No Less The Devil: The unmissable new thriller from the No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Logan McRae series

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As a huge fan of the McRae series and having read some of this series I was delighted to be given an ARC of No Less The Devil..

No Less the Devil’ by Stuart MacBride Book Review: ‘No Less the Devil’ by Stuart MacBride

Whilst being a stereotypical MacBride character setup, No Less The Devil also stereotypical in the sense that it is a thrilling, darkly humorous, gory, well-written and brilliantly plotted tartan noir thriller. Recommended. It sounds like paranoia, but what if he's right? What if he really is caught up in something bigger and darker than Lucy's ever dealt with before? What if the Bloodsmith isn't the only monster out there? And what's going to happen when Lucy goes after them?ABOUT 'NO LESS THE DEVIL': It's been seventeen months since the Bloodsmith butchered his first victim and Operation Maypole is still no nearer to catching him. The media is whipping up a storm, the top brass are demanding results, but the investigation is sinking fast. The storyline is as expertly plotted as I've come to expect from the MacBride books. As an author myself, I love deconstructing the plot lines and following the different strands through. As a reader, every twist and turn, every carefully placed piece of additional information, every morsel of information all come together to a satisfying, grab you by the throat, fast paced read. With the case going nowhere the investigating team are restructured and DS Lucy McVeigh and her partner DC Duncan "The Dunk" Fraser are given the task of reviewing the victims and the murder scenes in the hope that someone will remember something that will help them close a case that has ground to a halt after seventeen months. This novel takes the reader into some uncomfortable reading and spins the reader sideways with all the twists and turns. No spoilers but it will mess with you head! A really enjoyable read, very dark in many places. And Scottish - so I found myself reading it in a Scottish accent.

No Less the Devil by Stuart MacBride | Goodreads No Less the Devil by Stuart MacBride | Goodreads

Stuart MacBride is an automatic must-read for me... always fast, hard, authentic - and different' LEE CHILD

I personally really enjoyed this one and I liked the unconventional turn it took. Stuart MacBride is one of my favourite authors and although not perfect, this story is up there with his best in my opinion. Then around the 80% mark the story takes a sharp turn. I was expecting some of it — the foreshadowing of Lucy’s PTSD — but not all of it. There are more twists and turns through the last 20%, some I liked and some I didn’t like. But at the end, I was left with an uneasy feeling, because many of the killers escaped justice. In real life, this is often true, but most of us read thrillers because we want things to end right, the culprits caught, and justice to prevail. When an author doesn’t give us that satisfaction, we are left with a feeling of unease. Yes, MacBride throws us tidbits: not all the culprits escape; some are captured/killed. But some flourish. It’s 17 months since The Bloodsmith killed his first victim, and the police are no nearer to catching him. Operation Maypole has run out of clues, the public have lost faith in them, the media are giving them a hammering, and The Top Brass are demanding answers. This is a difficult review to write. Throughout most of the story, I felt it was a five-star read, then came the ending, which disappointed me—it didn’t feel right—and so I lowered my internal rating system to four stars. Then waited a while to ensure I got it right. Then around the 80% mark the story takes a sharp turn. I was expecting some of it—the foreshadowing of Lucy’s PTSD—but not all of it. There are more twists and turns through the last 20%, some I liked and some I didn’t like. But at the end, I was left with an uneasy feeling, because many of the killers escaped justice. In real life, this is often true, but most of us read thrillers because we want things to end right, the culprits caught, and justice to prevail. When an author doesn’t give us that satisfaction, we are left with a feeling of unease. Yes, MacBride throws us tidbits: not all the culprits escape; some are captured/killed. But some flourish.

No Less The Devil by Stuart MacBride | Goodreads

I received a suprise copy of No Less the Devil by Stuart McBride from Penguin Books Australia and immediately my husband stole it and read it. So here are his thoughts: And if anyone has the real Stuart McBride, please return him to his writing desk for his next book! In the mix is old case where a young boy murdered a homeless person, he been released from prison and seeks out McVeigh for help. Added into this she is targeted by the mother of a murdered man and seemingly being stalked by the Bloodsmith, oh and then there's the small matter of Charlie from Professional Standards who is constantly sniffing around.

This heralds the arrival of the aforementioned last 20% & THAT ending. There is nothing I can say without blabbing a potential spoiler so at this point, I'm walking away. You're on our own. Stay alert, keep hydrated, maybe strap on a helmet. My only comment is W...T...F... And so to UNIVERSITY, far too young, naive and stupid to be away from the family home, sharing a subterranean flat in one of the seedier bits of Edinburgh with a mad Irishman, and four other bizarre individuals. The highlight of walking to the art school in the mornings (yes: we were students, but we still did mornings) was trying not to tread in the fresh bloodstains outside our front door, and dodging the undercover CID officers trying to buy drugs. Lovely place. First I am so sorry to hear of the death of your beloved cat, Grendel, we don't have them for long but miss them so much. A homeless man is found brutally murdered in a dilapidated cottage in the woods outside Oldcastle. The words "Help Me" written in blood on a nearby wall link the crime to a gruesome series of murders committed a couple of years previously by a killer dubbed "the Bloodsmith" by the baying press. DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of No Less the Devil by Stuart MacBride for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.