Written in bones

Inspector McLean returns in the seventh instalment of James Oswald's gritty, compelling crime series, for his most mysterious murder investigation yet . . . The roots of murder run deep . . . 'Unsettling atmosphere, strong sense of place and a canny twist: Oswald easily outstrips the formulaic work of bigger names' Guardian When a body is found in a tree in The Meadows, Edinburgh's scenic parkland, the forensics suggest the corpse has fallen from a great height. Detective Inspector Tony McLean wonders whether it was an accident, or a murder designed to send a chilling message? The dead man had led quite a life: a disgraced ex-cop turned criminal kingpin who reinvented himself as a celebrated philanthropist. As McLean traces the victim's journey, it takes him back to Edinburgh's past, and through its underworld - crossing paths with some of its most dangerous and most vulnerable people. And waiting at the end of it all, is the truth behind a crime that cuts to the very heart of the city... *** PRAISE FOR THE INSPECTOR McLEAN SERIES 'Crime fiction's next big thing' Sunday Telegraph 'Oswald's writing is in a class above most' Daily Express 'Creepy, gritty and gruesome' Sunday Mirror 'The new Ian Rankin' Daily Record 'Hugely enjoyable' Mirror 'Oswald is among the leaders in the new batch of excellent Scottish crime writers' Daily Mail