Natural Causes is a self-published crime novel by James Oswald, which was short-listed for the CWA Debut Dagger.
Set in Edinburgh, it’s about Inspector McLean’s investigation of a decades old ritual murder, which seems to tie in with present day mayhem, as a spate of killings afflicts some of the city’s high-end residents. The story starts with the gruesome murder of a young woman, whose body gets ripped open and six of her body parts placed in alcoves circling her nailed-to-the-floor body. She is found decades later, walled up in a long-abandoned Edinburgh house’s basement. The story grabs your ears and makes you stare at it from the start, with a murder so foul you can’t help looking, in reading terms, even if through screwed-tight eyes. McLean is an entirely sympathetic character (which is not necessarily a must for me as I like the devil Pete Bondurant in James Ellroy’s deranged novels) who has to solve a number of cases, while helping, and getting obstructed by, an incompetent superior who despises him and a station chief with one eye on politics. Like many fictional detectives, he has a tortured past, a liking for whiskey, and relationship problems, but none of it feels clichéd. I like how his past is slowly revealed throughout, to show a tragically familiar, but not reader-worn, protagonist.
The story is fast paced, but the occasional reflective scene lets the story breathe, giving it serious emotional heft, and later shredding your nervous system in fear for the man. The murders are gruesome, and their reasons satisfying, the plot structured beautifully. A kidnapping towards the end forced me into a gut-wrenching “oh no”, knowing what came before. You’ll see the ending, but then you won’t.
I’d read, before downloading it, that it had elements of the supernatural, which put me off a little. Not knowing the fine points I dreaded a psychic detective who solved it all by contrived visions. Or, God help us, with a hand from vampires. Thankfully, it’s subtle, and it leaves you guessing. Ambiguity is often far more chilling – just look at how more unsettling The Others is than the Saw films.
The only criticism I have, and I’ll tread carefully here as my novel sees the light of day, is the number of typos, of which there are a few. However, the story is so strong, up there with the best of Rebus, that you can forgive it all. As many have – the book has had over 100,000 downloads, and has tons of five-star ratings.
It’s 5 out of 5 without typos. With the typos, it’s still 5 out of 5. I can’t wait to read the follow-up Book of Souls.
Overall, I recommend it if you love character-driven crime fiction and love that sense of dread in a story. It’s not recommended if you like the supernatural in your face.

This review first appeared at jdbeech.wordpress.com

Voici la première enquête de l’inspecteur McLean, récemment promu, héritier de fraîche date, et célibataire endurci. Le cadre d’Édimbourg n’est pas sans rappeler celui du héros de Ian Rankin, d’ailleurs une allusion des plus subtiles vous le signale dès la couverture. Bon, alors que dire de ce « nouveau Ian Rankin » ?

Le prologue est pour le moins efficace. Dans le genre gore, glauque, sordide et répugnant, le ton est donné. Certains seront rassurés de savoir que le sommet est atteint à ce stade, sans être renouvelé : les autres scènes avec cadavres et sanguinolences restant relativement « soft ». Les personnages sont attachants, bien décrits, bien développés, avec une marge de découverte pleine de possibilités. Le trio McLean, Bob la Grogne, et McBride est des plus sympathique, avec mention spéciale pour Duguid (alias Dugland) dans la catégorie Caricature de policier obtus et incompétent. L’intrigue en elle-même n’est pas en reste non plus, ça dém...
[lire la suite sur mon blog, merci :)]

Izcils trilleris!

The first in a series of Edinburgh based police procedurals.
I enjoyed the plot although it was not for the faint hearted as the opening chapter is particularly gruesome as DC Mclean stumbles across an early crime scene at the murder of a prominent person in the city's society however a very quick suicide suggests the crime is solved to his disquiet but the relief of suitably difficult superior officers. Mclean has lots of back history which we are introduced to and he inevitably rubs his superiors and villains up the wrong way. Running parallel then to what proves to be a more problematic crime than at first blush is an historic murder of a young girl going back to the 40's that has ritualistic overtones. I also didn't mind the detectives various emotional issues both amorous and as a consequence of his past.
The end credits reference Stuart Macbride being an influence and support to the writer and the book certainly had a feel of the Logan Macrae books although less comic in portrayal of superior officers however what distinguished the novel was a supernatural element which stayed the right side of silly and had me hooked. I certainly enjoyed it enough to read more in the series adding it to the growing list of Scottish Crime novels that keep me entertained as the nights draw in .

I liked the DI, and the story of his mounting paperwork, the way cases get solved, his more or less hardworking colleagues and his grandmother... He's a little odd, but rather likable. The main case however...

Spoiler

Well I'm not much into the supernatural, I tend to agree with whoever stated it is just a weak solution to not making a proper credible plot!

...oddly it does work though, maybe because the DI is a sceptic too.

Gripping and gory from the start but tense and compelling. Murder, magic and money - what a classic combo...Loved this

Very good story but lost its hook in me once the supernatural appeared.