I have a habit of putting books on hold and then checking them out and reading them without refreshing myself on the plot and I did that with this one. I think it was the best thing I could have done, in this case.

When I started the book I really had it pegged as a Stuart MacBride style Scottish police procedural (which was further bolstered by a certain character) and I wasn't wrong, but I wasn't right either.

What I ended up with was the best Logan McRae/Felix Castor mash up I could've hoped for. If both those names mean good things to you, read this book.

Meh, this was just ok.
This story has almost everything but the
kitchen sink in it:
- Maverick Police inspector;
- Trouble with superior officers;
- Possible leak in the department;
Oh, yes, and lots of murders. Many disparate
ones but of course "they all tie together".
...
The writing reminds me of Peter James;
certainly has nothing on his country mate
Ian Rankin. I don't think it's quite as clever
as either other mentioned author and the
ending is sort of a mess if you ask me.
...
I'm repeating myself, but this was just an
ok read.

Gods this was bad. Not enough mystery to fill a novel, so theres just a bunch or random coworker drama? Feels like i missed a pervious book because everyone has these big important relationships that are never explained. Random supernatural curveball which is not given enough weight to feel realistic. And throw in some transphobia for good measure. I wanted to read a trashy detective novel, but this is just trash.

Really enjoyed this mix of police procedural and supernatural.

I read this series a few years ago and had forgotten that I had. No wonder it was familiar almost from the beginning. I did enjoy rereading it and will continue with the series at a later date.
I have a new author I’ve just discovered and will be reading his first book next.

Occult murder! Scottish police politicking! Lots of money!

This book promised a bit more than it eventually delivered. I read it without the controversial first chapter (it was tacked on the end with a disclaimer), which I didn't like. I think it's actually quite a different book without that highly personal, emotive, torture-porn first chapter.

The image of the basement will stay with me, but the ending/resolution of the story is already fading from my mind. I found it a little... Boring? I know it was full of action but a lot of crime novels end with a clever/thoughtful twist or reveal. This was not one of them.

Also felt a little ridiculous that the deaths just wouldn't stop - maybe two or three conspirators with more genuine mystery would have read better.

I did rattle through this book quite quickly, I felt it painted a good picture of McLean (although I felt his interactions with women could have been fleshed out a little, especially more background on his tragic past, but I imagine that is saved for later books), and did have a number of interesting characters. It just petered out with a whimper rather than any real gripping conclusion.

Natural Causes is another book from my long suffering TBR. A good blend of police procedural and the supernatural (in the form of demons). DI McLean is recently promoted and not the most liked of all DIs due to his inability to play nicely with others which may stem from his traumatic childhood or perhaps from the fact that he can sense demons around him. There are plenty of murders to investigate here and a lot going on in the book in general. An engaging read with some interesting characters, probably good for fans of TV show Lucifer.