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Inspector McLean #1
Natural Causes
A young girl's mutilated body is discovered in a sealed room. Her remains are carefully arranged, in what seems to have been a cruel and macabre ritual, which appears to have taken place over 60 years ago.
For newly appointed Edinburgh Detective Inspector Tony McLean this baffling cold case ought to be a low priority - but he is haunted by the young victim and her grisly death.
Meanwhile, the city is horrified by a series of bloody killings. Deaths for which there appears to be neither rhyme nor reason, and which leave Edinburgh's police at a loss.
McLean is convinced that these deaths are somehow connected to the terrible ceremonial killing of the girl, all those years ago. It is an irrational, almost supernatural theory.
And one which will lead McLean closer to the heart of a terrifying and ancient evil . . .
For newly appointed Edinburgh Detective Inspector Tony McLean this baffling cold case ought to be a low priority - but he is haunted by the young victim and her grisly death.
Meanwhile, the city is horrified by a series of bloody killings. Deaths for which there appears to be neither rhyme nor reason, and which leave Edinburgh's police at a loss.
McLean is convinced that these deaths are somehow connected to the terrible ceremonial killing of the girl, all those years ago. It is an irrational, almost supernatural theory.
And one which will lead McLean closer to the heart of a terrifying and ancient evil . . .
458 pages, Paperback
First published February 9, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 781 reviews
February 22, 2017
This is the first in the DI Tony McLean series and it has a supernatural and demons element to the storyline. The novel comprises of several elements, Tony looks into the circumstances behind a dead girl discovered in the basement of a Edinburgh house that is being renovated. The brutal murder occurred around sixty years ago or so according to the evidence. The girl's organs are in jars around the body which suggests rituals were performed where each of the men who acquired an organ is granted immortality. Then there are the present day murders of prominent businessmen and the strange suicides of the perpetrators soon after the murder. In a bizarre turn of events, it appears that there are connections between the long dead girl, the killing of the businessmen and the suicides.
Tony's grandmother, who suffered a stroke and slipped into a coma, dies. A grief stricken Tony also has to handle the burden of considerable conflict within the police hierarchy. Along with looking int a burglar preying on the homes of the recently deceased, Tony's life is not made easy. The supernatural parts of the story may not appeal to some readers. However, I found this an engaging and absorbing read. Thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC.
Tony's grandmother, who suffered a stroke and slipped into a coma, dies. A grief stricken Tony also has to handle the burden of considerable conflict within the police hierarchy. Along with looking int a burglar preying on the homes of the recently deceased, Tony's life is not made easy. The supernatural parts of the story may not appeal to some readers. However, I found this an engaging and absorbing read. Thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC.
July 9, 2019
I came across this book quite by accident when I needed an author whose name starts with O for a challenge. I love challenges - they introduce me to any number of new authors who I might not come across otherwise.
Inspector McClean is one of those honest cops who does the job because he likes it and because he genuinely wants to solve cases. He is working in a system where many people do not hold the same values and of course he makes waves. He also attracts a small core group of like minded people who would do anything for him. In fact one of them does.
It is a good story, well told. There is an element of fantasy added which I actually felt the book did not need. It could easily have stood on its own as a good, solid, police procedural. Definitely a good book anyway and I will be following up the series.
Inspector McClean is one of those honest cops who does the job because he likes it and because he genuinely wants to solve cases. He is working in a system where many people do not hold the same values and of course he makes waves. He also attracts a small core group of like minded people who would do anything for him. In fact one of them does.
It is a good story, well told. There is an element of fantasy added which I actually felt the book did not need. It could easily have stood on its own as a good, solid, police procedural. Definitely a good book anyway and I will be following up the series.
February 7, 2017
I have had James Oswald on my radar of authors to read for some time so when I was offered the opportunity to read the first novel in the Inspector McLean series bu Net Galley I jumped at the chance. After reading the opening chapters accustoming myself to the main characters etc. I fairly quickly got into the flow of the novel and had the main characters fixed in my head. Towards the end of the book I was already planning to read the second book and looking forward to it. At the time of writing this review I have already started the second book and enjoying it.
For no other reason than the quality of the writing I seem to be drawn by the writing of Scottish Thriller writers such as Ian Rankin, Peter May, Stuart MacBride, Val McDermid and now it looks like I will be adding James Oswald to my growing list. There must be something in the water up there that gives us such good thriller novels.
This series of books features Edinburgh based Detective Inspector Anthony McLean who has the handy ability of been able to sense danger. In the opening novel in this series ' Natural Causes' the Edinburgh police find the killer of a prominent city elder less than twenty-four hours after the crime and they are justifiably pleased. The murderer had killed himself, so when a second murder occurs just days later and bears haunting similarities to the first, even though once more the murderer swiftly confesses and kills himself, heads are scratched.
Detective Inspector Anthony McLean is investigating the discovery of a dead girl, walled up in the basement of an old Edinburgh mansion. She has been brutally murdered, her internal organs removed and placed around her in six preserving jars. The evidence suggests this all happened over sixty years ago, an attempt to re-enact an ancient ceremony that by trapping a demon in the dead girl’s body would supposedly confer immortality on the six men who took one of her organs each.
McLean’s grandmother, who had raised him after his parents were killed when he was a young boy dies after months in a coma following a stroke. This piles more troubles on to McLean who is investigating a series of unusual, violent suicides and a cat-burglar who targets the homes of the recently dead. But as another prominent Edinburgh businessman is killed, he begins to suspect that there may be a connection between the murders, the suicides and the ritual killing of the girl found in the basement. The same names keep cropping up. He just can’t find a rational explanation as to how that connection works. This all leads to an entertaining read and an excellent start to the series. This novel equipped me with a good grounding of the main characters and has already made me plan to read all the novels in this series (7 at the time of writing).
I would like to thank Net Galley and Penguin UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
For no other reason than the quality of the writing I seem to be drawn by the writing of Scottish Thriller writers such as Ian Rankin, Peter May, Stuart MacBride, Val McDermid and now it looks like I will be adding James Oswald to my growing list. There must be something in the water up there that gives us such good thriller novels.
This series of books features Edinburgh based Detective Inspector Anthony McLean who has the handy ability of been able to sense danger. In the opening novel in this series ' Natural Causes' the Edinburgh police find the killer of a prominent city elder less than twenty-four hours after the crime and they are justifiably pleased. The murderer had killed himself, so when a second murder occurs just days later and bears haunting similarities to the first, even though once more the murderer swiftly confesses and kills himself, heads are scratched.
Detective Inspector Anthony McLean is investigating the discovery of a dead girl, walled up in the basement of an old Edinburgh mansion. She has been brutally murdered, her internal organs removed and placed around her in six preserving jars. The evidence suggests this all happened over sixty years ago, an attempt to re-enact an ancient ceremony that by trapping a demon in the dead girl’s body would supposedly confer immortality on the six men who took one of her organs each.
McLean’s grandmother, who had raised him after his parents were killed when he was a young boy dies after months in a coma following a stroke. This piles more troubles on to McLean who is investigating a series of unusual, violent suicides and a cat-burglar who targets the homes of the recently dead. But as another prominent Edinburgh businessman is killed, he begins to suspect that there may be a connection between the murders, the suicides and the ritual killing of the girl found in the basement. The same names keep cropping up. He just can’t find a rational explanation as to how that connection works. This all leads to an entertaining read and an excellent start to the series. This novel equipped me with a good grounding of the main characters and has already made me plan to read all the novels in this series (7 at the time of writing).
I would like to thank Net Galley and Penguin UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
October 25, 2017
The murder took place at the start – but it was the end for her. As the nails went in - slowly, painfully - and evil loomed over her, she knew she would die here – she knew this would be the end for her.
Detective Inspector Anthony McLean thought he had seen it all when he was called to the murder of a prominent business man – the horror and brutality was obscene. But when the murderer was discovered – dead – the relief of the force was palpable. But a second murder with shocking similarities made McLean suspicious. He was the only one who was uneasy by what was happening though – his superiors didn’t want him digging into a solved case...
Add in the death of McLean’s grandmother after an eighteen-month coma; a burglar who hit the bereaved on the day of the funeral; and a sixty year old murder – there was something strange occurring in Edinburgh. Could McLean tie all the threads together? Were they even connected? What was the evil that had hit his city?
Natural Causes by James Oswald is the first in the Inspector McLean series and I’ve had it on my kindle for quite some time! Chosen now for a challenge, I’m really glad to have read it. Fast paced, gritty and full-on, the plot and mystery were excellent. Highly recommended.
**I forgot to mention the reference to author Stuart MacBride - one of McLean's detectives is named after him and the reasons are interesting :)
Detective Inspector Anthony McLean thought he had seen it all when he was called to the murder of a prominent business man – the horror and brutality was obscene. But when the murderer was discovered – dead – the relief of the force was palpable. But a second murder with shocking similarities made McLean suspicious. He was the only one who was uneasy by what was happening though – his superiors didn’t want him digging into a solved case...
Add in the death of McLean’s grandmother after an eighteen-month coma; a burglar who hit the bereaved on the day of the funeral; and a sixty year old murder – there was something strange occurring in Edinburgh. Could McLean tie all the threads together? Were they even connected? What was the evil that had hit his city?
Natural Causes by James Oswald is the first in the Inspector McLean series and I’ve had it on my kindle for quite some time! Chosen now for a challenge, I’m really glad to have read it. Fast paced, gritty and full-on, the plot and mystery were excellent. Highly recommended.
**I forgot to mention the reference to author Stuart MacBride - one of McLean's detectives is named after him and the reasons are interesting :)
July 3, 2012
Forget Midsomer, if you're a fictional character who wants to not be brutally murdered, you need to stay the hell away from Edinburgh.
When I came across this book, I admit, I was expecting a Rebus rip-off. Mainly because nobody does police procedurals with detectives with gritty pasts and colleagues they don't get on with as well as Ian Rankin. I was prepared for an awful lot of eye-rolling, and I'm happy to say that the eye-rolling didn't come. In fact, I really rather enjoyed it. It was very satisfying, there were moments all the way through where I spluttered at things that just came out of left-field, and while it got confusing at times (differentiating characters. If I hadn't read it on Kindle, I would have flicked back and forth a few times and probably written myself a list), it was really good fun.
A few things.
Firstly, the opening seems to be something that people have commented on, because it was horrible. Really horrible, and full of clues. I don't know, the gore didn't bother me, and it was a great starting image - it stayed with me a long time. If you're looking for a start to a book that can hook you, that's a way that can easily go wrong, but in this case it was pulled off with aplomb. Or, I thought so.
Secondly, one thing that kind of irritated me was that the plot line with Emma Baird was finished off-screen, if you will. What?! That was important! Don't just tell me 'and then it was finished, by someone else, somewhere else' and carry on to the next thing, I was enjoying that! I'm trying to skirt around spoilers here, but a couple of paragraphs more and that would have been a lot more satisfying.
And speaking of skirting around spoilers, the solution. I liked the solution, and I feel like I shouldn't have done. It reminds me a bit of Christopher Priest, who will let you think you're reading a very different kind of book entirely for the first few pages. I felt like the ending ought to have been cheating, but actually, I'm surprisingly okay with it. Like the rest of the book, it could have gone horribly awry except for the fact that it was handled really, really well.
I give this book four stars: for an engaging plot, a lot of very satisfying scope for guessing along, for unpredictability where it counts and for some exceptionally good driving and trope negotiation. There's another one in the series, apparently? Or if there isn't, there will be soon. Either way, I'm really tempted. If you like police procedurals, you'll definitely appreciate this.
(Shameless plug: I also read the next one!)
When I came across this book, I admit, I was expecting a Rebus rip-off. Mainly because nobody does police procedurals with detectives with gritty pasts and colleagues they don't get on with as well as Ian Rankin. I was prepared for an awful lot of eye-rolling, and I'm happy to say that the eye-rolling didn't come. In fact, I really rather enjoyed it. It was very satisfying, there were moments all the way through where I spluttered at things that just came out of left-field, and while it got confusing at times (differentiating characters. If I hadn't read it on Kindle, I would have flicked back and forth a few times and probably written myself a list), it was really good fun.
A few things.
Firstly, the opening seems to be something that people have commented on, because it was horrible. Really horrible, and full of clues. I don't know, the gore didn't bother me, and it was a great starting image - it stayed with me a long time. If you're looking for a start to a book that can hook you, that's a way that can easily go wrong, but in this case it was pulled off with aplomb. Or, I thought so.
Secondly, one thing that kind of irritated me was that the plot line with Emma Baird was finished off-screen, if you will. What?! That was important! Don't just tell me 'and then it was finished, by someone else, somewhere else' and carry on to the next thing, I was enjoying that! I'm trying to skirt around spoilers here, but a couple of paragraphs more and that would have been a lot more satisfying.
And speaking of skirting around spoilers, the solution. I liked the solution, and I feel like I shouldn't have done. It reminds me a bit of Christopher Priest, who will let you think you're reading a very different kind of book entirely for the first few pages. I felt like the ending ought to have been cheating, but actually, I'm surprisingly okay with it. Like the rest of the book, it could have gone horribly awry except for the fact that it was handled really, really well.
I give this book four stars: for an engaging plot, a lot of very satisfying scope for guessing along, for unpredictability where it counts and for some exceptionally good driving and trope negotiation. There's another one in the series, apparently? Or if there isn't, there will be soon. Either way, I'm really tempted. If you like police procedurals, you'll definitely appreciate this.
(Shameless plug: I also read the next one!)
June 22, 2019
A decent start with some interesting characters and more than a splash of the supernatural. Plus, cats everywhere. Certainly enough to keep me reading. Especially as I know the author’s writing gets better...
August 6, 2019
This is yet another author I've not had the pleasure of reading until now. I've already ordered the next in this series, The Book of Souls. I love DI Tony McLean! He's a hardworking, determined inspector who honestly cares about every victim of every case, no matter when, old or new, the brutal crimes took place. He won't quit until he finds the answers that will ultimately lead him to the killer(s). Set in Scotland, the characters are life sized and believable, and the words were written so I could imagine the unique Scottish accent. The plot is expertly written and flows along at a quick pace. I especially like the way James Oswald slowly gives Inspector McLean, and hence the reader, the clues to solve the crimes, one link at a time until they all click together at the end, with a little twist, of course! An excellent whodunit that gave me goose bumps, right up to the very end. I loved it!
August 22, 2012
Really? Honestly? What started out as a complex mystery ended up too stupid to bear. The demon did it! I've been pissed off about stupid endings before but this one takes the cake. It's a police procedural after all. As one approaches the end of the novel, you think that absolutely nothing can makes sense of the weird "coincidences". Well the fact is, that NOTHING does. The author has to pull a demon out of his hat at the end of the book to explain the weird occurrences. It turns out that a demon jumped from body to body where there is a chain of killing. I have no problem with paranormal mysteries, but this one is a police procedural. And when authors cop out such that they have to pull out a mysterious stranger - demon or not - at the end to "solve" the mystery or " resolve" the plot, it's nothing but a cheap and annoying trick. I actually enjoyed the book until it got really stupid.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2017
Natural Causes by James Oswald.
File this under my favorites. The author's first in the Detective Inspector McLean series.
I am so very thankful I found this author and his series. This book has no let up ...the story has and will take precedence over anything else going on in the reader's life. Starting to read this book I discovered the magnetism of it so compelling I put all other distractions aside.
Intense Action non-stop from every angle as well as character relationships building and growing. Do you dare not to read this?
File this under my favorites. The author's first in the Detective Inspector McLean series.
I am so very thankful I found this author and his series. This book has no let up ...the story has and will take precedence over anything else going on in the reader's life. Starting to read this book I discovered the magnetism of it so compelling I put all other distractions aside.
Intense Action non-stop from every angle as well as character relationships building and growing. Do you dare not to read this?
June 5, 2012
I can't believe I actually finished this book. If it weren't for the fact that I'm a bit OCD I would have given up on it after the first few chapters. I wish now that I had.
I must say the story line had potential. The characters were okay but undeveloped. The writing was just irritating unless of course you are from Scotland (where the story takes place) and enjoy the colloquial brogue that was so, well, overdone. The whole book felt as if it were being written by an American author trying desperately to sound Scottish.
The book begins with the violent and sadistic WWII era murder of a young girl, then skips to present day and the discovery of her corpse. She was one of the few characters in the book I actually felt something for and her identity is not revealed until the very end of the book. By that point the author is just pulling names out of the air and she is quickly and conveniently laid to rest. Considering the whole book is based on her murder I thought the author did a terrible disservice to her character. In fact I was appalled.
The rest of the novel is consumed with petty police characters without much personality or professionalism. Bodies start piling up and the story gets buried in the melee. Throw in a little supernatural/occult/devil worship and suddenly the cases are all solved and the story is finally over.
I guess I should have just started out by saying I won't be reading another of this author's novels. This is the first in what is supposed to be a series but it is also the last for me. Life is too short and there are too many really good novels waiting to be read.
I must say the story line had potential. The characters were okay but undeveloped. The writing was just irritating unless of course you are from Scotland (where the story takes place) and enjoy the colloquial brogue that was so, well, overdone. The whole book felt as if it were being written by an American author trying desperately to sound Scottish.
The book begins with the violent and sadistic WWII era murder of a young girl, then skips to present day and the discovery of her corpse. She was one of the few characters in the book I actually felt something for and her identity is not revealed until the very end of the book. By that point the author is just pulling names out of the air and she is quickly and conveniently laid to rest. Considering the whole book is based on her murder I thought the author did a terrible disservice to her character. In fact I was appalled.
The rest of the novel is consumed with petty police characters without much personality or professionalism. Bodies start piling up and the story gets buried in the melee. Throw in a little supernatural/occult/devil worship and suddenly the cases are all solved and the story is finally over.
I guess I should have just started out by saying I won't be reading another of this author's novels. This is the first in what is supposed to be a series but it is also the last for me. Life is too short and there are too many really good novels waiting to be read.
January 2, 2019
This is the first book in the Inspector McLean series. The location is Edinburgh. The characters of this book were the best part of the book for me. I really liked them and the bond they had working as Constables, Inspector and Pathologist. Tony McLean did not have a shortage of cases to solve as there were many deaths. He was visiting the morgue for autopsies and conversations with pathologist Cadwallader often.
The story mentioned many times how Tony McLean phone was always dead so people couldn't contact him. It made me as a reader just wish he would get it fixed or charge it. I guess I was of same mind set of the characters who worked with him.
I did figure by the end of the book who the main mastermind criminal was. It was a matter of elimination of who was still alive at the end and who fit the criteria. I want to catch up with the characters in the next book.
The story mentioned many times how Tony McLean phone was always dead so people couldn't contact him. It made me as a reader just wish he would get it fixed or charge it. I guess I was of same mind set of the characters who worked with him.
I did figure by the end of the book who the main mastermind criminal was. It was a matter of elimination of who was still alive at the end and who fit the criteria. I want to catch up with the characters in the next book.
March 26, 2020
3.5 stars
An enjoyable police procedural with a sympathetic detective inspector.
An enjoyable police procedural with a sympathetic detective inspector.
September 19, 2016
Not my cup of tea, I'm afraid.
This is the first in a series I'd been meaning to read for a long time. Unfortunately stereotypes abound & several significant plot twists are telegraphed from a mile away. The fact the MC didn't see them coming doesn't exactly inspire confidence in his abilities. There's also a large paranormal element to the story that felt strangely discordant within this otherwise very british police procedural.
Really disappointing as I was looking forward to having a new series to devour. The cover boasts "the next Ian Rankin". In my humble opinion, not even close.
This is the first in a series I'd been meaning to read for a long time. Unfortunately stereotypes abound & several significant plot twists are telegraphed from a mile away. The fact the MC didn't see them coming doesn't exactly inspire confidence in his abilities. There's also a large paranormal element to the story that felt strangely discordant within this otherwise very british police procedural.
Really disappointing as I was looking forward to having a new series to devour. The cover boasts "the next Ian Rankin". In my humble opinion, not even close.
October 2, 2018
His own shadow had moved, gliding over the floor in four different shades. But the pattern on the floor had remained solid underneath it...
Natural Causes opens with Inspector Tony McLean of the Lothian and Borders Police, pulling up at a house in Edinburgh when he sees uniformed police and Scene of Crime van there. He recognises the elderly victim as Barnaby Smythe, seated in a chair in his study, eviscerated. He receives the familiar warm banter from pathologist Angus Cadwallader, but DCI Duguid is in charge and bridles at McLean’s presence.
He didn’t much like Duguid because the chief inspector was a sloppy investigator. Duguid didn’t like him because he knew it.
But the central mystery is the body of a teenage girl, found perfectly preserved, bricked up in a cellar of a large house, discovered during renovation by a property developer. Lain within a sigil-pattern circle, her dress suggests the body has been there for sixty years: a gruesome ritual killing involving crucifixion, rape, and the removal of organs, stored separately in ceramic jars in alcoves in the wall, each with a small personal item and a name.
In the same time frame McLean’s grandmother who raised him from a boy, passes away after being comatose following a stroke. This brings him into contact with the legal firm that has handled her affairs and not insubstantial estate, left to McLean. Which also links to a series of unsolved burglaries on the homes of the recently departed, by someone with detailed knowledge of alarm systems scanning the obituaries. McLean pays a visit to the company handling the alarm systems for businesses and properties across South-east Scotland.
The room was divided into small squares of office partitioning boards. In each one, a dozen or more people sat at individual computer screens, telephone headsets strapped to their heads, talking to small microphones that hovered like picnic wasps in front of their lips.
The bodies come thick and fast: elderly men in prime physical condition, slain with an internal organ removed; younger people with incurable disease committing suicide. and with so many persons involved the reader can only follow or second-guess McLean as he separates connections from misdirection. As he gets closer to the truth he finds himself the target of a hit-and-run.
The warehouse had probably stored something valuable once, but now its roof was gone, its cast-iron girders home to pigeons and rust. Even in the summer, after days of dry heat, the concrete floor was puddled with filthy water. In the winter when the east wind blew in sleet from the North Sea, it must have been a really welcoming place. A foul stench filled the air; rotting carcases and smoke mixed with bird shit and the salt tang of the sea. In the centre, surrounded by SOC officers like ants around a dead bird, stood a blackened Transit van.
Verdict: James Oswald has perfected the atmospheric crime novel with undertones of the occult.
Natural Causes opens with Inspector Tony McLean of the Lothian and Borders Police, pulling up at a house in Edinburgh when he sees uniformed police and Scene of Crime van there. He recognises the elderly victim as Barnaby Smythe, seated in a chair in his study, eviscerated. He receives the familiar warm banter from pathologist Angus Cadwallader, but DCI Duguid is in charge and bridles at McLean’s presence.
He didn’t much like Duguid because the chief inspector was a sloppy investigator. Duguid didn’t like him because he knew it.
But the central mystery is the body of a teenage girl, found perfectly preserved, bricked up in a cellar of a large house, discovered during renovation by a property developer. Lain within a sigil-pattern circle, her dress suggests the body has been there for sixty years: a gruesome ritual killing involving crucifixion, rape, and the removal of organs, stored separately in ceramic jars in alcoves in the wall, each with a small personal item and a name.
In the same time frame McLean’s grandmother who raised him from a boy, passes away after being comatose following a stroke. This brings him into contact with the legal firm that has handled her affairs and not insubstantial estate, left to McLean. Which also links to a series of unsolved burglaries on the homes of the recently departed, by someone with detailed knowledge of alarm systems scanning the obituaries. McLean pays a visit to the company handling the alarm systems for businesses and properties across South-east Scotland.
The room was divided into small squares of office partitioning boards. In each one, a dozen or more people sat at individual computer screens, telephone headsets strapped to their heads, talking to small microphones that hovered like picnic wasps in front of their lips.
The bodies come thick and fast: elderly men in prime physical condition, slain with an internal organ removed; younger people with incurable disease committing suicide. and with so many persons involved the reader can only follow or second-guess McLean as he separates connections from misdirection. As he gets closer to the truth he finds himself the target of a hit-and-run.
The warehouse had probably stored something valuable once, but now its roof was gone, its cast-iron girders home to pigeons and rust. Even in the summer, after days of dry heat, the concrete floor was puddled with filthy water. In the winter when the east wind blew in sleet from the North Sea, it must have been a really welcoming place. A foul stench filled the air; rotting carcases and smoke mixed with bird shit and the salt tang of the sea. In the centre, surrounded by SOC officers like ants around a dead bird, stood a blackened Transit van.
Verdict: James Oswald has perfected the atmospheric crime novel with undertones of the occult.
January 18, 2016
You can't talk about this book in any way without first mentioning the opening chapter. My toes curled, my hands were in fists, and my throat hurt. I had to suppress the urge to throw up. The first chapter of this book is powerful - the imagery is horrifying and stops just short of being too much. It is terrifying that it could even be conceivable, grotesque that it could possibly happen. But it works. This chapter serves its purpose and serves it well. If you ever forget it then you're lucky - and you will not forget it before you finish the book.
All I wanted to know for much of this book was who that poor young woman was, the girl who suffered such a fate and who did it. That you are reminded of this first, terrible act throughout the book only makes the reader more keen to finish this riveting read and solve the mystery with McLean.
The tone is not all horrifying gore. The characters bring a well needed injection of humour and mystery and a sense of realness. The reader is slowly fed information about McLean, his past does not overshadow the story at all.
This is a well rounded crime novel, with just enough of everything to make it perfect. James Oswald surely knew that to write about a Detective Inspector in Edinburgh would invite comparisons to Ian Rankin's Rebus and seemingly makes a nod to this near the very end, with a Police Constable reading one of Rankin's books.
I wasn't sure about the slight fantasy element at first, but it worked well with the story and resolved itself by the end. It's written in such a way that it's up to the reader to decide whether they want to include the fantastical or not. I've never read such a real crime story so well-woven with a hint of fantasy, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I received a copy of this for free via Goodreads First Reads.
I also received a copy of this for free via NetGalley for review purposes.
All I wanted to know for much of this book was who that poor young woman was, the girl who suffered such a fate and who did it. That you are reminded of this first, terrible act throughout the book only makes the reader more keen to finish this riveting read and solve the mystery with McLean.
The tone is not all horrifying gore. The characters bring a well needed injection of humour and mystery and a sense of realness. The reader is slowly fed information about McLean, his past does not overshadow the story at all.
This is a well rounded crime novel, with just enough of everything to make it perfect. James Oswald surely knew that to write about a Detective Inspector in Edinburgh would invite comparisons to Ian Rankin's Rebus and seemingly makes a nod to this near the very end, with a Police Constable reading one of Rankin's books.
I wasn't sure about the slight fantasy element at first, but it worked well with the story and resolved itself by the end. It's written in such a way that it's up to the reader to decide whether they want to include the fantastical or not. I've never read such a real crime story so well-woven with a hint of fantasy, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I received a copy of this for free via Goodreads First Reads.
I also received a copy of this for free via NetGalley for review purposes.
August 28, 2015
An enjoyable police procedural with a touch of the supernatural.
I don't want to say anything about the story or spoil anything but if you like police mysteries it's decent.
Inspector McLean was an okay character who I think I could like through further development.
This series has serious potential - if Oswald can find a way to merge detective fiction with supernatural without being ridiculous I will be seriously impressed.
I will be following these characters as they are good so far and I LOVE the Scottish accents!
I have not been to Edinburgh but I have friends from there and can't wait to visit - fascinating city and history that lends prestige to this story.
I don't want to say anything about the story or spoil anything but if you like police mysteries it's decent.
Inspector McLean was an okay character who I think I could like through further development.
This series has serious potential - if Oswald can find a way to merge detective fiction with supernatural without being ridiculous I will be seriously impressed.
I will be following these characters as they are good so far and I LOVE the Scottish accents!
I have not been to Edinburgh but I have friends from there and can't wait to visit - fascinating city and history that lends prestige to this story.
February 19, 2017
This book is the first in the Inspector McLean series, I chose to read it as it's a police procedural and it's a little different to others I've read before.
I read some reviews for this before I picked it up and noticed some reviewers talking about the beginning of the book being quite graphic and not very nice, I didn't know what they were talking about as the copy I have starts like a police procedural, cut to the end of the book and there's a note from the author about how this started as a short story and grew into this finished copy, you then read the short story which is supposed to be the very beginning and it clicks as to why people found it graphic and disturbing. It does help the story knowing the information and the flow of it too.
Really enjoyed this and my, now, ever present notebook was put to good use as I was trying to work out the players and making random jottings while I was pulling it all together and trying to get it straight in my head.
Love the MC Anthony McLean and the team he has around him, except DCI Charles Duguid, he's a dick. There's humour along with the graphic violence and that helps to alleviate some of the tension in the story but it also shows how people cope when put into these situations.
Thoroughly enjoyed this and will be writing the review for the second book in a few minutes, there are currently 7 books in this series and I have them all queued up on my kindle to read. Yay!!
*Huge thanks to James Oswald, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read nad all opinions are my own*
I read some reviews for this before I picked it up and noticed some reviewers talking about the beginning of the book being quite graphic and not very nice, I didn't know what they were talking about as the copy I have starts like a police procedural, cut to the end of the book and there's a note from the author about how this started as a short story and grew into this finished copy, you then read the short story which is supposed to be the very beginning and it clicks as to why people found it graphic and disturbing. It does help the story knowing the information and the flow of it too.
Really enjoyed this and my, now, ever present notebook was put to good use as I was trying to work out the players and making random jottings while I was pulling it all together and trying to get it straight in my head.
Love the MC Anthony McLean and the team he has around him, except DCI Charles Duguid, he's a dick. There's humour along with the graphic violence and that helps to alleviate some of the tension in the story but it also shows how people cope when put into these situations.
Thoroughly enjoyed this and will be writing the review for the second book in a few minutes, there are currently 7 books in this series and I have them all queued up on my kindle to read. Yay!!
*Huge thanks to James Oswald, Penguin UK - Michael Joseph and NetGalley for this copy which I chose to read nad all opinions are my own*
May 21, 2022
A pretty decent crime novel set in Edinburgh. DI Tony McLean is having a bad time of it. His grandmother is in a coma, there has been a troubling series of suicides, and he's been tasked with investigating a brutal, decades old murder.
I mostly enjoyed this but by the end I felt they had introduced too many characters and I struggled to keep track of some of them. The end was decent but I saw the key elements coming a mile off. I'd recommend this but bear in mind it is rather dark.
I mostly enjoyed this but by the end I felt they had introduced too many characters and I struggled to keep track of some of them. The end was decent but I saw the key elements coming a mile off. I'd recommend this but bear in mind it is rather dark.
September 15, 2012
Natural Causes by James Oswald is the first of his Inspector McLean Mysteries and is a very good opener to a series that promises to reveal extremely dark deeds afoot in Edinburgh.
Detective Inspector Anthony McLean is called upon to investigate the murder of a young woman whose body has been found walled up in the basement of an Edinburgh mansion. The woman had been brutally murdered many years ago and her internal organs had been removed and stored in jars alongside her body. The killing has all the marking of a disturbing occult ritual.
While Inspector McLean puzzles through the killing, there are other foul doings taking place. A prominent Edinburgh figure has been killed and, even though the apparent murderer confessed and then killed himself, it seems like the solution to the murder is far from simple. McLean fear that there might be a link to the death of the young woman and that some kind of ancient evil might actually be stalking the streets he has sworn to protect.
I almost didn’t buy Natural Causes but I’m very glad that I did in the end. I’m usually a fan of more straightforward hardboiled crime stories and so the supernatural sounding elements in the plot summary made me weary. However, James Oswald has done a good job of mixing the paranormal in with the mundane aspects of Inspector McLean’s investigation and so there is still a very satisfying hunt for a killer at the heart of the story.
The other thing that almost prevented me from purchasing Natural Causes was the sample chapter that I read. I couldn’t get into it at all, the style just didn’t grip me, and so even though the developing plot seemed like something I would actually enjoy, I wasn’t sure I wanted to read the book. Fortunately curiosity won out and I have to say that that first chapter is actually quite different from the rest of the book. Once it had passed I felt like I was able to relax into the story and I ended up really enjoying Oswald’s style.
Inspector McLean is a great detective of the classic school. He has a troubled home life and he’s rather grumpy but he’s still all about solving the case. However dangerous things get, McLean wants to get justice for the victims. All of the people that he interacts with seem very real and believable and Edinburgh, as conceived by James Oswald, provides an excellent setting for this kind of crime story. There are plenty of plot strands involved in Natural Causes but they all come together well to create a tight, plausible tale of murder and deception.
Detective Inspector Anthony McLean is called upon to investigate the murder of a young woman whose body has been found walled up in the basement of an Edinburgh mansion. The woman had been brutally murdered many years ago and her internal organs had been removed and stored in jars alongside her body. The killing has all the marking of a disturbing occult ritual.
While Inspector McLean puzzles through the killing, there are other foul doings taking place. A prominent Edinburgh figure has been killed and, even though the apparent murderer confessed and then killed himself, it seems like the solution to the murder is far from simple. McLean fear that there might be a link to the death of the young woman and that some kind of ancient evil might actually be stalking the streets he has sworn to protect.
I almost didn’t buy Natural Causes but I’m very glad that I did in the end. I’m usually a fan of more straightforward hardboiled crime stories and so the supernatural sounding elements in the plot summary made me weary. However, James Oswald has done a good job of mixing the paranormal in with the mundane aspects of Inspector McLean’s investigation and so there is still a very satisfying hunt for a killer at the heart of the story.
The other thing that almost prevented me from purchasing Natural Causes was the sample chapter that I read. I couldn’t get into it at all, the style just didn’t grip me, and so even though the developing plot seemed like something I would actually enjoy, I wasn’t sure I wanted to read the book. Fortunately curiosity won out and I have to say that that first chapter is actually quite different from the rest of the book. Once it had passed I felt like I was able to relax into the story and I ended up really enjoying Oswald’s style.
Inspector McLean is a great detective of the classic school. He has a troubled home life and he’s rather grumpy but he’s still all about solving the case. However dangerous things get, McLean wants to get justice for the victims. All of the people that he interacts with seem very real and believable and Edinburgh, as conceived by James Oswald, provides an excellent setting for this kind of crime story. There are plenty of plot strands involved in Natural Causes but they all come together well to create a tight, plausible tale of murder and deception.
February 27, 2017
This is the first book in the DI Anthony McLean series. There are several cases in which McLean is involved but the primary one - the ritualistic murder of a young girl from 60 years ago but newly discovered - seems to have connections to current crimes. Tony has to conduct his investigation with limited resources and very little help as most of the personnel in the precinct are assigned to a high-profile murder.
Natural Causes is a new genre for James Oswald who is primarily known for fantasy. However, he does a very good job on his first crime/mystery book by giving us characters that are likable (most, anyway), cases that are interesting and just enough information to potentially allow the reader to have a chance of solving the case along with McLean.
Tony McLean is an interesting guy. He's a new Detective Inspector who has already had run-ins with the Chief Inspector when he was working his cases as a sergeant. His fiancee was horribly murdered a few years ago and he has not yet fully recovered from that loss. His grandmother, who raised him from age 4 after the death of his parents, has been in a stroke-induced coma for the past 18 months. Despite all of these challenges (or maybe because of them?) he puts his all into solving crimes and getting answers/closure for the loved ones.
I really liked the characters - Tony, Emma, McBride, even Grumpy Bob - and enjoyed Oswald's writing style. I definitely intend to continue with the series - especially as it appears the next book will give us more insight into Tony's past. A note - this book does contain a supernatural aspect but it, ultimately, did not detract from the story though I was initially concerned that it would.
Rating: 4 Stars
Natural Causes is a new genre for James Oswald who is primarily known for fantasy. However, he does a very good job on his first crime/mystery book by giving us characters that are likable (most, anyway), cases that are interesting and just enough information to potentially allow the reader to have a chance of solving the case along with McLean.
Tony McLean is an interesting guy. He's a new Detective Inspector who has already had run-ins with the Chief Inspector when he was working his cases as a sergeant. His fiancee was horribly murdered a few years ago and he has not yet fully recovered from that loss. His grandmother, who raised him from age 4 after the death of his parents, has been in a stroke-induced coma for the past 18 months. Despite all of these challenges (or maybe because of them?) he puts his all into solving crimes and getting answers/closure for the loved ones.
I really liked the characters - Tony, Emma, McBride, even Grumpy Bob - and enjoyed Oswald's writing style. I definitely intend to continue with the series - especially as it appears the next book will give us more insight into Tony's past. A note - this book does contain a supernatural aspect but it, ultimately, did not detract from the story though I was initially concerned that it would.
Rating: 4 Stars
June 10, 2019
Really enjoyed this book. The story had everything a crime story should have - the crimes that seem to have no answers, and good characters you either like or loathe. Added to this was a dark secret and a touch of the paranormal which I liked, it gave the story a unique touch.
August 31, 2016
Detective Inspector Anthony "Tony" McLean is investigating the discovery of a dead girl that has been walled up in a basement of an old estate. As if that's not bad enough Tony also discovers that her internal organs have been removed and placed in six preserving jars around her. The evidence implies that it must have been at last 60 years ago that someone did this, but why? Could this murder be a sacrifice of some kind? It's up to Tony to figure it out. But, this is a cold case, the Edinburgh police have a bigger problem with the murders of prominent city elders. The problem is that the killers commit suicide right after the murder. Which is odd the first time, but then it happens again...and again...
I read The Damage Done, the latest book in the Inspector McLean series a while back and I was a bit confused over the book story. However, after the "interesting" ending did I check up the book and that confirmed my suspicion that this series has a paranormal angle to the stories. And, suddenly the story in The Damage Done made much more sense. So, when I started to read this the first book in this series was I expecting the paranormal angel.
I was impressed with the story in this book, with the weird murders and the dead girl in the basement. I especially like the mix of paranormal in this crime novel. That makes this series a bit more unusual than an ordinary crime series. The main character Tony was raised after his parent's death by his grandmother that's now in the hospital following a stroke. And, 10 years ago his fiancee Kirsty Summers was murdered. So, he hasn't had an easy life and he hasn't much of a private life. Basically, he lives for his job and that's good because he has much to do in this book. He must solve the murders, find out the truth about the girl in the basement, and stop a cat burglar that targets houses of recently deceased people.
It's a dark book, but with humorous banters the characters. I especially like the coroner Angus Cadwallader, he brightens up the book, despite his job. Angus and Tony's scenes are always fun to read, despite the fact that they often met when someone has died.
I found this book, the first in the series to be an excellent book, with an intriguing and thrilling story!
I read The Damage Done, the latest book in the Inspector McLean series a while back and I was a bit confused over the book story. However, after the "interesting" ending did I check up the book and that confirmed my suspicion that this series has a paranormal angle to the stories. And, suddenly the story in The Damage Done made much more sense. So, when I started to read this the first book in this series was I expecting the paranormal angel.
I was impressed with the story in this book, with the weird murders and the dead girl in the basement. I especially like the mix of paranormal in this crime novel. That makes this series a bit more unusual than an ordinary crime series. The main character Tony was raised after his parent's death by his grandmother that's now in the hospital following a stroke. And, 10 years ago his fiancee Kirsty Summers was murdered. So, he hasn't had an easy life and he hasn't much of a private life. Basically, he lives for his job and that's good because he has much to do in this book. He must solve the murders, find out the truth about the girl in the basement, and stop a cat burglar that targets houses of recently deceased people.
It's a dark book, but with humorous banters the characters. I especially like the coroner Angus Cadwallader, he brightens up the book, despite his job. Angus and Tony's scenes are always fun to read, despite the fact that they often met when someone has died.
I found this book, the first in the series to be an excellent book, with an intriguing and thrilling story!
June 19, 2012
*Total Spoiler Alert!* - Reminded me of the Denzel Washington movie 'Fallen', with a Scottish accent. I liked McLean, but as fictional detectives go, he's not my favorite or even really all that memorable, and I finished the book two days ago. Someone on Amazon complained that the opening scene was too gory, set the tone for the entire book, and was therefore not worth reading. I disagree. Yes, it is a bit unnerving but not even close to a particular scene in The Road. (If you've read it, I think you know which one I mean; The one that was left out of the movie.) It was enjoyable, but I had the 'who done it?' pretty much figured out by the time the second murder occurred. I kept reading to see how the mysteries within the mystery resolved. They are the wheels that kept the book rolling for me.
Unfortunately, you'll find a lot of detective cliches here, although he isn't an alcoholic yet. But, wealth that allows him to pursue another profession or none at all, check. Blundering and infuriating supervisor, check. Side kicks, check. Tragic past, check. Tragic lovelife, with budding romance thrown in, check. Stubborn determination that gets him suspended, check. And of course, reputation for getting the job done no matter what, check.
Having said all that, I think Oswald is a talented writer. I like his Ballad of Sir Benfro Series (Fantasy/Epic Fantasy genre). I just hope as he continues the series, as he's stated he will, that he gives our detective some refreshing or unique characteristics, sharpens up the inner dialogue and continues with the mysteries with a mystery device that worked so well in Natural Causes.
Unfortunately, you'll find a lot of detective cliches here, although he isn't an alcoholic yet. But, wealth that allows him to pursue another profession or none at all, check. Blundering and infuriating supervisor, check. Side kicks, check. Tragic past, check. Tragic lovelife, with budding romance thrown in, check. Stubborn determination that gets him suspended, check. And of course, reputation for getting the job done no matter what, check.
Having said all that, I think Oswald is a talented writer. I like his Ballad of Sir Benfro Series (Fantasy/Epic Fantasy genre). I just hope as he continues the series, as he's stated he will, that he gives our detective some refreshing or unique characteristics, sharpens up the inner dialogue and continues with the mysteries with a mystery device that worked so well in Natural Causes.
July 22, 2012
I stuck with this book till the end but really didn't enjoy it.
There was a moment at about 60% through when I thought I was getting into it but then the ending just confused me.
Far too many characters and so many deaths, it became quite chaotic. Reading on a kindle made it impossible to flick back to remind myself who was who and so I just plodded on regardless and was totally lost by the end.
From a police procedural point of view (I'm a crime scene investigator or SOC as McLean would say) it was pretty terrible. Glaring inconsistencies and examination practices that would have defence barristers rubbing their hands with glee. Most annoyingly near the start of the book McLean arrives at a murder scene to find the "SOC's" just leaving!!!!.....what? The last murder scene I worked on took us over 3 weeks! Later in the book whilst talking about another murder scene McLean states that the "SOC's" will be there for days.....make up your mind McLean.
Furthermore whilst informing a collegue about some potentially murder solving evidence McLean tells him that the "SOC's" have the evidence but goodness knows when they'll get round to looking at it!....now he's just trying to make us look bad.
The officers strutting round crime scenes glaring into opened body cavities still in situ was cringe worthy, and as for the pathologist pulling an organ out of the deceased's mouth whilst he still sat lifeless at his desk was abhorrent.
Maybe they do things differently in Scotland, or maybe this book is just poorly researched. Either way I shan't be reading anything more from this author.
There was a moment at about 60% through when I thought I was getting into it but then the ending just confused me.
Far too many characters and so many deaths, it became quite chaotic. Reading on a kindle made it impossible to flick back to remind myself who was who and so I just plodded on regardless and was totally lost by the end.
From a police procedural point of view (I'm a crime scene investigator or SOC as McLean would say) it was pretty terrible. Glaring inconsistencies and examination practices that would have defence barristers rubbing their hands with glee. Most annoyingly near the start of the book McLean arrives at a murder scene to find the "SOC's" just leaving!!!!.....what? The last murder scene I worked on took us over 3 weeks! Later in the book whilst talking about another murder scene McLean states that the "SOC's" will be there for days.....make up your mind McLean.
Furthermore whilst informing a collegue about some potentially murder solving evidence McLean tells him that the "SOC's" have the evidence but goodness knows when they'll get round to looking at it!....now he's just trying to make us look bad.
The officers strutting round crime scenes glaring into opened body cavities still in situ was cringe worthy, and as for the pathologist pulling an organ out of the deceased's mouth whilst he still sat lifeless at his desk was abhorrent.
Maybe they do things differently in Scotland, or maybe this book is just poorly researched. Either way I shan't be reading anything more from this author.
May 31, 2013
On the face of it, this is a police procedural following Detective Inspector Anthony McLean as he investigates a series of murders and other crimes in Edinburgh. However, it takes an abrupt turn into the realms of the supernatural. That's fine if it's well set up, but this felt like a slightly desperate attempt by the author to fix a problem with his plot. It's all very deus ex machina.
DI McLean is a solitary character and, for my money, none too bright for a professional detective. It takes him an awfully long time to put the clues together, yet he is far from the worst detective in the story.
A lot of the narrative stretches credulity, with every single crime McLean is investigating (whether he should be or not) turning out to be linked. We're also left with several unanswered questions, which may or may not be answered in the next McLean book, but I felt a little let down that the author didn't tie things up at the end of this story.
The writing feels somewhat amateurish in places. The author often reuses exactly the same phrase, which strikes me as both lazy and sloppy. He also describes things in unnecessary detail sometimes.
This isn't a bad book, but it's not a particularly good one either. It may have been better if the author had picked a genre and stuck to it rather than trying to mash two together. Some writers can do that - John Connolly for instance - but James Oswald needs to work a bit harder to combine the two. It'll be interesting to see if he keeps the supernatural theme going in his next McLean book.
DI McLean is a solitary character and, for my money, none too bright for a professional detective. It takes him an awfully long time to put the clues together, yet he is far from the worst detective in the story.
A lot of the narrative stretches credulity, with every single crime McLean is investigating (whether he should be or not) turning out to be linked. We're also left with several unanswered questions, which may or may not be answered in the next McLean book, but I felt a little let down that the author didn't tie things up at the end of this story.
The writing feels somewhat amateurish in places. The author often reuses exactly the same phrase, which strikes me as both lazy and sloppy. He also describes things in unnecessary detail sometimes.
This isn't a bad book, but it's not a particularly good one either. It may have been better if the author had picked a genre and stuck to it rather than trying to mash two together. Some writers can do that - John Connolly for instance - but James Oswald needs to work a bit harder to combine the two. It'll be interesting to see if he keeps the supernatural theme going in his next McLean book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 30, 2022
Izcils trilleris!
April 3, 2018
Uzsākusi lasīt, nevarēju grāmatu nolikt malā. Meklēju katru brīvu minūti, lai izlasītu vēl kādu nodaļu. Grāmata burtiski sagrāba mani savā varā.
Dabiskā nāvē ir detektīvs tā klasiskajā izpausmē - galvenais izmeklētājs gudrs, apķērīgs un ar neizmērojamām darba spējām, paralēli darbojas saprotoša priekšniece un neciešams kolēģis - sāncensis.
Izmeklējamās lietas krājas kaudzē ar jauniem noziegumiem ik dienu. Nospriedu, ka tas patiesi atspoguļo reālo izmeklētāju darbu, līdz atklājās, ka visi noziegumi ir savstarpēji saistīti. Dzīvē tomēr lietas tikai krājas, bet tās reti izrādās viena nozieguma epizodes.
Dabiskā nāvē ir detektīvs tā klasiskajā izpausmē - galvenais izmeklētājs gudrs, apķērīgs un ar neizmērojamām darba spējām, paralēli darbojas saprotoša priekšniece un neciešams kolēģis - sāncensis.
Izmeklējamās lietas krājas kaudzē ar jauniem noziegumiem ik dienu. Nospriedu, ka tas patiesi atspoguļo reālo izmeklētāju darbu, līdz atklājās, ka visi noziegumi ir savstarpēji saistīti. Dzīvē tomēr lietas tikai krājas, bet tās reti izrādās viena nozieguma epizodes.
February 25, 2017
Natural Causes by James Oswald
Inspector McLean series Book #1
4 ★'s
From The Book:
A young girl's mutilated body is discovered in a room that has lain sealed for the last sixty years. Her remains are carefully arranged in what seems to have been a macabre ritual.
For newly appointed Edinburgh Detective Inspector Tony McLean, this baffling cold case ought to be a low priority, but he is haunted by the young victim and her grisly death. Meanwhile, the city is horrified by a series of bloody killings—deaths for which there appears to be neither rhyme nor reason, and which leave Edinburgh's police at a loss.
McLean is convinced that these deaths are somehow connected to the terrible ceremonial killing of the girl, all those years ago. It is an irrational theory. And one that will lead McLean closer to the heart of a terrifying and ancient evil
My Thoughts:
This story of crime and mystery, set in Edinburgh, reminds us that the city has some dark deeds in its past. This story adds one more element of “dark” and “evil” to the mix.
The story moves very quickly for the most part and the bodies keep piling up, Detective Inspector McLean meets with resistance from some team members, however the scenes in the police station are well done, and the variety of characters throughout are well portrayed. Of course Oswald throws in one for us to hate. There is a hint... almost like a small dusting... of a supernatural element... that allows the reader to form their own opinion as to it’s authenticity. Over all a great first book and I look forward to the second one.
Inspector McLean series Book #1
4 ★'s
From The Book:
A young girl's mutilated body is discovered in a room that has lain sealed for the last sixty years. Her remains are carefully arranged in what seems to have been a macabre ritual.
For newly appointed Edinburgh Detective Inspector Tony McLean, this baffling cold case ought to be a low priority, but he is haunted by the young victim and her grisly death. Meanwhile, the city is horrified by a series of bloody killings—deaths for which there appears to be neither rhyme nor reason, and which leave Edinburgh's police at a loss.
McLean is convinced that these deaths are somehow connected to the terrible ceremonial killing of the girl, all those years ago. It is an irrational theory. And one that will lead McLean closer to the heart of a terrifying and ancient evil
My Thoughts:
This story of crime and mystery, set in Edinburgh, reminds us that the city has some dark deeds in its past. This story adds one more element of “dark” and “evil” to the mix.
The story moves very quickly for the most part and the bodies keep piling up, Detective Inspector McLean meets with resistance from some team members, however the scenes in the police station are well done, and the variety of characters throughout are well portrayed. Of course Oswald throws in one for us to hate. There is a hint... almost like a small dusting... of a supernatural element... that allows the reader to form their own opinion as to it’s authenticity. Over all a great first book and I look forward to the second one.
January 19, 2021
There's a lot going on in this story, from a murder that is more than 60 years old and a current series of brutal murders that seems never-ending.
Recently promoted Detective Inspector Tony McLean is assigned to the decades-old murder as a way to keep him busy -- not much of a vote of confidence from his superintendent but right up the alley of a seasoned rival in the force. As McLean delves into his investigation he learns that some of Edinburgh's well-to-do citizens may have been involved in his young victim's death, a death that appears to have taken place during a demonic ritual of some sort.
Meanwhile, some of the city's elite citizens are also dying at the hands of others with a strangely similar modus operandi even though different perpetrators are thought to be responsible for each murder.
It's not a perfectly told story, but it keeps the suspense building and the characters are interesting. There are a number of subplots that keep the protagonist McLean from putting all the pieces together as quickly as the reader is able. This detracts a bit from the full potential of the book, but it was still an enjoyable read.
I've come back to this review after reconsidering the point I made about the protagonist being a bit slow on the uptake. This might have been the writer's intention all along as another way to increase the tension for the reader. I know it made me a cheerleader for McLean after I put some of the pieces together myself. If it was the writer's intent -- it worked.
I look forward to reading more titles in the series.
Recently promoted Detective Inspector Tony McLean is assigned to the decades-old murder as a way to keep him busy -- not much of a vote of confidence from his superintendent but right up the alley of a seasoned rival in the force. As McLean delves into his investigation he learns that some of Edinburgh's well-to-do citizens may have been involved in his young victim's death, a death that appears to have taken place during a demonic ritual of some sort.
Meanwhile, some of the city's elite citizens are also dying at the hands of others with a strangely similar modus operandi even though different perpetrators are thought to be responsible for each murder.
It's not a perfectly told story, but it keeps the suspense building and the characters are interesting. There are a number of subplots that keep the protagonist McLean from putting all the pieces together as quickly as the reader is able. This detracts a bit from the full potential of the book, but it was still an enjoyable read.
I've come back to this review after reconsidering the point I made about the protagonist being a bit slow on the uptake. This might have been the writer's intention all along as another way to increase the tension for the reader. I know it made me a cheerleader for McLean after I put some of the pieces together myself. If it was the writer's intent -- it worked.
I look forward to reading more titles in the series.
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