Stuart MacBride is an automatic must-read for me... always fast, hard, authentic - and different'LEE CHILD MacBride avoids toying with readers: his sub-plots are powerful and grip the reader’s attention without weakening the storyline. Who is the Bloodsmith and how many victims will there be before justice must triumph? The book’s characters are deftly fleshed out. The single and double dimensions advance to three and even four or maybe five dimensions as their lives, personalities, characteristics, even their gaits, are illuminated through the effortless narration. There is a resounding factuality to almost every description and action, with words that are carefully honed to become tailored, precise ammunition, which are fired with clear aims.

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. Stuart lives in the northeast of Scotland with his wife Fiona, cats Gherkin, Onion and Beetroot, some hens, some horses, and an impressive collection of assorted weeds.

I also enjoyed the frequent use of local slang, I’ve a few pals there so understood enough of it to recognise what was being said.

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. Wow. What a ride! MacBride has always possessed the ability to pull you into dark, gritty tales - served up with a large dollop of great characterisation and a side of dry humour. NO LESS THE DEVIL is no exception to that but, take my word for it, it is EXCEPTIONAL in one other major way. Hold on to your pants because you will NOT see it coming. A must read. Crime fiction that slaps you around the chops and demands that you sit up and take notice. Deborah Masson This is book 5 in the Oldcastle novels. I am always a bit dubious about joining a series when I haven't read the others but I was mostly put at ease. It's fair to say DS Lucy McVeigh doesn't have a huge amount of confidence in her partner DC Duncan Fraser, commonly called the Dunk! Unfortunately they've just been assigned to the team involved in Operation Maypole, investigating a serial killer known in the Scottish press as the Bloodsmith so they will be working closely on everything. There is very little to go on however, and most of those involved feel they are getting nowhere fast. I couldn't help thinking, as I got to the end, that Lucy may have made a deal with the Devil, and we all know the Devil likes to come out on top. He just might have met his match in Lucy. This is definitely going to be an interesting series.Now don’t ask me why, but I have to admit that I had not got round to reading any Stuart Macbride books, prior to this one. Not sure why, always intended to and have a few on my shelves.

The speech of characters with strong accents is written phonetically so anyone unfamiliar with a Scottish accent can hear it whilst reading, I love when authors do that.It starts with a murder and descends into multiple murders with victims over 17 months. Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh and her colleague The Dunc end up having to sort out the mess that The Bloodsmith Killer has caused. Multiple unsolved murders means the top brass are getting antsy. On top of this, Benedict Strachen was just 11 when he confessed to killing a homeless man, and he has just been released from prison. He begs for Lucy's help, claiming "they" are out to get him. is he paranoid? Or is it something bigger?

Anyway, there were also parts of this book that made me wonder if I'd lost my mind so look out for that... Well, if you like a read that has you on board the train to crazy town, then jump aboard this one! I usually love Stuart MacBride’s books but I’m extremely confused dot com about this one. In the first three quarters there are some intriguing plot twists, there’s tension and suspense. There are genuine moments of chill as you’d expect from this author and it looks like it’s shaping up for a jaw dropping ending. You are but not in the way you might expect. Lucy is an very interesting central character and a bit different which I do like and there are some good puzzles created through her. Added to this are the problems resulting from the release of 27 year old Benedict Strachan who was jailed sixteen years earlier for murder. Scarred by his experiences he is convinced 'they' are just waiting for an opportunity to 'get him'. As Lucy used his case as part of her dissertation, 'Children Who Kill' he is now convinced only she can help him remain alive.No Less The Devil is written in third from the perspective of DS Lucy Mcveigh as she chases down gory serial killer ‘The Bloodsmith’ and attempts to help recently released child killer Benedict. 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. 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.