He did the best he could. Logan's focus is on saving the man's life. How could it all go so very, very wrong?

Best laid plans and good intention were not garnering Acting Detective Logan MacRae the attention he wanted or expected. Now Acting Detective Logan McRae is back out on the road in uniform as a Duty Sergeant with partner Janet Nicholson. They are, as he says, keeping Aberdeenshire North safe from scoundrels, scallywags and meandering cattle on the road.

Logan isn't happy with his "development opportunity" that has moved him out the action that he likes to be involved with, but he likes his team and is starting to settle into his new routines. Now, with the dark cloud of the court case hanging over his head, Logan wants to do what he can to set things right. Then, when a little girl's lifeless body washes up in a pool near the sea by the small town of Banff, he wants to find who did this horrible crime. As the Major Investigation Team moves in from the big city of Aberdeen, will he get his chance to investigate or not?

THE MISSING AND THE DEAD is the ninth novel in the Sunday Times best-selling Stuart MacBride's Logan McRae series set in the rural and coastal area of northeastern Scotland. It is a very compelling account of a police investigator who strives to do what is right while balancing that with the dilemma of what is legal. Right from the first page, MacBride instantly pulls the reader right into the action as the story moves from a panting chase to a shocking court verdict.

Police action never stops in this deftly written, complex and multilayered story as MacBride takes us on an insider's look at Logan's experiences and feelings and how he manages to ruffle the feathers of some superiors, even when trying not to do so. With nods to MacBride's solid research skills, THE MISSING AND THE DEAD also provides a very interesting look at how police action is organized in Scotland and how it is changing over time.

I found THE MISSING AND THE DEAD to be a thoroughly engrossing read, not only for complex story line as different crimes where being investigated, but also for the very realistic way MacBride brings to light all the things large and small that keep police going. The reader is right in the action as horrific crime scenes are being described, on stakeouts of the local drug dealers or interviewing suspected predators. Then, like nuggets of caramel in this dank darkness are the officers' delight at getting back in time for "elevenses" or sneaking snacks from others back at the station.

While THE MISSING AND THE DEAD reads very well as a stand-alone book as MaxBride gives insights to events and characters introduced in the earlier books, I am sure Logan and Steel fans of this MacBride series will be thrilled and very happy with this latest installment. THE MISSING AND THE DEAD has such a strong degree of realism to it that it makes for a highly compelling story right from the beginning to its intriguing conclusion.

I particularly like Logan MacRae as a character. He is content to save money by eating cheap lentil soup everyday so he can pay for the 24 hour care for his girlfriend Samantha who is in a coma as a result of injuries from a previous investigation by Logan. His relationship with his ex-boss Roberta Steel and their interesting family relation is also very intriguing. Helen is also a most interesting woman and I hope she re- appears in the future. One of Macbride's many talents is his terrific skill at bringing his characters to life. From cop to criminal, they are all easily visualized and are authentic in their actions and motivations.

If you like non-stop action and highly unusual police related stories, you will definitely want to delve into THE MISSING AND THE DEAD. It can be tough to read in parts and ever harder to put down!