Shatter the Bones

By: Stuart MacBride

Narrated by: Steve Worsley

A bestseller from the award-winning Stuart MacBride. The seventh DS Logan McRae thriller is a gripping page-turner in which fame and fortune crash head-on with crime and punishment.

No suspects. No clues. No rest for the wicked.

'You will raise money for the safe return of Alison and Jenny McGregor. If you raise enough money within fourteen days they will be released. If not, Jenny will be killed.'

Aberdeen's own mother-daughter singing sensation are through to the semi-finals of TV smash-hit Britain's Next Big Star. But their reality-TV dream has turned into a real-life nightmare.

The ransom demand appears in all the papers, on the TV, and the internet, telling the nation to dig deep if they want to keep Alison and Jenny alive.

Time is running out, but DS Logan McRae and his colleagues have nothing to go on: the kidnappers haven't left a single piece of forensic evidence and there are no witnesses.

It looks as if the price of fame just got a lot higher…

Critic reviews

Praise for Shatter the Bones:

‘It’s gripping and gritty … the tension builds layer on layer’ Express

‘MacBride at his best’ Northern Echo

Praise for Stuart MacBride:

‘MacBride is a damned fine writer – no one does dark and gritty like him’ Peter James

‘Fierce, unflinching and shot through with the blackest of humour; this is crime fiction of the highest order’ Mark Billingham

‘Ferocious and funny, this is Tartan Noir at its best’ Val McDermid

Back on track

The narrator, Steve Worsley, is back after the last 2 books in the series were narrated (poorly) by the author. Although the switching back and forth of narrators in the series is difficult, I am so happy to have the original narrator back! The story also was much more engaging after a lull. I think this series is back on track!

The narration

Not his best. Certain parts were irritating and I skipped large sections, although there are important things happening in the back story. So it is vital to that,

Another great episode in the series

Combining MacBride’s fast-paced, sometimes cheeky, story with the vocal talent of Worsley makes for a thrilling listen.

Like the Logan MacCrae series? You'll like this.

More of the same smart but gritty detective work from Logan MacCrae in this book. The toxic atmosphere in the station is still there, as are the life-like relationships with the other officers. The raw (but funny) Scottish street humour is also present, along with a healthy dose of colloquial Scottish terminology, which might cause some head-scratching for non-Brits. Overall a good read.

Needs better tying up at the end

The story is good however I think it would be nice to have some explanations at the end. There are still questions that don’t get answered in the next book- if the previous books are any indication. And little details like what was said by one of the characters to the other at the end (vague as I don’t want to spoil the ending). His books don’t ever seem to be finished and the next books don’t help. But still good stories. And I love the characters. Logan gets beat up a lot, physically and mentally for such an awesome detective that seems a bit counterintuitive.