Stuart MacBride Books in Order (Updated February 23, 2026)

Stuart MacBride is a Scottish crime novelist best known for hard-edged police procedurals with recurring casts, running jokes, and long-brewing consequences.

With MacBride, the case can be read book-by-book, but the people can’t, promotions, injuries, feuds, and relationships stack up fast.

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How the MacBride universe is arranged

Lane 1: Aberdeen police (Logan McRae) – the long runner.
Gritty, busy, and very continuity-driven. Best read from book 1.

Lane 2: Oldcastle (Ash Henderson + related Oldcastle novels) – same world, different focal points.
Starts as Henderson-led crime novels, then expands into other Oldcastle-centered stories.

Lane 3: True standalones (including one under “Stuart B. MacBride”).
No series prerequisites.

Lane 4: Short fiction (Logan/Steel extras + collections).
Optional; best slotted where they were released.

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If you only want one starting point

Start with Cold Granite (2005) if you want the full MacBride experience and don’t mind a long series arc unfolding in the background of each case.

If you want something shorter and darker in one place: start with Birthdays for the Dead (2012) (Oldcastle / Ash Henderson).

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Lane 1 – Logan McRae (Aberdeen) in release order

1. Cold Granite (2005): A brutal first case drops DS Logan McRae back into Aberdeen’s worst corners, introducing the chain of professional and personal debts that never really stop accruing.
2. Dying Light (2006): A fresh wave of violence forces Logan into higher-pressure policing, where every quick win creates a longer mess for later books to inherit.
3. Broken Skin (2007) (also published as Bloodshot): A body-count investigation pushes Logan into uglier politics and uglier compromises, sharpening the series’ “no clean endings” rule.
4. Flesh House (2008): A grisly discovery turns into a pressure-cooker hunt, tightening the ensemble and making Logan’s survival feel less guaranteed.
5. Blind Eye (2009): A case that looks straightforward won’t stay contained, and the fallout stresses loyalties inside the station.
6. Dark Blood (2010): Old wounds and new victims collide, forcing Logan to navigate both the crime and the consequences of how he’s handled earlier ones.
7. Shatter the Bones (2011): A high-profile kidnapping case puts the whole city in motion, and the series’ ongoing personal stakes take a hard turn.
8. Close to the Bone (2013): With Logan already stretched thin, a fresh set of attacks and threats turns the day-to-day grind into an endurance test he can’t “power through” without paying for it.
9. The Missing and the Dead (2015): A case that should be about procedure becomes about survival, pushing Logan into a situation where every choice leaves evidence behind.
10. In the Cold Dark Ground (2016): The investigation widens as bodies and motives multiply, accelerating the series toward bigger institutional pressure and bigger personal risk.
11. Now We Are Dead (2017) – Roberta Steel-focused spinoff: Steel takes center stage in a case that weaponizes her reputation, showing what the McRae world looks like when Steel’s method is the point, not the obstacle.
12. The Blood Road (2018): A sprawling case drags the team across harder terrain, physically and emotionally, while the series’ long-running tensions stop being background noise.
13. All That’s Dead (2019): An escalating investigation forces the squad to confront what years of damage has done to their judgment, their relationships, and their ability to trust outcomes.
14. This House of Burning Bones (2025): A city on edge, a force under strain, and a major investigation collide, paying off the cumulative wear-and-tear that only makes sense if you’ve lived with this cast for a while.

Best way to read this lane: straight through, in order. The series “remembers” everything.

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Lane 2 – Oldcastle (Ash Henderson + related Oldcastle novels)

Ash Henderson core (start here if you want Oldcastle from the beginning)

1. Birthdays for the Dead (2012): A missing-child case detonates the personal tragedy at the heart of this continuity, defining Henderson’s limits and the town’s appetite for brutality.
2. A Song for the Dying (2014): A new hunt opens old scars, widening the circle of suspects and showing how Oldcastle grinds people down over time.
3. The Coffinmaker’s Garden (2021): A storm-lashed case drags buried secrets into daylight, tightening the connection between Oldcastle’s landscape and Oldcastle’s violence.

Oldcastle novels (same setting; best after or alongside Henderson)

These are commonly grouped as part of the wider Oldcastle continuity, even when the lead viewpoint shifts.

4. A Dark So Deadly (2017): A grotesque discovery kicks off a case that feels “standalone” on the surface, but plays better when you already understand Oldcastle’s institutional rot.
5. No Less the Devil (2022): A new investigation pushes deeper into the town’s systems and cynicism, rewarding readers who recognize how Oldcastle repeats its patterns.
6. In a Place of Darkness (2024): With pressure mounting and time running short, the case leans into the setting’s darkest reputation, making Oldcastle itself feel like an active threat.

How to read Lane 2 without overthinking it:
Go Henderson #1-#3, then continue with the later Oldcastle novels in the order shown above.

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Lane 3 – Standalones (separate continuity)

• Halfhead (2009) (as Stuart B. MacBride): A near-future thriller built for momentum and shock, designed to hit hard without requiring any series knowledge.
• The Dead of Winter (2023): A self-contained crime novel that delivers MacBride’s bite and bleakness without tying into the ongoing police-series timelines.

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Lane 4 – Short fiction and collections (optional, but best placed deliberately)

These are extras, not required, and they work best when read close to their release window.

• Twelve Days of Winter (2011) – short story collection: A linked set of seasonal crime stories that showcases MacBride’s dark humor in smaller doses.
• Partners in Crime (2012) – two Logan & Steel short stories (“Bad Heir Day” and “Stramash”): Small, sharp snapshots that land best once you already know Logan and Steel’s working relationship.
• 22 Dead Little Bodies (2015) – short novel (often packaged with the two stories above): A brisk return to familiar faces that functions like an extra episode between the larger arcs.
• The 45% Hangover (2015) – Logan & Steel novella: A compact case with the duo’s chemistry front and center, funniest and most satisfying when you’re already deep into the series.
• Sawbones (novella; originally released earlier and later reissued): A U.S.-set serial-killer story that sits outside the Scottish series lanes and reads fine at any time.
• The Tasting Menu (2024) – short story: A late-era extra for readers who like MacBride’s short-form bite.

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A clean, low-friction recommended route

Route A (the full meal):
Logan McRae #1 onward (and insert Now We Are Dead after In the Cold Dark Ground).

Route B (shorter commitment, same darkness):
Oldcastle via Birthdays for the Dead → A Song for the Dying → The Coffinmaker’s Garden.

Route C (try MacBride’s style with zero continuity):
The Dead of Winter (then decide whether you want Aberdeen or Oldcastle next).

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FAQ

Do I have to read Now We Are Dead to understand Logan McRae?
No. It’s a spinoff that spotlights Roberta Steel, but it fits neatly after Logan #10 and before the next main Logan novel.

Are Oldcastle and Logan McRae connected?
They’re best treated as separate lanes with shared DNA, not one interleaved mega-series. Read within a lane to avoid whiplash.

Is there a “chronological order” that differs from release order?
Not in a way that helps most readers. With MacBride, release order preserves reveals, character trajectories, and who-knows-what-when.

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Bottom line

If you want the safest, most complete read: start with Cold Granite (2005) and keep going in the Logan McRae sequence. If you want a shorter, concentrated dose of the same worldview: start Oldcastle with Birthdays for the Dead (2012).