Broken Skin [Abridged, Audiobook, CD] [Audio CD]

Stuart MacBride (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2007

The third in the bestselling Logan McRae series, set in gritty Aberdeen, laced with dark humour. In the pale grey light of a chilly February, Aberdeen is not at its best! There's a rapist prowling the city's cold granite streets, leaving a string of tortured women behind. But while DS Logan McRae's girlfriend is out acting as bait, he's dealing with the blood-drenched body of an unidentified male, dumped outside Accident and Emergency. When a stash of explicit films turn up, all featuring the victim, it looks as if someone in the local bondage community has developed a taste for violent death, and Logan gets dragged into the twilight world of pornographers, sex-shops and S&M. To make matters worse, when they finally arrest the Granite City Rapist, Grampian Police are forced by the courts to let him go: Aberdeen Football Club's star striker has an alibi for every attack. Could they really have got it so badly wrong? Logan thinks so, but the trick will be getting anyone to listen before the real rapist strikes again. Especially as his girlfriend, PC Jackie 'Ball Breaker' Watson, is convinced the footballer is guilty and she's hell-bent on a conviction at any cost!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. at the start of McBride's vivid third Det. Sgt. Logan MacRae police procedural (after 2006's Dying Light), the Aberdeen police, on the trail of a serial rapist, catch Scottish sports hero Rob Macintyre stalking tarted-up Woman Police Constable Jackie Watson, MacRae's live-in lover. Macintyre's arrest ignites public sentiment against the police, stifling the investigation. Meanwhile, a second case drags MacRae into the local s&m scene, where he gets an unexpected education in the sordid details from his red-faced assistant constable, and then he has to track down an eight-year-old killer. The one thing the three cases have in common is that nothing is what it seems. MacRae bounces back and forth among them, yanked between two cranky, childlike detective inspectors demanding overtime and loyalty. When Jackie starts behaving suspiciously, Logan fears the truth may be worse than unfaithfulness. With a dose of sharp wit, MacBride effortlessly interweaves the plot strands while conjuring up three-dimensional characters who slog through the relentless sleet of Aberdeen. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Sardonic humor and dark themes suffuse MacBride's third top-notch Scottish police procedural to star Aberdeen detective sergeant Logan McRae. This time around, DS McRae faces a trio of troublesome cases: an eight-year-old boy who has murdered an elderly pensioner; a porn star who has died a most ignominious (and invasive) death; and a series of rapes whose chief suspect, a popular soccer player, repeatedly eludes arrest. Under the supervision of chain-smoking, expletive-spewing, armpit-scratching female inspector Steel, Logan bounces between assignments, hoping for a break. Steel isn't the worst of the police department higher-ups: perpetually irked Detective Inspector Insch gives Logan grief every moment he isn't stuffing his face with fruit pastilles. Things aren't going well for Logan on the domestic front, either; his colleague and live-in lover has become increasingly distant and distracted. Could she be slipping between the sheets with another DS? Like fellow countryman Ian Rankin (who receives a few wry nods in the course of the novel), MacBride deftly blends a suspenseful story line and subversive wit. Relentless rain soaks the long-suffering citizens of Aberdeen (is it any wonder they're inclined to such unsavory acts?). But MacBride offsets the grim goings-on with a cast of irrepressible characters whose banter is bawdy and crime-solving talent sublime. Block, Allison --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Harpercollins Audio; Abridged edition (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0007216831
• ISBN-13: 978-0007216833
• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,613,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A really good read, June 12, 2007

By 

L. J. Roberts (Oakland, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Broken Skin (Hardcover)

First Sentence: Up ahead the woman stops.

DS Logan McRae is faced with trying to identify a man whose naked, bloody body was dumped outside the hospital emergency door. When a fellow officer identifies the victim, it leads McRae into the world of bondage sex and pornography. McRae's girlfriend, PC Jackie Watson, has caught a violent rapist. Unfortunately, he turns out to be a superstar footballer with an alibi.

In a strange way, this reminded me of McBain's 87th Precinct books but with much less likable characters. McRae tends to jump to the wrong conclusions just come out fine in the end. Jackie is focused on justice, even at the cost of bending the law. The two commanders, Steele and Insch, are believable bosses from hell. Somehow, it all came together into a book that held my interest straight though and was a really good read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NOT FOR THE FAINT HEARTED!!!!!, October 25, 2009

By 

Barbara Lane "Audio Books only" (Sydney Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Broken Skin (Mass Market Paperback)

What a different type of mystery. I listen to so many mysteries on audio and it almost get to be ho hum, just another mystery. Not this one!!!! This is SO different. Not for the faint hearted though. This is the first ever story I have listened to of Stuart MacBride I didn't even realise is was the third in a series. Not a problem, easy to follow and just don't be surprised if your eyes fly wide open and you have a silly shocked look of your face at time while listening to parts of this story!!!!!

Pedophiles, rapists, an 8 year old killer, BD SM porn kings filming themselves in the act and an undercover female policewoman dressed up to look like a hooker to catch a killer.

Very fast pace story. The wonderful Scottish accented narrator did a great job!!!!!

I rarely give a 5 star but story is SO different it deserves it!!! I highly recommend it.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful book!, August 13, 2008

By 

Rena Ruadh - See all my reviews

This review is from: Broken Skin (Paperback)

This is the third in a fabulous series by Stuart MacBride. The author writes gritty crime books featuring Detective Sergeant Logan McRae. The books are set in Aberdeen, Scotland and the writer is able to paint a picture of the city. I studied there and reading McBride's description is bringing the city alive for me again.

But, more than that, MacBride's characters are human. Logan McRae makes mistakes and has his moments of glory, which makes him a fantastic main character. He screws up at work and in his private life, but he is not the typical 'tragic hero' for whom everything goes wrong. Rather, he has his ups and downs just like everybody else. The storylines are incredibly well-written and it is difficult to put the book down. MacBride portrays crime and crime solving in a very realistic way which contributes to making the characters come alive.

And, if I had known when I lived in Aberdeen, that the coppers went to Archibald Simpson's for a drink after their shifts, I certainly would have shown up there once or twice... !!!