RaveThe Scotsman... a satisfying read, and a hugely thoughtful novel to boot ... There is no let-up for McRae or the reader until he has unravelled the knots of DI King’s past, Haiden’s present whereabouts and whether those who have been abducted have a future ... There are opinions aplenty splashed around, but All That’s Dead isn’t really about the debate over Scottish independence (neither side comes off well). In truth, the novel is about people and relationships—from the tensions of Haiden and Mhari, to McRae’s dealings with junior colleagues which are filled with affectionate humor. More specifically, it’s about peer pressure and getting out of your depth, and the fact that while you can spend your life trying to do good to make up for all your long-buried bad choices, they will not stay hidden forever. And most of all, with terrifying realism, it’s about the excuses people will find to justify their actions.
Stuart Macbride
RaveScotsman\"...In The Blood Road MacBride pushes himself harder than ever both in terms of weaving together complex plot strands – including a powerful portrait of how far one mother is prepared to go to get her missing son back – and in terms of style. Every sentence is hewn and polished so they all slot together to make an elegant whole, like a drystone wall with rocks large and small all in exactly the right place. The almost 500 pages turn effortlessly.
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Val McDermid
RaveThe Scotsman\"McDermid never takes the obvious path when knotting together a plot, or a lazy shortcut when creating characters ... What lingers are less the central story and sub-plots, exciting and satisfying though they are—it’s the small details and the characters: Karen learning how to live with her grief; The Mint’s efforts to be a better copper; the descriptions of landscapes and weather. These are all reasons why Broken Ground will find a home on my bookshelf, awaiting a re-read—and another, and another.\
