In a sealed chamber, deep in the heart of Gilmerton Cove, a mysterious network of caves and passages sprawling beneath Edinburgh, the victim has undergone a macabre ritual of purification. DI Tony McLean is focused on the investigation, but his attention is drawn by a chilling cold case: It seems impossible that there could be any connection between the cases, but McLean starts to wonder . . . Morag Weatherly and her two young daughters have been shot by husband Andrew, an influential politician, before he turned the gun on himself. McLean must revisit the most disturbing case of his life and discover what he missed before the killer strikes again . . .

Inspector McLean himself is an Edinburgh based detective who’s run-ins with evil are far too many, as he immerses himself within the shadowy underworld of the city. With grisly murders and bloodthirsty killers, he’s seen his fair share of monsters in his time. As the series continues, it charts his time analyzing these gruesome cases and is a franchise with plenty of room to carry on expanding into the future. Natural Causes A young man is found hanging by a rope in his Edinburgh home. A simple, sad suicide, yet Detective Inspector Tony McLean is puzzled by the curious suicide note. Unsettling atmosphere, strong sense of place and a canny twist: Oswald easily outstrips the formulaic work of bigger names' GUARDIAN Which makes Detective Inspector Tony McLean ask the question: was it an accident, or a murder designed to send a chilling message? . . .

James Oswald’s Inspector McLean books in order:

Will they find out who is causing all this and locate the true source of evil that is enveloping the city and its inhabitants? What is truth linking all these gruesome murders and their subsequent killers suicides? Can Inspector McLean stay alive long enough to find out what’s really going on, as learns the real mystery behind all the seemingly natural causes? The Book of Souls

I really like Janie as a character, always have done since she was first introduced, and she has come a long way since then. McLean's protege to some extent, she is coming well and truly out of his shadow now and I'm loving seeing that progression. She is more sceptical than her mentor, no matter the things she has witnessed, and whilst McLean has learned to accept that not everything is as it seems, and open himself up to the idea of less corporeal explanations, Janie still hasn't quite made that leap. But their partnership is great to watch, even if somewhat limited in this book, and if on more of an even footing this time around than any of their previous cases. She is strong, more capable than she believes, and I think this could mark the start of a real change for her. Literary sensation . . .James' overnight success has drawn comparisons with the meteoric rise of E L James and her Fifty Shades of Grey series' Daily Mail Under pressure to wrap up the case, McLean instead seeks to uncover layers of truth - putting the lives of everyone he cares about at risk . . .The plot is DI McLean is caring for his partner, Janie Harrison and her team along with the new DS, Peter Nelson are still a DI down. As a bodies start to appear in old churches Janie needs to step up to acting DI, at the request of Nelson, who then badmouths her to higher ups after she rejects his advances. The fact that this latter event is going to happen is obvious from the start which made it slightly irritating to me. The search for a missing journalist is called off as a body is found at the scene of a carefully staged murder. Will the killer reveal themselves this time allowing justice to finally be done, or will they evade capture? Can McLean overcome the terrible trauma after what happened before and cope with the case set out before him? What will become of them all as they learn the truth behind the Book of Souls? The Inspector McLean Series When a body is found in a tree in The Meadows, Edinburgh's scenic parkland, forensics suggest the corpse has fallen from a great height.