James Oswald

Ian Hanmore

the-book-of-souls

About us

About Us (Header 4)

Kate-Atkinson

James-Baldwin

Marian-Keyes

haruki-murakami-320×320-1

Richard-Osman

Malorie Blackman

Lisa-Jewell

Charlie-Mackesy

Authors (Header 3)

Children&#039;s

Company

Discover

Fiction

Non-fiction

Penguin Classics

Penguin Shop (Header 5)

Useful links

Work with us

DI Tony McLean of the Lothian and Borders Police knows Edinburgh like the back of his hand - an invaluable advantage when simultaneously pursuing depraved and dangerous criminals, and dodging overbearing superiors. Alongside a few trusted colleagues like DS 'Grumpy Bob' Laird and DS Kirsty Ritchie, McLean is an unorthodox force to be reckoned with . . .

Inspector McLean 8

The Gathering Dark

Inspector McLean 7

Written in Bones

Inspector McLean Ebook Bundle: Books 1-6

Inspector McLean 1

Natural Causes

Inspector McLean 3

The Hangman's Song

Inspector McLean 4

Dead Men's Bones

Inspector McLean 5

Prayer for the Dead

Inspector McLean 6

The Damage Done

#ChooseThePlot

The Book of Souls

Penguin Shop: 3 Clothbound Classics for £33

A star of Scotland's burgeoning crime fiction scene

Literary sensation...James' overnight success has drawn comparisons with the  meteoric rise of EL James and her Fifty Shades of Grey series

Oswald is among the leaders in the new batch of excellent Scottish crime writers

The hallmarks of Val McDermid or Ian Rankin: it's dark, violent, noirish

Inspector McLean 2

Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of The Book of Souls by James Oswald. Read by the actor Ian Hanmore. 
 
Every year for ten years, a young woman's body was found in Edinburgh at Christmas time: naked, throat slit, body washed clean. 
 
The final victim, Kirsty Summers, was Detective Constable Tony McLean's fiancée. But the Christmas Killer made a mistake and McLean put an end to the brutal killing spree. 
 
Twelve years later, and a fellow prisoner has murdered the Christmas Killer. But with the festive season comes a body; 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 explanation? 
 
McLean must revisit his most disturbing case and discover what he missed before the killer strikes again . . .

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

James Oswald is the author of the Inspector McLean series of crime novels. The first seven, Natural Causes, The Book of Souls, The Hangman's Song, Dead Men's Bones, Prayer for the Dead, The Damage Done and Written in Bones are available as Penguin paperbacks and ebooks. He has also written an epic fantasy series, The Ballad of Sir Benfro, which is published by Penguin, as well as comic scripts and short stories. 
 
In his spare time he runs a 350-acre livestock farm in north-east Fife, where he raises pedigree Highland Cattle and New Zealand Romney sheep.

The Book of Souls

Inspector McLean 2

Format:

Buy the book from:

About the series

A star of Scotland's burgeoning crime fiction scene

Crime fiction's next big thing

Literary sensation...James' overnight success has drawn comparisons with the meteoric rise of EL James and her Fifty Shades of Grey series

Fifty Shades of Hay

Oswald is among the leaders in the new batch of excellent Scottish crime writers

The new Ian Rankin

The hallmarks of Val McDermid or Ian Rankin: it's dark, violent, noirish

About James Oswald

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter