"Pubs, churches, and rain. Three things Aberdeen had in abundance.

The sky above was dark and low, the sodium glow of the streetlights giving early morning a jaundiced feel, as if the streets were unwell. Last night's torrential downpour hadn't let up at all, the heavy raindrops bouncing back off the slick pavements."

❖ ❖ ❖ 

One of the interesting things about reading this police procedural, despite the gruesome foundation of the story, is the setting. It takes place in the city of Aberdeen, Scotland, and in many ways the city itself is one of the characters. It really comes to life here. I love how the author intertwines the city, the weather, the regional slang, etc. with the story. 

I don't know why, but I don't often read police procedurals that are based in countries outside of the United States. But I'd love to read more of them. If anyone has any recs, I'd love to hear them. 

So, this might sound silly, but here are the fun things I've learned so far:

❖ A Procurator Fiscal is a what we in the States call a public prosecutor. 

❖ An Aberdeen Buttery is a morning roll. They can be eaten cold, with butter or jam. Here is a recipe: http://www.scottishrecipes.co.uk/butteries.php. If anyone wants to, you know, bake some and send them my way.... 

❖ Bacon Butty, which is basically a bacon sandwich.

❖ Scaffies, which is slang in Aberdeen for refuse collectors. And Tip, which is a landfill or garbage dump. 

 Who says genre fiction can't be educational? :)

The first book in the Logan McRae series.

Logan McRae is back after being on sick leave for over a year after nearly dying after an attack. The first day could have started better when the news that a little boy that has been missing have been found dead in a ditch. And, soon everything it will just get worse when another child goes missing. 

I read book nine in the series recently and I liked it so I decided to read the series from the beginning. It was a very grim book, I have previously stated that I don't like reading books that deal with children getting harmed. So even though the book was well written and it was nice to read about McRae and Steel and read about DI Insch for the first time was it also a tough book to read. Since the book I read previously in this series also was about dead children do I hope this isn't a returning subject for Stuart MacBride.

I liked getting to know Logan from the beginning. Though I felt that it was a lot of background history that one just get pieces from; the case that almost killed him, his sick leave, his past relationship with Isobel. But it made his return to work also a bit more interesting since even though he is fully recovered physically he still has the memories of being attacked and he was after all clinically dead on the operating table for five minutes. He is Lazarus returned to work!

I'm looking forward to reading the next book soon (I have it so at least I don't have to wait). I hope Logan and Jackie Watson will still be working together (liked her, she's a tough chick) and I especially hope that Steele will have a bigger role to play in the next book!

Went to the library today and borrowed the two first book in the series. That's my kind of reading way, start with the latest released book and then read from the beginning...