Warning: I am about to gush.
Stuart MacBride. Familiarize yourself with him stat. He's a Scottish writer who HarperCollins is starting to publish in the States, and I love his detective novels! His latest (the 8th in the series) is Close to the Bone which I presented at ALA Midwinter. When I finished it I immediately went back and read the first two, and that's just in the last 2 weeks. I plan on continuing because I can't get enough of Detective Logan McRae!
Logan is a put-upon but very talented detective who regularly finds himself embroiled in cases that are emotionally taxing, physically dangerous and mentally challenging. (NOTE: His nickname is Lazarus because he comes back from the dead so often).
There is a reason MacBride is a rock star in the UK. His writing is great, his characters are endearing and human, and his stories are fascinating and very dark (as is his humor).
If you never listen to anything else I tell you, listen to this. If you like gruesome murder mysteries, a fantastic leading man with heart, and hilarious secondary characters, read this series.
– Annie