‘She drinks as deep as she can, each swallow a little less painful than the last. Too late, she understands there is something in the water to take away the pain. Something to lull her to sleep. No refuge there from the demons that haunt her.’
– Bury Them Deep
[ About the Book ]
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 Reynolds’ 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…
The truth far more chilling than a simple cold case..
[ My Review ]
Bury Them Deep is the tenth book in the Sunday Times bestselling Inspector McLean series, from one of Scotland’s most celebrated crime writers, James Oswald. Published February 20th with Wildfire (a Headline imprint), it is described by Irish Crime Fiction writer Jo Spain as ‘an absolute triumph. Brilliant and terrifying. A sure-fire hit.’
I have read a few books in this series, and the Constance Fairchild series, and I am NEVER disappointed. However I do feel that James Oswald has raised the bar again with Bury Them Deep. It really is an exciting, gripping, sweaty palm inducing race to a thrilling finish. Thoroughly wonderful stuff!
Inspector Tony McLean is about to embark on a very secretive and covert case that has international implications, when it is discovered that one of his admin team, a very respected member of staff, Anya Renfrew, is missing. All hell breaks loose at the station as those in the upper echelons fear that her missing is related to this high-end case. McLean has his doubts about this suspected link but is immediately on the case as Anya would never just disappear. Anya has a long service with the police and her work standard is impeccable yet, as McLean soon discovers, no one ever really knew Anya. As he digs deeper, he begins to uncover some very unexpected explanations for Anya’s secretive life.
As McLean works the case he receives a call from the psychiatric facility where his old nemesis Norman Bale is incarcerated. Bale wants to meet up. But why? Bale seems to have impossible information that is possibly linked to Anya Renfrew’s disappearance, but how can that be?
‘He could see exactly what Bale was doing. He had a knack, like any circus performer, of reading his audience. He could pick up information like a vacuum cleaner, and remember every last detail. Squirrel it away for a time when it might be useful.’
As the case unfolds, an old mysterious tale is circulating, with references to rituals and cannibalism. McLean suddenly finds himself immersed in something far more sinister than initially expected. As the truth about Anya Renfrew is slowly revealed, McLean and his team find themselves in a serious race against time, one that has more threatening and malevolent elements than anyone could have possibly imagined.
James Oswald’s books always have a sense of mystery, an otherworldly feel that creates a enigma, an allure around his writing. Tony McLean is a wonderful protagonist. Although a tough policeman with a can-do attitude, we get an insight into his personal life, his relationship with his partner Emma, one that is so delicately balanced it could easily topple over. He is very much aware of his obsession with the job, the case always eats at him, absorbing all his attention until it’s completion. Can his relationship with Emma survive more trauma, more turmoil?
Bury Them Deep is another exciting and riveting read from this master of crime fiction (with a twist!).
‘That sweet, cloying scent of decay wafted up from the earth like a desecrated grave…..The stench disappeared the moment they crossed the threshold, and along with it, the nagging dread that had urged McLean to keep away.
Bury Them Deep is a tense, suspense-filled, addictive tale that grabs the reader’s attention from the opening page. It is a disturbing and very dark story, one that is sure to raise a few goosebumps, with that final burst to the finish one that will most certainly keep you up well past your bedtime. An outstanding addition to this exhilarating series. Bravo James Oswald!!
[ Bio ]
James Oswald is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Inspector McLean series of detective mysteries, as well as the new Constance Fairchild series. James’s first two books, Natural Causes and The Book of Souls were both short-listed for the prestigious CWA Debut Dagger Award.
James farms Highland cows and Romney sheep by day, writes disturbing fiction by night.
Twitter ~ @SirBenfro
