What’s it like, writing such disturbing, visceral scenes? “I never sit down and think, ‘What would be the goriest thing I could do?’” MacBride says. “It is hard to write, but not because I’m thinking, ‘Oh dear lord.’ It’s more about how I get you to feel that, rather than me. How do I get that reaction from the reader? I’m coming at it as a challenge – how do I get you to feel this is something horrible?” He’s only made himself gag once, when writing a scene from the perspective of a man who had to eat a human eye or die. Describing it to me on Zoom – texture, crunch, saltiness – almost makes me gag as well, so I can see why; the scene was included in the second book he wrote, which has never been published. As more horrors are discovered, ex-detective Ash Henderson is done playing nice. He's got a killer to catch, and God help anyone who gets in his way. My first Stuart McBride book and boy what a fun read! Ultra violence, dark humour, gruesome subject matter and most importantly a compelling story. You’d think that things wouldn’t have changed all that much for writers. Yes, we can’t get out to do events at festivals and libraries and bookshops anymore, but we’re mostly homebodies anyway, so what is there to whinge about? This is just business-as-usual. Only it really hasn’t been.

I found the intense description of the treatment of the little boys unnecessary and I know a lot of readers would have found it harrowing. It wasn't necessary and trying to draw readers in with that sort of writing is a bit beyond decent when it comes to kids. I really enjoy this MC. He’s grumpy, snarky & never at a loss for words. The dialogue is particularly entertaining & some of the conversations made me laugh out loud….often followed by a cringe and/or “eeeww”. He’s the perfect foil for Alice, a timid psychologist who can introduce more topics into a single sentence than any other human. There are definite similarities between this & the Logan McRae series. Both feature 2 smart & long suffering detectives saddled with female colleagues that drive them to drink (albeit in VERY different ways). They’re both usually sporting bruises/bandages from their last thumping. And neither has any trouble expressing themselves in colourful Scottish vernacular. I think the difference for me are the respective casts of characters as a whole. Ash, Alice, Mother, Shifty, Rhona….I’ve grown fond of them all & enjoy what each brings to the story. Next up was an elongated spell in Westhill -- a small suburb seven miles west of Aberdeen -- where I embarked upon a mediocre academic career, hindered by a complete inability to spell and an attention span the length of a gnat's doodad.I do love a serial killer and I do love writing about fictional serial killers,” he says, “but I cannot stand reading about real ones because I can’t get past the fact these are real people, and the people they kill never get remembered – it’s always the person who does the killing. I love writing and reading about made-up ones because no one was hurt in the production of a book.” Throw into the mix a ruthless tabloid journalist and a neighbour of Gordon Smith who also has a colourful criminal history, and you have an eventful road trip for Ash and Franklin. As events escalate, Ash strikes out on his own, and then with his best friend DI Morrow, aka Shifty, to mete out his own particular brand of justice.

When a storm hits the Scottish coast, Gordon Smith’s home is begins to fall into the North Sea revealing human remains in his garden. The storm is making difficult if not impossible to get to the bodies for further investigations and threatens to wash away the evidence. The police are unable to ascertain just how many people has already killed and how many more he’ll kill if he can’t be found and stopped. Ex-policeman Ash Henderson and forensic psychologist Dr. Alice McDonald are determined to see this one through. The writing style itself feels inappropriate for a novel, with blatant abuse of italics, words in all caps and lots and lots of exclamation points (sometimes all three of them at the same time). Ash Henderson, ex police officer and now a 'consultant' of some kind, and Dr Alice McDonald, a forensic psychologist, are sent to the scene to assist the police and become embroiled in the hunt to find the serial killer. Simultaneously, they are involved, to some degree, in an ongoing investigation into another serial killer who is strangling young boys. However I hung in and was slowly drawn into the plot and what would unravel. There was a lot of stuffing that spun the story out and there were times I found myself saying "alright! enough is enough, get on with it".I did work out a few of the twists in the tale along the way, and perhaps that is just because I read so much crime fiction that I just kind of expected it. But it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of the story, or stop me from wanting to see just how Ash would ensure that the killer was caught or at the very least received their dues. And it was a rather fitting ending to be fair, quite dramatic and right down to the wire, but very apt. It must be painful to live in Ash Henderson’s world and if you are thinking that Stuart MacBride may have been. a little easier on him with his advancing years, you’d be wrong. It is more a case of how much he can take than how much can you expect to be doled out.

The Coffin Maker has a secret garden that’s been exposed as the North Sea erodes the cliffs around his condemned house. Human bones reveal a serial killer even as they fall into the water destroying evidence. Where did Gordon Smith disappear to and how will his victims be identified? Fiona’s opinion on this one was, we’re all living through it, no one wants to read about it. What we need is something to lift us out of our current predicament. Something fun. Something that would make people laugh. As a massive storm batters the Scottish coast, Gordon Smith's home is falling into the sea. The trouble is: that's where he's been hiding the bodies. It’s too dangerous to go near the place, so there’s no way of knowing how many people he’s murdered. Or how many more he’ll kill before he’s caught.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. It is set to be published in January 2021. I have enjoyed the 'Logan, McRae' series for a few years now and would highly recommend it to readers who fancy a crime series that's full of humour and a little different. I have been meaning t start this series for sometime and although I realise it is not an ideal place to start with book 3 I didn't feel that it spoilt my enjoyment of this book. There was plenty to like about this book and I had mixed feelings throughout without completely connecting with either the characters or plot. For me the characters were too similar to the one's I already know from Stuart MacBride's other series. I loved this book! The author’s stylized technique, dialog, and biting wit between characters carried it into exceptional territory causing me to laugh in several instances despite content: Former detective Ash remains traumatised by the death of his daughter, and is working in a civilian role for Police Scotland in a special unit, alongside his friend and housemate Dr Alice McDonald, a clinical psychologist, whose at times childish loquaciousness belies her brilliance. Their team is in pursuit of one serial killer, who is taking and abusing children, when a house on a windswept coast is washed into the North Sea, revealing an underground killing chamber in the basement. As much as I love the Logan Macrae series, I have really struggled to like Ash Henderson. The previous stories were good but the character never sat well. It's all changed in this book. Maybe it's because the murdered daughter storyline is resolved (as much as losing a child can be resolved, it is still prevalent in this book) and we've moved on a few years and it's a wholly new serial killer (two actually, we are spoilt here) with no personal attachments but this book feels like a breath of fresh air after the first two. Ash is likeable and I wanted to know more. Granted he's still a thug and very dodgy and has very little morals but this time his character worked for me.

Der Hauptprotagonist Ash Henderson ist ein verbitterter und zynischer Expolizist, der sich selbst und seine kurze Zündschnur nicht im Griff hat und der deshalb ständig mit anderen Menschen aneinander gerät. Sowas muss man mögen - ich auf jeden Fall nicht 😅 Once again a great plot. 2 cases ongoing dfor the sort-of dynamic duo Ash and Alice. Both with their own demons to bring along and both of which are constantly reminded of. I know MacBride has a legion of fans and I would have liked to join them but, although the plot was good, particularly at the beginning, the execution of it let it down.For years I’ve been saying that crime writers reflect the fears of society. That’s why 1970s crime fiction is so different to 2000s, or 2010. It holds up a mirror to our collective psyche and asks, ‘What are you afraid of?’ Ash Henderson and his gang of misfits are called in to investigate a case no one wants. It's deemed impossible and too high profile for anyone else to consider destroying their career over. I also didn't like the alternation between third- and first-person narrator. It's confusing and it feels like lazy writing. The end was okay and there were not bits left hanging, except his last victim. Maybe the best was the little dog was okay and it was with him the book was finally finished.