Broken Skin

Logan McRae, Book 3

By: Stuart MacBride

Narrated by: John Sessions

In the pale grey light of a chilly February, Aberdeen is not at its best. There's a rapist prowling the city's cold granite streets, leaving a string of tortured women behind. But while DS Logan McRae's girlfriend is out acting as bait, he's dealing with the blood-drenched body of an unidentified male, dumped outside Accident and Emergency.

When a stash of explicit films turn up, all featuring the victim, it looks as if someone in the local bondage community has developed a taste for violent death, and Logan gets dragged into the twilight world of pornographers, sex-shops, and S&M. To make matters worse, when they finally arrest the Granite City Rapist, Grampian Police are forced by the courts to let him go: Aberdeen Football Club's star striker has an alibi for every attack.

Could they really have got it so badly wrong? Logan thinks so, but the trick will be getting anyone to listen before the real rapist strikes again. Especially as his girlfriend, PC Jackie 'Ball Breaker' Watson, is convinced the footballer is guilty, and she's hell-bent on a conviction at any cost.

©2007 Stuart MacBride (P)2007 HarperCollins Publishers Ltd, London UK

Critic reviews

"John Sessions brings the brilliantly drawn cast of characters to gorgeous - and horrible! - life." (Kati Nicholl, The Express)

Still funny, still good

I've anjoyed all the Logan Mcrae novels i've listened to so far. I think this i my 3rd. The best part is the comedy. There's always a serious mystery or 2 going on, but the characters are just so amusing, i always find myself laughing out loud. Good stuff. Narration was good too, definitely fits with the characters and the comical asides.

Great story line

Loved it, and but struggled with the different levels of volume which made it difficult to hear at times.

GRITTY CRIME set in Aberdeen, Scotland

MacBride's characters are WONDERFUL, especially his hero?? Detective Sergeant Logan McRae. I question hero, because McRae is real enough to make 'blinders' of mistakes and errors of judgement. He is very human. The other character that I wait for is McRae's boss, Steele. Steele is magnificent! She's a bawdy, forthright, humourous and fearsome character. Actually she's much more than this, but you'll have to listen yourself to get the full measure of this creation. Quite honestly I wouldn't mind if there was NO plot because the interaction of the characters is so engaging. There is plot though and GOOD PLOT. John Sessions doesn't narrate - he performs brilliantly. DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS !

Gritty and witty Scottish mystery

I wanted a mystery and had not heard of the author but was familiar with the narrator, actor John Sessions. He may be the best narrator I have ever heard, definitely will look for more of this author and Sessions.

Different narration and started out so offensively…

I enjoyed the first 2 books, but when a different voice opened with some of the most offensive language yet I decided to dump Logan Macrae.

Don't bother

This is not a thriller, and could barely be called a mystery. It is just a day to day operation of a police station, and all the frustrations they go through trying to catch the bad guys.

They use the F___ word so many times, you would think they were young boys experimenting with their first really bad word. I would guess it is used easily over 100 times!

The reader was fantastic and very enjoyable. Perhaps he is the only reason I did not throw this one against the wall !!