DYING LIGHT is the follow-up book to the much talked about and acclaimed COLD GRANITE and it maintains the high standard that the first book in the series reached.

It is summer in Aberdeen, the sun is shining and it is not raining anywhere near as much as it does in winter. With his love life sort of looking up and his working life running pretty well par for the course, the major downsides to the entire season seem to be that somebody is killing prostitutes and DS Logan McRae has been moved to DI Steel's "Screw-Up" squad. One botched raid, one severely injured uniformed PC and Logan's gone from Police Hero to another Internal Affairs investigation in the blink of an eye.

The focus of this book switches from DI Insch and his team (although he is still there and working on a fatal arson attack) to DI Steel and her Screw-Up Squad. DI Steel is a totally different prospect to deal with. She's abrasive, touchy, pushy and extremely unconventional. Logan's Number One priority is getting out of the Screw-Up Squad and the best way to do that seems to be a quick resolution to the increasing number of prostitute murders. Number Two priority is to try and keep his love life intact. Number Three priority is to keep avoiding journalist Colin Miller. Number Four priority is to survive another Internal Affairs investigation and keep from getting fired.

In the first book of the series, the weather was almost like another character, providing a great backdrop for the general miserableness of the crimes. In this book the summer setting, albeit slightly damp, provides a contrast for the crimes and the mood of the investigators in both Insch and Steel's teams.

DYING LIGHT is a solid, twisting police procedural with some short-lived sequences of quite graphic violence. This violence and the pitch perfect gallows humour that MacBride uses remind the reader that there is some real substance to the world being written about. The characters are very real. You feel like all of them would be instantly recognisable if you strolled in the Aberdeen nick, the local bar, the morgue or down the docks late at night.

Sometimes a second book, particularly one so close on the heels of such an impressive first novel can feel a little flat, or a little directionless. The trick of moving the focus on the DI's and their teams adds a freshness to the supporting characters and to Logan's personal interactions with his colleagues that really worked extremely well. After the sheer pleasure of reading DYING LIGHT you will be instantly left wondering where MacBride is going with the next one and very eager to find out.

I think this book could’ve been written with half the amount of words. The first half of the book was very dragged out and stretched as much as it could be. I wasn’t a big fan of any of the characters, and over all I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone.

Although I really enjoyed this book I liked it less that the first in the series however I think maybe that’s due to not being a fan of DI Steel’s character, Logan however is on top form although he does have himself some real bad luck. Can not wait to start the next

This book actually gets 3.5 stars. In this second book of the series, Logan MacRae has been transferred to the "undesirables" team at his Aberdeen, Scotland police station working under a hard-nosed detective who is as eager to claw her way of the team as MacRae is. There is a lot going on in this book and nothing really progresses in a straight line so it can be a bit frustrating to work through but I think it is worth the trouble to persevere. MacRae is a good cop, he just lacks experience and leadership. There is a LOT of violence in this book and this can be hard to take so beware. This one is not for the faint of heart.

Ending felt slightly less right as it did in the first book but still loved it

DS Logan McRae returns for his sophomore outing. Now his caseload includes a serial killer targeting Aberdeen’s prostitutes and a particularly sadistic arsonist.
McRae still proves to be a well formed lead character. You feel for him on the days every little thing goes wrong, and want to fist pump the air when it goes right. He’s got a very human, relatable element that sees him screw up, be a jerk and cause himself problems but you’re always on his side.

The biggest change from Cold Granite is McRae’s transfer from Team Insch to Team Steel. After her sporadic appearances last time, Steel has a much bigger role. She’s as unlike Insch as possible: sloppy, lazy and constantly screwing up. The change, although unsettling on paper, is a master stroke. Yes, Insch is missed aside from the odd fleeting scene, but Steel is just as hilariously entertaining and the new dynamic makes this very much a follow up to, and not repeat of, Cold Granite.

All the favourites return: Colin Miller, Isobel, Jackie Watson, DS Rennie and Steve alongside Hissing Sid and the bureaucratic Napier. Again, the supporting characters are given their own tests and trials which makes them marvellously fleshed out.

As before, there are a number of concurrent investigations which have the same level of setbacks and breakthroughs as before. It’s always interesting, and the multiple-case strategy continues to work by keeping the action moving when one stalls. MacBride wisely avoids the temptation of linking all the investigations with a contrivance at the end: sometimes things just don’t need to all be connected.

The plot delivers some excellent twists, right up until the final scene. But best of all, the brilliant Scottish banter is still at the heart of both dialogue and narration. You wouldn’t want the ‘Screw Up Squad’ of Steel, McRae et al investigating your granny’s murder, but boy is it fun to watch them doing someone else’s!

Slow burner but picked up nicely towards the end.