The Coffin Maker has a secret garden that’s been exposed as the North Sea erodes the cliffs around his condemned house. Human bones reveal a serial killer even as they fall into the water destroying evidence. Where did Gordon Smith disappear to and how will his victims be identified? The Coffin Maker's Garden is deliciously creepy and oh so twisty. A tale that starts out on a dark and stormy night and just keeps getting better and better. My interest never flagged for a second. fivestarread #contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #murdermystery #scottishnoir #serialkillerthriller #suspense #thriller I was keen to discover whether the author’s new Ash Henderson novel, THE COFFINMAKER’S GARDEN would match the standard set by his earlier series. I was aware that there were two other Ash Henderson books, written several years ago, that did not match the popularity of the Logan McRae series, so I didn’t bother to read them. “The Coffinmaker’s Garden” seemed to be a new start after the McRae series ended. Fiona’s opinion on this one was, we’re all living through it, no one wants to read about it. What we need is something to lift us out of our current predicament. Something fun. Something that would make people laugh.

I was fortunate to hear Stuart MacBride speak at a book festival several years ago (remember them?!) and found him to be extremely entertaining, but for some unknown reason I’d never got around to reading one of his books. I’ve friends (and library customers) who’ve read and enjoyed all of the Logan McRae books, but the main character of Ash Henderson in this series was unknown to me. Ash and Alice actually have a falling out in this book and much of the action happens while Ash is working with another member of the Lateral Investigation and Review Unit (LIRU) or with his old police buddy D.I.Shifty Morrow. Henry the Scottie dog accompanies them and caused the most stress for me in the course of the story. Overall, this is tartan noir at its best. It’s exciting, suspenseful with an excellent plot and a well written, humorous storyline. However, if there’s to be another in the series the characters need to rethink their food choices if they are to survive without a coronary before the finale!MacBride has loved crime fiction ever since mainlining the Hardy Boys as a child. He tried writing his first book in his mid-20s, as a couple of friends were giving it a go; he wrote a “dreadful” comedy crime novel, but persevered and landed an agent. His fifth attempt at a novel, Cold Granite, became his debut: the first in the Logan McRae series, it sees the Aberdeen detective sergeant out to catch a child killer who is stalking the city’s streets. MacBride called up the Grampian police and a hospital mortuary, asking questions about everything from police procedure to rigor mortis.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Coffinmaker’s Garden which is a gripping read with the added bonus of a lot of dark humour. I couldn’t put it down and was disappointed when it finished, although, as ever, with a laugh. Dystopian Fiction Books Everyone Should Read: Explore The Darker Side of Possible Worlds and Alternative Futures I really enjoy this MC. He’s grumpy, snarky & never at a loss for words. The dialogue is particularly entertaining & some of the conversations made me laugh out loud….often followed by a cringe and/or “eeeww”. He’s the perfect foil for Alice, a timid psychologist who can introduce more topics into a single sentence than any other human.

LoveReading Says

One year ago, I discovered and subsequently devoured MacBride’s Logan McRae series of novels. He had written them over a period of several years; I read them in one.