I have read & enjoyed Stuart MacBride's books in the past & I was looking forward to another read with his quirky style with humorous bits slipped in. To start with I was enjoying getting to know a new detective- Lucy McVeigh as she struggled to find The Bloodsmith & bring him to justice. I was really swept up in the story when things started changing & the story became more & more bizarre until I wanted to throw the book across the room (but didn't want to hurt my innocent Kindle!!) I think it is a real shame that the book went down the path it did. Mid way the book would have been a 5*, the end merited a 1* & a 1/2 . Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

I have read lots of Stuart MacBride's books but this one I found difficult to finish with the style of writing in this novel.
I took ages to get into it and when I got 80% of the way through it totally changed and all I could think of was what the hell happened as nothing made sense as if the writer was drunk or something.
Luckily I had read some of his previous books which I liked so would not put me off reading more of his books.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to #NetGalley for my advance copy of #NoLessTheDevil by #StuartMcBride
As a long time fan of the Logan McRae novels I was really looking forward to this new adventure but it left me cold.
I only managed about a quarter of the book before giving up.
Totally different to his other books, not for me.
⭐️⭐️

Stuart MacBride's latest crime novel set in Oldcastle, No Less The Devil is the third I've read that has the Oldcastle link. I've previously read Birthdays for the Dead and The Coffinmaker's Garden. This new book features new detectives DS Lucy McVeigh and her physically unfit partner, DC Duncan 'the Dunk' Fraser. The Bloodsmith killed his last victim 17 months ago but since then no leads have materialised, so the police are not proceeding with Operation Maypole. DI Alasdair Tudor takes it up, handing it down to McVeigh and the Dunk who start looking at the case afresh. Added to this are the problems resulting from the release of 27-year-old Benedict Strachan who was jailed sixteen years earlier for the murder of a homeless man and he is asking for McVeigh's help.

There is such a lot to learn about Lucy who is seeing a therapist for PTSD and has a traumatic past. The tale is a complicated blend of satire, darkness and humour and the startling twist at around 80% through is likely to split readers. Though unsettling, this entertaining, mocking, dark and highly amusing thrilling crime read is certainly the kind of thing Stuart MacBride excels at.

A special thank you to Random House UK, Bantam Press, Stuart MacBride, NetGalley and Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read. This review is my unbiased opinion.

Oldcastle is a fictional city with a dark heart & brutal soul and it’s detectives are part of a constant battle to bring the guilty to justice.

This has been the only book by MacBride that I struggled to finish, and that really disappointed me, as he’s one of my favourite authors. In part, my dislike of the story started like a seed with the main character. I found Lucy irritating from the beginning and lost patience with her actions a few chapters in, even before the investigation fully picked up its pace. My lack of interest just grew & grew and whilst I had predicted part of the big revel, I found parts of the twist displeasing. Even though I predicted some of the ultimate conclusion, the way the twist was unravelled was unsatisfactory and the ending was disappointing.

I did however like The Dunk, especially his socialist rants so he bumped up the rating.

Take one copper, and her trusty sidekick. One school. And, one massive cover-up.

Paranoia is a strange beast. It is the one thing that is keeping DS McVeigh going.

Six corpses. All missing one vital internal organ, and drained of their blood. We follow the path of the Bloodsmith. A sick serial killer that is on the loose, and killing on a regular basis.

Having a chequered past, McVeigh faces her demons. Both internal and external.

Trying to keep her sanity in check. Will she be able ot catch the killer?

The story scene setting, and twisted mind of the author, keeps you guessing right till the end as to just what the outcome is going to be for our trusty(?) DS.

The characters are strong. The plot brilliant. The ending… unexpected.

If I have one issue. It has to be the light in which mental health is portrayed. Once again, the sufferer is painted in a more than dim light. And is homicidal. Killing more than their fair share of vicitims

For the full review. Please clcik on the post.

Status: Completed

Rating: 4.4/5.0

The Bloodsmith investigation has been running for seventeen months. That was when he butchered his first victim and Operation Maypole has been up and running ever since but unfortunately, the evidence isn’t there to convict anyone.

DS Lucy McVeigh is trying to find the Bloodsmith, Benedict Strachan has just been released from prison after being inside for sixteen years and then Lucy is convinced she is being followed. Lucy has been told to revisit all the Bloodsmith cases from the start and try to look at them with fresh eyes. The early ones would be easy as she wasn’t involved with them. Benedict Strachan, they were convinced he had killed the homeless guy but he had been put away and was only just now being released after sixteen years and he was a shadow of his former self. He is now homeless and convinced he is being followed.

Lucy and the dunk were at a crime scene in the woods at a rundown cottage when she felt eyes watching her. When she turns around, she can only see trees but then she sees a flash of movement and the guy takes off, she gets out of the crime scene suit and follows, back through the woods they run. He’s quicker than her, seems to know the woods better, she is keeping up as best as she can. Then, she is out of the woods and going up an incline and at the top, she goes to put her foot down but there is nothing there and she has to grab at the branches of a tree to stop herself from falling. When she has done this and is safe, she can see the guy watching her further along and she knows there is no way she can catch him up now. The dunk has caught her up by now but what is there to tell? She trudges back down the hill to the crime scene and the dunk follows. She gets forensic to take samples from the tree where the guy was, at least hoping for something to come back.

I really enjoyed reading this book by Stuart MacBride. It is full of twists and turns and gore which I love. Great descriptive writing and a brilliant story. Lucy is a great character and she certainly has some issues to tackle in this book. Definitely worth reading.

I enjoyed this book although it may not be everyone’s cup of tea with it’s dark graphic descriptions. The book is quite long but I rattled through it. Initially I thought I was reading a second book in a series as there were references to prior incidents but no, we picked up the story seventeen months into the investigation to find a serial killer. As DS Lucy McVeigh and Dunk revisit each crime scene the details are filled in for us.
The twist three quarters into the book took me completely by surprise. I would defy anyone to have predicted this. It could be a tad confusing in parts but once you accept it then it all made a kind of sense. Definitely original.

While disappointed not to have a new Logan McRae novel to read, I am always happy to read anything written by Stuart MacBride. No Less the Devil is a standalone, set in familiar fictional Oldcastle like the Ash Henderson series, and highly unusual crime thriller.
It is a fairly long book, though you tend not to realise when reading on a kindle, and it takes a little while to get going as we are introduced to the main characters, DS Lucy McVeigh and DC Duncan Fraser. It is seventeen months since the ‘Bloodsmith’ killed his last victim, and the police are no closer to catching them. Lucy and Duncan are given the task of revisiting the crime scenes to look for anything that might have been missed the first time round. It becomes obvious that the killer was refining his technique with each victim, but it is not clear why they were chosen.
Added to the mix is Benedict Strachan, who killed a homeless man when he was eleven, and has now been released from prison. He thinks ‘they’ are after him – is it paranoia or is he right? Told entirely from Lucy’s perspective, we have no insight into the killer’s mind. The plot is complex with many dark themes running through it, and a very strange boarding school (more than usual) at the centre. It took me a while to warm to DS McVeigh, but by the end of the book I at least understood her better.
To begin with No Less the Devil seems to be a typical Stuart MacBride story, with his wonderfully descriptive writing style, amusing banter and black humour, but then there is a twist that turns the whole thing on its head and makes you doubt everything you have already read. It’s very entertaining, but won’t appeal to everyone, and the ending seems to suggest that there may be more to come. Thanks to Bantam Press and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

Excellent – to a point.

The opening chapter is dramatic; a man is running for his life, being pursued by two children. However, the chase ends in a gruesome murder. This is one of several murders, spanning seventeen months, that DI Tudor and his team need to solve. DS Lucy McVeigh and her partner DC Duncan Fraser will need to have all their wits about them to piece together the very little information available. All they must do to start their investigation after the murder described in the opening chapter is that the girl attended a very expensive private school.

I enjoyed the storyline until it felt like I’d entered another universe. Lucy McVeigh is not an easy character to like. She’s riddled with problems and memories after a brutal attack in which she had to witness her best friend being murdered. Dunk (DC Fraser) just sounds like a lap dog, running after and trying to please her, and irritatingly flippant in conversation.

The actual murders and the investigation were fascinating. Gruesome, macabre but interesting reading. I just didn’t leave this novel thinking, “wow! Fantastic!” I felt more like, “what just happened?” And then I watched the news and wondered if the reflection of very posh private schools, portrayed in the book, was a true picture of producing people who think that they can get away with murder most foul.

Rony

Elite Reviews received a copy of the book to review.

I am always happy to pick up another Detective/Police Thriller and had high hopes for this new release from MacBride. Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh is on the hunt for serial killer "The Bloodsmith" when an older case lands at her door also - convicted murderer Benedict Strachan has just been released from prison for a killing he committed when he was eleven. He's convinced "They" are still watching, and are out to get him now he is free, and asks for Lucy's protection - but is he just paranoid or is there something to his ramblings? McVeigh tries to keep her head in all of the cases, but is struggling because of trauma in her own life too. Can she solve the going-cold serial killer case AND keep Strachan safe? All the while dealing with her own demons?
I inhaled the first 2/3 of this book; it is fast-paced, lots going on (maybe too much going on at times?) but McVeigh is punchy, witty and an enjoyable MC. Then the last third of the book had me rereading parts with the direction it took... I was wondering had I missed parts as I was so thrown and confused by elements of what were now going on, and it really tempered my overall enjoyment of the story.
I'd definitely read more by MacBride, he clearly can write this style of novel well and his characters are well-developed, but I think this particular plot just might not have been for me.
Thannks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC of this title.

Buckle up for a crazy ride! I haven’t read any other novels by Stuart MacBride but have heard great things, and what a novel No Less The Devil is to start on!

This book has some great characters – I warmed to DS Lucy McVeigh as the novel went on. We follow Lucy throughout this novel as she tries to come to terms with her troubled past, at the same time as investigating a series of murders which seem no closer t being solved than they were when the first murder happened well over a year ago. Her work partner, nicknamed ‘The Dunk’, is likeable in his own way, and is treated quite badly at times by Lucy (something I didn’t really like about her character – she could be quite cruel to others, though she had her own reasons).

We slowly uncover more about Lucy’s past, and the characters she’s surrounded by as she tries to solve who The Bloodsmith actually is. Does Benedict Strachan, who was convicted as a child of murdering a homeless man, have anything to do with it?

The plot kept me gripped and it’s filled with intrigue and great police procedural details. I have to say, a lot of this novel felt like your usual (but nevertheless gripping and well written) crime novel but then, towards the end (about 80% of the way through), it suddenly steps up a gear, changing quite significantly – in fact, everything goes a bit bizarre! I have to say I preferred the book prior to that point – at times it felt a bit confusing as to what was happening (though that may well have been exactly the point). I don’t want to give too much away…

No Less The Devil is a real rollercoaster of a read with twists, turns and plenty of mystery embedded throughout. I really enjoyed it, partcularly the first 3/4 of the book, and I’ll certainly be reading more from this author!

I haven't read Stuart MacBride before and this was a real adventure of a read. Took me a wee while to get into it, I wasn't sure quite what to make of DS Lucy McVeigh and the abrupt way she treated long suffering DC Duncan "The Dunk" Fraser. A serial killer on the loose who has been stealing the hearts of his victims for 17 months - can Lucy and the Dunk make a breakthrough? Who is the creepy guy following her? Just when I thought I knew what was going on, the author threw one huge curve ball. I'm not sure I know what was real and what wasn't by the end! What a read #netgalley #nolessthedevil

'We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.'
It's been seventeen months since the Bloodsmith butchered his first victim and Operation Maypole is still no nearer to catching him. The media is whipping up a storm, the top brass are demanding results, but the investigation is sinking fast
Now isn't the time to get distracted with other cases, but Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh doesn't have much choice. When Benedict Strachan was just eleven, he hunted down and killed a homeless man. No one's ever figured out why Benedict did it, but now, after sixteen years, he's back on the streets again - battered, frightened, convinced a shadowy 'They' are out to get him, and begging Lucy for help.
It sounds like paranoia, but what if he's right? What if he really is caught up in something bigger and darker than Lucy's ever dealt with before? What if the Bloodsmith isn't the only monster out there? And what's going to happen when Lucy goes after them?

This is an non stop and gripping read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own hone\st voluntary review.

I have read and enjoyed a few books by Mr MacBride but this one has me in a quandary as whilst it had me on the edge of my seat at times, there were also times when it didn't.

For the majority of the book it appears to be your 'usual' hunt for a killer story with excellent characters, intriguing plot and twists but then it develops into something else which, I can only say, had me reading with my mouth hanging open and wondering if I had stumbled into an alternative universe. I can't go into detail here as it will give the game away but what I will say is be prepared!!

This is a dark and gritty read that you definitely need to keep your wits about you and your mind open and I must thank Random House UK / Transworld Publishers via NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this in order to share my thoughts.

This is by far the most unsettling and intricate story I’ve read in a long time. From the first page, you are immersed in the story, in the thoughts and actions of Lucy McVeigh and her partner ‘the Dunk’. Well, he’s a DC but aside from useful for driving the car and running errands, he is not yet a very sharp and insightful policeman. On the contrary. We follow Lucy and Dunk all over Oldcastle and back, trying to find serial killer The Bloodsmith before he strikes again. Already five bodies have been found, not only dead but also horribly mutilated. To make Lucy’s life even more difficult, all her superiors are insisting this case should be solved very, very quick and there is also the matter of Benedict Strachan, who’s been in prison for eleven years after confessing to the murder of a homeless man. He desperately wants Lucy to help him. And if this not enough already, Lucy is tormented by her own memories, including the loss of her parents and her best friend after an event so gruesome she doesn’t want to think about it anymore.
Well, Lucy does her utmost to follow all the leads they have, starting with revisiting the homes of the victims where they indeed find some clues to work with. These clues take them to such unfamiliar places as the homes of Benedict’s parent and to a very, very posh school for gifted children. Soon after Lucy and Dunk make some progress, there is another spanner in the works because now Lucy seems to be followed, not only by a suspect, but also by Charlie, a policeman from Professional Standards.
So far, nothing points us readers in the direction this story is finally taking. That is, if you miss the small hidden clues throughout the story. And of course, you need to be on your guard when reading a book by MacBride, because he’s a master in leading you one way, and the plot another. Still, as many other readers/reviewers, I was not completely prepared for what happened after the first shock. What can I say? This book touches a lot of subjects, neither of them very nice. But together they make for an astonishing reading experience.
Thanks to Netgalley and Random House for this review copy. (I immediately bought the paperback because this is a book to be re-read soon.)

EXCERPT: Lucy stopped.

That feeling of being watched had returned, even stronger than before.

She spun around.

There - standing on the corner, twenty feet away, where the road played host to another row of crumbling warehouses. It was the man in the corduroy jacket. The one who'd been outside the cottage this morning. The one who'd got away.

Not this time.

ABOUT 'NO LESS THE DEVIL': It's been seventeen months since the Bloodsmith butchered his first victim and Operation Maypole is still no nearer to catching him. The media is whipping up a storm, the top brass are demanding results, but the investigation is sinking fast.

Now isn't the time to get distracted with other cases, but Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh doesn't have much choice. When Benedict Strachan was just eleven, he hunted down and killed a homeless man. No one's ever figured out why Benedict did it, but now, after sixteen years, he's back on the streets again - battered, frightened, convinced a shadowy 'They' are out to get him, and begging Lucy for help.

It sounds like paranoia, but what if he's right? What if he really is caught up in something bigger and darker than Lucy's ever dealt with before? What if the Bloodsmith isn't the only monster out there? And what's going to happen when Lucy goes after them?

MY THOUGHTS: 'We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.'

If you don't believe that the human mind is the most dangerous place on earth, you are probably not going to get the most out of this book. Stuart MacBride delves into the deepest recesses of the mind: PTSD, paranoia, delusions, hallucinations and psychopathy. Delicious stuff for me!

Set in the fictional Scottish town of Oldcastle, MacBride treats us to a new protagonist, DS Lucy McVeigh and her sidekick, the very out of condition DC 'the Dunc' Fraser, a bit of a whinger, but a good hearted one. Lucy has, of course, a traumatic past, but it turns out to be a bit more traumatic than we first think. Which is part of the problem. If it is a problem. It may be her salvation.

I couldn't help thinking, as I got to the end, that Lucy may have made a deal with the Devil, and we all know the Devil likes to come out on top. He just might have met his match in Lucy. This is definitely going to be an interesting series.

Now for those of you readers who don't have a great deal of psychiatric knowledge/background, there comes a point a little over 3/4 of the way through the book when you're going to be thinking 'wtf?' I thought that. I thought 'Has Stuart MacBride lost his marbles?' The short answer is no, he hasn't. Stick with it. Go with the flow. It will all become clear. Or clear enough . . .

MacBride goes in hard and fast with No Less the Devil. There's no fannying about. No sitting around drinking cups of tea and eating scones. It's breathtaking.

Lead on, Mr MacBride. I'm following.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#NoLesstheDevil #NetGalley

I: @stuart.macbride @randomhouse

T: @StuartMacBride @randomhouse

#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #mentalhealth #murdermystery #scottishnoir #thriller

THE AUTHOR: Stuart MacBride lives in the northeast of Scotland with his wife Fiona, cats Gherkin, Onion and Beetroot, some hens, some horses and an impressive collection of assorted weeds.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of No Less the Devil by Stuart MacBride for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

Having enjoyed previous Stuart MacBride detective novels I was looking forward to enjoying ‘No Less the Devil’. Certainly, the MacBride trademark elements of fully drawn characters, intricate plots, and the sparky relationships between lead characters were all present and correct. And yet, somehow, some key elements were missing. This book defeated my effort to simply go with the flow of the narrative; previous enjoyable MacBride novels have maintained a fluency even when the plot may move quite sharply from scene to scene or from character to character. In this book, however, the fluency never really became established. As for the final section, there was certainly vintage MacBride action narrative that moved the story along at a pleasingly hectic pace. However, the lead character - through whom the story is told - appeared to be experiencing a whole series of psychological disturbances that disrupted the plot even more. It was hard not to conclude that the author might have been suffering from post-viral hallucinations while writing this section. Not perhaps MacBride’s finest effort, for this reader.at least.

3.5 stars

Stuart MacBride is not a new author to me so it was a surprise when I had a bit of difficulty getting into No Less the Devil. When I did though, it was full steam ahead.

You know what to expect when you pick up a book from this author and this one is no different.

Near the end, the story took on a different persona almost and this impacted my enjoyment of the story from that point in.

However, for any reader that likes crime thriller, this one is definitely for you.

My thanks to Random House U.K. Transworld Publishers for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘No Less the Devil’ by Stuart MacBride in exchange for an honest review.

This is the latest work of Tartan Noir from Stuart MacBride set in the fictional city of Oldcastle that has featured in his previous novels.

Just a few plot details to avoid spoiler territory:
Operation Maypole is the task force set up to capture the killer known as the Bloodsmith. It’s been seventeen months since his first victim and the police are still no closer to catching him. With the media whipping up a storm and the top brass demanding results, everyone is concerned that the investigation is sinking fast.

Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh and her partner, D.C. Duncan ‘The Dunk’ Fraser, are assigned to revisit the Bloodsmith’s crime scenes. Yet Lucy becomes distracted by the case of Benedict Strachan, who was only eleven when he hunted down and killed a homeless man. After sixteen years Benedict has been released though he is frightened and convinced that a shadowy 'They' are out to get him. He begs Lucy for help.

Lucy is already under considerable stress as there is a representative from Professional Standards seemingly following her every movement and a campaign of harassment against her linked to a previous case. With all this going on can she and the Dunk make the breakthrough needed to solve the Bloodsmith case?

While this is only the second novel by Stuart MacBride that I have read, I was impressed by its strong characterisations and dark gritty plot. There was also plenty of great dialogue and wry gallows humour.

Stuart MacBride does take the narrative into an unexpected direction that has divided his readers. Personally, I applaud authors taking risks and I certainly plan to read more of his writings and look out for news of his future projects.