MacBride, Stuart

PERSONAL:

Born in Dumbarton, Scotland; married; wife's name Fiona. Education: Attended university in Edinburgh, Scotland.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Scotland.

CAREER:

Writer. Has worked as a ship deckhand, graphic designer, actor, Web site designer, Web manager, and IT project manager.

WRITINGS:

Cold Granite (crime novel), St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2005.

Dying Light (crime novel), St. Martin's Minotaur (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Stuart MacBride was born in Dumbarton, Scotland, near Glasgow, and raised in a suburb of Aberdeen. He briefly attended university in Edinburgh, but left to work offshore. He eventually began working as a graphic designer, both freelance and in a corporate setting. With encouragement from his friends, MacBride tried his hand at writing. He penned two science fiction novels and one supernatural novel—all of which went unpublished—before his agent recommended he try crime fiction. The result was Cold Granite, a police procedural set on the gritty streets of Aberdeen. MacBride follows Detective Sergeant Logan MacRae as he investigates the murder of a three-year-old child. The death toll rises to five children, and MacRae finds himself searching for a serial killer. Library Journal critic Lisa O'Hara called the book "a suspenseful and compelling mystery." A Publishers Weekly contributor observed that "MacBride allows his characters their humanity, while weaving intriguing subplots in this edge-of-your-seat page-turner."

After the success of his debut novel, MacBride earned a three-book contract and decided to continue his MacRae series. The second installment is Dying Light. Although MacRae is actually a talented police officer, in this novel an unfortunate accident gets him transferred to what is infamously known as the "Screw-Up Squad." Here he is assigned to investigate the multiple murders of prostitutes; he also, however, helps his former squad with an arson that caused the death of six people. Investigating both, MacRae finds that the two are actually related crimes. Many reviewers noted the mix of gruesome and grim police work with MacBride's use of dark humor. Joe Hartlaub, writing for the Bookreporter.com, for instance, remarked: "Most of the violence in Dying Light takes place off the page, but it's not because MacBride is squeamish; his descriptions of the aftermath of the crime in fact are among the most realistic and vivid one is likely to encounter. They are counterbalanced by some of the darkest humor I have read this year." A Kirkus Reviews writer praised it as "funny, occasionally brutal and surprisingly poignant." Booklist contributor Allison Block concluded that Dying Light "is every bit as dark and riveting as his [MacBride's] debut."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 15, 2006, Allison Block, review of Dying Light, p. 29.

Bookseller, February 4, 2005, review of Cold Granite, p. 33.

Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2006, review of Dying Light, p. 604.

Library Journal, June 15, 2005, Lisa O'Hara, review of Cold Granite, p. 64.

Publishers Weekly, May 9, 2005, review of Cold Granite, p. 49; June 5, 2006, review of Dying Light, p. 40.

ONLINE

Bookreporter.com,http://www.bookreporter.com/ (March 1, 2007), Joe Hartlaub, review of Dying Light.

Books from Scotland,http://www.booksfromscotland.com/ (March 1, 2007), interview with Stuart MacBride.

Crime Scene Scotland,http://www.crimescenescotlandreviews.blogspot.com/ (June 1, 2006), Russel McLean, review of Dying Light.

Shotsmag Reviews,http://www.shotsmag.com.uk/ (May 1, 2006), Paul Johnston, review of Dying Light.

Spine Tingler Magazine,http://www.spinetinglermagazine.com/ (March 1, 2007), Sandra Ruttan, "On Beards and Books: A Discussion with Stuart MacBride."

Stuart MacBride Home Page,http://www.stuartmacbride.com (September 10, 2005).