Dying Light: Stuart MacBride

From the Book Description at Goodreads:

On the coast of Scotland, in the "Granite City" of Aberdeen, Detective Sergeant Logan MacRae is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Bumped to the homicide department's "Screw-up Squad" after a sting operation gone wrong, Logan will do anything to prove that he doesn't belong there…even if it means working overtime on two baffling cases: a fatal act of arson in a squatter's apartment and the murder of a prostitute in the city's notorious red-light district.

I really did not enjoy reading this book. I had read the first book in the series and liked it well enough to buy the next 3 in the series (when I found them at a good price). For some reason I could not get into the story. Out of roughly 400 pages, I enjoyed about 30 in the middle, and maybe 100 at the end.

I do like that the protagonist, MacRae, is fallible and not superhuman, but he really messed up a lot in this story and I had a hard time figuring out why he had the reputation as a capable policeman. Part of his problems seem to be in dealing with relationships and jumping to conclusions. In the end, it almost seemed accidental that they actually caught the bad guys.

A warning. The book (and the series) is very gritty. With a lot of swearing and graphic violence. I don't mind swearing (in books or in real life); I can handle violence to a certain extent in fiction. But I need something else to keep me going. I felt like the book moved slowly and I was not that interested in the characters and their plights. Maybe both Logan MacRae and I were having a bad week. (His was way worse than mine.)

A quote from this review (which was overall very favorable):

I do have to say that MacBride increases the graphic nature of the sexualized violence here beyond anything found in Cold Granite or in the Ian Rankin canon.

I have come to the conclusion that I like my books a little less gritty than this one. I like to read all kinds, from cozies to thrillers to spy fiction, but I do need some softening around the edges. However, I have read a lot of reviews that praise this book and the rest of the series highly, so I am not giving up on it.  I will read the next one.

To assure you that a lot of other readers enjoyed this book:
Review at Euro Crime
At Book World In My Head

What I learned about Scotland:
This series is set in the city of Aberdeen. This book (and the one before) gives one the impression that Aberdeen is dark and cold and full of crime.  I guess it is relatively cold, and like any large city, has plenty of crime.  If you check out this page on Aberdeen at Undiscovered Scotland, it looks beautiful and light and full of delightful attractions. I would love to visit.

This counts as one of my books for the following challenges:
Mt. TBR Challenge
Read Your Own Books Challenge
Merely Mystery Reading Challenge
Mystery & Suspense Reading Challenge
European Reading Challenge
2nds Challenge

2012 Challenges: Series Challenges

Are you an avid series reader? Do you want to give a few new series a try? Then this is the reading challenge for you. Participants in the 1st In The Series Challenge decide to start a certain number of series in 2012 then share their reviews with the community. 
There are 4 levels for this challenge:

• Series Novice: Read 3 books that are first in a series
• Series Lover: Read 6 books that are first in a series
• Series Expert: Read 12 books that are first in a series
• Series Fanatic: Read 20 books that are first in a series

For that challenge I will go with Series Lover, which means I will start 6 new series.

A Few More (Reading) Challenges  is also hosting a challenge for reading the second in a series books. You can also count the second time you’ve read an author as well. The levels are:

• Just a spoonful - Read 3 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you’ve read the author. 
• A few more bites - Read 6 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you’ve read the author.
• A full plate - Read 12 books that are 2nd in a series or the second time you’ve read the author.
• All you can eat - Read 20 books (or more) that are 2nd in a series or the second time you’ve read the author.

For that challenge, I am going for the lowest level, Just a Spoonful. I have plenty of series that I have read the first book but not the second... and am eager to read the 2nd one. But, I don't know if I want to commit myself to more than three.

To sign up for either of these challenges, head over to A Few More (Reading) Challenges for all the details. At 1st in a Series Challenge 2012 or 2nds Challenge 2012.

There is another series challenge that I plan to join. I haven't yet worked out what level I would aspire to, so holding off for a few days. It is Finishing a Series Challenge 2012.

MY BOOKS AND REVIEWS

For the First in a Series Challenge

1. Heads You Lose by Christianna Brand
2. Redbreast by Jo Nesbo
3. A Duty to the Dead by Charles Todd
4. The Thief Who Couldn't Sleep by Lawrence Block
5. Cop Hater by Ed McBain
6. In the Woods by Tana French
7. The Guards by Ken Bruen
8. Whiskey Sour by J. A. Konrath 
9. The Suspect by L. R. Wright
10. Bullet for a Star by Stuart Kaminsky

 For the Seconds Challenge:

1. Dying Light by Stuart MacBride
2. An Empty Death by Laura Wilson
3. The Sleeping Car Murders by Sebastien Japrisot