DI Tony McLean is back from suspension and straight into another unusual case. A body has been discovered caught high up in a tree and the only witness, a ten year old boy, reckons it was dropped there by a dragon. The victim is well known to the police as he used to be one of them before he ended up in prison for drug dealing. He'd been released and started a drug rehabilitation charity. Several strange break in in properties with connections to the victim occur and Tony is sure that there is a connection. The young witness is the son of an underworld character that had been killed a decade earlier and Tony and Duguid try and discover where that killing is linked to this one. As a distraction to Tony his girlfriend Emma is ill and he believes that it's linked to the ordeal she went through some years previously but he could be wrong. Then a clue leads Tony to a woman he hoped he and his colleagues would never see again = can he survive another confrontation with this woman.? Will he discover what has been making Emma ill? Another fabulous book in this series - look forward to the next one.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and James Oswald the author for the opportunity to read and review this book.

reading this I feel in the hands of a skillful professional - maybe it spins out a little long - and maybe sometimes the internal hassles among police colleagues is inexplicable (except by the end of the book, we totally know why and it's a shocker) - but characterisations especially of McClean the feared and respected dauntless investigator (who has enough money to keep him incorruptable) are convincing - there are references to earlier events in his personal life and his GF's that make me want to go back and read earlier ones but this tale of a charity magnate and his police and druggie past, stretching north in Scotland's countryside, and a weird style of killing this dynamic fellow - and why the connection to a dead gangster, and how did his ten year old son born after his death get involved - it ties up in the end but not too too tightly so as to feel contrived. very entertaining and confident work.

Slow to start but it got better as I read. Good book would recommend

This is the first book in the Inspector McLean series that I have read and although many books came before it and there were references to past cases, it works brilliantly as a standalone novel. The fact that I hadn't read the other books didn't prevent me from following what was going on. However, for a deeper understanding of McLean's character and past, it would definitely be worth reading the previous books.
The story isn't very fast-paced as the case itself moves along quite slowly, therefore it took me longer to read than usual and a little longer to get interested and fully absorbed. There were plenty of rich descriptions throughout though which I think eventually were the thing that involved me in the book.
At the start, I didn't really care about the characters or find myself connecting with them. However I did find that by the end, I was quite attached to McLean. I enjoyed the conclusion and the wrap up of the mystery. I especially liked the final revelation from Emma.
I also really liked that the setting was Scotland. I felt that it gave a unique edge to the book as the use of Scottish words and phrases helped to involve me at a greater level and feel as though I could hear the characters speak.
Overall, I'd give the book 3.5/5. I did enjoy it eventually and would recommend it for fans of detective novels who don't mind a slightly slower pace.

Set in Edinburgh, with a lead character, Inspector Tony Mclean, it soon becomes obvious that there were previous stories in the series, which I’ve never read. But this can be enjoyed as a stand alone tale. However I did find the prose clunky. The lead character is a disappointment, seeming to achieve little day after day so it’s a wonder anything gets solved. It completely lacks the urgency and pace of the best police procedurals. Ian Rankin has no need to worry.

DI Tony Mclean, at times, doesn’t seem over bright. Used to Edinburgh all his life and it’s cold winters, he doesn’t seem to have an adequate overcoat or even gloves and a hat and mentally mocks colleges who do. I’m not interested in how bitingly cold he is or the number of times that we are told about his ancient Alvis car. He is supposedly very wealthy. Get a decant set of wheels then. He fights against the authority of higher ranking officers and goes off doing his own thing in the best tradition of fictional police heroes. But this time it just doesn’t seem convincing. He apparently has a huge house and he and his girl friend both have pressurised jobs. Who does the essential cleaning, washing, shopping for this big property. None of it rings true. Groups of constables are to be found standing around with nothing to do, just awaiting directions.. In this day of police cut backs and tight budgets ? ? I know one police officer very well who would say, they should be so lucky. I just got more and more irritated. And the ending, I found pretty silly too.

I requested this novel from NetGalley on the strength of its description. As I plodded through the book, plodded being an accurate description of my progress, my anticipated star rating slowly fell from five to four to three. In the end I was tempted by two and a half. I just found no reason to keep turning the pages. I’ll not say that I won’t be reading other books in this series, but there are quite a few more that I’d read first.

A naked body drops from the sky and is impaled upon a tree in the middle of Glasgow. This is witnessed by the young son of a deceased gangster. DI Tony McLean is put in charge of the inquiry; his first since suffering a near death experience during his last case 6 months previously. Why is he not getting the back up the case deserves and why does his investigations all seem to end with a brick wall?
This is the first Tony McLean book I have read and although it can be read as a standalone there are gaps in the story which would have been covered in previous novels. I would like to start the series at the beginning and learn more about DI McLean.

Firstly thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Secondly, I really liked this book. The 7th in the Tony McLean series, although I haven't read any of the others I will certainly be picking them up - can't believe I have missed out on this series!
I liked the pace and style of the writing. I liked the seeming randomness of the storyline which all unravelled toward the end.
I only give this 4 stars rather than 5 as I feel the ending was quite sudden and rushed and didn't quite fit with the feel of the rest of the story.
I would recommend this book to any crime/detective novel fan.

Incredibly enjoyable. Tony McLean is such a likeable character and storms through investigations doing exactly as he pleases. The ending veered towards the slightly improbable but I think I enjoyed it all the more for that!

The opening sequence to this novel has DI Tony McLean at a Edinburgh park where a gruesomely a tortured and mutilated body hangs skewered onto a tree's branches. It was discovered by a young boy, the son of Tommy Johnston, a murdered crime boss. The boy described a dragon in the sky from where the body dropped. This has the media captivated and brings undue pressure from the police hierarchy on Tony to solve the case as soon as possible. The body is hard to identify but Tony begins to have a dreadful suspicion as to who it is prior to a press conference which is confirmed by Jo Dalgleish, a local reporter.

It turns out to be Bill Chalmers, a well known philanthropist and charity worker, who happens to be an ex-drug addict, ex-crime king and disgraced ex-policeman. This multiplies Tony's headaches as all the senior team have connections with Chalmers and endeavour to distance themselves from the investigation fearing what might emerge, and bullish in trying to close the case as soon as. This is a complex inquiry with numerous threads. When Tony tries to look into the connections with the unsolved murder of Tommy Johnston, he finds the files missing. He involves retired Superintendent Daguid from the Cold Case Unit which scares the senior management into closing the unit down. Tony is nothing if not persistent, he refuses to be put off, despite having to contend with the worrying ill health of his partner, Emma. With further suspicious deaths, the trail leads to deadly danger and an old foe.

This is the first book in the series that I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It works okay as a standalone and I will be reading the rest of the series. I was not so enamoured of the fact that Tony is wealthy, but I will let it pass. Otherwise, a great police procedural full of thrills and spills. It is well plotted, and delivers a tense and suspenseful story. Many thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC.

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? Just the case he needs on his first day back after a three month suspension.
The dead man Bill Chalmers had led quite a life: a disgraced ex-cop turned criminal kingpin who reinvented himself as a celebrated philanthropist after leaving prison.
As McLean traces the victim's journey, it takes him back to Edinburgh's past & a murdered night club owner, and through its. Of course with Tony on a case nothing is straight forward, he visits Chalmers charity head office & then the place is trashed & the receptionist Malky is found dead. Both Chalmers & Malky had a dragon tattoo which leads Tony to his friend tatooist Eddie Cobbold, then Eddie’s tattoo parlour is trashed. The deeper Tony delves the more people are involved & then Mrs Saifre’s name is linked.
Another gripping page turning novel. This could be a standalone but I’d recommend reading from the beginning as there are threads running through the series. Emma is now back but her health is cause for concern. Tony’s team are all there apart from Stuart MacBride who ‘has moved on’, there are new members of the team notably Janie Harrison. I thoroughly enjoyed the book & now wait for the next in the series, there are quite a few events needing answers, both at the station & in Tony’s private life

This is the first book I have read in the McLean series. There were many references to previous cases and of course it took a while to get to know the characters that were already established in the minds of the regular reader. However, I found Tony McLean to be likeable and not dissimilar to other detectives in series I have enjoyed. The story of how a dead body came to be high in a tree slowly unraveled itself to the expected dramatic and far reaching conclusion. It was an enjoyable read and I would be happy to read more in the series, however I felt the tension, action and drama was slightly lacking throughout the book.

A new James Oswald is always eagerly awaited, especially when DCI Tony McLean is the main character! Written in Bones certainly doesn't disappoint and leaves the reader wanting more. Extremely well written, very readable and difficult to put down. Anyone who enjoys a good crime novel will happily devoir this book.

This is the first book I have read by this author so coming to a new character and not knowing the back story was a challenge. as a lot of this book mentions much of the back story. That being said it not detract from the book and it was still a good read. I did think the book was overlong with some of the story unnecessary however it did make a change to not have lots of murders scattered through out a crime book - that being said at times it lacked pace and seemed to take a long time to get to where it was going.
If you like this sort of crime novel (one without lots of blood and grisly murders) then this would be for you. I will be interested to see where the characters go from here and the possible development of one of the female leads so I will await the next book in the series.

Excellent as always. Have read the whole series and they always keep you on your toes!

A thoroughly enjoyable crime novel set in Edinburgh. This novel has a fast moving plot with likeable characters and some good old fashioned police work. Highly recommend this series.
My thanks to Netgalley for this copy.

Not quite the new Ian Rankin, but a fair alternative until the closing pages. It made a good enough story without bringing in the supernatural. I thought the hints about the hero's past we're great until I discovered that this was the latest in a series and if I h ad ' read the earlier ones I would have known all about him.

Thoroughly enjoyed this the 7th in the series by James Oswald which I received as an advance copy from NetGalley,. The book can be read independently as a stand alone, but I enjoyed this one so much I went back and read the others in the correct order.
Set in Edinburgh, Tony McLean is a detective whose cases all have something of the supernatural about them. The books are police procedural, with some good character development in them. The cast of characters who appear throughout the series are all believable and draw you to them. This makes the books intriguing as well as thoroughly gripping,a good read, of a decent length. Highly recommended.

This is a kind of sub-John Connolly/Charlie Parker set in Edinburgh where a crime procedural shades into the supernatural. It feels quite uneven: in some places things romp along with pace and verve, but then we're hit by clumsy craftsmanship (too many conversations beginning 'As you know...' make my heart sink), and some truly heinous 'plot' developments at the end - the detective falling out of a stealth helicopter after being drugged by an international crime villain/demon who blows the drug into his face like a kiss had me rolling my eyes in disbelief!

I romped through this speedily during my commute but not a book we should think about too deeply!

Hi Karen,

My next review is as follows:-
"Written In Bones:Inspector McLean 7",written by James Oswald and published in hardback by Michael Joseph 23 Feb. 2017. 416 pages,ISBN-13: 978-0718183677

James Oswald's seventh book featuring Edinburgh Police Detective Inspector Tony McLean was truly gripping and I just could not put it down. The plot was very absorbing and I was absolutely enthralled until the exciting conclusion.

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 it's 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.

The main story has a lot of crossover with other cases and Tony has great difficulty in persuading his superiors of the importance of the crime and with the interviews and constant meetings, press appeals and driving all over the place to interview witnesses Tony never seems to be able to sleep. There is a lot of wry humour to the story which adds to its charm.

A local journalist with whom Tony has had many battles in the past is quite helpful to him this time around but somehow he just cannot trust her. Tony has the usual problems with his superiors, but as he is independently wealthy having inherited from his grand mother a sum in excess of five million pounds, he doesn't need to work for an income but does so, as he became a Detective Inspector before inheriting his fortune. At the time I read this book I had read previously the earlier titles from his third book onwards,but whilst it is helpful to have read the previous ones it is not obligatory as the author makes sure for readers who buy his book on impulse, that the story is fully explained.

Apparently, the author wrote five fantasy series books about a the adventures of a Welsh dragon, The Ballad of Sir Benfro before being persuaded by the author Stuart MacBride that he should write crime fiction and in his first couple books he features an assistant detective named Stuart MacBride and a police psychiatrist named Matt Hilton! He continues to combine his writing career with, oddly enough, a full time job of running a 350 acre pedigree cattle and sheep farm in North East Fife in Scotland.

I absolutely loved reading "Written In Bones" and the previous ones I reviewed, "Prayer For The Dead"(2015), Dead Men's Bones(July 2014) and "The Hangman's Song"(Feb 2014). If you want a thoroughly enjoyable and fascinating police procedural with very strong characterisations then do buy this book. Very strongly recommended.

Best wishes,

Terry
(To be published on eurocrime.co.uk in due course)

This was the first book by James Oswald that I have read. To say that it was captivating does not do it justice. I now have to read the other Inspector McLean books to see some of old his older cases that were mentioned here. The story starts with the body in the tree and winds itself up in ever decreasing circles to a suitable climax.
McLean is the type of detective to never give up , even when faced with orders from above or physically hurt. It describes the life of a detective working all hours, trying hard to get connections and keep his team motivated. I would highly recommend this whole series of books and can see easily why it is a Sunday Times bestseller.