Broken Skin

Already a fan of Stuart MacBride, when I bought the book and seeing how many pages there were, I thought I was going to be bogged down in Abereen's dreary (and wet) landscape. Not a bit of it. So much happens in 'Broken Skin' that the first murder(s) are soon followed by a whole litany of crimes, not the least being a gruesome bondage enactment gone wrong - to be solved, mainly by DS Logan. Other characters are developed more in this book; DI Steel, DI Insch and a few of Logan's constables all get some of the limelight and I think the book is the better for this.

Certainly MacBride is creating a character in Logan sufficient to gain a lot more avid fans, pretty much as Ian Rankin has done with Rebus. It's perhaps a little tedious to compare the two but whatever your views, these Aberdeen stories are gritty, dark (and wet) and, in places, with a wry humour that encourages the reader to get involved! Can't wait for 'Flesh House' released in May.

Great story formerly titled Dying Light (6/7 people found this helpful)

Sadly I was very disapointed to discover that this was the book I had already read when titled Dying Light. Nowhere on the book did it say that it had previously been known by another title so I wasted £10 buying it.
I loved the story and couldn't put the book down when I first read it. If you haven't already read Dying light then I would recommend this book to anyone.

Brilliant but a long wait to the next (6/6 people found this helpful)

Oh woe is me. I have just spent the last week and a half reading all three of Stuart Macbride's novels, Cold Granite, Dying Light and Broken Skin one after the other in order. I now find I will have to wait six months until May 2008 before the next instalment in the lives of MacRae, Insch, Steel, Ballbreaker Watson and the rest.
These novels which are set in Aberdeen are dark and gritty. The dialogue is so true to life. As a Scot myself, I fully appreciated the crude, course put downs that appear throughout the novels. I have heard many similar in my own life. The best lines are usually spoken by DI Steel. She only had a peripheral role in Cold Granite but is a central character in Dying Light and Broken Skin. For that reason alone the second and third books are better. Many times I laughed out loud at what she had to say.
Logan MacRae is the central character and while he is a shrewd detective he is hopeless in dealing with strong assertive women. He can't stand up to Steel his skiving boss and his live in lover PC Watson has him on a string. In Broken Skin he can't cope when the deputy Procurator Fiscal takes a fancy to him. The characters contrast perfectly with the dark crimes they have to investigate. There are usually three or four crimes being investigated. MacBride neatly intertwines the stories and there are often links between them.
In Broken Skin, the team are investigating a series of burglaries, hunting for a child murderer, looking into a suspicious death where sado-masochistic sex has gone wrong and the central theme of a serial rapist. These sad and depressing cases are off set by the humour. The pace never drops as Insch Steel and MacRae race around following leads and clues and then head for the pub to drown their sorrows or celebrate a great result.
The main suspect in the rape case is the star striker for Aberdeen FC. One small gripe was that I did not think some his actions reflected that of a professional footballer. Macrae and Watson follow him one Sunday morning but he ends up at Pittodrie for training at 8am. Footballers rarely train on a Sunday and not at 8am. Also when a rape happens on a Friday night his girlfriend alibis him by saying they were together in the pub drinking. The police seem to accept this without following it up. It is unlikely that he would have been drinking the night before a game and if he was, others would have recognised him and remembered. Still these are minor points and I did not let them spoil my enjoyment.
It advisable to read Dying Light before Broken Skin or you may not understand the problem in the relationship between the weegie journalist Colin Miller and MacRae.
If you like a good police procedural with larger than life characters and crude realistic dialogue then this is for you.

Excellent Read (0/1 people found this helpful)

I have read all of Stuart Macbrides books and was not disappointed with this one ! It was good all the way through and was a definate page turner. I look forward to May when his next book is out !

Broken Skin (1/2 people found this helpful)

Yet another fantastic book by Mr MacBride! The characters just get better and better!! The characters are discribed beautifully (if you can say that about D I Steel) From our jelly baby eating D I Insch to Logans ball breaking girlfriend. They are described to a tee. This is a book that will have you hanging on the edge of your seat to the last page. Marvelous.

Cant wait for the next one....

Stuart MacBride

Reader Reviews:

Not long enough (0/0 people found this helpful)

Great story formerly titled Dying Light (6/7 people found this helpful)

Brilliant but a long wait to the next (6/6 people found this helpful)

Excellent Read (0/1 people found this helpful)

Broken Skin (1/2 people found this helpful)

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