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' Express Suspended 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

The gripping new thriller in the brilliant Constance Fairchild series, from one of Scotland's foremost crime writers. On 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

McLean is back. The gripping thirteenth book in the Sunday Times-bestselling Inspector McLean series. Praise for James Oswald: 'The new Ian Rankin' Daily Record 'Creepy, gritty and gruesome' Sunday Mirror 'Crime fiction's next big thing' Sunday Telegraph

Two victims. Nothing connects them, except that someone buried them in the exact same way. Seven hundred years apart. 'Oh my goodness, what a rollercoaster of a ride.' READER REVIEW 'Every page draws you in.' READER REVIEW 'Do yourself a favour and read James Oswald's series. I can almost guarantee you won't stop at one.' READER REVIEW An archaeological dig at the old South Leith parish kirkyard has turned up a mysterious body dating from around seven hundred years ago. Some suspect that this gruesome discovery is a sacrifice, placed there for a specific purpose. Then a second body is unearthed. This victim went missing only thirty years ago - but the similarities between her death and the ancient woman's suggest something even more disturbing. Drawn into the investigation, Inspector McLean finds himself torn between a worrying trend of violent drug-related deaths and uncovering what truly connects these bodies. When a third body is discovered, and too close for comfort, he begins to suspect dark purpose at play - and that whoever put them there is far from finished. 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 gripping new thriller in the brilliant Constance Fairchild series, from one of Scotland's foremost crime writers. On 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 latest book in the Sunday Times bestselling phenomenon that is the Inspector McLean series, from one of Scotland's most celebrated crime writers. The charred remains of an elderly woman are discovered in a burned out gamekeepers cottage, hidden away in woodland to the west of Edinburgh. What is at first assumed to be a tragic accident begins to take on a more sinister aspect as Detective Inspector Tony McLean digs deeper. There is far more to the victim than her humble surroundings suggest . . . 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 tenth book in the Sunday Times-bestselling Inspector McLean series, from one of Scotland's most celebrated crime writers When a member of the Police Scotland team fails to clock-in for work, concern for her whereabouts is immediate... and the discovery of her burnt-out car in remote woodland to the south of Edinburgh sets off a desperate search for the missing woman. Meanwhile, DCI Tony McLean and the team are preparing for a major anti-corruption operation - one which may raise the ire of more than a few powerful people in the city. Is Anya Renfrew's disappearance a co-incidence or related to the case? McLean's investigations suggest that perhaps that Anya isn't the first woman to have mysteriously vanished in these ancient hills. Once again, McLean can't shake the feeling that there is a far greater evil at work here... Praise for James Oswald: 'The new Ian Rankin' Daily Record 'Creepy, gritty and gruesome' Sunday Mirror 'Crime fiction's next big thing' Sunday Telegraph

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.

Two victims. Nothing connects them, except that someone buried them in the exact same way. Seven hundred years apart. 'Oh my goodness, what a rollercoaster of a ride.' READER REVIEW 'Every page draws you in.' READER REVIEW 'Do yourself a favour and read James Oswald's series. I can almost guarantee you won't stop at one.' READER REVIEW An archaeological dig at the old South Leith parish kirkyard has turned up a mysterious body dating from around seven hundred years ago. Some suspect that this gruesome discovery is a sacrifice, placed there for a specific purpose. Then a second body is unearthed. This victim went missing only thirty years ago - but the similarities between her death and the ancient woman's suggest something even more disturbing. Drawn into the investigation, Inspector McLean finds himself torn between a worrying trend of violent drug-related deaths and uncovering what truly connects these bodies. When a third body is discovered, and too close for comfort, he begins to suspect dark purpose at play - and that whoever put them there is far from finished. Praise for James Oswald: 'The new Ian Rankin' Daily Record 'Creepy, gritty and gruesome' Sunday Mirror 'Crime fiction's next big thing' Sunday Telegraph

A woman reports a crime to the police, with unexpected results The grieving widow who finds that she's about to lose more than just her husband When a man attempts the perfect murder, it's not quite as easy as he thinks Two men in prison play a deadly game of Scrabble A young woman tries to trick an old man and gets more than she bargained for Sometimes crimes are solved in ways you can't explain A murderer about to be hanged finds that's not the worst thing that can happen You never know who's going to turn up at your door Original stories from Mark Billingham, Clare Mackintosh, James Oswald, Jane Casey, Angela Marsons, Harry Bingham, Antonia Hodgson and CL Taylor - specially written for Quick Reads.

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' Express Suspended 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

The ninth book in the Sunday Times-bestselling phenomenon that is the Inspector McLean series, from one of Scotland's most celebrated crime writers. Her lifeless body is hidden in the dark corner of a basement room, a room which seems to have been left untouched for decades. A room which feels as cold as the grave. As a rowdy demonstration makes its slow and vocal way along Edinburgh's Royal Mile, Detective Chief Inspector Tony McLean's team are on stand-by for any trouble. The newly promoted McLean is distracted, inexplicably drawn to a dead-end mews street... and a door, slightly ajar, which leads to this poor girl's final resting place. But how long has she been there, in her sleep of death? The answers are far from what McLean or anyone else could expect. The truth far more chilling than a simple cold case... 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 Hangman's Song is the thrilling third novel in James Oswald's Inspector McLean series set in Edinburgh.

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. 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. Something terrifying stalks the city streets, and bringing it to justice may destroy all he holds dear.

The dead don't always rest in peace . . . Discover the gripping Richard and Judy pick, and first thriller in the bestselling Inspector McLean series From the Sunday Times bestseller comes an electrifying crime thriller for fans of Ian Rankin, Peter James and Stuart MacBride Edinburgh is horrified by a series of bloody killings. Deaths for which there appears to be neither rhyme nor reason, and which leave the city's police stumped. DI Tony McLean is focused on the investigation, but his attention is drawn by a chilling cold case: A young girl, ritualistically murdered. Her remains hidden for sixty years. It seems impossible that there could be any connection between the cases, but McLean starts to wonder . . . Because if it's true, they might be facing an evil beyond anything they ever imagined. Praise for James Oswald: 'Crime fiction's next big thing' Sunday Telegraph 'Oswald is among the leaders in the new batch of excellent Scottish crime writers' Daily Mail 'The hallmarks of Val McDermid or Ian Rankin: it's dark, violent, noirish' Herald 'An excellent start to what promises to be a fine series' Guardian 'The new Ian Rankin' Daily Record

Dead Men's Bones is the fourth novel in James Oswald's phenomenal Inspector McLean series set in Edinburgh and is already a Sunday Times Top Five bestseller. A family lies slaughtered in an isolated house in North East Fife . . . Morag Weatherly and her two young daughters have been shot by husband Andrew, an influential politician, before he turned the gun on himself. But what would cause a rich, successful man to snap so suddenly? For Inspector Tony McLean, this apparently simple but high-profile case leads him into a world of power and privilege. And the deeper he digs, the more he realizes he's being manipulated by shadowy factions. Under pressure to wrap up the case, McLean instead seeks to uncover layers of truth - putting the lives of everyone he cares about at risk . . . The first three titles in the bestselling Inspector McLean series - Natural Causes, The Book of Souls, and The Hangman's Song, are all available as Penguin paperbacks and eBooks. Fans of Ian Rankin and Stuart MacBride will love James Oswald's writing. Praise for the James Oswald and the Inspector McLean series: '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 E. L. 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 'Classy, occasionally brutal, and with the odd suggestion of the supernatural, this will doubtless be another deserved hit. Oswald's writing is in a class above most in this genre' Daily Express