Broken Skin

Logan McRae, Book 3

By: Stuart MacBride

Narrated by: Steve Worsley

The third DS Logan McRae thriller in the No.1 bestselling crime series from Stuart MacBride.

A crime of passion … or cold-hearted murder?

‘MacBride is a damned fine writer’ Peter James

The Granite City’s seedy side is about to be exposed…

A serial rapist is leaving a string of tortured women behind him, but while DS Logan McRae’s girlfriend, PC Jackie ‘Ball Breaker’ Watson, is out acting as bait, he’s trying to identify a blood-drenched body dumped outside Accident and Emergency.

Logan’s investigations suggest someone in the local bondage community has developed a taste for violent death, and he soon finds himself dragged into the twilight world of pornographers, sex-shops and S&M.

Meanwhile, the prime suspect in the rape case turns out to be Aberdeen Football Club’s star striker. Logan thinks they’ve got it horribly wrong, but Jackie is convinced the footballer’s guilty and she’s hell-bent on a conviction at any cost…

©2007 Stuart MacBride (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Compelling reading...a tribute to MacBride's storytelling skill." ( Sunday Telegraph)

"Grim, gritty and great fun." ( Daily Sport)

"Fierce, unflinching and shot through with the blackest of humour; this is crime fiction of the highest order." (Mark Billingham)

Another fantastic read

Thoroughly enjoyed McRae's adventures, the descriptive writing of the author and passion of the narrator has me hooked!

could be bad for my health

I will be starting my fourth book in this series. I am becoming sleep deprived because I can't stop listening/reading Stuart MacBride. He is quickly becoming one of my 15 favorite authors. I will sleep, wake up and listen more, sleep-wake up,listen, sleep, wake up listen, etc. With all the suspense, twist and turns , skipping ahead, missing a page meant I had to go back and recover pages to keep from missing the best parts (every chapter and page ) is loaded with those parts.. Love a book that keeps me on my toes from beginning to end. Stuart MacBride delivers
Yes, I totally enjoyed the first 3 books, I am looking forward to listening to the next 9.
Number 4 is waiting for me. I will say nothing about the book subject. There have been a few times I've read reviews giving away the best parts. I can say for me, Mr. MacBride books are not for the faint hearted, they are by all accounts murder/mystery, with police officers much like real people in a very real world. Solving crimes, with never ending old/new cases, and solving personal crisis that invade their lives.
OK, done, I am off to listen to book 4.

Slight spoiler, info that is later in the book

Does mr. Macbride have children I wonder? I found the story of the 8 year old boy unbelievable and the way they treated that crime. I'm not sure Ivey ever even heard of that type of murder by a child that young. If so, it's handled very differently than I believe they handled it. Of course, I'm in the US... but still locking an 8 year old up until he is 30? I doubt that entire narrative. I hope in the future me. Macbride does more research on child crime. The way they manhandled him etc....sorry I didn't buy it. Not 8. I have a grandson 8 years old. I know what they are capable of. Certainly not this kind of crime.even IF he could we don't treat children like adult criminals...he was even a teen.
As anyone who has read mr macbride knows these are great books. Don't hesitate because of minor flaws. I just wanted to point that out because it bothered me. Otherwise great narration, fascinating story. Enjoy.

Can't handle an 8-year-old

Overall the book is good, but sometimes the main character is as stupid as the people they arrest say the cops are. Logan gets beat up by an 8-year-old. An 8-year-old! One he knew was armed and dangerous. One he was ready for. One he knew was violent. Plus Logan is just so wishy-washy sometimes. My only explanation is that he's continously sleep-deprived. Unfortunately he also seems to be the best the Aberdeen police have, which isn't saying much.

However, the characters remain interesting. This series has plenty of humor. The books are good. They could be better if Logan becomes more skilled than lucky.

Very enjoyable

Excellent story and superbly well performed. I plan to listen to the whole series. Bravo!

Great writer,Great Narration

Stuart Mac Bride is one of the best. Yes his books are too gruesome and some parts are ridiculous. He makes up for this with true to life ,great characters and a quirky dark humor I love. A reviewer for one of his books said the dialogue was too immature. These represent real people coping.If they were serious and mature all the time they wouldn't last long.

Greatest series ever!!!

These books are mysteries built around a hilarious cast of policemen and policewomen, some good and effective (the main character) and the others are bumbling around to the chagrin of the main character, Logan. Love, love these books, you will not be disappointed!!

Wonderful trip to Aberdeen!

Great story, fun and quirky characters. Performance by Steve Worsley is flawless as always. Well worth a listen!

Excellent Series

The only thing I don’t like about this series is knowing I will eventually finish it.

The plot and performance are excellent! Though the stories can be dark and disturbing, I laugh out loud at DI Steele’s comments.

Worth it just for Steel

Another solid installment in the series. I love the humor relief in this book. SM does it better than anyone else. Detectives need a way to lighten the mood more than most. And Roberta Steel is the best in the biz lol. On to the next one..