In the Cold Dark Ground cover art

In the Cold Dark Ground

Logan McRae, Book 10

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In the Cold Dark Ground

By: Stuart MacBride
Narrated by: Steve Worsley
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About this listen

THE SUNDAY TIMES NO. 1 BESTSELLER

The tenth Logan McRae novel from the No. 1 bestselling author.

‘Top drawer … his most epic outing yet’ Independent

Trouble is coming…

Sergeant Logan McRae’s team find a body dumped in the woods – but is it the missing businessman they’ve been searching for, or something far more sinister? It doesn’t help that his ex-boss is taking over the case, a new Superintendent has it in for him, and Professional Standards are looming.

Even worse: Aberdeen’s criminal overlord, Wee Hamish Mowat, is dying and rival gangs all over the UK are eying his territory.

There’s a war brewing and Logan’s trapped right in the middle, whether he likes it or not.

©2015 Stuart MacBride (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Crime Crime Fiction Fiction Modern Detectives Mystery Police Procedural Suspense Thriller & Suspense Exciting Scary

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Critic reviews

Praise for The Missing and the Dead:

"Exciting...a guaranteed best-seller." (Literary Review)
"New Logan McRae novels are close to the top of my unmissable list, and yet again MacBride delivers. His chaotic cop hero is at his best. Superb storytelling." (Sun)
"Another from MacBride's fantastic series of Logan McRae novels." (Sunday Mirror)
"Stuart's meticulous research shows. At times it feels like you are sitting in the back of a police car overhearing conversations between real policemen." (Sunday Sport)
"Skilful storytelling...strong characterization...both intriguing and engrossing." (Laura Wilson, Guardian)
"The multiple plots move fast." (Independent)
"MacBride is the natural heir to the late and much lamented Reginald Hill." (Andrew Taylor, Spectator)
"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)
"Some of the grittiest crime-writing in the field." (Independent)
"Admirers of tough, modern crime novels will be in seventh heaven - or should that be hell?" (Express)
"Ferocious and funny." (Val McDermid)
"Hard-hitting prose with a bone-dry humour and characters you can genuinely believe in, Stuart MacBride's novels are a real treat." (Simon Kernick)
All stars
Most relevant  
As noted in my previous reviews, I'm originally from Aberdeen, with a policeman father. McBride's books just 'wheech' me back home in an instant. I love the authentic sounds of Aiberdeen and the NE of Scotland. The narrator does a brilliant job, and reminds me of so many words that I never here down here in Sassenach land.

The storyline as always is thoroughly engaging - this was a very dark venture away from just straight policing. Yes, its probably not completely believable, but it makes for brilliant reading/listening. We saw very different sides of both Logan and Steele, and got even more wrapped up in their stories. It will be fascinating to see where their respective paths go on the next novel - can't wait.

The new McBride is always a high point of the year

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Couldn't stop listening! I'm a Stuart Mcbride fan, but his Logan Macrae books just keep getting better. This can be enjoyed as a stand alone story, but I'd recommend starting at the first Logan story to enjoy them fully!

Brilliant!

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Whilst #9 was a bit of a let down with Stuart seemingly scratching his head to get a decent story together - 'day in the life of a policeman', this volume fizzed along and had me extending my dog walk to get a good fix. Never in the history of policing, even in Scotland, can one man have been through so much over such a short time period of time and survived with some semblance of sanity - or does he listener?

Back on course again

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Just love this series. Humour; strong characters; and good stories. Poor downtrodden Logan McRae - but he always gets there in the end.

Marvellous

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Would you listen to In the Cold Dark Ground again? Why?

Yes I would, so many plot twists and asides.

What did you like best about this story?

The black humour and the relationship between Logan and Steele.

Which character – as performed by Steve Worsley – was your favourite?

DCI Steele .

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was taken aback in a few places and certainly a few gasps.

Any additional comments?

This series gets better and better, I can't wait to see what happens next to Logan and co.

He does it again

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Stuart Mcbride has set up a good set of characters. The narration is excellent and I can't wait for the next book.

Love the Logan Mcrae books

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The story line gripped me from the start. Not only an exciting read, but really interesting sub plots. It's also populated with totally believable characters. I intend to listen again, capturing the incidentals that I missed first time around!

Gripping!

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I really enjoyed this book but can't believe how two faced Logan is! I'm disappointed with him in this book but hope he redeems himself in the next. Great narration as usual.

Well worth a listen

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Logan and DCI Steel are back to stop Aberdeenshire's next big crime wave. Logan's loyalty to his family, his conscience, and the law is truly tested whilst the snow falls, butties are eaten and smelly criminals are apprehended - all a cold February in Banff. This novel is lighter on gore than some of the previous ones, but heavier on the stuff that makes you really feel for the characters: it's quite dark. The pacing is excellent, and Steve Worsley's Doric is top-notch as always, ye ken.

It's refreshing read a series that shows the mental toll that being at the centre of all the horror, pain, and compromise of Logan's life have had on his character. Often by this stage in a long-running series the main character has built a wall of cynicism around himself, just to survive being the protagonist, that his development is either paused or re-set each novel. Stuart Macbride avoids making Logan a mental superman, rather than just a character that's luckier than most. Consequently it is psychologically darker than his previous novels - and since you should probably not start with book ten (there are a few in-jokes that have built up as the series has gone on) you'll know that it's really rather dark.

Stuart Macbride even lampshades Logan's protagonist nature by pointing out that he's still a DS, with his feet on the ground, despite having been at the centre of every single high-profile crime in Aberdeen. I'm glad that Macbride has managed to keep Logan's career 'realistic' without having to read about organisational management and policy in Police Scotland - and I love where the next book is potentially headed. Ther humour that stems from the real front-line of policing keeps the tone readable.

Through the series of novels, Macbride has shown that real terror stems not only from the psychopath with the knife as with his first novel, but also from facing yourself in the mirror after the consequences of your own compromises have exposed your loved ones to suffering. It's definitely a cold, dark day for our Logan McCrae.

Darker, Colder, more conflicted - very Aberdeen.

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As you can see from the title I am now running out of adjectives to describe the brilliance of Stuart MacBride books. What can I say yet another massive success with a brilliant pairing of incise characterisation, comedy and darkness.

Where does Logan go from here? I can't wait to find out. But I suspect I'm going to have to because there's two more books to go and neither are directly Logan McRae!

"Oh b*¥#%le" as DI Steele would say!

Superlative

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