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aislingobrien's review against another edition
4.0
Kept me guessing the whole time, with a complex mystery that is only solved in the last few pages. Didn't love the supernatural element, but in general was a gripping read.
celtic67's review against another edition
4.0
First book by this author. Will read more by him. Really good read. Not going to do an in depth review suffice to say read it. You will not be disappointed.
john_diamond24's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
judeybear's review against another edition
3.0
I will start by admitting I am a real life soco so that always facts my view of crime books.
The first two chapters almost had me putting it down. Clearly very little research carried out. The part where he just wandered into a crime scene without regard for anything or anyone almost made me arghhh out loud ;) But I persevered to the end and have even continued onto the second one.
The DI is a likeable character. As is usual with crime fiction there's always a past that haunts them and this DI is no different.
The book for me just felt rushed. I also figured out the ending pretty quickly. It had potential, but didn't quite make it for me. I'm hoping book 2, addresses the issues I felt existed.
Thank goodness Edinburgh really isn't like that everyday, I'd never leave work ;)
The first two chapters almost had me putting it down. Clearly very little research carried out. The part where he just wandered into a crime scene without regard for anything or anyone almost made me arghhh out loud ;) But I persevered to the end and have even continued onto the second one.
The DI is a likeable character. As is usual with crime fiction there's always a past that haunts them and this DI is no different.
The book for me just felt rushed. I also figured out the ending pretty quickly. It had potential, but didn't quite make it for me. I'm hoping book 2, addresses the issues I felt existed.
Thank goodness Edinburgh really isn't like that everyday, I'd never leave work ;)
moragscot's review against another edition
3.0
On the whole this was a well written, enjoyable, whodunit that intrigued me enough to keep me reading to the end and it's likely I'll read the next in the series.
I was slightly distracted by repetitive descriptions e.g. Nearly all women were described as having "a mop of x coloured hair" and on at least 3 separate occasions 3 different characters were hanging about like naughty schoolchildren waiting to be dismissed. Nitpicking, yes, but it was distracting. Generally the descriptive narrative was excellent, particularly in relation to the protagonist's feelings about his grandmother's illness. Some will find the detailed descriptions of the crime scenes too gruesome but I felt that the author got it just right and didn't overindulge in an attempt to shock.
The attempt to write dialogue in dialect wasn't good. It didn't read naturally at all and it seemed that having a distinguishable accent indicated a lack of social status and education, without exception. I have met very intelligent people who also have Glasweigan accents! Speaking of which, at one point, on first meeting the character, McLean is able to identify him as Glasweigan solely from hearing him utter the word "aye". Unlikely.
Overall the story is good but there were some annoying problems with the plot, not least of which was the conclusion.
No-one saw similarities between the first and second murders, nor the suicides. Old man dies gruesome death which involves removing a body part and shoving it in his mouth, closely followed by a suicide. Twice in a couple of days and even McLean, who felt uneasy about pinning the second murder on the boyfriend, didn't comment on the similarity until much later.
Rich people's properties are getting robbed on the day of their funeral but it never crossed McLean's mind that his gran's home would be a target, despite the security alarm being managed by the same company as the most recent robberies.
The leak being attributed to MB was way too obvious a misdirection, given McLean's involvement with Emma Baird.
The supernatural ending didn't fit at all with the tone of the rest of the book. Yes, there was a ritual murder but at no other point in the book was demonology ever entertained as anything tangible, so to end with McLean (who has a First in Psychology) suddenly becoming a believer and understanding how to vanquish this particular demon was totally unsatisfying. I like supernatural thrillers, I like subtlety, but this was out of context.
The loose ends regarding McLean's family bother me too but I assume they are meant to be tied up in the sequels,
I was slightly distracted by repetitive descriptions e.g. Nearly all women were described as having "a mop of x coloured hair" and on at least 3 separate occasions 3 different characters were hanging about like naughty schoolchildren waiting to be dismissed. Nitpicking, yes, but it was distracting. Generally the descriptive narrative was excellent, particularly in relation to the protagonist's feelings about his grandmother's illness. Some will find the detailed descriptions of the crime scenes too gruesome but I felt that the author got it just right and didn't overindulge in an attempt to shock.
The attempt to write dialogue in dialect wasn't good. It didn't read naturally at all and it seemed that having a distinguishable accent indicated a lack of social status and education, without exception. I have met very intelligent people who also have Glasweigan accents! Speaking of which, at one point, on first meeting the character, McLean is able to identify him as Glasweigan solely from hearing him utter the word "aye". Unlikely.
Overall the story is good but there were some annoying problems with the plot, not least of which was the conclusion.
Spoiler
No-one saw similarities between the first and second murders, nor the suicides. Old man dies gruesome death which involves removing a body part and shoving it in his mouth, closely followed by a suicide. Twice in a couple of days and even McLean, who felt uneasy about pinning the second murder on the boyfriend, didn't comment on the similarity until much later.
Rich people's properties are getting robbed on the day of their funeral but it never crossed McLean's mind that his gran's home would be a target, despite the security alarm being managed by the same company as the most recent robberies.
The leak being attributed to MB was way too obvious a misdirection, given McLean's involvement with Emma Baird.
The supernatural ending didn't fit at all with the tone of the rest of the book. Yes, there was a ritual murder but at no other point in the book was demonology ever entertained as anything tangible, so to end with McLean (who has a First in Psychology) suddenly becoming a believer and understanding how to vanquish this particular demon was totally unsatisfying. I like supernatural thrillers, I like subtlety, but this was out of context.
The loose ends regarding McLean's family bother me too but I assume they are meant to be tied up in the sequels,
vandermeer's review against another edition
1.0
Niemand ist wirklich interessant, es ist zu brutal und Dämonen als Auflösung...da hat es sich jemand leicht gemacht
ginabyeg's review against another edition
4.0
Decent CSI-style mystery/thriller. There were a lot of characters to try and keep track of, and one of the side-plots didn’t have as much closure as I would have liked, though I see this is #1 in a series, so maybe that closure comes later. Nevertheless, it was an engaging read, with a likeable protagonist. If you know your way around Scotland (I don’t), it may feel even more immersive. One of my better Little Free Library finds.
travellingbookjunkie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
nikkifbooks's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I really enjoyed Natural Causes by James Oswald and looking forward to reading book 2 in the series. The plot was good and I liked the characters. The book kept me gripped throughout.
kadoff's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0