The Hangman's Song is the third in the wonderful Inspector McLean series by James Oswald and each book gets better.

Brilliant and compelling in the sheer spookiness of these books, this series gets better and better! In this third book, we are continuing the story of the Book of Souls, which manifests itself with the discovery of several related hangings, that Tony is put in charge of. By now, the characters are old friends and I can only marvel that Charles and Tony have not beaten each other up by now. Tony is so bitter and depressed, but considering what he has suffered recently, this is not surprising. Tony still seems too trusting and naive and his police colleagues are horrible towards him, I do admire his stamina and resolve in his dealings with them especially after a few nasty and childish pranks played upon him, I think he must have the words" Kick Me" engraved on his forehead!!
I think the best recommendation I cam make is that I already have books 4&5 and cannot wait to become engrossed in the further adventures of Tony et al. Marvellous, Marvellous and Marvellous. I have posted this review on Goodreads today.

Wow this series just gets better and better. I would definitely recommend that they are read in order, as the overarching storyline is too thrilling to read this as a stand alone. However, any reader would enjoy this book even if they haven't read the earlier ones. The characters seem like old friends and the plotting is superb. These books are superbly written with no sloppy prose or punctuation. I love the supernatural element to these books, especially McLean's scepticism around it.

Another great installment of this compelling police drama

This was a real page turner from the beginning. Will definitely look for this author in future.

Book 3 in this wonderful ongoing series with Inspector Tony McLean and the gang.

I love this series and I always look forward to each book, I want to know what's happening with everyone and what trouble Tony gets himself into.

I highly recommend this series, please pick them up and get them read!!

Love the general story and would have been four stars but for the paranormal aspect. I like the characters and how they develop throughout his series.

Loved this book, they get better with each one. 5 stars. Would highly recommend

This is the grisly third in the DI McLean series and in it he is a seriously bitter man, barely surprising considering what he has gone through. There is more to come in this set of storylines, and here he has been seconded to the Sexual Crimes Unit to keep him out of trouble. He is heavily immersed in two cases, that of a harrowing prostitution ring and in human trafficking. To top it all, a young man is discovered hanging in his Edinburgh home. It appears to be a straightforward suicide until another suicide with the exact same features of the previous one occurs followed by another. Tony is aware there is something very strange going on. He finds himself with little choice but to add this to his overwhelming workload only to fear that the connections are coming alarmingly close. The police force is in the process of undergoing great change as it transforms into Police Scotland and there are the usual conflicts in the department. Tony's personal burdens are painfully demanding as Emma eventually comes out of her coma with problems and trauma and comes to live with him. Thanks to Penguin Michael Joseph for an ARC.

Detective inspector Tony McLean is still coming to terms with the conclusion of his last case. His on/off girlfriend Emma is still in a coma and some of his colleagues are unhappy about what happened to one of the force's veteran police officers. HIs team are investigating a series of suicides in the city but Tony has been seconded to the sex crimes unit. He's soon investigating the murder of a pimp and a brutal attack on a prostitute - are his suspicions as to who is responsible for both correct? His team now have three suicides to investigate and there seems to be a connection between them = can Tony step back and let his team investigate? Will Tony manage to investigate his case and help Emma recover or will it all be too much for him.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to read and review this book.

Another decent instalment in this series, again familiar characters return to deal with several complex cases with the slight paranormal slant that is becoming a recurring theme.

This is the 3rd book in the Inspector McLean series by author James Oswald.
I am finding it difficult to keep praising this series without repeating myself but I suppose the biggest compliment I can pay it is to say that I immediately started the 4th book in the series as soon as I had finished this one. Having read the series from the very beginning the characters are growing on me the more I read and all the sub plots make perfect sense. This is an excellent series and there is so much more to the books than the plot itself. The conflict between the character and the on-going issues in McLean's personal life make this series fascinating reading.

In this book a man is found hanging by a rope in his Edinburgh home, but Detective Inspector McLean is not convinced all is as seems.So when a second hanged man is discovered his instinct appears to be vindicated. McLean is already investigating a prostitution and human trafficking ring so he struggles to find time to link the two suicides. But the discovery of a third convinces him of malicious intent and uncover the truth.

I would like to thank Net Galley and Penguin UK for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

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. A second hanged man and another strange note hint at a sinister pattern. They also used the same kind of hemp rope
Investigating a brutal prostitution and human trafficking ring, McLean struggles to find time to link the two suicides. But the discovery of a third convinces him of malicious intent.
Digging deeper, McLean finds answers much closer to home than he expects.
This is the third in the Tony McLean books, although it could be read as a stand-alone novel there are references to earlier novels & his alfa & Emma do feature & there are other themes which follow through the books. If like me you like to read series then I’d recommend reading in order. I found this to be another page turning novel that I was loathe to put down. I think Tony & Dagwoods’ relationship needs to now be developed from just arguing. I’m very engrossed in the series so moving onto the fourth book

I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for a review of The Hangman's Song, the third Edinburgh based police procedural to feature DI Tony McLean.

Tony has been seconded to the Sexual Crimes Unit where he is involved in a raid involving prostitutes being shipped out of Edinburgh, a most unusual occurrence but he doesn't really have the time for it as his former team in CID keep looking to him for guidance so it isn't long before he's involved in investigating a spate of highly unusual suicides. If he wasn't busy enough his girlfriend Emma wakes up from her coma with almost total amnesia.

The Hangman's Song is an excellent, absorbing read that I found difficult to put down. It has a bit of everything with Mr Oswald's trademark hint of the supernatural, an intricate plot, great characterisation and personality clashes.

The two plots, the suicides and the prostitutes, run side by side throughout the book and have some very unexpected twists and a couple of more obvious ones. They are cleverly done with one step leading to the next although the suicide one has the team baffled for longer - the modern police force does not pay for hunches or coincidences so it is difficult to progress the case with Acting Superintendent Duguid pressuring him to close them as suicides.

The supernatural element, which is never intrusive, comes from the amnesiac Emma thinking she sees ghosts and receiving visits from troubled souls. To an unbeliever like myself who always avoids any hint of super/para weirdness Mr Oswald makes it palatable and acceptable, if not quite believable, by making Tony a sceptic who can mostly find a rational explanation for it.

Tony McLean is a great character. He is an honest, kind, moral man determined to do a good job in the face of strong opposition, but then he can afford to be as he has inherited enough money that he doesn't have to work. He is unpopular with his peers and can't seem to meet his boss without an argument but he gets the job done with his integrity intact. His spats with his superiors paint them as petty, narrow minded individuals but very recognisable as people we've all dealt with. It's well done.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Hangman's Song and have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

The Hangman's Song by James Oswald is a mystery and thriller and general fiction (adult) read.
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.

Days later another body is found.

The body is hanging from an identical rope and the noose has been tied using the same knot.

Then a third body is found.

As Inspector McLean digs deeper he descends into a world where the lines of reality are blurred and where the most irrational answers become the only explanations.
Fantastic read with brilliant characters. I love this series. McLean is still my favourite character. Highly recommended. 5*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from netgalley.