson, known as 'ball-breaker' at FHQ, who can kick down a door with the best of them and you'd think twice about tangling with her.

MacBride deals with the problem of child sex abuse sensitively and avoids any graphic details, but that's not to say that you're not aware of the horror of it and the way that the after effects can be passed down the generations. It seems strange to say that I enjoyed such a story but MacBride has written a cracker and I'd like to thank the publishers for making a copy available to the Bookbag.

As well as reading the book I listened to an audio download (which I bought myself) narrated by Steve Worsley. Worsley has an exceptional range of voices and regional accents, which remain consistent throughout the book and I was never in any doubt about which character was speaking. I've listened to later books in the series, also narrated by Worsley, and we hear the same voices throughout: that's a professional at work.

There's only one snag about this book: you're almost certainly going to want to read the whole series!www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php?title=Cold_Granite_(Logan_McRae)_by_Stuart_MacBride

Tricky case for Logan MacRae on his return to work ,set in Aberdeen in winter,. Good characters and fast moving storyline. Interacts between characters is good and there are a few surprises along the way..