James D. Oswald

The stakes are high in Prayer for the Dead, the fifth novel in James Oswald’s McLean series of police procedurals. We start with a grisly murder. The body of journalist Ben Stevenson is discovered by archeologists in the Gilmerton Caves, an ancient series of caverns and tunnels that stretch for nobody-knows-how-many miles under the city of Edinburgh. Theories abound regarding how Stevenson ended up there with his throat slit, his body drained of blood, but with scant forensic evidence and no clear motive, the investigation stalls almost before it’s out of the gate. Then the body of a nurse is found elsewhere in the city, also with her throat cut. Detective Inspector Tony McLean suspects the murders are connected but can’t convince his superior officer, Detective Superintendent Duguid. Against his will, Tony teams up with a colleague of Ben Stevenson—old nemesis Jo Dalgleish—to help him figure out what story Stevenson was working on at the time of his death and that might have got him killed. In the meantime, Tony finds himself embroiled in a disagreement with a pair of shady real estate developers, a father and son team named McClymont, who want to buy Tony’s share of the Newington property that was destroyed by fire, where his old flat is located, so they can build cheap flats and rent them at exorbitant rates. Tony won’t sell and refuses to submit to their pressure tactics. Then a friend of Tony’s, the transvestite fortune-teller Madame Rose, finds herself at his door asking for a place to stay since her own home in Leith is in the middle of an arson scene. The various threads of the story diverge but eventually come together in ingenious fashion, and along the way the reader is treated to a thrilling succession of twists and turns in the serpentine (but always comprehensible) plot as Tony sifts through meagre evidence, follows his instincts, pisses off his superiors, spots connections where no one else does, and, finally, places himself in danger to save the day. James Oswald’s McLean novels rival Ian Rankin’s Rebus books for addictiveness and entertainment value. Prayer for the Dead is a more-than-worthy addition to a series that just gets better with each subsequent entry.… (more)

A protest march is about to get under way and the police are busy preparing for what they are sure will be a high-tension affair. Inspector Tony McLean has been promoted to Chief Inspector and is less than comfortable with this. McLean hates all that his new position involves and just wants to be out in the field doing what he does best. As the march gets underway on the street...the trouble we know will happen, begins. Tony, not "dressed" to pursue trouble, stumbles near an old doorway. He encounters layers of old circus posters covering the keyhole of an old door. There was no handle, but someone had attached a hasp and a padlock. Someone had also pried it open with a crowbar, splintering wood. McLean is of course, intrigued and carefully opens the door. He right away notices the cold and damp, but also a smell that he can’t quite identify. At the back of the room, he sees a ragdoll up against a wall but on closer inspection he finds that it's not a doll...IT"S A CHILD! Tony is shocked by what he has found and will be more so by what he will soon discover. There is something unknown and unbelievable attached to this case, It has deep layers wrapped in secrecy and coated with fear, mysticism and darkness. The author takes us on a journey that highlights multiple themes...immigration, prostitution, trafficking, militant behavior, racism and much more, all very familiar to today’s society. We also get an insight into the personal life of Tony McLean, a man torn between his own personal relationship with his partner Emma, one that is bordering on becoming a total disaster... and his relationship to the job that he has a love -hate relationship with now. It's an adventure into a world that we as readers of this series have not before experienced on this level. Along with the tale of mystery & suspense we are taken into the world of the paranormal with unimaginable possibilities...which is a favorite venture of mine...but perhaps not for all faithful readers of this series. We have a group read monthly on the Mystery & Suspense group on Librarything...which by the way, everyone is invited to join in. I am probably the only one of the folks that participates, that regularly reads supernatural, paranormal books...so the book only received 4 stars from everyone, including myself. It was a thoroughly engrossing read but it seemed as if the author had introduced and woven the story around the occult and then wasn't quite sure how to finish it. In spite of this little glitch...this is a wonderful series that is so worth the time to read and enjoy.… (more)