#BookReview | All That’s Dead by Stuart MacBride

Scream all you want,
no one can hear…
– All That’s Dead

[ About the Book ]

Inspector Logan McRae is looking forward to a nice simple case – something to ease him back into work after a year off on the sick. But the powers-that-be have other ideas…

The high-profile anti-independence campaigner, Professor Wilson, has gone missing, leaving nothing but bloodstains behind. There’s a war brewing between the factions for and against Scottish Nationalism. Infighting in the police ranks. And it’s all playing out in the merciless glare of the media. Logan’s superiors want results, and they want them now.

Someone out there is trying to make a point, and they’re making it in blood. If Logan can’t stop them, it won’t just be his career that dies.

[ My Review ]

All That’s Dead by Stuart MacBride is the twelfth book in this bestselling series featuring the charismatic Inspector Logan McRae. Published in hardback/ebook/audio in May 2019 with Harper Collins, it will be released in paperback toward the end of January 2020. I didn’t get the opportunity to read it around it’s original publication date so I decided to hold off until nearer it’s paperback release instead. But then I read it and decided to share my review now….because it is so bloody good!

Now I know many of you are already a huge fan of this series and I know that I am very late to the party but I am so glad I finally jumped on this train.

Logan McRae is a very popular fictional character and there is a reason for this. His dark wit, his intolerant personality, his whole being is central to carrying this narrative forward and keeps this series on the bestsellers list regularly. At times a VERY grim read, the humour is vital to break up the horrors that unfold. With wonderful Scottish characters, the twisted and funny side lightens the atmosphere when the darkness sets in. Highly enjoyable. Definitely recommend.

All That’s Dead follows on from a previous case that resulted in Inspector Logan McRae being out of action for some time. Now he is arriving back on duty but as part of the Professional Standards team, which shifts his focus somewhat from how he would have approached previous cases. He is intending on having an easy life for a few months as he settles back into work but unfortunately a fresh case brings with it a very big headache. Scottish Nationalism is a hot topic among politicians and the citizens alike raising many challenges for all but when an anti=independent campaigner goes missing, flags are raised. Professor Wilson is a keyboard warrior. He makes no secret of his feelings toward Scottish Nationalism, raising many heckles across many quarters. When it is discovered that he is missing, vanished into thin air, leaving a blood trail and a wine glass on his kitchen table, the police launch an investigation into his disappearance. Professor Wilson was not a man much loved but he was very well known so when the media get hold of the news, it’s a feeding frenzy.

Logan McRae is brought in on the case as the Professional Standards presence. This is a high-profile case and with tensions running high, his bosses want to ensure that all the appropriate procedures are followed. As events escalate and the pressure from various authorities increases, Logan McRae and his colleagues are faced with a very challenging case.

Stuart MacBride clearly does not avoid the darkside. As events unfold and the truth begins to reveal itself, heinous acts are exposed and the brutality of actions are laid bare for the reader. I’m not lying here folks when I state that I could smell this book. There were stomach churning scenes that were vile and the descriptions very much brought the horror to life. It’s graphic, it’s barbaric at times and THAT smell!!! But Stuart MacBride laces these pages with Logan McRae’s turn of phrase and the one-liners of his, at times, hilarious, colleagues. The portrayal of his team is very descriptive, really bringing the reader on the job with them. You almost feel part of the gang! I would probably need to brush up on my Scottish dialect though, if I really wanted to join McRae’s team as the tale is littered with local witticisms and jokes.

All That’s Dead is a page-turning, fast-paced and shocking police procedural. It is also extremely entertaining, with multiple laugh-out-loud moments as the Scottish humour rises above the bleakness of a scene. It can most definitely be read as a standalone but I’m sure many will say one should start from Book 1 to get the proper back story and feel of the principle characters.

All That’s Dead is a gripping and thoroughly enjoyable read. With shocking scenes depicting some rather depraved acts, this is not a book for the faint of heart or for those with a weak constitution. But for those of you who like to be shocked …pick up a copy and join the many, many others across the globe who have made Inspector Logan McRae their fictional hero and Stuart MacBride their go-to when looking for a great read.

*Aside* – Can I just recommend that you head over to Stuart MacBride’s website, where you will find out lots of interesting facts (read below) about the man himself – https://www.stuartmacbride.com/

‘Stuart MacBride was born in Dumbarton, but ran away to join the circus at the age of nine, where he specialised in wrestling bears for money (Going on to represent Great Britain at the Atlanta Olympics). In 1975 he won the Nobel Peace Prize for his revolutionary work on Irn-Bru, then went on to create the world’s biggest ball of bellybutton lint. In 1989 he joined the secret intelligence service, but was later invalided out due to a back injury sustained while performing a reverse-overhead-piledriver on a grizzly bear. Now confined to his pyjamas, Stuart fritters away his time writing crime novels set in Aberdeen and lying to journalists.’

Logan McRae’s humour explained methinks 🙂

[ Bio ]

Stuart MacBride is the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Logan McRae and Ash Henderson novels. He’s also published a near-future thriller, a short story collection, a couple of novellas, and a slightly twisted picture book for slightly twisted children. He was crowned World Stovies Champion in 2014 and was given an honorary doctorate by Dundee University in 2015. He tries not to let either of these things go to his head. Stuart lives in the northeast of Scotland with his wife Fiona, cats Grendel and Gherkin, some hens, horses, and a vast number of assorted weeds.

Twitter – @StuartMacBride