Bury Them Deep by James Oswald

Today it’s back to Mandie who has a review of the tenth Inspector McLean novel from James Oswald, Bury Them Deep. We both love this series (I think I hide it well …) and I reviewed this book back when it was first released in 2020. You can read my review here. In the meantime, here’s what the book is all about:

About the Book

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…

Mandie’s Thoughts

I can’t believe that I am on book 10 in my Inspector McLean series catch up and that it wont be long before like all other fans I will have to wait patiently (ok not so patiently) to see what happens next. With each book you wonder just what will be thrown at him and how he will deal with it and still have his career survive.

When admin support staff member Anya Renfrew fails to turn up to work and no one seems to know where she is or how to get in touch with her it throws a major investigation into doubt and senior staff are in a complete spin on what to do. They don’t know how much she knew about the operation or why she has gone missing. Tony is called in to try to find the missing woman and hopefully get the investigation back on track, but you just know that this is not going to be simple and as he digs deeper it becomes clear that none of Anya’s colleagues really knew her and she had been leading a secret life that was far away from the person she portrayed at work.

This case certainly seems to have McLean and the team stumped, and the pressure being piled on from the top is not helping. Whilst Tony is convinced Anya’s disappearance has nothing to do with work others seem determined that it is and if everything goes pear shaped then it will be all his fault. His relationship with Emma is still not back on track but he is trying to make an effort and not let work always dominate his life and its these glimpses into Tony’s personal life that help make these books just that little bit more human, showing that even the best don’t always get things right.

Added to all of this Tony is dealing with his past again both good and bad that test his sanity at times and see him going against his better judgement to get answers. I loved the myth of Sawney Bean that runs through the book as it adds a creepy element to some of the chapters that may have your skin crawling but will at the same time have you wanting to see how it ends. This has got to be my favourite book yet as the mix of the who and the why have you guessing right to the end and as the truth is revealed it will have you wondering once again who can be trusted.

About the Author

JAMES OSWALD is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Inspector McLean series of detective mysteries, as well as the new DC 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. AS COLD AS THE GRAVE is the ninth book in the Inspector Mclean Series.

James farms Highland cows by day, and writes disturbing fiction by night.