The Coffinmaker’s Garden

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Pub Date 7 Jan 2021 | Archive Date 1 Apr 2022

Description

A Sunday Times bestseller for the w/c 11th January 2021

A house of secrets…
As a massive storm batters the Scottish coast, Gordon Smith’s home is falling into the sea. The trouble is: that’s where he’s been hiding the bodies.

A killer on the run…
It’s too dangerous to go near the place, so there’s no way of knowing how many people he’s murdered. Or how many more he’ll kill before he’s caught.

An investigator with nothing to lose…
As more horrors are discovered, ex-detective Ash Henderson is done playing nice. He’s got a killer to catch, and God help anyone who gets in his way.

‘Stuart MacBride’s deft plotting and whipcrack dialogue, along with a strong sense of place, make The Coffinmaker’s Garden a must read. If you like your serial killers with lashings of dark humour, this is for you’ Peter Robinson, no. 1 bestselling author of the DCI Banks series

'The Coffinmaker's Garden is brilliantly creepy, with the most cleverly conceived crime scene I've ever read. His legions of fans will love this – it's an unmistakable Stuart MacBride cocktail of dark violence and even darker humour’ Jane Casey, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Cutting Place

A Sunday Times bestseller for the w/c 11th January 2021

A house of secrets…
As a massive storm batters the Scottish coast, Gordon Smith’s home is falling into the sea. The trouble is: that’s...


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ISBN 9780008208332
PRICE £2.99 (GBP)
PAGES 400

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Average rating from 249 members


Featured Reviews

#TheCoffinmakersGarden #NetGalley
A wonderful thriller.
Gordon Smith’s home is falling into the North Sea. But the crumbling headland has revealed what he’s got buried in his garden: human remains.A house full of secrets…With the storm still raging, it’s too dangerous to retrieve the bodies and waves are devouring the evidence. Which means no one knows how many people Smith’s already killed and how many more he’ll kill if he can’t be stopped.An investigator with nothing to lose…The media are baying for blood, the top brass are after a scapegoat, and ex-Detective Inspector Ash Henderson is done playing nice. He’s got a killer to catch, and God help anyone who gets in his way.
I loved this author's books and this is no exception. It's ending is like a Hollywood movie. Characters are well written.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins UK Harper Fiction for giving me an advance copy.

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The Coffin Maker's Garden by Stuart MacBride sees the welcome return of Ash Henderson and his motley crew 7 long years since their previous outing in A Song For The Dying.
The book begins in the coastal village of Clachmara ,which due to coastal erosion is slowly falling into the North Sea. A massive storm is blowing and a fishing boat is in trouble with the Coastguard helicopter in attendance.. Single parent Margaret Compton is horrified to realise that her young son Alfie is missing, a lad with a fascination for helicopters. Rushing into the storm she finds him watching the rescue attempt on the cliffs next to an abandoned house, Part of the cliff falls into the sea ,just after Margaret has snatched Alfie to safety and a cache of human bones is exposed..
Ash and his trusty sidekick Alice MacDonald are called to the scene and it very soon becomes apparent that the owner of the house, Gordon Smith, has some questions to answer.
From there on it's classic MacBride with snarky,laugh out loud dialogue, black humour, plenty of explicit violence, a cast of characters that are larger than life and not least a thrilling and twisty story-line . The only problem I had was that it's so long since the last Ash Henderson book that I couldn't remember some of the past events that are alluded to in parts of this one, not a major thing but I'd have liked a brief reminder for example what had happened between Shifty and oddball gangland enforcers Joseph and Francis to make him hate them so much..
That small niggle aside it's a great read, hopefully there's more of Ash Henderson to come ,and sooner than in another 7 years this time.

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Another fantastic police procedural from MacBride.

I was delighted to be reacquainted with Ash, Alice and the gang. They are all very well-written characters - relatable, realistic in their actions and flawed. This time around, they are trying to track down a killer who is kidnapping and strangling young boys, as well as hunting a historic serial killer.

The action is fast-paced and thrilling, with plenty of twists and turns as well as MacBride's trademark dark humour.

If you're a fan of MacBride's previous works, then you'll love this. Highly recommended.

Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for the ARC.

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Stuart Mcbride is an excellent author, The CoffinMakers Garden follows Ash Henderson and mother on an another excellent storyline. It was a very strong storyline following Scotland’s finest, through twists of murder and mystery.

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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 :)

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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.

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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.

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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.

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As soon as I received my own copy of this title it was most definitely going to be my next read. It had to jump my to-be-read queue. It was once again so good that my 10th generation kindle couldn't cope and crashed severely that I had to have a new one. It was only 3 months old!!

I digress ...

Once again a great plot. 2 cases ongoing dfor the sort-of dynamic duo Ash and Alice. Both with their own demons to bring along and both of which are constantly reminded of.

They begin the story working together but finish of working separately on the 2 cases. Once again Mrs Kerrigan's lynch mob are afoot but have gone into business themselves and have no hesitation dealing out their punishments ... erm ... business. These 2 are so polite and then bash your brains out. Comical to say the least, or is it?

Once again the writing depicts Stuart's own character. If you ever get to meet him, you'll know what I mean. If you are new to Ash or indeed Stuart's books, I highly recommend them. As far as I am aware, and I've read a few crime thrillers by now, that Stuart's 2 detective series may be gruesome but the police force characters have their funny comments. Finding as many bodies as they do, they have to in order to get by mentally I guess.

This book is book 3 in the Ash Henderson (so far) trilogy and it's good to see Ash back since 2014 as Stuart has concentrated more on Logan Macrae series (about 13 or 14 on last count).

Whichever series you try, you'll want to carry on and on.

Can't wait to read Stuart's next book as always. I'd grab a copy if I were you ASAP!! Or else ....

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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.

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