James Oswald – författare

''A thrilling page turner . . . The Violent Hour is James Oswald at the height of his powers''IMRAN MAHMOOD''A fast-paced procedural with plenty of surprises - while this might have been my first Tony McLean outing, it certainly won''t be my last''TARIQ ASHKANANI''Gripping and sharply observed . . . a real page-turner!''CHARLOTTE ESSEX

''Do yourself a favour and read James Oswald''s series. I can almost guarantee you won''t stop at one'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐READER REVIEW

''The Violent Hour should be on everyone''s TBR'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐READER REVIEW''Another "must-read" from James Oswald'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐READER REVIEW________

Festival season. The streets are filled to bursting with tourists, and Edinburgh is gripped by a stifling heatwave. Not the best time for one of the most violent murders the city has witnessed in years.

The victim of the murder cannot be identified; its brutal nature of the shocking both the public and the police. What could possibly have inflicted such gruesome injuries? Was it a wild animal on the loose, or the beginning of some horrific gang warfare?

Another body is found on Musselburgh Beach: naked, comatose . . . but this time still alive. DI Tony McLean can''t shake the feeling that there is a connection to the killing - but there are few leads for him and the team to go by.

The police are at a loss, and the city is on edge - will the killer strike again?

MORE PRAISE FOR THE VIOLENT HOUR

''A gift for fans''The Sunday Post''Written with real skill and heart . . . a propulsive and gripping read from start to finish''DOUG JOHNSTONE

''Gruesome and gripping . . . The Violent Hour is another standout''ROBBIE MORRISON

''James Oswald at his finest, his darkest, his most inventive''R. D. McLEAN

The gripping new thriller in the brilliant Constance Fairchild series, from one of Scotland''s foremost crime writers.''I powered through this book. The perfect blend of intense investigation, memorable characters, witty dialogue.'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ READER REVIEW''Every single one of these books are so good'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ READER REVIEW''I devoured this far too quickly - I just couldn''t put it down!'' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ READER REVIEWOn compassionate leave following the death of her mother, Detective Constable Constance Fairchild thought renting a cottage near Aberystwyth, Wales would get her far enough from London to finally relax. But trouble always seems to find Con, and it''s not long before she is cooling off in a police station cell after defending herself from two would-be rapists.In custody she meets a young Ukrainian woman, Lila, who confides in Con that she''s been forced by her manipulative boyfriend into prostitution and running drugs. Fearing for her life, she has run away from him, only to end up in the cells.Con offers to help, but when her cottage is ransacked, and Lila subsequently disappears, she realises she''s stumbled into very dangerous company. International drug smugglers and ruthless people traffickers - those who will stop at nothing to protect their secrets. Out here at the end of the line, will Con find that there''s nowhere left to run? Praise for James Oswald:''The new Ian Rankin'' Daily Record''Creepy, gritty and gruesome'' Sunday Mirror''Crime fiction''s next big thing'' Sunday Telegraph

The new book in the brilliant Constance Fairchild series, from one of Scotland''s foremost crime writers. ''THE NEW IAN RANKIN'' Daily Record''OSWALD''S WRITING IS A CLASS ABOVE'' ExpressSuspended from duty after her last case ended in the high-profile arrest of one of Britain''s wealthiest men, DC Constance Fairchild is trying to stay away from the limelight. Fate has other ideas . . .Coming home to her London flat, Constance stumbles across a young man, bloodied, mutilated and barely alive. She calls it in and is quickly thrown into the middle of a nationwide investigation . . . It seems that the victim is just the latest in a string of similar ritualistic attacks. No matter that she is off-duty, no matter that there are those in the Met who would gladly see the back of her, Con can''t shake her innate determination to bring the monsters responsible for this brutality to justice. Trouble always seems to find her, and even if she has nothing to hide, perhaps she has everything to lose . . . ''CRIME FICTION''S NEXT BIG THING'' Sunday Telegraph''A WONDERFUL, FAST-PACED THRILLER'' Michael Wood

From one of the UK''s biggest crime writers - the man brought you the bestselling Inspector McLean novels - comes a phenomenal new series guaranteed to have your heart in your mouth. Undercover ops are always dangerous, but DC Constance Fairchild never expected things to go this wrong. Returning to their base of operations, an anonymous office in a shabby neighbourhood, she finds the bloodied body of her boss, and friend, DI Pete Copperthwaite. He''s been executed - a single shot to the head. In the aftermath, it seems someone in the Met is determined to make sure that blame for the wrecked operation falls squarely on Con''s shoulders. She is cut loose and cast out, angry and alone with her grief... right until the moment someone also tries to put a bullet through her head.There''s no place to hide, and no time to cry.

Natural Causes is the first novel in the Detective Inspector McLean series, from Sunday Times best-selling author James Oswald.A young girl''s mutilated body is discovered in a sealed room. Her remains are carefully arranged, in what seems to have been a cruel and macabre ritual, which appears to have taken place over 60 years ago.For newly appointed Edinburgh Detective Inspector Tony McLean this baffling cold case ought to be a low priority - but he is haunted by the young victim and her grisly death. Meanwhile, the city is horrified by a series of bloody killings. Deaths for which there appears to be neither rhyme nor reason, and which leave Edinburgh''s police at a loss.McLean is convinced that these deaths are somehow connected to the terrible ceremonial killing of the girl, all those years ago. It is an irrational, almost supernatural theory.And one which will lead McLean closer to the heart of a terrifying and ancient evil . . .Natural Causes is the opening to an electrifying series, for fans of Ian Rankin, Peter James and Stuart McBride. Praise for James Oswald: ''A star of Scotland''s burgeoning crime fiction scene'' Daily Record''Crime fiction''s next big thing'' The Sunday Telegraph''Literary sensation...James'' overnight success has drawn comparisons with the meteoric rise of EL James and her Fifty Shades of Grey series'' Daily Mail''Fifty Shades of Hay'' The Times''Oswald is among the leaders in the new batch of excellent Scottish crime writers'' Daily Mail''The new Ian Rankin'' Daily Record''The hallmarks of Val McDermid or Ian Rankin: it''s dark, violent, noirish'' The Herald ''A good read'' The Times''An excellent start to what promises to be a fine series'' Guardian

The Book of Souls is James Oswald''s second electrifying thriller in the Detective Inspector McLean series.Every year for ten years, a young woman''s body was found in Edinburgh at Christmas time: naked, throat slit, body washed clean. Ten years, ten women. The final victim, Kirsty Summers, was Detective Constable Tony McLean''s fiancée. But the Christmas Killer made a mistake. In a cellar under a shop, McLean found a torture chamber and put an end to the brutal killing spree.Twelve years later, and a fellow prisoner has just murdered the incarcerated Christmas Killer. But with the arrival of the festive season comes a body. A young woman: naked, washed, her throat cut. Is this a copycat killer?Was the wrong man behind bars all this time?Or is there a more sinister, frightening explanation?McLean must revisit the most disturbing case of his life and discover what he missed before the killer strikes again . . .The Book of Souls is the second in the Detective Inspector Mclean series. The first was Natural Causes and the upcoming third will be called The Hangman''s Song. Fans of Ian Rankin, Peter James and Stuart McBride will love James Oswald''s work.Praise for James Oswald: ''A star of Scotland''s burgeoning crime fiction scene'' Daily Record''Crime fiction''s next big thing'' The Sunday Telegraph''Literary sensation...James'' overnight success has drawn comparisons with the meteoric rise of EL James and her Fifty Shades of Grey series'' Daily Mail''Fifty Shades of Hay'' The Times''Oswald is among the leaders in the new batch of excellent Scottish crime writers'' Daily Mail''The new Ian Rankin'' Daily Record''The hallmarks of Val McDermid or Ian Rankin: it''s dark, violent, noirish'' The Herald ''A good read'' The Times''An excellent start to what promises to be a fine series'' Guardian

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable, audiobook edition of The Damage Done by James Oswald, read by Ian Hanmore.The sixth book in James Oswald''s phenomenal Inspector McLean series set in Edinburgh.No good deed goes unpunished...When a police raid in Edinburgh goes horribly wrong, the only silver lining for Inspector Tony McLean is a discovery that could lead to a long-lost girl from his early days on the beat. Haunted by the mystery of what happened to her, McLean begins to dig into a case he thought long buried. But the shadows of the past are soon eclipsed by crimes in the present as a series of strange and gruesome deaths shock the city. As McLean''s investigation draws him ever deeper into the upper echelons of Edinburgh society, it will not only be his career on the line - but his life as well... Praise for James Oswald ''The new Ian Rankin'' Daily Record ''Oswald''s writing is in a class above'' Express ''Creepy gritty and gruesome'' Sunday Mirror

Exit Wounds is a thrilling anthology of crime stories written by masters of the genre, including Dean Koontz, Val McDermid, Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, Elly Griffiths, Dennis Lehane, Joe R. Lansdale, and others.

After an introduction by the editors, Paul B. Kane and Marie O’Regan, this collection includes the following stories: