Shatter the Bones

By: Stuart MacBride

Narrated by: Steve Worsley

Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

The new Logan McRae thriller set in gritty Aberdeen, from the bestselling author of Cold Granite and Dark Blood.

'You will raise money for the safe return of Alison and Jenny McGregor. If you raise enough money within fourteen days they will be released. If not, Jenny will be killed. 'Alison and Jenny McGregor – Aberdeen's own mother-daughter singing sensation – are through to the semi-finals of TV smash-hit Britain's Next Big Star. They're in all the gossip magazines, they've got millions of YouTube hits, and everyone loves them.

But their reality-TV dream has turned into a real-life nightmare. The ransom demand appears in all the papers, on the TV, and the internet, telling the nation to dig deep if they want to keep Alison and Jenny alive. The media want action; the public displays of grief and anger are reaching fever-pitch. Time is running out, but DS Logan McRae and his colleagues have nothing to go on: the kidnappers haven't left a single piece of forensic evidence. The investigation is going nowhere.

It looks as if the price of fame just got a lot higher…

©2010 Stuart MacBride (P)2010 HarperCollins Publishers Limited

Critic reviews

"A terrific writer … bodies abound, blood flows freely and McRae is a delight." ( The Times)

"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)

"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)

Back on track

The narrator, Steve Worsley, is back after the last 2 books in the series were narrated (poorly) by the author. Although the switching back and forth of narrators in the series is difficult, I am so happy to have the original narrator back! The story also was much more engaging after a lull. I think this series is back on track!

Another great episode in the series

Combining MacBride’s fast-paced, sometimes cheeky, story with the vocal talent of Worsley makes for a thrilling listen.

Like the Logan MacCrae series? You'll like this.

More of the same smart but gritty detective work from Logan MacCrae in this book. The toxic atmosphere in the station is still there, as are the life-like relationships with the other officers. The raw (but funny) Scottish street humour is also present, along with a healthy dose of colloquial Scottish terminology, which might cause some head-scratching for non-Brits. Overall a good read.

Very average

I've listened to most of this series, but kind of gave up because the formula started getting a bit annoying... the Bosses yell, and don't listen, the papers blame the cops for not solving crimes the day they happen, and Logan never, ever gets a day off. Of course, there are some great parts to this series - primary among that is the funny characters, like Steel, but i guess the annoying parts just got too repetitive for me. Anyway, it's been a couple years so i thought i'd try another, and i'm kind of sorry i did. The formula is still the same, and this one wasn't quite as funny. And the previous narrator seemed better to me as well.

Addictive listening !

Loving these Aberdeen based crime novels. Each one becomes more interesting in the development of the characters. Inspector Steele's wit and humor keeps things light. Brilliantly done!

Needs better tying up at the end

The story is good however I think it would be nice to have some explanations at the end. There are still questions that don’t get answered in the next book- if the previous books are any indication. And little details like what was said by one of the characters to the other at the end (vague as I don’t want to spoil the ending). His books don’t ever seem to be finished and the next books don’t help. But still good stories. And I love the characters. Logan gets beat up a lot, physically and mentally for such an awesome detective that seems a bit counterintuitive.

Narrator excels in illustrating McBride's wit.

the story was engaging. the writer's skill in drawing human characters stands out. the narrator makes it all come alive using his ability
with accents to color the humor and pathos in each part of the story. I laughed out loud to hear the characters flip out in their Scottish raging. Just loved this book!

Another Great Novel

I am on #7 in the Logan McRae series. Again I'm very impressed by plot and character development. On to #8!

another good book in the series

lots of interesting plot lines and twists and turns it is a little difficult to follow some of the characters it was kind of complex to see who is who in general a good book but you really have to have read the other books in the series to even grass but what's going on it'll be interesting to see where the main character goes from here

This book is terrible

The child porn stuff was too much to take. A lot of fluff without any real investigation to the case.