Really enjoyed this - will definitely be recommending and looking forward to the next one by this author!

I love Scottish crime novels, and I've read several Stuart MacBride books that I enjoyed - especially the Logan Macrae books. However, this was not for me. I found the violence gratuitous in places and the last part stretched the limits of credibility.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

At over 18 hours long I found this to be really long and really dragged out. I enjoy multiple timelines and hopping from one to the other but this one was very disjointed and didn’t work. I found there was times I didn’t know what was going on. Think it took me awhile to get into it due to it being such a slow burn. I really LOVED Lucy and ‘The Dunc’ as partners and their humorous tirade with each other was really well done. It’s not easy to write funny dialogue and have a listener burst out laughing but the author did a great job here. Once it picked up and I got into it I was engaged and interested but then at 80% in it’s like I was listening to a totally different book or the last 20% didn’t actually belong to this book. It just got so ridiculous and out there I lost all interest. It felt like the author was trying to achieve a big twist but just took it too far to the point of unbelievable. Overall there was to many things that didn’t work for me and I was looking forward to getting to the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK for the opportunity to listen to and review #NoLessTheDevil

Have read other stuff by this author and really enjoyed it. Unfortunately I just couldn't get into this one and did the unforgiveable...I gave up on it.

As ever a bloody good read from MacBride

You come to expect a good story and a good read from Stuart MacBride and yet again he delivers on both counts. In this one the police are searching for The Bloodsmith who is a serial killer and from the name you can guess what he does to his victims. DS McVeigh and her sidekick the Dunk are on the hunt and going through crimes scenes working out if it is the Bloodsmith or not and trying to get him. All the while McVeigh is dealing with her own PTSD. Is there more than one killer about.....who knows?
As ever there are so many twists and turns and MacBride moves the plot and sends us everywhere but he does it not only with the blood but also with humour.
A different ending in this one to some he has written but the enjoyment and writing are as good as ever.

This had everything that Stuart has given us in previous tomes....a gritty read1 However, as good an author as he undoubtedly is, I felt the plotting to this book went off the rails towards the end, which sadly spoiled the experience for me. Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is an emotive case for DS Lucy McVeigh. As well as a serial killer stalking the streets she has to deal with a young homeless man who was accused of a terrible murder when he was just a child. Everyone else wants to write him off but Lucy is sure there is more to his story, that he is not just a sociopath. This story winds its way along a road which has more twists and turns than a maze which makes it a compelling and gripping read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

This is the first book I have read from Stuart MacBride. I enjoy a crime novel, especially ones with strong, female leads.

In this, DS Lucy MacVeigh is clearly a troubled officer with a traumatic past. She is working on the Bloodsmith case, a serial killer who has murdered a number of people and continues to remain at large. Despite the grisly content, the novel is filled with satire and humour so you find yourself gripped, but laughing throughout.

I have to mention the final twist - without giving anything away, I will be honest, I found it a bit too outlandish for me and this did lead me to be disappointed with the end. However, this hasn’t stopped me from giving it a 4 star review, because the rest of the novel was so good.

Full of his usual biting wit and scathing sarcasm, No Less the Devil delivers us a new set of functioning dysfunctional coppers, with slowly unravelling hidden histories for us to meet, get to know and enjoy spending time with.

It's also a bit of a change in style from his previous series. I'll be intrigued to see where this one goes.

I enjoyed this book. The ending was nothing like I’ve read before and I never would have guessed it.
Worth reading!

I’ve only recently discovered Stuart MacBride’s novels and have been reading them back to back although I’m keeping the Logan McRae books for a holiday. So far everything I’ve read has been brilliant and No Less the Devil did not disappoint. DS Lucy McVeigh is working on operation Maypole, a serial killer named The Bloodsmith has been at large for 17 months and the police are out of clues, the press is vilifying them and the top brass are looking for a scapegoat. If that weren’t enough Lucy is recovering from her own ordeal having recently returned from medical leave. However Lucy is also trying to find a missing prisoner who is out on license having served a sentence for killing a homeless man when he was 11 years old. Benedict turns up at the police station. and appears to have had some type of mental breakdown as he keeps referring to ‘them’ and that he will try again and get it right next time. So Lucy is trying to stop Benedict from killing again, locate new clues for the Bloodsmith case and recover from her own trauma. If that weren’t enough she ends up being followed around by an officer from Proffessional Standards.
A wonder thriller that took a very unexpected turn. Hoping there’s a further instalment of DI Lucy McVeigh

The ending on this one was just. NOT. FOR. ME.

This one started off great and right up my alley. For 17 months a serial killer dubbed the Bloodsmith has been eluding the police, and now it seems he has been re-visiting all his previous crime scenes and leaving brand new, cryptic messages at them.

On top of that, Lucy, the investigating detective, is also facing a blast from the past from one of her old cases: Benedict Strachan has been released from prison, after serving a sentence for killing a homeless person when he was just 11 years old. Nobody ever got to know why he did it. Now, Benedict is in a state – he is adamant shadowy “they” are after him and is begging Lucy for help.

With this premise, I was super eager to dig into this one. I faithfully followed Lucy re-visiting the old crimes scenes, went through frustrating and puzzling conversations with Benedict, accompanied her to an old, mysterious academic institution where the leads took her, racked my brain on who was behind the murders and who the sinister “them” were. It was a cool ride, even though the author seems to be addicted to adjectives.

But then, the ending. I did not see that coming. It was highly unrealistic and felt disjointed from the rest of the book. It felt like the last 20% of the book was written by a different author.

Most importantly, it made the entire book immoral (and before you think of that, not in any sex-related way. Nothing to do with sex). Mind you, I am super liberal in my approach to any “morality” in books. But this one is on another level. The message of this book is horrendous and I hate it.

I gave it 2 stars, because the plot was creative. I just wish it didn’t end the way it did.

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

I loved bits of this book but the ending really didn't work for me.

Setting in a fictional town that was close enough to real towns all over Scotland, really irked me, I couldn't and still don't see the reason behind that choice.

Setting aside, the first 80% or so of the book is exactly what I expected it to be, a gritty and dark police procedural with an interesting plot. Then it got weird and it stopped working for me.

I applaud trying something new, and I hope there are enough people out there who love it enough the author keeps trying new things, maybe the next one will land on my sweet spot.

Totally unputdownable (is that a word?!)
This was a really well written book and had me totally on the edge of my seat a few times. It was very well written and the story flowed well and I didn't want it to end. Highly recommend.

I Love the Logan McRae book that I read some years ago but this one was too much of a departure from those . A bit too weird for me. It seemed also unnecessarily long ( a good editor could have cut at least 150 pages off of it without loss of the weird story) I put off reading it until now because I was daunted by it's extreme length and as it seemed too long I can see why. I will continue with the Logan McRae books but no more of this protagonist thank you.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for approving me for this book.

I felt the writing was done well in this book but there was just something missing for me and I couldn't get into it and enjoy it as much as I hoped I would.

I love Stuart MacBride books, they are dark and gritty and definitely not for any sensitive souls.This one is no exception! The book moves at a terrific pace from the outset.

The settings are certainly atmospheric, carrying the reader into the brutal realities of murder investigations.

Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh working for Police Scotland, makes for a very realistic character, working hard on tough, dark crimes, the ‘Bloodsmith’ serial killer case, whilst also trying to help a young man, newly released from prison.

The story is told from her viewpoint and we gradually learn about her painful past, that she is not keen to think about and certainly not to share. Her work life is challenging with a media frenzy, a stalker, superiors keen for a result and applying pressure, and there is never enough time.

This book keeps your mind whirring throughout with snippets of humour, sarcasm and support for colleagues - gotta love Dunk with all his quirks and understanding of Sarge!

The ending stretches into the surreal and there were times I felt like I had missed something, wondering about the twists and turns. It left me thinking about it and puzzling / pondering. Stuart MacBride will certainly be pushing his readers out of their comfort zone with this one.

I am wondering if there will be a follow up which puts us back on track with Lucy?

Stuart MacBride keeps his own high standards with his latest book. Plenty of dry, dark humour to be had, along with graphic murder scenes and a plot that starts off slowly before flying off at warp speed!
Lucy and Dunk make a great cop combo, possibly not Holmes & Watson, maybe more Morecombe & Wise...

This was most definitely a weird one for me because whilst I found the whole thing kinda strange I was completely engrossed.

17 months ago The Buthcher claimed his first victim and is still roaming the streets, the police have no clue who he is and if and when he will strike again. The media frenzy hasn't died down, the top brass are spitting feathers and the public are losing faith in the police force by the second.

Operation Maypole have run out of ideas where next to turn as the clues are as allusive as the killer.

Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh and her rather unfit partner are stretched to their limits, not only putting in every hour to try and find The Butcher but also pulled in the direction of Benedict Strachan who at 11 years old hunted down and brutally murdered a homeless man but is now back on the streets after serving his sentence. Benedict is adamant that he is being followed by 'them' and that 'they' are after him! Is this pure paranoia on his part or is there some truth to his ramblings?

This was a real rollercoaster as in it speeds up, twists you round and round, takes you through a tunnel of the weird and wacky and spots you out not having a clue what's just happened. At times it just felt rather 'random'and my brain struggled to keep up with everything.

Personally the first 2/3 are alot better than the last third of the book, it just seemed to veer off in a strange direction that made me lose all concentration.

Thanks to netgalley and Random House UK/Transworld Publishers for the ARC.

I loved the majority of this book. The characters are fantastic and the plot exciting and fast-paced. The humour woven throughout is wonderful and brilliantly balances the darker threads of the story. This story took a strange turn about 3/4 of the way in and it just didn't work for me and has left me feeling disappointed, I'm afraid. However, I still look forward to reading more by this author in the future.