Broken Skin by Stuart MacBride

In the third DS Logan McRae crime novel, things are about the same in Aberdeen as criminals never seem to take a break.  Someone has dumped a body outside Emergency and the investigation takes the police force inside the seedy world of BSMD.  Logan's trying to find an eight year old killer and finding him elusive.  Then there is a serial rapist who is escalating and getting more and more violent with each new victim.  There's evidence that the rapist might be Aberdeen's star football (soccer) player and charging him will make the police even more unpopular.

Logan's personal life is also still complicated.  Logan is still torn between two bosses as both DI Steele and DI Insch think they should have all Logan's time as they compete against each other to have the best crime solve rates.  Logan is still living with Jackie Watson but Jackie was used as bait in the footballer's case and is determined to prove him guilty no matter what it takes.  One of Logan's contacts is determined that she should be dating him instead of Jackie and he's tempted.

Balancing all these threads and weaving them into a satisfactory resolution is what makes Stuart MacBride one of the best crime writers working today.  Logan is a compelling character and the reader is caught up in his cases and firmly on Logan's side in his day to day battles.  Aberdeen Police are portrayed as hard working and hard playing, their daily lives served up with a splash of morbid humor.  This book is recommended for mystery fans.