2015 short police procedural mystery novel, tartan noir, in the Logan
McRae series. Logan's day starts with a failed attempt to stop a
suicidal jumper, and goes downhill from there.
Note that although Goodreads and even MacBride's own site list
this as coming after The Missing and the Dead, it's clearly set
before that book: here McRae is still in Aberdeen, in the process of
selling his flat to pay for Samantha's care, which has happened by the
time The Missing and the Dead comes round.
What we have here is barely a novel, at just over 40,000 words, and it
has the feeling of a McRae book in miniature. Nothing ever goes well
for him, but the vagaries of chance eventually align in his favour.
Mostly. There isn't the same feeling of One Big Case for him to focus
on and crack, though, and most of the investigative strands remain
relevant until near the end.
Apart from dealing with that suicide and its consequences, a feud
between neighbours appears to be escalating, though there's little
that can actually be done; the jumper's wife and children are
missing; and the crime boss who wants Logan to take over after his
death is determined to be helpful.
It's mostly the recipe as usual, but without the continuing serial
offender and consequent time pressure it feels less like McRae vs
Criminal and more like McRae vs Life.
(There's a newer edition 22 Dead Little Bodies and Other Stories,
which depending on which sources one believes includes one or more of
"Stramash", "DC Steel's Bad Heir Day" and "The 45% Hangover", all of
which I've previously reviewed.)