This House of Burning Bones

Author:Stuart MacBride

After a series of standalone novels, Stuart MacBride marks the 20th anniversary of the debut of Logan McRae in Cold Justice with the first addition to the series since 2019’s All That’s Dead. Whereas the aforementioned All That’s Dead focussed on Scottish nationalism, this new work sees the author turn his attention to the migrant crisis, racism and the hatred and fear stirred up by elements of the press. The usual supporting cast of Tufty, Rennie and of course Steel (now just weeks away from retirement) are all present and correct, as Covid decimates the force leaving just a skeleton staff on duty. When a migrant hotel is firebombed, there’s a huge climate change march in the offing and a body is found in the river, it’s all hands on deck, especially when the case of a missing person is unexpectedly thrown into the mix. With resources stretched to breaking point, McCrae and his merry band have it all to do to keep on top of their escalating caseload as one crisis follows another and things go from bad to worse. This is a first class read, a police procedural / thriller laced with plenty of the author’s ghoulish violence and trademark black humour, and a real page turner to boot. The relatively short punchy chapters keep the reader captivated as the author ratchets up the tension, forcing you to stay up a bit later than planned to read just a few more pages. If you’ve already enjoyed the previous books in this long running series, then this thoroughly entertaining and exciting new novel is a must read!

Length of Read:Long

Might appeal to people who enjoyed…

Although this can be read as a standalone novel, it works far better if you’ve already read the earlier ones in the series so that you’re familiar with the main characters and their back-stories.

One thing you’ve learned

Welcome back Logan McRae – you’ve been missed!

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