Got to half way before my netgalley file made it unreadable but up to that point this was a gripping and really atmospheric read. I will certainly be getting the real thing when it is published.

The glitch has been fixed so I've gone back to it and the wait was worth it. A Dark, gritty Tartan Noir that really puts the lead character, Ash, through the wringer as he searches for a torture murderer that has kept ahead of the law for years.

Stuart MacBride is at the top of his game here

Highly recommended

This is the first time I’ve read a Stuart MacBride novel, as I’m not normally into crime/thriller that much, only now and again.

This book did take my fancy though and I’m pleased I picked it up. It does stand alone, but I do feel that I missed a lot by not reading the first two, for example, the injured foot, his relationship with Alice, and colleagues - although I did very much enjoy the storyline, I was quite clearly missing out on character development from prior books.

As I say though, this is a stand-alone book, and it genuinely had me terrified often, and I struggled to keep reading out of pure fear. It’s a bit gory, but it’s left to your imagination- ie it’s not graphic, ie, it doesn’t go into extreme detail like some books I’ve read.

So, yeah! I enjoyed this! My thanks to Netgalley and Harper Fiction for the copy in exchange for an honest review.

It's hard to beat a Stuart MacBride novel and this doesn't disappoint!
His trademark strong characters, fast paced storyline and brilliant Scottish humour combine perfectly again in this book.

i have never read a Stuart MacBride book before but I will definitely be reading more. This book is one of a series featuring the same detective but works perfectly as a stand alone title too. Ash Henderson is an ex-police officer turned consultant for the police. He's involved in two cases - one of young boys being murdered and another where bodies have been found in the grounds of a house that's falling into the sea. The action is fast paced, the dialogue is sparky and the characters believable. It's a breathless ride from start to finish. Great book.

The storyline in this book is well developed and potentially gripping. As part of Scotland’s east coast falls into the sea, gruesome discoveries are revealed. The discovery of bones helps reopen the unsolved cases from several decades ago. The pursuit of the killer takes Police Scotland across the country. The downside of the book is the depiction of serially aggressive characters, one of whom is a former DI now acting as a consultant. Throughout the book he is guilty of several unacceptable assaults and he would not have been kept on the staff in any real life investigation. The book’s style and approach is brutal and coarse. That interferes with the story and serves no purpose.

Ash Henderson, ex-DI, and his colleague and friend, Dr Alice McDonald, a forensic psychologist, become involved in a case that sees human bones washed out of the rapidly eroding coastline – bodies buried in a garden. They work for the Lateral Investigative Review Unit, so act as consultants to the local police. The hunt is on – for a serial child killer and for the man whose garden is now revealing its secrets.
The story is long, but the pace never lets up. Ash seems to skate on thin ice, and sometimes crosses the boundaries of legality. I found it difficult to believe, at times, but never less than exciting. The story pulled me in totally. Ash and Alice aren’t the easiest of characters to like, both being to an extent self-destructive. You find that you need to know, and you care, what happens. Great writing.

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for an early copy.

At the coastal village of Clachmara, the headland is slowly eroding into the sea. Storm Trevor speeds up the process. A ship - the Ocean-Gold Harvester is stuck on the rocks and young Alfie Compton cannot resist sneaking out of the house to see what's happening. Margaret runs after her son and as she grabs him to pull him back to safety she glances across at the newly-exposed cliff front and sees human bones. Gordon Smith's home is falling into the North Sea and the evidence of what he's been doing for decades is going with it - except for what Ash Henderson of LIRU can grab as he later escapes the tumbling ruin.

LIRU - that's the Lateral Investigative and Review Unit - is a group of consultants, some of whom (like Ash Henderson) are ex-police. There's also Dr Alice Henderson, a profiler with an inability to stop talking and a drink problem. She doesn't believe that she can profile sober. LIRU's used by Police Scotland when they need help: in this case, it's manpower help as they are investigating the deaths of three young boys and the disappearing bones are a problem they don't need.

Recently I've abandoned my principle of not joining established crime series when they've got a couple of books under their belt. This time I didn't realise that this is the 'Oldcastle' or 'Ash Henderson' series (depending on where you look) and that The Coffinmaker's Garden is book three in the series. There's nothing on the front cover to tell you that this is the case and I wish I'd known. When I started reading, the characters arrived like the ravening hordes. They all seemed to know each other and to have nicknames. Why, I wondered, was a DI widely called 'Mother'? Apparently to be allowed to do so was a privilege. About thirty pages in and thoroughly confused, I gave up and went back to the beginning and started making notes. The mist cleared. If you've read earlier books in the series, you'll not have this problem.

Once I got the people (and there are a lot of them...) sorted out, what I got was a really good, well-plotted book. There are characters for you to root for and a good few you're going to loathe. I've always enjoyed Stuart MacBride's books because of the humour - here it's dark with a couple of laugh-out-loud moments and it is needed to offset the violence. I found there was a little too much description for my taste (I'm a wuss, particularly where animals are concerned) but if you're OK with this and you've read earlier books in the series you can add at least a half and possibly a full star to my rating.

I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.

If you enjoy Stuart MacBride's work, try his Logan McRae series: start with Cold Granite.

Brutal but funny thriller in the Ash Henderson series opens with Ash risking his life to uncover evidence of a serial killer as the victims bodies are washed out to sea when the cliffs collapse taking the killer’s home with it. As if a man who’s been getting away with horrific murders for half a century wasn’t enough there’s also the business of the kidnapping and murder of small boys to deal with. Luckily Ash doesn’t waste time standing in ceremony with officious superiors or following rules and one way or another he’s going to get his men. Whatever the cost to him and his team

This is the third outing for Ash Henderson. Ash and Alice are assisting with the hunt for a child killer when they are asked to go and see a woman on the coast. There has been a landslide and some bones are visible. It turns out that the woman who called them is qualified to say that they are human bones. In searching the house whose garden has subsided, they discover the kill room of a serial killer. The owner of the house has absconded so it's not hard to make the leap to the identity of the murderer.
Due to a small incident, during the child killer investigation, Ash is seconded to the Mother's misfits to investigate the kill room serial killer. The action leads all over Scotland and is bruisingly painful for Ash in places.
This is an action packed book with very few lulls in the action.
It has been a long time since I read the last Ash Henderson book and I would be quite happy to read this as a stand alone so there is no need to have read the previous books if you wanted to get stuck into this!

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher Harper Collins UK - Harper Fiction, for the ARC.

Now, I have really enjoyed this author's Logan McRae series of books but, I am sorry to say, I really didn't enjoy this. Admittedly it is Book #3 in the Ash Henderson series and previous ones I have not read, and it didn't read well as a standalone. Ash's back-story which was constantly being referred to was only sparsely clarified in dribs and drabs throughout the story.

A storm is raging on the North Sea coast of Scotland at Clachmara. The headland is being washed away and houses falling into the sea. The garden of one house slips off the edge, revealing dozens of human bones. Ex-DI Ash Henderson, working with Dr Alice McDonald, are already consulting on the death of two young boys, with a third now missing - they believe they have a serial child killer on their hands. However, they are detailed to go to the scene to assess the situation and subsequently become embroiled in the hunt for Gordon Smith, the elderly owner of the house and, now, destroyed garden. He's lived there for 56years - has he been killing people and burying them in his garden all this time? Was his now-deceased wife an accomplice?
Helen MacNeil - a villain well-known to Ash, and Gordon's neighbour, whose daughter committed suicide years before, berates Ash for not finding her teenaged daughter Leah who disappeared 5 weeks previously. Had Gordon had a hand in her disappearance?
The victims need to be identified; the hunt is on for Gordon and Leah and another young boy is missing.

I found it very hard to relate to any of the characters, nor indeed their roles either as civilians or the Police, Their relationships completely baffled me and I wouldn't describe the dialogue as dark humour at all - I found it all rather a bit "weird". Couldn't get on with it at all and found myself skim-reading a good deal of the book just for the sake of getting to the end.
Sorry, won't be reading any more of this series.

It's not often that your crime scene is in the process of falling into the North Sea. With a raging storm and human remains which had been buried in Gordon Smith's garden about to disappear into the water, ex-DI Ash Henderson doesn't know how many victims he's dealing with.

And where, for that matter, is Smith?

One of the most exciting things I've read in a long time. Relentlessly brilliant, the at times quite gruesome action is marvellously balanced with warmth, humour and bickering amongst the leading characters.

More please!

I had never heard of Stuart MacBride before this book. Gosh what have I been missing. The author has given us an edge of your seat, page turning thriller. I didn’t want to put this one down. I’d certainly love to see this book turned into a TV Drama.
It’s a stormy evening when a young boy creepy out his home to watch the helicopters. His mother frantically grabs hold of his as the part of the headland they are standing on disappears into the sea. Sticking out of the cliff face are bones. This was the home of Gordon Smith and he’s got questions to answer as a kill room is discovered in the basement of his house. Before that too disappears into the sea.
Ash Henderson is working with police to discover who were Gordon Smiths victims. Alongside tracking down a serial killer of young boys.
A gritty police drama set in Scotland.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this arc

Unbelievably,for someone who reads a lot of crime fiction,this is my first MacBride book.
It wont be my last.
The pacing and tension were spot on.
The two main characters were flawed,yet realistic enough that I COULD be mates with them... and the dog.
Dark and gritty at times but that's what you're after if you're reading about serial killers.
Just the right amount of humour.
I've got some catching up to do with the back catalogue now!!

I have enjoyed the 'Logan, McRae' series for a few years now and would highly recommend it to readers who fancy a crime series that's full of humour and a little different. I have been meaning t start this series for sometime and although I realise it is not an ideal place to start with book 3 I didn't feel that it spoilt my enjoyment of this book. There was plenty to like about this book and I had mixed feelings throughout without completely connecting with either the characters or plot. For me the characters were too similar to the one's I already know from Stuart MacBride's other series.
When a storm hits the Scottish coast, Gordon Smith’s home is begins to fall into the North Sea revealing human remains in his garden. The storm is making difficult if not impossible to get to the bodies for further investigations and threatens to wash away the evidence. The police are unable to ascertain just how many people has already killed and how many more he’ll kill if he can’t be found and stopped. Ex-policeman Ash Henderson and forensic psychologist Dr. Alice McDonald are determined to see this one through.
I would like to thank both Netgalley and Harper Collins for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Dark and gritty, this is the third in the brilliant Ash Henderson series. The narrative speeds along at full pace without a pause for breath. Great dysfunctional characters, a distinctive, black humour and an exciting and twisted plot, what more could you ask for. It was difficult to put this down so I just had to keep on reading. This series just gets better and better.

I hadn't realised this was the 3rd book in a series. If I had realised I would have read them in order. but hey ho, too late now. I could always read it again when i've read the first two books.
Its a very cold night in Scotland and a house on the coastal hill has it's garden crumbling away with the erosion. Bit by bit the garden is disappearing into the sea. This would be a nightmare at any time but this house has something very interested burried in the garden.. 'Human Remains'
Ash Henderson and Dr Alice MacDonald are called in to help with the case. Working for theLateral Investigative and Review Unit they are to work alongside the police.
I found this a really good story that felt so different from a normal thriller, it felt new and fresh. I liked in parts the dark humor in this book and as such a serious story to be told, it was good that you als get the occasional chuckle.
There are two big plot lines through this book, which makes for really interesting reading. A lot going on, which really adds to the intensity.
​A gripping enjoyable read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this latest in the Ash Henderson series, although I did need to go back to refresh my aging memory with what happened in the previous books.
A very good plot and convincingly written. Very funny in places, especially when the book club is discussing - not approvingly - one of the Logan McRae books by the same author.
I look forward to the next one when Ash and Alice are rich ;)

*4.5 stars *

It’s a dark stormy winter’s night on the Scottish coast, it’s blowing a hooley, and the little village of Clachmara is being devoured by the North sea, with chunks of gardens crumbling into the icy depths below, and the headland disappearing by many lengths, but what makes this scene even more terrifying is that in Gordon Smith’s back garden, the erosion has revealed human bones - lots of them! In addition, the local police have a more recent serial killer to catch - a child murderer.

Ex Detective Inspector Ash Henderson, now part of the Lateral Investigative and Review Unit (LIRU) is called in as a consultant to help detectives with this particular case, due to his previous expertise investigating serial killers, and despite the fact that Ash is no longer a serving police officer, it doesn’t obstruct him in any way, and he’s definitely not someone to cross in his investigations! Just like the Incredible Hulk, you don’t want to make him angry - you wouldn’t like him when he’s angry!

MacBride captures the gallows humour of day-to-day police life so perfectly, and despite the dark and upsetting subject matter, and horrifying violence, I defy any reader to keep a straight face traversing this narrative. The light hearted moments complement, rather than distract from what is a creative, tense and well-orchestrated crime thriller. The dialogue is razor sharp, the plotting perfectly paced, and packed with larger than life characters, (not least Ash’s adorable Scottie dog Henry) along with multiple side plots that keep the pace brisk. Another winner for Stuart Macbride!

I have waited sooooo long for my Ash Henderson and Dr Alice MacDonald fix .... I'm quite giddy to share my thoughts on The Coffinmaker's Graveyard but it's here and I am excited to share my review with you.
I settled down with this during the second Covid lockdown and was chuffed to bits to be thrust right into the brilliant Henderson/MacDonald dynamics. It was so lovely to reconnect with them seven long years after their last outing together and a lots happened in the interim. They are now consultants (joined at the hip or as near as dammit) employed by the police to help out on difficult cases.
Ash Henderson may be damaged, but his loyalty and protectiveness of Alice is beautifully written and often brought me near to tears. As for Henry - their wee Scottie dug - well there's nothing cuter than a wee Scottie dug now is there?
Whilst in the middle of a hunt for a child abducter who has already killed two young boys and has captured another from the rough estate nearby, Ash and Alice are asked to do a favour for another team tasked with investigating the discovery of a graveyard in Clachmara which is rapidly falling into the sea. His task is to speak to an ex convict with violent tendencies who lives in the neighbouring house to the graveyard and Helen McNeil is no shrinking violet.
The upshot is that whilst Alice continues to investigate the murdered children, Ash gets re-assigned to identify the tortured bodies who are disappearing into the sea with only a few polaroid photos from up to fifty years ago to help him.
As usual, MacBride has created a stellar cast of subsidiary characters with all the quirks and varied personalities I've come to expect from this author. However, as well as new and delightful characters, MacBride reintroduces some of the characters from the previous Ash Henderson Book, A Song for the Dying. With enviable skill, McBride, in few words, makes each character unique and vibrantly present in the reader's mind.
The Coffinmaker's Graveyard is dark and creepy and deliciously out there. MacBride takes us just that one step over the line with the depravity of his killers and , despite seeing a soft side of Henderson and a less troubled man, Ash is still, without a doubt a man on the edge. Henderson has few boundaries left and he'd not afraid to push them if it gets the job done.

The Coffinmaker's Graveyard is a flamboyant foray into the darkest of minds and only MacBride could take to such horrific investigations and bring each to a satisfactory conclusion. I've read all MacBride's books and this one definitely explores the darkest of dark places and isn't afraid to explore the lengths people, with only a few things left to hold on to, will go.

This is most definitely not a cosy crime read. It is deep and dark and ugly ... but oh sooooo satisfying. I loved it!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an unbiased review.
I've been on the journey all the way with Stuart McBride and absolutely love the Logan McRae books and would give everyone of them five stars.
There is however something about the Ash Henderson series that just doesn't grab me.
Don't know if it's the characters or the style but I just can't take to them.

Going to stick to Logan McRae going forward.
Hopefully another one along soon