18 crime novels Scotland

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18 top crime novels set in Scotland

Frey & McGray Book 3

A Mask of Shadows

'A hugely entertaining Victorian mystery' New York Times 
 
'I enjoyed this - properly creepy and Gothic' Ian Rankin 
 
1889. The Scottish Play is coming home. 
 
But before the darling couple of London theatre, Henry Irving &amp; Ellen Terry, take their acclaimed Macbeth to the Edinburgh stage terror treads the boards. 
 
A grisly message found smeared across the cobbles in blood, foretelling someone's demise. 
 
As the bloody prophecies continue to appear Edinburgh's own beloved pair - Detective 'Nine-Nails' McGray &amp; Inspector Ian Frey - enter the scene. Frey scoffs at this blatant publicity stunt, while McGray is convinced of supernatural affairs. 
 
As they scrutinise the key players, they discover that Terry, Irving, and his peculiar, preoccupied assistant (one Bram Stoker) all have reasons to kill, or be killed... 
 
But one thing is clear. By occult curse or human hand, death will take bow the night the curtain rises. 
 
Praise for the Frey &amp; McGray series: 
 
'I enjoyed this - properly creepy and Gothic' Ian Rankin 
 
'A hugely entertaining Victorian mystery' New York Times 
 
'This is wonderful. A brilliant, moving, clever, lyrical book - I loved it. Oscar de Muriel is going to be a name to watch' Manda Scott 
 
'Fun to read and a fast page-turner. Love and murder - they go together like strawberries and cream' Independent 
 
'A brilliant mix of horror, history, and humour. Genuinely riveting with plenty of twists, this will keep you turning the pages. It's clever, occasionally frightening and superbly written ... Everything you need in a mystery thriller' Crime Review 
 
'Fast-paced, well-researched and thoroughly spellbinding. The mismatched pair is as entertaining as Holmes and Watson at their best' Historical Novel Society

Fun to read and a fast page-turner . . . love and murder - they go together like strawberries and cream

A hugely entertaining Victorian mystery

This is wonderful. A brilliant, moving, clever, lyrical book - I loved it. Oscar de Muriel is going to be a name to watch.

One of the best debuts so far this year - a brilliant mix of horror, history, and humour. Genuinely riveting with plenty of twists, this will keep you turning the pages. It's clever, occasionally frightening and superbly written ... Everything you need in a mystery thriller

This is a fast-paced, well-researched and thoroughly spellbinding read. The mismatched pair is as entertaining as Holmes and Watson at their best, and the supernatural element brings an entertaining twist

This is Victorian melodrama at its richest, darkest and most enticing

This entertaining novel combines melodrama with the unhappiness of life backstage

Oscar de Muriel was born in Mexico City and moved to the UK to complete his PhD. He is a chemist, translator and violinist who now lives and works in Manchester. The Loch of the Dead is his fourth novel, following A Mask of Shadows, A Fever of the Blood and The Strings of Murder.

Idols of the theatre Henry Irving and Ellen Terry are preparing to stage Macbeth in Edinburgh. But long before the actors hit the boards the play-house is hit with horror; the piercing, desolate wail of a banshee and a bloody message smeared on the street. 
 
Legendary Detective 'Nine-Nails' McGray and disgraced London sceptic Inspector Ian Frey are to investigate. While McGray flicks through tattered tomes on the supernatural, Frey is convinced the whole thing is just a publicity stunt. 
 
But as the gory messages keep coming one thing is sure; whether by human hand or not, death is coming.

A Victorian Mystery Book 2

A Fever of the Blood

A spellbinding concoction of crime, history and horror, perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes and Jonathan Creek 
 
'A hugely entertaining Victorian mystery' NEW YORK TIMES 
'I enjoyed this - properly creepy and Gothic' IAN RANKIN 
_______ 
 
New Year's Day, 1889. 
 
In Edinburgh's lunatic asylum, a patient escapes as a nurse lays dying. Leading the manhunt are legendary local Detective 'Nine-Nails' McGray and Londoner-in-exile Inspector Ian Frey. 
 
Before the murder, the suspect was heard in whispered conversation with a fellow patient - a girl who had been mute for years. 
 
What made her suddenly break her silence? And why won't she talk again? Could the rumours about black magic be more than superstition? 
 
McGray and Frey track a devious psychopath far beyond their jurisdiction, through the worst blizzard in living memory, into the shadow of Pendle Hill - home of the Lancashire witches - where unimaginable danger awaits . . . 
_______ 
 
Praise for The Strings of Murder: 
 
'This is wonderful. A brilliant, moving, clever, lyrical book - I loved it' Manda Scott 
 
'One of the best debuts so far this year - a brilliant mix of horror, history, and humour. Genuinely riveting with plenty of twists, this will keep you turning the pages. It's clever, occasionally frightening and superbly written. Everything you need in a mystery thriller' Crime Review

This is wonderful. A brilliant, moving, clever, lyrical book - I loved it. Oscar de Muriel is going to be a name to watch.

One of the best debuts so far this year - a brilliant mix of horror, history, and humour. Genuinely riveting with plenty of twists, this will keep you turning the pages. It's clever, occasionally frightening and superbly written - The Strings Of Murder is everything you need in a mystery thriller.

In Edinburgh's lunatic asylum, a patient escapes as a nurse lays dying. Leading the manhunt are local legend Detective 'Nine-Nails' McGray and Londoner-in-exile Inspector Ian Frey. 
 
 Before the murder, the suspect was in whispered conversation with a fellow patient - a girl who had been mute for years. 
 
 What made her suddenly break her silence? And why won't she talk again now? 
 
McGray drags Frey with him, tracking a devious psychopath far beyond their jurisdiction, through the worst blizzard in living memory, into the shadow of Pendle Hill - home of the Lancashire witches - where unimaginable danger awaits...

The Hunt

*Features an exclusive extract from A Fever of the Blood - the brilliant new Case for Frey &amp; McGray, which publishes in February 2016* 
 
Christmas, 1888. After a thoroughly trying time in Edinburgh, Inspector Ian Frey looks forward to a Christmas break at his family's country estate back in England. 
 
But the welcome respite of home cooking, hunting trips and brandy by the fire is ruined by the arrival of an unwelcome guest . . . 
 
Praise for The Strings of Murder: 
 
'This is wonderful. A brilliant, moving, clever, lyrical book - I loved it.' 
Manda Scott 
 
'One of the best débuts of the year. Riveting, genuinely funny, occasionally frightening and superbly written.' 
Crime Review

Christmas, 1888. 
 
After a thoroughly trying time in Edinburgh, Inspector Ian Frey looks forward to a Christmas break at his family's country estate back in England. 
 
But the welcome respite of home cooking, hunting trips and brandy by the fire is ruined by the arrival of an unwelcome guest . . .

Frey & McGray Book 1

The Strings of Murder

'A hugely entertaining Victorian mystery' New York Times 
'I enjoyed this - properly creepy and Gothic' Ian Rankin 
 
A spellbinding concoction of crime, history and horror - perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes and Jonathan Creek 
_______ 
 
Edinburgh, 1888. A violinist is murdered in his home. 
 
The dead virtuoso's maid swears she heard three musicians playing in the night. But with only one body in the locked practice room - and no way in or out - the case makes no sense. 
 
Fearing a national panic over another Ripper, Scotland Yard sends Inspector Ian Frey to investigate under the cover of a fake department specializing in the occult. 
 
However, Frey's new boss, Detective 'Nine-Nails' McGray, actually believes in such supernatural nonsense. 
 
McGray's tragic past has driven him to superstition, but even Frey must admit that this case seems beyond reason. 
 
And once someone loses all reason, who knows what they will lose next . . . 
_______ 
 
'This is wonderful. A brilliant, moving, clever, lyrical book - I loved it' Manda Scott 
 
'A great cop double-act . . . It's the pairing of the upright Frey and the unorthodox McGray that notches up the stars for this book' Sunday Sport 
 
'A brilliant mix of horror, history, and humour. Genuinely riveting . . . with plenty of twists, this will keep you turning the pages. It's clever, occasionally frightening and superbly written - The Strings Of Murder is everything you need in a mystery thriller' Crime Review

Edinburgh, 1888. A virtuoso violinist is brutally killed in his home. But with no way in or out of the locked practice room, the murder makes no sense. 
 
Fearing a national panic over a copycat Ripper, Scotland Yard sends Inspector Ian Frey to investigate under the cover of a fake department specializing in the occult. However, Frey's new boss, Detective 'Nine-Nails' McGray, actually believes in such nonsense. 
 
McGray's tragic past has driven him to superstition, but even Frey must admit that this case seems beyond reason. And once someone loses all reason, who knows what they will lose next...

Oscar de Muriel

Oscar de Muriel gets better and better

Christopher Fowler, author of the Bryant and May series

I enjoyed this - properly creepy and Gothic

This entertaining novel combines melodrama with the unhappiness of life backstage

The Strings of Murder is one of the best debuts so far this year - a brilliant mix of horror, history, and humour. Genuinely riveting with plenty of twists, this will keep you turning the pages. It's clever, occasionally frightening and superbly written - The Strings Of Murder is everything you need in a mystery thriller.

Frey & McGray Book 4

A woman pleads for the help of Inspectors Frey and 'Nine-Nails' McGray. Her son, illegitimate scion of the Koloman family, has received an anonymous death threat - right after learning he is to inherit the best part of a vast wine-producing estate. 
 
In exchange for their protection, she offers McGray a cure for his sister who has been locked in an insane asylum after brutally murdering their parents: the miraculous waters that spring in a small island in the remote Loch Maree. 
 
The island has long been a sacred burial ground, but the legends around it will turn out to be much darker than McGray could have ever expected.

Oscar de Muriel

Books by Oscar de Muriel

Series by Oscar de Muriel

A Victorian Mystery

Articles featuring Oscar de Muriel

18 top crime novels set in Scotland

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