Inspector Tony McLean is a detective in Edinburgh. A body is found in a derelict house - the murder has taken place over fifty years ago and seems to be a ritualistic killing. At the same time some very high profile Edinburgh residents are being killed and there is a spate of unusual suicides. Tony also has to investigate a series of burglaries at the homes of people who have recently died and who had burglar alarms fitted by the same company. While all this is going on he's also dealing with the death of a loved one. Can he solve the cold case? Are all the cases linked? Can he stop sticking his nose in everybody else's cases and upsetting his superiors? Great thriller with a touch of the supernatural thrown in.

I struggled a bit with this one. It never gripped me, though whether that's down to me or the book is difficult to say. The combination of crime and the supernatural should make for great bedfellows, but I didn't engage with it.

On an innocent walk, DI McLean passes by a house that not only he know well, but also, the whole police murder procedure is present. One of the wealthiest men of the city is found dead and it wasn't what we can call a peaceful death. Inspector chief Duguid is in charge and means to stay the only one that way, so McLean goes his way.
Tomorrow morning, he's called for a not really ordinary crime scene, a young woman is laying mutilitaed and crucified in what looks like a ritual sacrifice. The body dates from the last century.
Soon enough, the number of bodies skyrockets and lots of questions remain without answers.

The story starts off well enough, we get to meet lots of characters, the team is great and there's a lot of sarcasm, but then, it starts dragging, and as I mentionned, there were a lot of victims, something that distracted me a little from the case.

But nevertheless, I did enjoy this reading, being my first James Oswald, I am willing to give the second book in the series a try!

This was a rare re-read for me as I read it 2-3 years ago but didn’t have the rest of the series at the time. Now I have, so it was time to reacquaint myself.

DI Anthony McLean is a man with a tough past but it's nothing compared to the young girl whose mutilated body is discovered during the renovation of a large house. The plot thickens when they realise that the remains are around 60 years old and that six “trophies” have been removed from the body and stored in jars within the brickwork of the house.

When the considerably more recent, yet equally messy, remains of an elderly gentleman are discovered, then Edinburgh appears to have a vicious killer on the loose with McLean at the centre of both cold and current cases. And that's just the first couple of chapters!!

There are a lot of bodies in this novel and a lot of characters to try to remember, although many of them aren’t around for long!! McLean's frosty relationship between fellow DI Duguid is a constant form of entertainment throughout with efficiency and the inclination to get the job done properly, clashing well with arrogance.

Although I did occasionally struggle to recall each character and their connection to others, it's still a good, gripping storyline with a satisfying explanation with a hint of the supernatural mixed in, although I must admit that the fate of one character had me putting the book down for a few minutes to take it in!

A good start to the series and I was on to the next one an hour or so after completing this one. That in itself, is praise enough.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Pace and characters good I loved the web of intriguing events and connections throughout the book. Now ordered second in series from the library!!

Au programme, une jolie enquête policière, des meurtres affreux, des suicides à la pelle et une pointe de mysticisme.
Il ne m’en fallait guère plus pour être séduite mais il faut aussi rajouter un personnage principal vraiment bon, très bien caractérisé, et entouré de seconds rôles tout aussi bien travaillés.
L’accent est bien entendu mis sur Anthony McLean, qui pour une fois n’est pas un policier dépressif accro à l’alcool, mais j’ai aussi bien aimé les deux collègues qui travaillent avec lui, Bob la Grogne et l’adorable Stuart McBride

Si le déroulé est assez classique et ne bouleversera pas les habitudes des amateurs de polars, il y a tout de même beaucoup de suspense, des retournements de situation et une excellente écriture qui permettent de passer un excellent moment de lecture.

L’enquête est bouclée à la fin de ce premier tome mais il reste encore quelques mystères qui traînent dans le passé de Tony, et il faudra lire les tomes suivants pour les découvrir.

I think this probably deserves more than the three stars I've given it as it was a page turner and I love that. The problem was , the supernatural element surfaced at the beginning only briefly , then didn't reappear until the last chapter - not what I was expecting. There were many characters and I couldn't keep track , but that may have just been me. Overall a good read , might read more by this author but not for a while yet