REVIEW: No Less The Devil by Stuart MacBride

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

No Less The Devil by Stuart MacBride
Published by Transworld on April 28, 2022
ISBN: 9781473592513
Genres: Fiction, Crime, Mystery & Detective, General, Police Procedural, Traditional, Thrillers, Suspense
Pages: 480
Format: ARC, Paperback
Source: Publisher
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AN INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER.
What readers are saying about No Less the Devil:
'Ratchets up the tension and keeps it there' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'The plot twist is divine' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'The last quarter of the book goes to an all-time new level' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐'MacBride is an absolute master of understated dark humour' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
'We are each our own devil, and we make this world our hell.'
It's been seventeen months since the Bloodsmith butchered his first victim and Operation Maypole is still no nearer to catching him. The media is whipping up a storm, the top brass are demanding results, but the investigation is sinking fast.
Now isn't the time to get distracted with other cases, but Detective Sergeant Lucy McVeigh doesn't have much choice. When Benedict Strachan was just eleven, he hunted down and killed a homeless man. No one's ever figured out why Benedict did it, but now, after sixteen years, he's back on the streets again - battered, frightened, convinced a shadowy 'They' are out to get him, and begging Lucy for help.
It sounds like paranoia, but what if he's right? What if he really is caught up in something bigger and darker than Lucy's ever dealt with before? What if the Bloodsmith isn't the only monster out there? And what's going to happen when Lucy goes after them?
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'Stuart MacBride is an automatic must-read for me... always fast, hard, authentic - and different' LEE CHILD
'There can be no question that MacBride is one of this country's finest crime writers' DAILY MAIL
'Wow. What a ride! Exceptional. A must read.' DEBORAH MASSON

No Less the Devil is most definitely a tale of two parts. The first 80% is a taut, twisty detective novel with wit and sarcasm aplenty…the norm for a Stuart MacBride novel. The last 20% however, had me flummoxed. I uttered the words WTF a lot and found myself physically scratching my head. If this was the plot all along it felt incredibly rushed and didn’t make much sense. I can’t give much more away without big spoilers, trust me, you’ll just have to read it for yourself.

No Less the Devil opens with the Bloodsmith still being at large. Seventeen months have passed and the officers conducting Operation Maypole are still no closer to cracking it. It’s like the perpetrator is a ghost, leaving no clues and no DNA behind. The public and the bereaved family members of the victims have no faith in their ability to catch them and the media are tearing them apart. DI Tudor is now in charge of the operation, acting more like a scapegoat rather than his superiors having any faith that his team will crack it. DS Lucy McVeigh is part of the team, and she is determined to bust it wide open.

McVeigh is a very complex character. She has the potential to ride all the way to the top in her police career. She gets results and isn’t afraid to bend the rules to get them. She is joined by her partner, The Dunk, which brings some much-needed satirical relief. An anti-establishment character who isn’t afraid to tell you what he thinks about those in power. He was my favourite character with his “unfit” ramblings whilst trying to keep up with McVeigh.  

No Less the Devil is the examination of the case is pushed onto The Dunk and McVeigh, and they revisit each of the five crime scenes to try and look at it from a different perspective. Although they find new evidence, they are pulling at strings trying to find a connection between all five victims. Lucy is also preoccupied with the evolving problem that is Benedict Strachan. He has recently been released from prison after serving many years for the murder of a homeless man when he was eleven. He wants her help after professing that “they” are after him, is it just the ramblings of a deranged mind?

It’s clear she is struggling with PTSD so professional standards are on her back to engage with her therapist. They seem to be following her everywhere why can’t she get any relief and just get on with her damn job!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stuart MacBride is the Sunday Times No.1 bestselling author of the Logan McRae and Ash Henderson novels. He’s also published standalones, novellas, and short stories, as well as a slightly twisted children’s picture book for slightly twisted children. Stuart lives in the northeast of Scotland with his wife Fiona, cats Gherkin, Onion and Beetroot, some hens, some horses, and an impressive collection of assorted weeds.

Stuart MacBride