Dying Light Book

"Unbelievably assured and accomplished . . . MacBride is starting at the very top with his first book, which approaches the level of Michael Connelly's best work…. MacBride's writing is so good here that it's hard to believe it's not a sign of staying power."

—-Flint Journal

"Tartan Noir has a fresh new voice with an Aberdeen brogue in Stuart MacBride, whose first mystery, Cold Granite, bids well to keep up with Ian Rankin and Denise Mina…. Cold Granite is never as dark and dangerous as the work of Mina and Rankin…. The police procedural gains a warmth and camaraderie that tougher and more cynical novels lack."

—-Rocky Mountain News

"Logan—-a troubled man but blessedly not a suicidal booze hound like other Scots coppers of recent and current memory—-does his job with skill and humanity."

—-Chicago Tribune

"Newcomer Stuart MacBride joins an illustrious roster of Scottish crime writers…. By tangling together a half-dozen competing plotlines, MacBride keeps readers off-balance, even those who think they can see the tripwires."

—-Houston Chronicle

"MacBride introduces a very likable and human protagonist.... A suspenseful and compelling mystery, this is strongly recommended."

—-Library Journal (starred review)

"MacBride's impressive first outing has plenty of atmosphere, subversive humor, and a sinuous plot reminiscent of fellow countryman Ian Rankin."

—-Booklist (starred review)

"Cold Granite is a powerful reminder that the best contemporary crime fiction is coming out of Scotland. Ferocious and funny, this is Tartan Noir at its best."

—-Val McDermid, author of The Torment of Others

"Atmospheric, dazzling, and completely compelling, Cold Granite marks the debut of an amazing new voice in crime fiction. Scotland's Stuart MacBride is one of the best writers to come out of the U.K. in a long time."

—-Deborah Crombie, author of In a Dark House

Publishers Weekly

In this savage, darkly comic second American outing for the newest member of the "Scottish noir" school, the action begins with a particularly gruesome crime: a madman has sealed up a squatter's apartment and set it-and the six people partying inside-afire. That same evening, a prostitute is found beaten to death, and Det. Sgt. Logan MacRae, the ambitious star of Cold Granite (2005), is on the case. But his star has fallen; after a botched raid, MacRae has been demoted to the "Screw-Up Squad," led with a droll lack of enthusiasm by one Inspector Steel. Several characters from Cold Granite reappear, but newcomers won't have any trouble parsing this thriller, though some may be unsettled by the jarring but witty contrast between MacBride's wry tone and the story's brutal violence. The city of Aberdeen figures as one of this well-written novel's main characters, a portrait that will warn readers away from its mean streets. (Aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.