Review: Shatter The Bones

Shatter The Bones by Stuart MacBride
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Whilst I enjoyed book six, Dark Blood, I wasn’t overly crazy about it. I’m not quite sure what my issue was, but I didn’t quite enjoy it as much as I’d enjoyed the prior books. Fortunately, Shatter The Bones is back to the wonderful standard of the other Logan McRae novels. Not that the standard had dropped by much in Dark Blood, but I certainly enjoyed Shatter The Bones a lot more.

Things start off with a real bang, pulling us into the action instantly. In fact, we’re pulled into the action before we really know what is going on. Due to this, we have a massive dose of action at the very start and then things slow down ever so slightly for a short while. This allows us to come to terms with all that is going on, to really understand what is happening. Whilst things have slowed down, though, we still have a lot of action. Things are constantly moving, with new things always appearing to add more to the story.

As always, MacBride brings us a story made up of many wonderful smaller aspects. Individually each criminal aspect is a lot of fun, but bringing them all together and adding more layers to the story makes it even more enjoyable. I say this every time, and I stand by it: MacBride does a wonderful job of interweaving stories. There are so many aspects that you’re trying to work out, so many things link in to others, and everything comes together wonderfully in the end.

I will admit, however, that I wasn’t quite as satisfied with this ending as I was with some of the other books in the series. So much seemed to happen in this one, and yet the ending didn’t feel as though it was quite the bang it could have been. Considering how some of the events in this one have an effect on characters for the future books, I would have expected a like bit more. So, whilst I wasn’t disappointed by the ending I did feel as though it was lacking in some ways.

As always, though, it was a wonderful read. I didn’t giggle as much in Dark Blood as I usually do, but I was back to my chuckling in Shatter The Bones. As ever, the dark humour is intermingled with many emotions on the other end of the spectrum, resulting in a rollercoaster of emotions as you work your way through the book. Without a doubt, you’ll be unable to put this one down.

All in all, it’s a wonderful addition to the Logan McRae series.

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