A Dark So Deadly

Written by Stuart MacBride

Narrated by Steve Worsley

A gripping standalone thriller from the Sunday Times No.1 bestselling author of the Logan McRae series.

Beware of the dark…

Welcome to the Misfit Mob – where Police Scotland dumps the officers it can’t get rid of, but wants to. Officers like DC Callum MacGregor, lumbered with all the boring go-nowhere cases. So when an ancient mummy is found at the Oldcastle tip, it’s his job to track down its owner.

But then Callum uncovers links between his mummified corpse and three missing young men, and life starts to get a lot more interesting.

No one expects the Misfit Mob to solve anything, but right now they’re all that stands between a killer’s victims and a slow lingering death. Can they prove everyone wrong before someone else dies?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Apr 20, 2017
• ISBN: 9780007567638

Stuart MacBride

Stuart MacBride is the Sunday Times No. 1 bestselling author of the Logan McRae and Ash Henderson novels. His work has won several prizes and in 2015 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Dundee University. Stuart lives in the north-east of Scotland with his wife Fiona, cats Grendel, Onion and Beetroot, and other assorted animals.

Reviews for A Dark So Deadly

[eadieb-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was very interested in reading this standalone from Stuart MacBride but was slightly disappointed when the idea for The Misfit Mob seemed to be taken from MacBride's Logan McRae series. The Misfit Mob is described as where Police Scotland dumps the officers it can’t get rid of, but wants to: the outcasts, the troublemakers, the compromised. But after reading this 600-page tome, I really came to enjoy the unforgettable characters, especially DC Callum MacGregor who is nothing more than a bad-luck person but very likable. I found MacBride's writing to be excellent with lots of Scottish dark humor, grim settings and many sub-plots that came together in the end. The book was a little drawn out but mid-way picked up and really got interesting all the way to the end. I'm actually hoping that this standalone does turn into a series as I would like to revisit these characters again. I would recommend this book and MacBride's other books to those who love Tartan Noir.

[thornton37814 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I really thought I'd enjoy this. It was a police procedural set in Scotland. I struggled to read over 100 Kindle pages, and I never warmed to the main character or got into the novel. It's a tad grittier than I enjoy, and MacBride's writing style is not quite as straightforward as some of the others. This is probably a mix between thriller, psychological suspense, and police procedural. The "Misfit Mob" and DC Callum MacGregor just didn't cut it for me.

[katevane · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the first Stuart MacBride novel that I’ve read, which is something I now regret. I think perhaps I’ve been put off by looking at a couple of disturbing opening chapters and wrongly coming to the conclusion that these are production-line serial-killer thrillers. However I now see that I’ve missed the point. A Dark So Deadly does open with a victim confronting horrific circumstances but it is about so much more.DC Callum MacGregor has been assigned to the ‘Misfit Mob’, a group of detectives who have for various reasons been sent into internal exile in Police Scotland. When mummifed remains start turning up on his patch, he is assigned the mundane task of phoning round museums to find where they might have come from. That’s when he’s not being beaten up by a minor local villain (and local minors) and receiving scant sympathy from his own team. The case takes on a new urgency when it emerges that the mummies are not ancient artefacts but the bodies of recently murdered victims.Running alongside this is the story of Callum’s personal life and his troubled past. Callum is a fascinating character, both put-upon and determined. He can be heroic in his resilience but can also make you want to shake him. And each time you think things can’t get any worse for him, they do.What I loved about this book was the way MacBride manages to balance very dark and serious storylines with broad comedy, a rich vein of observational humour (he really doesn’t like hipsters!) and moments of sublime absurdity. He does this without trivialising the horror of the murders and other dark events in the book. In fact, I felt the comedic voice of one victim in particular made the tragedy more poignant.The team that Callum works with is brilliantly balanced – each with their own tragic flaw. There is even an aspiring author among them, willing to offer editorial comment on the progression of the narrative.The marketing copy says this is a standalone novel. In a way that’s a shame because I would love to read more about the Misfit Mob. On the other hand the book is so much about Callum’s story that it makes sense to end it here. What’s certain is I will now be reading more by Stuart MacBride.*I received a copy of A Dark So Deadly from the publisher via Netgalley.This review first appeared on my blog katevane.com/blog

[quibee · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gripping serial killer mystery that gets thrown to a group of also-rans in the police force. The main hero is under a cloud because of past actions (or suspected past actions) and his life keeps going downhill.This is a very twisted, darkly humorous serial killer mystery. You could see the final reveal of the main mystery coming up, but there were a couple of surprises after that as well. Enjoyable, but creepy.

[adpaton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Stuart MacBride is best known for his police procedurals featuring Detective Sergeant Logan McRae of ‘Granite City – Aberdeen – but A Dark So Deadly is one of his few standalone thrillers. And what a thriller it is!At over 600 pages this book is no lightweight: one senses both the writer – and his editor – are covering unknown territory and it might take a while for the reader to get caught up in the story. Detective Constable Callum MacGregor takes the blame when his pregnant girlfriend screws up, and is assigned to the misfit mob. When a mummy is discovered in a rubbish tip which turns out to be of recent provenance, the game is on. Callum perseveres in the investigation through personal disaster and series of twists and turns that will leave the reader gasping for more. Excellent!

[robert3167 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a stand alone novel that does have similarities with the Logan McRae series. An embittered detective accused of at best incompetence or at worst corruption which leads to a notorious criminal escaping a murder conviction. The detective, DC Callum MacGregor, is placed into a division of misfits and has to suffer continued suspicion and harassment while he tries to get his life and career back together. To say that things continue to go from bad to extremely worse is putting it mildly. As with the Logan McRae series the crime he is investigating is both bizarre and abhorrent. MacBride has a warped and twisted mind for which his loyal readers are only too grateful. The usual MacBride tropes appear here, shocking cold, wet, weather; depressed and rundown housing; poorly planned and incompetent roadworks; senior brass who go,out of their way to raise DC Callum MacGregor's blood pressure; dysfunctional colleagues. The plot twists, turns and doubles back like a tangled fishing line.

[rowingrabbit · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

You think you’re having a bad day? DC Callum McGregor is having a bad life. After being raised in care, he became a cop to help people like himself. But the trajectory of his career took a nose dive after covering for his pregnant girlfriend when she screwed up a crime scene. Now he works in the unit of last resort with a motley crew who have all been “specially selected” for various reasons.They are the dogsbodies who get all the grunt work….like picking through Oldcastle’s garbage dump after receiving reports of a body. DI “Mother” Malcomson & DS McAdams are hoping for a nice juicy murder case. Instead, they find a mummy.Callum gets no end of grief from his co-workers who think he purposely contaminated a crime scene on behalf of a local gangster. So when DC Franklin joins the unit, he gets the babysitting job. She’s a gorgeous black woman, 3 things that ensure she’s had to put up with more than your average cop. And she wastes no time putting Callum in his place. Great…one more person to dump on him.They get called out to an abandoned vehicle only to find the trunk is inhabited. By another mummy. It’s the start of an investigation that leads to more bodies, odd evidence, missing persons & forensic fumbles. Of course, WE know what’s going on. In alternate chapters we peek over the shoulder of a deranged & twisted killer trying to buy his way into heaven. As the story progresses we get the 411 on what they’re doing & why, everything except their name (I’m just going to take a moment & say “Eeewww”).And that’s only one thread of the story. There are multiple side plots having to do with domestic abuse, office politics & Callum’s personal life. There’s a large cast who are well developed with distinct personalities. Incredibly, despite the number of characters & story lines, you never feel lost or confused & everything is neatly woven together by the end. To be honest, it took me a bit to fully sign on with this one. I’m a huge fan of the author & wait (im)patiently for his books. One reason is a gift for black humour that makes me giggle at the most inappropriate times & I missed that here. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of funny bits, particularly some of Callum’s dialogue in the second half as he comes into his own. It’s of the less dark variety but that’s just a personal preference thing & no reflection on the writing. I even got used to McAdams’ tendency to speak in haikus. Then a couple of things happened that changed Callum & his circumstances & from that point I was all in. The evolution of the “Misfit Mob” feels authentic & is very well done. Initially they interact like bickering school kids, all of them resenting where they’ve ended up. But as the scope of what they’re dealing with becomes clear, they start to work as a unit & learn to tolerate each others’ personal tics. Oh they still squabble but it’s more like siblings instead of sworn enemies.If you noticed and/or felt intimidated by the page count, you can relax. The story lines get equal time & it all zips along at a pace that keeps you on your toes. The killer is not the only man of mystery & you’ll keep reading into the wee hours just to learn the real identity of several of the characters. And as it heads into the last quarter, don’t be surprised if you find yourself curled up in the fetal position with every light on. It becomes compulsive reading & I’m willing to bet you’ll reach the end in less time than some books that are half the size. It’s a proper big stonking read with great characters & here’s hoping we run into Callum & his crew again.

[runner56_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have come to expect from Stuart MacBride a certain use of language, a certain Celtic/Scottish razor-sharp banter and a brutal realism in the unfolding of the story...with that in mind A Dark So Deadly does not disappoint. The setting is the fictional town of Oldcastle (used previously by the author and in particular the Ash Anderson books, Birthdays for the Dead and A Song for the Dying) as seen through the eyes of DC Callum MacGregor...."Squat grey council houses scrolled past on either side of the street, lichen -flecked pantiles and harled walls. Front gardens awash with weeds. More abandoned sofas and washing machines than gnomes and bird tables...." Macgregor has been accused of accepting a bribe and tampering a crime scene in order to allow Big Johnny Simpson escape a murder charge and because of this has been assigned to the "Divisional Investigative Support Team" Officers assigned to DIST are asked to work on boring impossible to solve cases, one step away from dismissal. When what appears to be a ancient mummy is discovered Macgregor and his colleagues from the Misfit Mob are sent to investigate. A post mortem examination reveals recent dental work and Macgregor now finds himself part of a murder investigation. As the body count mounts the race is on to reveal the identity to a killer who enjoys "smoking" his victims granting them a type of God like status. This is one big story, stretching to some 600 pages with the action and crisp dialogue full on from the opening. There are some wonderful characters, and that fine turn of wit and black humour that is the signature of MacBride's writing. We encounter DCI "Poncy Powell" and Macgregor's immediate superior DI Malcolmson affectionately referred to as "mother" (not quite as gregarious and crude as DI Steele in the Logan McRae novels) And of course not forgetting that great witticism..."A sad excuse for a beard that looked as if he'd made it himself out of ginger pubic hair"... "Watt stiffened. Thank you, Constable, but I'm dealing with this.."Please forgive him. He's been in a bad mood ever since he got back from the doctor. They can't do anything about his frighteningly small penis, and it's upset him a bit."....."He wasn't a dick when I met him."Yeah well you know the old saying: some men are born dicks, some have dickishness thrust upon them, and some achieve dickosity all on their own." This is a story full of murderers and paedophiles, of people living at the edge of society in squalor and depravity, a story where even the police survive by adopting a type of gallows humour. Where else but in Stuart MacBrides writing would you encounter a character like police officer Andy McAdams, dying of bowel cancer, still on active service, and able to create humour out of his terminal condition.."There he was standing at the bar, knocking back a sneaky whisky while the barman pulled the pints. "They've got him on another round of chemotherapy, Being colourful is how he copes. Great. Callum puffed out a breath. "I'm sorry he's dying. But now and then, it might be nice if he was colourful at someone else for a while...." My only small criticism is the page count and I personally felt it would have been better condensed into 450 pages. As I reached the surprising conclusion and the perpetrator was finally revealed I felt, similar to many of the police officers, mentally battered and bruised and somewhat glad that the action was at an end. This however is a small and personal observation which did not detract from the telling of an exciting story from an author I greatly admire. I do hope Police Officer Callum MacGregor will return in the near future for another breathtaking roller coaster outing. Many thanks to the good people at Harper Collins for supplying me with a gratis copy in exchange for an honest review and that is what I have written...