What I've been reading recently....

The Coffin Maker's Garden by Stuart MacBride

In my opinion...

As I have never read anything previously by Stuart MacBride, I really wasn't sure what to expect when this thick book with landed on my doorstep. This also meant that I had never met ex-DI Ash Henderson & the heavy drinking forensic psychologist /'friend' Alice.

The synopsis, however, intrigued me, although I found the heavily character driven narrative seemed at first to overshadow the plot and I wasn't sure where the story was going. As personalities were developed, much of the dialogue in the meetings made me believe this really could be based on real police briefings along with the frequent flashes of very dark humour.

About half way through the book I didn't feel sure how Mr MacBride was going to keep my interest for the number of pages still left, but I was curious to know how things turned out so kept reading & that's when the pace seemed to pick up. Lots of twists & I was hooked.

The story becomes darker and extremely uncomfortable in places, but by the end I had warmed to Ash as a character, although I'm still a little unconvinced by some of the events in the final pages. Regardless, every book should feature a little dog, Henry is a star!

Want to know more?

A village on the edge… As a massive storm batters the Scottish coast, Gordon Smith’s home is falling into the North Sea. But the crumbling headland has revealed what he’s got buried in his garden: human remains.

A house full of secrets… With the storm still raging, it’s too dangerous to retrieve the bodies and waves are devouring the evidence. Which means no one knows how many people Smith’s already killed and how many more he’ll kill if he can’t be found and stopped.

An investigator with nothing to lose… The media are baying for blood, the top brass are after a scapegoat, and ex-Detective Inspector Ash Henderson is done playing nice. He’s got a killer to catch, and God help anyone who gets in his way.

‘Stuart MacBride’s deft plotting and whipcrack dialogue, along with a strong sense of place, make The Coffinmaker’s Garden a must read. If you like your serial killers with lashings of dark humour, this is for you’ Peter Robinson, no. 1 bestselling author of the DCI Banks series