Saturday, September 30, 2017

In The Cold Dark Ground by Stuart MacBride


Things are even more chaotic than usual in Aberdeen, Scotland and Sergeant Logan McRae is right in the middle, torn between conflicting factions that all want a piece of him.  The overlord of crime is dying and for some reason, he has picked Logan out as his successor and wants to leave him a fortune.  Of course he doesn't care that the police would look unkindly on a policeman who gets money from organized crime.  A businessman has been found murdered in the same fashion as several others and the case brings on the big guns of the force all hoping for glory; McRae's old boss, Roberta Steel, takes over the case and drafts Logan on her team and a Superintendent from the location of the other murders has also worked her way onto the team and seems to instantly dislike him.  Then there is the fact that the nursing home insists that it's time that he release his girlfriend from the five year coma she has been in.

In the midst of negotiating these choppy waters, Logan is called into Professional Standards, where he has spent time on the carpet over the years.  But this time is worse.  They suspect that Steel has used her position to frame a criminal and they want Logan to find out what's going on and testify against her.  Can he really go against the woman he's worked with for years, even if she has been a thorn in his side for all that time? 

This is the tenth Logan McRae novel and fans of the series are always ready to spend time with him.  All Logan wants is peace and quiet but his expertise and flashes of intuition have always made him a star in the service.  Now add in the fact that even organized crime recognizes his skills and you have Logan torn in a thousand directions.  This book is recommended for mystery readers who will wait anxiously for Logan's next appearance. 

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