James Oswald

When an Edinburgh Police Vice Squad raid goes embarrassingly awry, Inspector Tony McLean is confronted by something he had thought long buried. Haunted by the echoes of an old case, the memories won't fade as McLean struggles to piece together the elusive connections between a series of strange and gruesome deaths shocking the city. The investigation draws him ever deeper into the upper echelons of Edinburgh society. Powerful people who do not take kindly to being asked the wrong questions. McLean never was one to toe the line, and his stubborn refusal to do so brings into play shadowy forces that put not only his career but his life in grave danger. In chasing the monsters of the present, McLean must also confront shadows of the past - but at what cost? Is it too late to undo the damage that has been done?

The body of a prominent Scottish MP is discovered outside his home, a remote house in North East Fife. In a horrifying attack, Andrew Weatherly has killed his wife and two young daughters, before turning his gun on himself. The question on everyone's lips is why would this successful and wealthy man commit such a gruesome crime? Inspector Tony McLean is surprised to find himself at the centre of this high profile investigation. The deeper he digs, the more McLean realizes he is being used in a game between shadowy factions from the world of power and privilege. Pressure is on to wrap up the case. That would go against everything McLean believes in - but to carry on will threaten the lives of his closest friends and colleagues

The book, sir. The Llyfr Draconius. You'll find what you need in there, if you know how to look. The war across the Twin Kingdoms rages on. Queen Beulah has killed one sister and ordered the assassination of another. The Inquisitor Melyn journeys though the north-lands of Llanwennog in a merciless bid to overthrow King Ballah. Now in possession of Brynceri's ring, his power seems indestructible. Nothing can stop the invasion. Captured by the travelling circus, Sir Benfro cannot shake their control, more powerful than Magog's malign influence. Errol Ramsbottom, left for dead, follows the trail of his friend's captors - only Benfro holds the key to Errol's beloved Martha's whereabouts. But both sides are set on a path of destruction - dragon against dragon, king against queen, man against man. As the ancient spell that split Gwlad begins to unravel, it may be easier for Benfro and Errol to travel to Gog's world now. But what will happen when the barriers between the two worlds fail entirely? As unlikely alliances form and strategies shift, who will emerge victorious? Parts of the previous eBook edition of The Golden Cage have been used in this work, The Broken World

Detective Inspector Tony McLean is on the case when the search for a missing journalist uncovers the scene of a carefully staged murder. In a sealed chamber, deep in the heart of Gilmerton Cove, a mysterious network of caves and passages sprawling beneath Edinburgh, the body is discovered in a seemingly macabre ritual of purification. But McLean knew the dead man and can't shake off the suspicion that there is far more to this case than meets the eye. For one thing, the baffling lack of forensics at the crime scene seems impossible. But that's just the first in a series of revelations about this case that seems beyond belief. Teamed with the most unlikely and unwelcome of allies, McLean must track down a killer--driven by the darkest compulsions and who will answer only to a higher power--until it's his own blood on the altar. Shocking and suspenseful, Prayer for the Dead, the fifth installment in James Oswald's internationally bestselling series, plunges readers into the bone-chilling darkness of an underground world filled with ancient secrets.

"The body of a man is found hanging in an empty house. To the Edinburgh police force, this appears to be a simple suicide case. But something about the scene strikes Detective Inspector Tony McLean as off. Days later another body is found hanging from an identical rope, with a noose tied in the identical way. McLean is convinced that these people are either being murdered or somehow coerced into suicide. Then a third body is found. While McLean attempts to solve the case -- assuming he can convince his superiors that it is a case -- he also must deal with the fallout from his last big investigation: A coworker is still hospitalized six months after being hurt on the job, and his relations with his superior officer don't seem to be improving. Will he be able to navigate the office politics and figure out what is going on before someone else is found hanging?"

The series finale of the Ballad of Sir Benfro. This stunning dragon fantasy series draws to a close - Errol and Sir Benfro find their destinies drawing closer together, and the a fate of the two realms of Gwlad depends entirely on the success or failure of our heroes.

The roots of murder run deep...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...

Fleeing the vengeful Inquisitor Melyn, Sir Benfro is drawn to the last resting place of a great dragon of legend, Magog, deep in the ancient forest. Through Magog's spirit, Benfro discovers the true nature of his forebears - a history of unimaginable power and mystery over mankind. But with this knowledge comes terrible danger. Errol Ramsbottom's dreams of becoming a great Warrior Priest have been shattered by his discovery of the dark secret of the Holy Order's power. And yet as a chosen noviciate he is trapped, unwillingly drawn deeper into the sinister plans for war which will engulf Gwlad. With the forces of magic gathering so the destinies of Errol and Sir Benfro further entwine...

The story of conflicting personalities and of a girl who would not look at the truth and a man who told it - too plainly! For one as sensitive as Karen, a person of Mrs. Ferndale's crushing personality was hard to bear; but to suggest that Karen's own husband had preferred to spend his leave with her, his mother, was too much ... and yet Karen learnt that it was true. Curiously enough, it was Simon who told her the plain unvarnished truth, and in the end she saw his wisdom and her own folly.

Spring, 1985. Twelve year old Phoebe MacDonald's world is falling apart. She has just buried her parents, a fire at their family home claiming both in a freak accident. Now she must leave Scotland, the only place she has ever known, and go to live with her uncle Louis and aunt Maude in their home in the Welsh woods. As spring turns to summer, Phoebe falls slowly into the rhythm of life with her eccentric guardians in their curious home. But there is no one her age in the nearby village, and she is lonely until she meets a strange girl, Gwyneth, who wanders the surrounding forest barefoot and alone. Outsiders both, the two girls form a strong bond, though nobody else seems to believe that Gwyneth is real. Phoebe knows better, and soon with her new friend's help, she begins to see the woods for what they truly are - a place of magic and wonder, where the line between life and death is blurred. Where spirits roam and secrets fester. Something happened here, a lifetime ago. A wrong that yearns to be put right. The answer is within Phoebe's grasp, but will revealing it put her in grave danger? For the woods hold a dark truth, and some will do anything to keep it in the shadows.

Each year for ten years, a young woman's body was found in Edinburgh at Christmastime: naked, throat slit, body washed clean. The final victim, Kirsty Summers, was Detective Constable Tony McLean's fianc?e. But the Christmas Killer made a mistake, and McLean put an end to the brutal killing spree.

Each year for ten years, a woman's body was found in Edinburgh at Christimastime--naked, throat slit, body washed clean. The final victim, Kirsty Summers, was Detective Constable Tony McLean's fiancee. But the Christmas Killer made a mistake, and McLean put an end to the brutal killing spree.