The Missing and the Dead

Detective Sergeant Logan McRae returns in the ninth book of Stuart MacBride's crime series set in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. After a case goes sideways, McRae is demoted and reassigned to a rural police station as part of a "development opportunity." A child's body surfaces in the abandoned Tarlair Swimming Pool, launching McRae into a complex investigation. He must navigate local politics, manage a grieving mother who takes up residence in his police house, and handle pressure from Professional Standards, all while trying to identify the victim and find answers. The case intersects with McRae's past as he deals with fallout from previous investigations and threats to those close to him. The rural Scottish setting serves as both backdrop and character, with the decrepit Tarlair Swimming Pool playing a central role in the narrative. The novel explores themes of justice, redemption, and the price of breaking rules in pursuit of truth. MacBride's portrayal of police work strips away glamor to reveal the day-to-day reality of rural law enforcement.

Readers rate The Missing and the Dead 4.27/5 on Goodreads (5,800+ ratings) and 4.5/5 on Amazon UK (1,100+ ratings). Readers highlighted: - Dark humor and witty dialogue - Complex relationships between characters - Authentic portrayal of police procedures - Strong sense of Scottish location and dialect - Logan McRae's character development Common criticisms: - Too much police bureaucracy and office politics - Some found the Scottish dialect hard to follow - Plot moves slower than previous books in series - Multiple storylines can feel overwhelming "The banter between characters kept me laughing despite the dark subject matter" - Amazon reviewer "Too much time spent on internal police squabbles rather than the actual cases" - Goodreads review "MacBride captures Aberdeen's mood and weather perfectly" - Amazon UK review Additional ratings: BookBrowse: 4/5 LibraryThing: 4.1/5 (200+ ratings) Amazon CA: 4.6/5 (90+ ratings)

In the Woods by Tana French A Dublin murder detective investigates a child's death that mirrors his own traumatic past, featuring similar themes of how past cases haunt current investigations.

Dead Ground by M. W. Craven Set in rural Cumbria, this police procedural follows Detective Washington Poe through complex investigations in a remote setting with comparable Scottish noir elements.

Rather Be the Devil by Ian Rankin Edinburgh Detective John Rebus works a cold case that connects to current crimes, reflecting the same gritty Scottish police work and complex character relationships.

The Death of Remembrance by Denzil Meyrick DCI Jim Daley investigates crimes in a Scottish coastal town, capturing the same authentic portrayal of rural Scottish police operations and local politics.

Cold Granite by Stuart MacBride The first Logan McRae novel introduces the character in Aberdeen, providing the foundation for the series with the same focus on realistic police procedure and Scottish setting.

🔍 The Tarlair Swimming Pool, featured prominently in the novel, is a real Art Deco lido built in 1931 in Macduff, Scotland, and is now a protected historic site. 🚔 Stuart MacBride worked as a graphic designer, IT manager, and offshore technician before becoming a full-time crime writer, bringing real-world experience to his police procedurals. 📚 The Missing and the Dead is the ninth book in the Logan McRae series, which has sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Aberdeenshire, where the story is set, has the highest concentration of historic castles in the UK, with over 300 castles, stately homes, and ruins. 🏆 MacBride's debut novel Cold Granite, the first Logan McRae book, won the Barry Award for Best First Novel and established him as a leading voice in Scottish crime fiction.