Ratchets up the tension and keeps it there' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'The plot twist is divine' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'The last quarter of the book goes to an all-time new level' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'MacBride is an absolute master of understated dark humour' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thus, Lucy and Dunk progress through a multitude of different environments, searching for clues that will lead them to The Bloodsmith. At one point, the cat theme is again introduced, when they discover the body of a suicide. I view Dunk as the alter ego of the author. MacBride is laughing at himself. Not just comedy relief, but a statement of where he fits into this cultural environment—-fiction based on reality. Dunk is constantly complaining about writers who don’t use punctuation properly in their reports and, at one point, likens himself Dr. Watson following Holmes (Lucy)—in other words, a writer, telling a story about Lucy’s investigative prowess. 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..

Alongside this an old case rears it's head when a young man seeks Lucy's help. He happens to be Benedict Strachan, an infamous child murdered. At the age of 11 Strachan and an accomplice brutally stabbed a homeless man to death. Released after serving 16 years in prison he is now seeking help from Lucy but is adamant he still won't give up the name of his accomplice. 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. 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. However I felt about the latter stages of this novel, I’m definitely keen to read more by MacBride. The humour, characterisation, vibrancy of language and sharp eye for detail absolutely won me over and I’ve already bought another book to try. Bookworm, Mum and English teacher. Resident of Cheshire in the rainy north of England but an Essex girl at heart and by birth.Well, this new novel from Stuart MacBride is bound to stir up some controversy amongst his readers! But university and I did not see eye to eye, so off I went to work offshore. Like many all-male environments, working offshore was the intellectual equivalent of Animal House, only without the clever bits. Swearing, smoking, eating, more swearing, pornography, swearing, drinking endless plastic cups of tea... and did I mention the swearing? But it was more money than I'd seen in my life! There's something about being handed a wadge of cash as you clamber off the minibus from the heliport, having spent the last two weeks offshore and the last two hours in an orange, rubber romper suit / body bag, then blowing most of it in the pubs and clubs of Aberdeen. And being young enough to get away without a hangover. If you are looking for Stuart MacBride's dark humour and gritty crime fiction then you have come to the right place. It's been 17 months since the Bloodsmith butchered his first victim and Operation Maypole is still no nearer catching him. With "No Less The Devil" he has outdone himself. Fully absorbing, both hilarious and very very disturbing this novel is a tale of two halves and goes nowhere you could expect or predict.

Anyway, there were also parts of this book that made me wonder if I'd lost my mind so look out for that... Great...like she doesn't enough on her plate. Still reeling from a recent assault, Lucy is busy dealing with PTSD, a useless therapist, Tudor's expectations, Fraser's rants & the antics of a recently released killer. Oh, and there just might be someone stalking her. So does she want to be saddled with a career ending case? Sure, why not.Stuart MacBride is the Sunday Times No.1 bestselling author of the Logan McRae and Ash Henderson novels. He's also published standalones, novellas, and short stories, as well as a slightly twisted children's picture book for slightly twisted children. 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. Lucy really isn’t in a great place herself right now, she’s clearly suffering from PTSD, and also has a stalker, and what with the extra pressure of Benedict Strachan, who pleads for her help, she’s definitely on a downward spiral. I’d really become invested in this storyline, a typically gripping crime thriller from Stuart Macbride, until we got to about 80%, and then it just seemed to veer off into the realms of fantasy from whence it completely lost the plot, and so did I!