If you want gruesome, bloody, chilling murders laced with humour then Stuart Macbride books are a MUST!

It's a long, twisty read featuring DS Mc Veigh and DC Fraser. on the hunt for a killer. I am not going to spoil it further., but I loved it

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House UK for the chance to read and review.

I have not read anything by Stuart MacBride for a while and loved his books a few years ago. It was good to be introduced to a new character. Firstly this is a pretty long book and at times I was not sure where it was going with various stories interweaving.
I think some may give up with the book but perceiver and stick with it. The final few twists are remarkable (though I guessed the main one pretty quickly). This is a great book and I am looking forward to the next in the series as it has so much potential as it is totally different to most crime fiction.

I really struggled with this long and convoluted read featuring DS Mc Veigh and DC Fraser. They are on the hunt for a killer and the whole read is just a bit far fetched and belief is well and truly suspended. Mc Bride throws in suspense, dark, gritty and a bit of humour but overall, it failed to impress me unlike his other books. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Tough graphic violence is typical of MacBride (and I forget that) and it's not something I love! But the pacing is good, the detectives smart and intriguing and there are hints right from the beginning v that we are in weird territory too with a murderer and a strange agenda. Effective and pacey this is not however my favourite! (I like the verve of the detective, Lucy, although she cis besetcwith many problems at once .. credible?)

Stuart MacBride is an author whose books I really enjoy, but some of them tend to be a little graphic in terms of violence and so, being a reading wimp, I often have quite long gaps between reading him. This novel has a new central character – Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh and trusty sidekick DC Duncan Fraser, ‘the Dunk.’ Mirroring other characters from MacBride, there is a lot of humour, good dialogue and Lucy is the sarcastic, smart one, while the Dunk spouts monologues about the class system and how unfair life is. I am also pleased to report that this is not particularly graphic – certainly not compared to other books I have by MacBride, so it is safe if you do not enjoy too much violence.

This does open with two children killing a homeless man in the past, before taking the reader into the present. A serial killer, nicknamed the Bloodsmith, has been on the loose for seventeen months and McVeigh finds herself involved in the investigation. There is, it has to be fair, a lot of things currently going on in McVeigh’s life. Benedict Strachan, accused of murdering a homeless man when he was only eleven, has recently been released from prison and informs McVeigh someone is after him. Meanwhile, McVeigh has personal issues, having possible PTSD and being forced, against her will, to see a therapist. She also has professional standards on her back, has a stalker and is aware that the Bloodsmith will be difficult to catch after so long.

Well, this is a difficult crime novel to review without giving away plot spoilers. For the first two thirds of this book, I was in 5-star territory and then, for a while, it felt like I was on a roller-coaster and the plot went a little haywire. Eventually, by the end, I was invested again, but, well, this is not a run of the mill crime book. If you can keep an open mind and just go with it, then you should have an enjoyable ride and – I guess the real question is would I read another book featuring Lucy McVeigh? Yes, but I hope the Dunk would be plodding and puffing along behind her. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

This started out as a good Police Procedural Thriller but what a long read !! The characters were good and realistic ,the murders horrific but suddenly after reading 75% of the book the story changed direction completely which bordered on the realms of fantasy and for me this spoilt the book as it seemed surreal ,I wasn't sure if it might all be a dream but sadly it wasn't it was real .Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC .

I'm generally a massive fan of this author's books but I couldn't get along with this one so well, there is a plot twist which takes you to a very different place which I struggled with, perhaps I couldn't really understand what the author was trying to do, it was still a good book but I found it hard to understand what was going on

We make a welcome return to Oldcastle with No Less The Devil, the latest deliciously dark offering from Stuart MacBride, but whilst the territory may be familiar, this is a whole new cast of characters with Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh front and centre. She is the most intriguing of characters, for reasons that will become apparent during the reading, someone who manages to both fit the archetypal Detective you would expect from this kind of noirish novel and yet absolutely not. She is a troubled soul, a woman with a history that takes some time to be spelled out to readers, but which has more than a slight bearing on what comes to pass in her hunt for the serial killer known as 'Bloodsmith'.

For me this story sits somewhere between the darkness which typified the early Logan McRae novels, and certainly our first outing with Ash Henderson on the streets of Oldcastle, and the more madcap-esque novels of late, the likes of A Dark So Deadly, with Mother and the misfit mob, or those where Roberta Steel's inimitable brand of humour comes to the fore. There is that vein of humour, largely coming in the interactions of the police team especially Lucy and her partner, The Dunk, but there are also some very sombre and skin crawling moments, those bouts of tension and threat that you might expect from a Stuart MacBride novel.

There is nothing overly graphic in terms of our being present during the dark deeds of murder, but there is no doubt left in our minds about what fate the victims suffered. With the exception of the first dispatch in the book, we come to them many months after the fact so are able to stay one step removed from the depravity. There is one scene, recounted by Lucy looking back, which is quite visceral and emotionally charged and which goes a long way to explaining why she reacts as she does, but whilst it is hard to read, it is not overly graphic, or simply there as a shocking plot device. But it's definitely impactful.

I really enjoyed getting to know Lucy over the course of the book, even if her approach to policing is a little ... unconventional at times. There is a lot of conflict in her life, and she finds herself the subject of some unwanted attention, of the threatening, the professional and, dare we suggest it, the romantic kind. The relationship between her and The Dunk is fun, if not quite fresh, a kind of tamer version of McRae and Steel with the gender roles reversed. Then there is the constant presence of Professional Standards officer, Charlie, there only for her own protection of course, but who acts as her morale and professional conscience, even if she ignore him more than Pinocchio did Jiminy Cricket. There's a real determination to her, but also an inherent sadness which takes a time to get to the root of, but she was fascinating and I'd be interested to see how her character would be explored should there be more books set in her corner of Oldcastle's police station.

The Bloodsmith is an almost mythical character and there are scenes throughout the book which serve to muddy our understanding of just who they might be. Certainly there are endless contradictions which means the real Bloodsmith is kept hidden until just the right moment in the book. It makes for a very surprising reveal and while I'd guessed part of the reveal, I'd by no means guessed it all. The pacing in the book is just right for what is a considerable read - over 450 pages - but there was nothing that I felt didn't fit. Maybe I'd have liked just a slightly more serious edge to the story itself, I really enjoyed some of those earlier, darker reads, but there was enough focus on the investigation and the various invisible threads that linked the victims to keep my focus right to the end. And ending, I should add, that does leave a smile on the face and a very interesting set of possibilities for the future.

Stuart MacBride goes weird.

OK, he's done weird before with Halfhead - a sci-fi manuscript he had written before he became famous, but this one is a police procedural that, like Flann O'Brien's Third Policeman, goes very weird indeed. And I'm not sure I liked it.

DS Lucy McVeigh is an ambitious young detective, based in Oldcastle (which in an amusing break in the fourth wall is described as the murder capital of Scotland) and assigned to re-heat the cold trail of The Bloodsmith, a serial killer who likes to drain the blood of his victims. If DS McVeigh is to use the opportunity to make the step up to DI, she needs to keep one step ahead of the office politics as well as solving the mystery.

At first we imagine that DS McVeigh is a brilliant but maverick officer, but as we progress it seems she is quite willing to bypass procedure altogether. She is a deeply flawed heroine. This perhaps explains the presence in her life of the Professional Standards investigator - who may be picking up the pieces from a past incident but seems to have more than a passing interest in the current investigation. And then there is the curious stalker that DS McVeigh keeps spotting on the periphery of her vision.

There is a plot twist that comes at the three-quarter point but even the most obtuse reader will have spotted that things were not quite right well before it is revealed. This surreal direction makes us reassess what we have seen before, but I am not convinced there is a genuine and consistent connection between the people before the twist and after it. Maybe that is part of the weirdness. The overall effect, though, is that a novel that does not quite manage to sustain the suspension of disbelief. In all honesty, there are times it drags a bit.

Stuart MacBride is a great crime writer whose work is generally gory, humorous and interesting. This one has the gore, but it is not MacBride's best work.

We're in Oldcastle and Malcolm is in trouble. He's in an abandoned house and he's being threatened by two young people. One is Alegra (we'll soon learn that she's Allegra Dean-Edwards) and Hugo. It seems that Allegra bought Malcolm a new coat to keep him warm (she often does this for homeless people, apparently) but she'd put a tracking device in it so that she and Hugo could find out where he was sleeping. It won't be long before the police realise that Malcolm was one of their own: not many other people are going to have the Oldcastle police crest tattooed on their backs.

Meanwhile, back at the station, Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh has returned to work after some traumatic events. Everyone is treating her with kid gloves and carefully not mentioning Neil Black. That's as well because Lucy can't actually say his name either. It's a problem that isn't going to go away: Black's mother is determined to prove that Lucy murdered her son - it's probably easier than admitting that you gave birth to, and brought up, a monster. No one has suggested that Lucy didn't kill Black - she didn't have a choice - but it leaves you in no doubt that she is capable of extreme violence.

Operation Maypole - the search for the so-called 'Bloodsmith' serial killed has been on the go for seventeen months and it's obvious that overall responsibility is being passed down the ranks so that those higher up are better able to cover their backs. It began with Superintendent Spence, dropped to DCI Ross and now it's with DI Tudor - but expect cameo appearances from senior officers at the first sign of any success. It was ever thus. Lucy McVeigh is partnered with DC Duncan 'the Dunk' Fraser. He has the capacity to be intensely annoying but, on the other hand, he is having to ride around in a pink Bedford Rascal van covered with logos of copulating sausages. No - sorry - you'll have to read the book to understand how that one came about. I'm not even going to attempt an explanation.

It's a big book but a remarkably quick read - simply because the tension ratchets up and you have got to find out what happens next. Lucy McVeigh is a great creation: there's an obvious vulnerability there but underlying what looks like PTSD is the knowledge of exactly what she is capable of doing when push comes to shove. The contrast with her partner 'the Dunk' is neat and well done. So far as the plot goes, you will need to be in the wide-awake club towards the end of the book: Stuart MacBride cleverly trusts his readers to work out for themselves exactly what is going on but if you make the effort the results are worthwhile.

If you'd like to read more from Stuart MacBride, we can recommend his Logan McRae series.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and the publisher, for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Now don’t ask me why, but I have to admit that I had not got round to reading any Stuart Macbride books, prior to this one. Not sure why, always intended to and have a few on my shelves.

I was hooked from the start with a great plot and some fantastic characters with amusing banter. It was a fantastic gripping thriller, that I was thoroughly enjoying until around 75-80%. But then it just eemed to go off on a tangent, that made me think had I picked up another book. Kept thinking it was going to turn out as a dream sequence.

I will definitely read more of this author, although I hope they don’t all change direction like this did, it was an easy 4.5 -5 stars, but I have to drop my score to 3 stars

I love this authors books you are always guaranteed chaos, plenty of darkness and liberally sprinkled with humour. I found this book uneven and disjointed and it took a while to get into. The ending was bizarre and darn right weird. Still a good read but not as good as some of his other books.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

Unfortunately, I struggled with this book best bit was very near the end but before that just did not hold my attention I have always loved Stuart MacBride's books but this one has certainly has let him down. I did receive a copy to read and review normally it would only take me a couple of days to read but this one I just never had the heart to keep picking it up to shame as I'm sure it took time and effort to write.
I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House UK for a copy to read and review I'm sorry it was not a pleasant read like most of MacBride's work as I don't like to give negative results.

Thank you very much to netgalley for this advanced copy of mcbrides latest book.

I initially had some issues accessing the content. This took a couple of weeks for the publisher to sort out. We got there eventually!

I am disappointed to say that I didn't rate this book very highly. It was very long like all of stuarts books but the story wasn't engaging, the characters were drab and tedious and the denouement when it finally arrived was unbelievable and silly frankly.

I unfortunately cannot recommend this title.

Not honestly one of Stuart MacBride’s best, but even on an average day he outperforms most of the competitors. This is another Oldcastle book, this time a standalone (I think!). Entertainingly grim reading, if somewhat preposterous. Take it in that vein and the last act is an absolute riot, didn’t see it coming despite in retrospect being seeded throughout. The book equivalent of a loaded burger, not good for you, really enjoyable and leaves you feeling a bit dirty…

I struggled to get into this book, but I persevered and then found myself unable to put it down; until the twist. I really didn’t like the book from then on as it lost all credibility. However, I loved the partnership between Lucy and The Dunc, so really wished it hadn’t gone in the weird direction that it did.

DS Lucy McVeigh is involved in the seventeen month hunt for a serial killer known as the Bloodsmith and is distracted by the case of an eleven year old murderer recently released after 16 years in prison. The tale of both cases switches about throughout the tale cleverly maintaining interest. The humorous dialogue synonymous with this author’s previous works is still brilliantly there especially with her interaction with her colleague PC Dunk but then three quarters of the way the way through it all goes rather weird and difficult to follow, still I persevered and by the end it still leaves one hoping that these characters get another run when hopefully it becomes clearer!

No Less The Devil has the trademark Stuart MacBrude chaos, darkness and humour however I felt it was a little bit uneven at times with it taking a while before it got into its swing. The middle part of the book was excellent before a very weird and strange twist at the end.

Overall it was a good read

The last and only MacBride novel I read was Halfhead on a flight to Glasgow fifteen years ago, I absolutely loved it and can't explain why I'd not read another since- especially since there are five more sitting patiently in my library!
For reasons unknown to me I suddenly found the urge to try, I spotted No Less The Devil on Netgalley and thought- here's a way to make sure I finally read some more MacBride, I'll sign up to review. So here we are..

After a quick scan of Goodreads I came to realise the only other MacBride novel I had read was actually a divergence from his usual fare, one not wholly welcomed by his fan base. Whoops.

No Less The Devil is written in third from the perspective of DS Lucy Mcveigh as she chases down gory serial killer 'The Bloodsmith' and attempts to help recently released child killer Benedict.

There were many referrals to a previous major event between MC Lucy and a man not present in No Less The Devil, I could almost fill in the blanks to begin with but thought perhaps I'd picked up part of an ongoing series...I needn't have worried!
Happily the mystery of Neil Black is a subplot and all will be revealed- though be warned it is particularly brutal.

Macbride uses his characters to weave humour in amongst the gory murders that I really appreciated. The banter between them all, alongside main character Lucy's exasperated reactions to people in general, (especially sidekick 'the Dunk') endeared me to them all with a good chuckle.

The speech of characters with strong accents is written phonetically so anyone unfamiliar with a Scottish accent can hear it whilst reading, I love when authors do that.
I also enjoyed the frequent use of local slang, I've a few pals there so understood enough of it to recognise what was being said.
Add the perfect amount of location description and MacBride easily sets and maintains the atmosphere of the bleak, grey Scottish scene.

When previous trauma and a recent head injury turn Lucy into a seemingly unreliable narrator, everything you thought was true will be questioned.

A fantastic crime thriller mystery that has me determined to read more MacBride this year.

This was my first book by Stuart MacBride and I was really looking forward to reading it but unfortunately I struggled with it throughout. I liked the plot line of the story but it took me so much time to get into it and then stick with it.
It’s a big book and I never mind that but I just couldn’t seem to settle into the read at all and just when I seemed to get into the story it all became rather confusing. I have to say all this could be just me as I have had some issues recently with concentration but usually once I’m hooked that’s it but it just wasn’t happening with this book at all. I did finish the book and again I really lost my way with the ending so it turned out to be a 3 star read.
The book was well written and some good characters but overall just not the book I was expecting.
My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Bantam Press for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.