Shortlisted for Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2011.

'Hurray for a new McRae' Sun 'A terrific writer ! bodies abound, blood flows freely and McRae is a delight' The Times 'One of the most disturbing and uncompromising novels in the highly successful Logan McRae series ! admirers of tough, modern crime novels will be in seventh heaven -- or should that be hell?' Express 'Some of the grittiest crime-writing in the field ! etched in the darkest of hues and with dialogue so sharp you might cut yourself' Independent Praise for Stuart MacBride: 'Hard-hitting prose with a bone-dry humour and characters you can genuinely believe in, Stuart MacBride's Logan McRae series of novels are a real treat' Simon Kernick 'Fierce, unflinching and shot through with the blackest of humour; this is crime fiction of the highest order by a writer whose dark star is most definitely on the rise' Mark Billingham 'If you're looking for taut narrative, gut-churning incident, strong characterisation ! then look no further' Reginald Hill 'Ferocious and funny' Val McDermid 'Riveting and gruesome' Daily Telegraph 'Tartan noir's greatest exponent' Daily Mirror Praise for Stuart MacBride 'The novel rattles along like a bolting horse and the dialogue crackles like a firework display ! DI Steel should be declared a national treasure' Andrew Taylor, Spectator 'Grim, gritty and great fun' Daily Sport 'Riveting and gruesome' Daily Telegraph 'Stuart MacBride goes straight for the jugular with a tight, thrilling novel' Glasgow Herald' Another brilliant, riveting police procedural. I'm green with envy!' R D Wingfield 'This intelligent, exciting police procedural should make the leading writers of the genre start looking over their shoulders' Sunday Telegraph 'An impressive debut ! an edge-of-your-seat page-turner' Publishers Weekly 'A gritty, roller-coaster, in-your-face thriller' Aberdeen Press and Journal 'A cracking new writer on the crime scene who hooks you from the first page and never lets you go. The action is ferocious and the pace unrelenting' Northern Echo 'Compelling reading' Telegraph 'Gripping' Daily Mirror

Stuart MacBride was born in Dumbarton near Glasgow but grew up in Aberdeen. He is the top-ten bestelling author of several novels featuring DS Logan McRae. He has been shortlisted for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award twice. Stuart won the 2007 CWA Dagger in the Library, awarded for a body of work, and was named Best Breakthrough Author at the 2008 ITV Crime Thriller Awards. Stuart lives in north-east Scotland with his wife Fiona and cat Grendel.