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

Chaotic
Dark
Very chaotic
Humorous
Definitely chaotic

The Coffinmaker’s Garden is the latest book in the Ash Henderson series by Stuart MacBride and in the author’s usual style it is a very dark, chaotic and at times humorous crime novel

Bodies and very unlikeable people appear throughout as Henderson lurches from one personal disaster to another but you keep turning the pages.

I hadn’t read any of the previous books in the series which was slightly disadvantageous however I still enjoyed The Coffinmaker’s Garden and will no doubt look up the rest of Henderson’s adventures

This is the first book I have read featuring Ash and I felt though it was an okay storyline,I lost out because I did not know the back story.. Not up to the standard of his other series.

Well, Stuart MacBride obviously doesn’t work for the Scottish Tourist Board. He describes everything in such a dark, dank, grey, wet and completely horrible way. The word ‘thunk’ although a great sounding word, was totally overused.
The end of the book is so unbelievable. How can one man, with so many injuries keep going?
I did not like this book apart from the bit where the book group were running down what appears to be one of MacBrides previous books, that bit was clever.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the arc, which I really enjoyed reading.
The Coffinmaker’s Garden by Stuart MacBride is an extremely entertaining story, gruesome, funny and sad, in equal measures. There are serial killers, child abusers, and so much more. Ash Henderson and Dr Alice McDonald plus D I Morrow and Mother are the police team who investigate and solve the cases. Not for the faint hearted.
Highly recommended.

The Coffinmaker’s Garden is an Ash Henderson Oldcastle novel - and therefore firmly in the gritty and grim, policing mixed with brutality, dubious approaches to evidence gathering and a side serving of quirky psychologist plus a plucky dog. Other Oldcastle regulars play their part (Mother, Franklin etc) and - whilst grim and violent - it’s rather nice having familiar characters all together. I do prefer Logan McRae to Ash Henderson, but i think this is my favourite of the Ash books.

Anyway, this is a cracking read, with a mixture of a ‘track down the clear villain’, ‘rescue the girl’ and ‘solve all the other crimes’. If not necessarily that straightforward.... recommended for fans of MacBride, but for newcomers i’d probably go back to the beginning

Thank you for the review copy of this book.
Every so often I come across a book by Stuart MacBride that I try and try with but just dislike. I’ve realised with this book they are always the Ash Henderson series. Everything that makes the Logan McRae books so captivating is here - the sharp dialogue, the twisty plots, the interesting backstories of the characters.......but they are all turned up to 11 in the Henderson books and I just can’t warm to them.
I won’t leave a review when the book is published as MacBride IS a fantastic writer and a masterful wrangler of all things gritty and criminal and I’d hate to slate him as bad when he’s very far from that. When I’m asked for my favourite crime writers I’ll still include him somewhere near the top alongside Brookmyre, Rankin and McDermid, but I’ll add the caveat that the two detectives are quite different. Or too similar and one tries way, way too hard.
However, with Ash and his merry band I’ve had to conclude that it’s not me, it’s him and I don’t want to persevere with trying to like him.

This was the first book I’d read by Stuart MacBride and I wasn’t disappointed. The Coffinmaker’s Garden starts as the main character DI Ash Henderson is chasing a child killer, but he’s then interrupted to help another team. During a storm Gordon Smith’s home begins to slide into the sea revealing human remains. After finding something else disturbing in his cellar, they believe he might be a serial killer. 

This book was intense, gripping and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. There were two major plot lines and several side elements which were well written, intriguing and easy enough to follow. 

I loved the author’s writing style and I’m excited that there’s a wealth of other books I can get stuck into!

I’ve been reading this author’s work for ages & while I enjoy the Logan McRae books, have to admit I prefer this series. It’s been 7 years since “A Song for the Dying”. So I’m thrilled to see the return of Oldcastle’s crankiest, perpetually injured ex-DI.

In fact, it might be prudent if you don a flak jacket before even cracking the cover because the entire Lateral Investigative & Review Unit (LIRU) is back. That includes ex-copper Ash Henderson, forensic psychologist Dr. Alice McDonald & DI “Shifty” Morrow but more importantly, the one key member who strikes fear in the heart of criminals everywhere……Henry. He may be small, hairy & easily distracted by sausages but put him in a squad car & he becomes The Scottie Dog Vehicle Defence System (SDVDS).

Looking back, the whole thing began with a favour. Ash & Alice are busy with a LIRU case when DI Flora “Mother” Malcomson calls with a request. Over in Clachmara, the sea has reclaimed part of a cliff face. It was just the usual landslide of dirt, trees, outbuildings, etc. until human bones popped up. And a rather disturbing number of them. The property belongs to one Gordon Smith, who is nowhere to be found. But his neighbour is Helen MacNeil, a scary ex-con Ash remembers from his days on the force. Perhaps he could come interview her, you know, reminisce about old times? Sure….what could go wrong.

Helen has her own reasons to want Gordon found but that doesn’t mean she’s happy to see the former DI who put her in prison. But she’s willing to strike a deal & Ash has no choice. Especially after he gets a look around Smith’s basement. In short order Ash is seconded to Mother’s team of misfits, leaving Alice & Henry to handle the LIRU case. And just a heads-up to readers: both investigations have a high ick factor.

From here, the story takes off in about 11 different directions with more characters added as things progress. We’re kept up to date through Ash’s acerbic & frequently hilarious comments & observations. As usual, there’s no shortage of grit or violence with Ash receiving more than his fair share of lumps (he is going to LOVE the concept of social distancing). It’s obvious early on the team is hunting someone who’s learned how to cover their tracks. If Ash is going to survive long enough to catch them, he’ll have to make friends with old enemies, call in favours & yes, even activate the SDVDS.

I really enjoy this MC. He’s grumpy, snarky & never at a loss for words. The dialogue is particularly entertaining & some of the conversations made me laugh out loud….often followed by a cringe and/or “eeeww”. He’s the perfect foil for Alice, a timid psychologist who can introduce more topics into a single sentence than any other human.

There are definite similarities between this & the Logan McRae series. Both feature 2 smart & long suffering detectives saddled with female colleagues that drive them to drink (albeit in VERY different ways). They’re both usually sporting bruises/bandages from their last thumping. And neither has any trouble expressing themselves in colourful Scottish vernacular. I think the difference for me are the respective casts of characters as a whole. Ash, Alice, Mother, Shifty, Rhona….I’ve grown fond of them all & enjoy what each brings to the story.

The story lines are gritty & descriptive but not gratuitous as the author lets your imagination fill in the blanks. It’s entertaining, pacey & full of the black humour I love. There’s even a sly treat for crime fiction fans in the form of comments made when Ash crashes a book club meeting.

I zipped through this in no time flat & can only hope it won’t be another 7 years (unless that’s in “Henry” years). Your reading tool kit for this should include: rubber boots, a map of Scotland, bandaids, Snausages & alcohol. Any kind. The large bottle.

This is the third Ash Henderson book and though I haven’t read the others – and I did feel I was missing a bit of the backstory – it was still a thoroughly enjoyable read. Gordon Smith’s home is about to fall into the sea, as it’s perched on the Scottish coast. That’s frightening enough but all the more so macabre when police realise what Gordon has buried in his garden – human remains. Given the weather conditions, there’s no way of being accurate as to how many bodies are there. Ash Henderson, former detective, knows there’s only one way to play things – personally. Couple this with an aggravated – and sometime criminal – grandmother wanting to see her grandchild again and a lot more physical scenes than I expected, and this is the recipe for a great read. It powers on and you’re desperate to find out what happens and how it is resolved.

Stuart MacBride returns to his Ash Henderson series, set in Oldcastle, Scotland, Ash is now a former DI, working at the Lateral Investigative Review Unit (LIRU) with the heavy drinking forensic psychologist, Dr Alice McDonald. This is written in the trademark MacBride style with its comic and black humour, with the feel of the early Logan McRae books, by which I mean the gruesome murders and high body counts, both from the past and in the present, not to mention the horrifying assaults and injuries endured by Ash, ending up with him looking like the walking dead, facing danger and death threats from all corners. In a dark and stormy night in the village of Clachmara, a frightened single mother, Margaret Compton, goes searching for her missing young son, Alfie, managing to save him as the cliff face collapses, seeing human remains crash into the sea.

The home and garden of the elderly Gordon Smith, a set designer, is falling into the sea, and with it is going the evidence of his decades long and prolific history as a serial killer, in partnership with his now dead wife, Caroline. Despite the dangers of entering his home, Ash only just manages to take photographic evidence of some the victims found in the basement, getting out by the skin of his teeth. In charge of the investigation is DI Malcolmson aka Mother, and her team of shunned misfits. If all that is not enough, there is a child killer on the loose as the third body of a strangled boy is found in the woods, and the police race against time, knowing with certainty that it will not be long before another young boy is abducted and killed. Alice's drinking is getting out of hand, and Ash finds himself partnered with the black DS Rosalind Franklin as they try and identify the dead victims, followed by the revenge seeking Helen MacNeil, her daughter one of Smith's victims, and the odious journalist, Jennifer Prentice.

MacBride excels in writing his particular brand of Scottish crime thrillers, packed full of violence and gory killing, ameliorated by humour and comic banter, along with the terrific, off the wall, characters that populate his novels. The author also has a habit of putting his leading characters through the mill, and then some, witness all the horrors and terrors that come Ash's way here, despite all the unbearable trauma of his past. Although do not make the mistake of thinking that he does not hit back, he is loyal, and there is nothing he will not do for those he loves, such as Alice, as they dream a life away from all this, perhaps running a hotel by the coast. This will appeal to MacBride's fans, and for those who have yet to come across his crime fiction. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.

A stormy night in Clachmara, a boat floundering near an unstable cliff, a helicopter attempting rescue, a rumble and disaster as the cliff collapses revealing the Coffinmakers Garden. Di Malcolmson (aka Mother) of Oldcastle Division, Ash Henderson and Dr Alice McDonald of LIRU (Lateral Investigative and Review Unit) investigate and make further horrifying discoveries. As if this isn’t bad enough there also a child killer to catch.

This story is as gritty as Aberdonian granite as a trail of destruction follows or often leads the main characters, who must have nine lives apiece. It is violent in places as Ash does not hold back, its old school, no holds barred. The colourful characters are excellent, they seem to jump off the pages in bright Ultra HD. Ash is carrying baggage and grief, takes no prisoners and stands up for those he cares about. Garrulous Alice is fantastic, as is Mother. There are two ‘enforcers’ one of which uses the most flowery language which is a brilliant contrast and totally at odds with their actions. However, the standout character has to be Henry, the adorable Scottie dog who I’d love to adopt!! It’s full of shocking danger to the point where you don’t know whether to hold your breath, gasp or let your jaw thunk to the floor, or possibly all three. It’s so exciting, tense and full of twists and turns. I love the dark, gallows humour which made me laugh out loud and some of the more creative insults are hilarious and probably anatomically impossible!

Overall, this is tartan noir at its best. It’s exciting, suspenseful with an excellent plot and a well written, humorous storyline. However, if there’s to be another in the series the characters need to rethink their food choices if they are to survive without a coronary before the finale!

With thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins/Harper Fiction for the much appreciated arc for an honest review.

Basically if you're already a Stuart MacBride fan then you'll like this as long as you can make the jump from Logan McRae (MacBride's other detective series) to Ash Henderson. Dark, gritty, violent, no hold's barred, sweary...so if that's how you like your crime then this will be right up your street. I'll be honest it's some time since I read a MacBride book (early days of Logan McRae series) so I'd kind of forgotten just how gritty, dark and sweary they can be. I did struggle because of that and sometimes what seems like gratuitous violence can be off-putting but if that's what you like then you'll like this.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for ARC.

5 


Oh I've missed the elegant (depraved), poetic (brutal), whimsical (gallows humour) of Stuart MacBride!

Please please do not even think about reading this book without going back to the beginning and starting with Cold Granite. You'll thank me. Well, unless you don't like your books gritty, dark, gruesome and raw - and that's just the weather.

The Coffinmaker's Garden has some truly gratuitous and explicit violence in it - that really isn't everyone's ideal reading material - so fair warning...

It also has some brilliant little smudges of humour - the old ladies book group discussing one of MacBride's earlier books for example. Just delightful!

Amidst all this is a hard core crime novel, full of hard hitting and grim activities, some pretty unsavoury characters and a 'long game' of a story arc. I particularly enjoyed the two 'fixer' characters, no grudges held, nothing personal all just work. They were very entertaining.

It's brilliant and I loved it :)

I enjoy Stuart MacBrides' books .This is no exeption.
The adventurous three , Ash Henderson Alice McDonald and Henry ( the Scottie dog ) team up once again to help Police Scotland hunt a serial killer.

Very sweary as usual and full of violence so be prepared! The wit is as sharp as ever with so good really funny bits.

Enjoyed this book but MacBrides usage of violence wares a bit thin.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for an advance copy of The Coffinmaker’s Garden, the third novel to feature former DI Ash Henderson, now a consultant to Police Scotland in the fictional town of Oldcastle.

Ash and his sidekick, forensic psychologist Dr Alice McDonald, are hunting a child killer when they are diverted to help another team. Gordon Smith has led an apparently blameless life until his home starts sliding into the sea and human remains are uncovered, but it’s what they find in his cellar that makes them think he’s a serial killer.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Coffinmaker’s Garden which is a gripping read with the added bonus of a lot of dark humour. I couldn’t put it down and was disappointed when it finished, although, as ever, with a laugh.

The novel is mostly told from Ash’s point of view in the first person and as he has a rather dark, cynical take on life it makes the read fun and even laugh out loud funny at times. I am Scottish so it all seems very natural and makes perfect sense to me but I can’t judge if it would be the same for non natives. I wouldn’t say that his judgement is always sound as his decision making seems to involve violence on a regular basis, both given and received, but he can always justify it, perhaps. Old school is probably the best description.

The plot kept me interested throughout with the two main strands and several side issues to occupy my mind. I felt as if my mind was constantly whirring with possible scenarios of how it would play out and being wrong at every turn as it took a different direction. There is the mystery of the unknown child killer and there is the hunt for the murderous pensioner Gordon Smith, who still has all his marbles and hasn’t given up his urges. It’s great stuff.

The Coffinmaker’s Garden is a great read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Atmospheric, Tautly Plotted.....
The third atmospheric, tautly plotted and explosive Ash Henderson thriller does not disappoint. A violent storm across the Scottish coastline, a crumbling house, human remains and a killer not to mention the headstrong and determined Ash Henderson who has nothing to lose and won’t let anyone or anything get in his way. Laced with a dark and delicious wry humour and a sharp narrative this is a hugely satisfying read.

I love MacBride's writing so much. The Scottish settings and characters shine through this as though they are shouting at you. And that is what I love - an authentically Scottish experience, with plenty of murder and humour thrown in.

When human remains are exposed after a storm, where a Scottish town is falling into the North Sea, Ash Henderson investigates. And when Ash Henderson investigates, you better be sure that it isn't you he is after. He is brutish and violent, and although I've not warmed to him previously I think we come to understand a lot more about him in this book and I ended up really caring about his character.

Very graphic in the descriptions of the crimes and the serial killers' victims were so very unlucky in what they went through!

I would recommend this one to fans of hard hitting police procedurals and gory serial killer thrillers. If you like crime stories set in Scotland with plenty of Scottish feeling thrown in, then you have got yourself a winner here.

Stuart MacBride’s books are always so good and this is one is no different. This book is clever, gritty and funny.

A village is collapsing into the North Sea and as another massive storm hits the coast one house reveals too many secrets as buried human remains are suddenly exposed. On this occasion we join Ash Henderson again as he attempts to catch a serial killer who has gone undetected in his actions for decades and Ash is going to stop at nothing to catch them.

With this series of books you enter into a whole underworld of dark deeds and of sinister crimes as you follow a number of larger than life characters around the Scottish landscape. The main characters in this book are given seriously big personalities and you can clearly picture every single one of them, and more importantly understand why they think and behave the way they do. The character writing is one of the reasons I am a fan of the author’s writing alongside of course the clever storylines and the frequent laugh out loud moments.