Cold Granite is the debut novel of Scottish author Stuart MacBride, who looks set to take his place among such Tartan Noir luminaries as Ian Rankin and Quintin Jardine.

In Aberdeen, where the rainy season lasts all year D.S. Logan McRae is returning to work after some time off sick.

The discovery of the dead body of four-year-old David Reid, strangled in a ditch, is not the best welcome back and things can only get worse. With a killer stalking the city, Logan also has to deal with a new boss, the constant presence of his ex-girlfriend, and the media spotlight that only child killings can attract.

The dead bodies soon start piling up and Logan could easily join them if he's not careful.

Of course it's not all grim, with a typically macabre sense of humour running through the novel, and MacBride writes sparkling dialogue between McRae and his sparring partners, especially WPC Wastson. If there's one thing any good crime novels needs it's a good detective, or better still a good double act, and McRae and Watson certainly make the grade.

MacBride has gone straight for the jugular with this tightly plotted baffling and thrilling novel, and is sure to keep readers coming back for more. Mark Collins