A village on the edge…
A house full of secrets…
An investigator with nothing to lose…

It’s been 7 years since Ex-DC Ash Henderson has been working on the Lateral Investigative and Review Unit (LIRU) as a police consultant, and they seem to be working together just as strong still. As a favour, Ash is called to the scene of a crumbling hillside to deal with the occupant, where he is unexpectedly pulled into the investigation of Gordon Smith and the incredible amount of bones found in his back garden that happens to be falling away into the sea. Out on loan to the Misfit Mob and their team leader DI Flora “Mother” Malcomson, we are brought into another dark and dingy corner of Scotland and the disgusting deeds of a serial killer that has laid hidden for decades, and now he is on the run. With little to no evidence to work on Ash has to use his charm and wit to bring the case to a close, and he is done playing nice. He’s got a killer to catch, and God help anyone who gets in his way.
I absolutely loved the misfit mob and I hope he gets loaned out to them in the future. Such a wonderful diverse fresh crew of characters, it is really good to see him branch out on his own with them and build up these new relationships. Another new character that had a place in my heart pretty much automatically was Henry; Ash and Alice’s little Scottie Dog who likes to come on patrol with him, purely for the benefit of free sausages! Alongside the new faces, there are some familiar faces turning up, some that are welcome and some not so much but it all makes for a brilliant story.
With some nice twisty touches and some expected turns, this isn’t my favourite of the Ash Henderson series but it is still a gripping tale and definitely got my pulse racing towards the end.
TW: Torture, Kidnapping, Suicide Attempt, Child Abuse, Murder, Physical Abuse, Child Murder and Strangulation.
As usual, some tough scenes and again it makes you wonder how much can violence one person can endure but overall a really good addition to the series, I look forward to seeing more about Ash Henderson.
4/5

This is part of a series and whilst you can read it as a stand alone, there are several references to the past and there is clearly history between the characters. You may find it easier to read them in order to full understand the connections between the characters.

The headland is crashing into the North Sea and taking Gordon Smith's home with it -but as the ground starts to fall away it reveals human remains buried in his garden. With Gordon nowhere to be found, it falls to ex-DI Ash Henderson and his partner Alice to track him down to find out just how many bodies are buried - and who they belong to. Henderson is old school and will stop at nothing to track down his target and won't let anybody stand in his way.

For some reason, the book is interspersed with dialogues of what is playing on the car radio is extremely distracting and completely unnecessary..

A great story with some unexpected twists and turns along the way

Stuart Macbride does it again, and he never fails to impress me with his superb writing, his sarcastic and witty characters and the ability to bring a realistic plot line together. The Logan McRae series is one of my ultimate favourites so I just loved ex copper Ash Henderson, a collapsing cliff, and a discovery of bones; a jackpot win from this author as far as I'm concerned.

The characters are great, each have there own personalities, but by far, Henry is the best working dog I've ever read about, pure quality. I absolutely love the author's humour, there are some really tense moments in this book and then some really hilarious dialogue or thoughts and it just leaves me howling.

I love that the author gives the reader the enjoyment of having back story, perfect for me as though I've read the McRae series, I haven't read the Henderson series and though the author writes the same style, it's still good to offer the extra's up to those who may not have had the opportunity or even discovery of that, so I really appreciate that.

This book is perfect for those that love a good thrilling crime story, with equal amounts of violence, and a double investigation is a pure win! I loved it, and totally recommend.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the free ARC in exchange for my review.

Didn’t know it was a sequel 🙈 that said to be honest didn’t effect the book at all apart from I’m now going back to find the first one! Really liked this one and thought it was a gripping read that kept you on the edge, the characters were decent and I loved Henderson a lot...! Off to get the first one and any more that come out, a great thriller that you’ll plough through in no time. 5 stars from me!!!

I was gripped from the first chapter, tense and pithy this instalment of the Ash Henderson series does not disappoint. The erosion of a cliff area exposes human bones in the garden of Gordon Smith’s house but what Henderson discovers in the crumbling house is even more horrific. The investigation into the bodies reveals a gruesome trail of murders and puts Henderson an his colleagues in danger.

I always seem to request books via netgalley without realising they are sequels. Luckily, this fact did not impact the ability to follow this story. The need to know elements were explained well enough to fill in the missing gaps. That being said, I would like to go back to read the ones before this because I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it would be great to read the books that shaped the characters we met in this story. I would definitely recommend. Gripping, thought provoking and as really good read.

This was my first introduction to Ash Henderson and Alice MacDonald. I realised, almost straightaway, that it would have been an advantage to have read the previous novels. I kept wondering throughout about their relationship, personalities and backstories, which proved to be slightly distracting and confusing.

So much death and horror in this novel! Ash and Alice are investigating the abduction and murder of young boys and are called to investigate, simultaneously, the grim discovery of a multitude of bones in a house where the garden has part fallen into the sea. The discovery of some horrific Polaroid photos set them on the hunt for a serial killer. The vast amounts of gore and awfulness, along with the discovery of tortured corpses, made it difficult for me to take it seriously after a while. I kept thinking that that this story line is the cake with all the cherries on top, not just one. The relationships between the characters was a secondary consideration, which in this genre of novel is quite important for me if I'm to be drawn in and read more in the series. Alice's misery wasn't enough of a draw for me....

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins for my copy in return for an honest review

I've never read any Stuart Macbride before so was excited to read my first one! Love his humour and will definitely pick up some other Stuart Macbride books now! V Dark so definitely would have to make sure the right reader picked this up!

The Coffin Maker’s Garden – A Tour de Force

When the storms are washing a way the coastline of east Scotland, it does not help, if your house is on the coastline. When are young child runs to the edge of the garden, in the temporary house his mother is renting, what was a storm turns into something else. This time Ash Henderson is no longer a police inspector, but a consultant to Police Scotland, and is dragged into the investigation.

The return of Ash Henderson is a tour de force, while touching dark themes, with sporadic sardonic humour, one cannot help but be drawn deeper into the story. What the reader will love is how dark the story is, and the dark humour that goes with it is like a shining beacon. Fans of the previous Henderson series will love that nothing has changed in the character, other than he is even rougher around the edges. Oh, and as he is no longer a police officer he is not as bound to police procedure as he should be.

Chasing someone who is adept at hiding in plain sight and is loved by his neighbours is never going to be easy to catch. But the photographs of dead bodies, tortured and hung up, reveal another side to his life that he would have preferred to have kept quiet.

While racing around Scotland for clues as to the why and where, even though they know who the perpetrator is, it is far harder to find someone when he has is skilled at hiding. Dashing around Scotland trying to find him, Henderson upsets a number of people, one of whom hires people to use him as a human punch bag.

While people try and keep him busy and away from the front of the investigation, doing the basic leg work, little do they know how close to death he will come. With one ritualistic murder left, and a garden full of trophies, it was always going to end in one place.

A brilliant thriller, and any reader will want to drink this story in, as it is highly addictive. Cannot recommend this highly enough.

Thankyou to @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. I absolutely loved this book - it is fast paced, exciting and an all-round rollicking good read. I have found some police procedurals to be quite plodding in the past - but not this one. The opening will stay with me for some time as an example of atmospheric and suspenseful writing done very, very well.

One of my favourite author Stuart MacBride, if you have read any of his books, this one will not disappoint, !

His books are very dark, gritty, and gruesome, which i love ! Just brilliant, and would highly recommend !

Have been a Stuart MacBride reader for years but I have not read any books by him for a good while. I love this new book, it is a great read and peppered with black humour and funny sarcasm. Love it.

Not read one of Stuart Macbrides books in a long time. This was just how I remember his books though - dark and gritty - and just a bit gruesome. Enjoyed the references to Fochabers.

A brilliant novel that will thrill and chill you to the bone. When the past wont stay buried it will creep into the lives of those it overshadowed . Perfect binge reading material from a master of the genre

Another excellent book by Stuart MacBride. The main character, Ash Henderson is great, very believable. The writing is so atmospheric, you can feel the cold and wind. Although there has been a break of 5 years, 'The Coffinmaker's Garden' follows on from 'A Song for the Dying'. Just the right amount of humour too. Highly recommended.

For some years now Logan McRae has been the poster boy for those of us addicted to broody, maverick Scottish cops. But now he has serious competition, Ash Henderson is hot on his heels. Ok, so he might not actually be a cop anymore but that's just semantics. Fortunately for Stuart MacBride both these men are his creations.
There are two very different serial killers on Ash's patch and one has been getting away with murder for almost sixty years. Add to this a motley crew of cops, two dumb and dumber gangland thugs for hire, a small dog and some very black humour and you have a book you want to read slowly and savour but can't bear to put down. Five stars all the way.

Ex DI Ash Henderson is a civilian assisting a police investigation into child abductions, and also gets involved in a serial killer investigation. I found the characters to be thoroughly unlikeable and I didn't find the way they spoke to everyone in such a derogatory manner humorous, as others seems to find it. It really put me off the whole story, as did the gratuitous violence. It doesn't reflect 21st century police, or at least I hope it doesn't! This one just wasn't for me.

This was a wonderfully humorous police procedural. With a wonderful cast of main and side characters plus a double mystery investigation , it is well worth a read.
Side note- the audiobook was brilliant, with great Scottish accents.
No this wasn't the first book in the series but I didnt feel although I was missing anything. Yes, they did make references to the characters history but it didn't impact the story and to be honest there back story sounds pretty horrific.

Seven years on from his last outing in A Song for the Dying, Ash Henderson is back. Along with Dr Alice McDonald, forensic psychologist, and the other members of the LIRU (Lateral Investigative & Review Unit), he is hunting a serial killer who abducts and tortures young boys. Understandably, they are under pressure from all sides to catch him before another boy goes missing.
Meanwhile, in the dramatic opening scenes, a violent storm and coastal erosion have exposed human remains in the garden of a house slowly subsiding into the North Sea; the owner of the house, Gordon Smith, has disappeared off the face of the earth. Putting his life at risk, Ash rescues polaroids from the cellar moments before the whole lot goes tumbling into the sea – the only clues they have to identify Smith’s victims. Ash is seconded to DI Malcolmson’s ‘misfit mob’ to help track him down. Left on her own to work on the child abduction case, Alice is slowly going off the rails; she is in a bad way and, ironically, needs professional help.
What follows is classic Stuart MacBride: A strong sense of place – Oldcastle may be fictional but it is firmly rooted in the northeast of Scotland, a bit like Aberdeen but with more crime and deprivation. Extreme violence – once again Ash takes such a pounding, at times it is necessary to suspend disbelief and remember this is a work of fiction. He really does have nine lives in The Coffinmaker’s Garden – I do not know how he is still standing by the end, considering what Stuart MacBride puts him through.
The large cast of characters are well defined, and easy to tell apart thanks to the writer’s skillful characterisation; the communications between Ash and Sabir, the computer expert, are one of many highlights. The use of gallows humour as a defence mechanism against the gruesome and traumatic scenes they encounter is not to everyone’s taste, but I think it works really well to alleviate what was otherwise a pretty grim story.
I have read and enjoyed all of Stuart MacBride’s books, and this does not disappoint. Although you probably could read it as a standalone, I think it would make a lot more sense to read the books in order, as a lot of significant backstory is not explained here. There were also a number of in-jokes, for eagle-eyed crime fiction fans, such as the book group in Rothesay criticising one of the Logan McRae books. I really hope that there will be another Ash Henderson book some time in the future, but hopefully we won’t have to wait seven years this time.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

The third book featuring former DI Ash Henderson and some seven years after the last installment in this series.

Chasing after serial killer Gordon Smith, Ash and his band of misfits have one heck of a ride, There is all the drak humour, violence and larger than life characters you come to expect and love from a Stuart Macbride novel, The plot's pace is relentless at times, as there is another serial killer subplot rumbling along in the background.

Quite possibly his best book yet and here's hoping the next Ash Henderson novel comes along a bit sooner. Defines the meaning of page turner.