“[An] edge-of-your-seat page-turner [and] impressive debut...MacBride allows his characters their humanity, while weaving intriguing subplots.”—Publishers Weekly

“Macabre...MacBride's impressive first outing has plenty of atmosphere, subversive humor, and a sinuous plot reminiscent of fellow countryman Ian Rankin.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Stuart MacBride is most likely to be compared to Ian Rankin, but this unbelievably assured and accomplished police story aims even higher.”—Flint Journal

“McRae is an interesting and subtle detective, and his investigation is both inventive and imaginative.”—Dallas Morning News

“Newcomer Stuart MacBride joins an illustrious roster of Scottish crime writers…by tangling together a half-dozen competing plot lines, MacBride keeps readers off-balance, even those who think they can see the tripwires.”—Houston Chronicle

“Cold Granite is never as dark and dangerous as the work of Mina and Rankin…a solid police procedural…no sooner is one crime solved than another comes up to keep you turning the pages, and through it all, the police procedural gains a warmth and camaraderie that tougher and more cynical novels lack.”—Rocky Mountain News

“Logan—a troubled man but blessedly not a suicidal booze hound like other Scots coppers of recent and current memory—does his job with skill and humanity.”—Chicago Tribune

“The book’s grim setting, plus the gallows humor, mordant introspection…draw inevitable comparisons to talented Scotsman, Ian Rankin. But MacBride has some neatly distinctive touches, not least among them hefty does of Aberdonian dialect and that wonderfully foul weather.”—Seattle Times

“MacBride’s debut is a tense police procedural/mystery set in Aberdeen, Scotland…MacBride introduces a very likeable and human protagonist whose past adventures are only hinted at in this book, leading us to hope that another McRae novel is in the works. A suspenseful and compelling mystery, this is strongly recommended.”—Library Journal (starred review)

“Cold Granite is a powerful reminder that the best contemporary crime fiction is coming out of Scotland. Ferocious and funny, this is Tartan Noir at its best.”
—Val McDermid, author of The Torment of Others

“Atmosphere, dazzling, and completely compelling, Cold Granite marks the debut of an amazing new voice in crime fiction. Scotland’s Stuart MacBride is one of the best writers to come out of the UK in a long time.”—Deborah Crombie, author of In a Dark House