A rich and funny novel about murder and death(?) (Dying Light - Stuart MacBride)

Name: david_1967

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Product:	Dying Light - Stuart MacBride
Date:	29/02/08 (15 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Strong characterisation and excellent dialogue

Disadvantages: Avoid reading in public - laughing out loud can be embarassing

Stuart Macbride has done for Aberdeen what Ian Rankin did for Edingburgh and turned out a well-rounded, yet flawed, character set amidst the low-life in Scotlands 'Granite City'. However, where Rankin paints his tales with Rebus's cynicism Macbride fills his with a whole host of colourful characters and prose that can often make you laugh out loud. DS Logan McRae is the central character in all Macbrides novels, a put-upon officer of the law who is surrounded by a host of individuals, both criminals and police alike, who tend to make his life hell and in 'Dying Light' they make no exception.The tale begins with the murder of an old prostitute and doesn't stop there - soon further 'ladies of the night' are turning up dead whilst in another part of town an old house burns to the ground while six people suffer and die within. Just another bad day for McRae who has been placed on the 'Screw-up Squad' following a botched raid which left a colleague in a coma fighting for his life.It is hard to imagine where the laughs would come amidst such dark, depraved storylines, but come they do - if not from DI Insch as he chews his way through yet another bag of sweets or from DI Steel, his lesbian superior who likes nothing more than palming her work of onto McRae then from some wonderful characterisation and dead-pan gallows humour.I can heartily recommend this book but would suggest that should you wish to read it then try his novel 'Cold Granite' first - like most crime stories these days each book has under-running storylines that follow on from each previous title - although this is not necessary.

Summary: Stuart Macbride continues to impress with another bleak tale