I love the combination of crime story and the supernatural. This is one of his best so far.
Yeah witches, and Grumpy Bob is back. Could have been a bit more about Lofty and him having a kid as it impacts on his perception of the men's right thingy.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I will have to start this review by saying that I can’t believe that I have got to book 11 already I am enjoying the series catch up so much.
What Will Burn start with a the brutal attack and murder of an old woman living in a secluded house. With no clues and no apparent motive this may turn out to be one of Tony McLean’s most challenging cases to date.
Tony is thrown into the case after his return to duty following a suspension he was given for not following procedure on his last case. Demoted back down to DI he is back doing what he loves the most, investigating crimes without all the politics higher ranks have to deal with, well he would as long as his new boss lets him. The powers that be think they have punished him yet really they have done him a favour.
As they investigate every possible lead the team are challenged as they also have to deal with some public disturbances against Tommy Fielding, lawyer and leader of Dad’s Army, a group founded to fight for the rights of fathers, however their stance is that women are the enemy. When members of his “workshops” are found dead in apparent accidents they are sure this is all linked to the death of the old woman and to Tommy himself but they just cant work out how or why.
Whilst the subjects that are brought up during the investigation may challenge some readers it is the ever-present supernatural element that brought a bit of a smile to myself as it just linked with my childhood and brought back some funnier memories.
With Anna away working Tony did not have to deal with his personal life but Emma was definitely on his mind, and he genuinely wants her to be happy and get back what they had. It was also clear that he misses working with Grumpy Bob now that he is retired and working in the Cold Case Unit. At least he can still bounce off him if needed. It was good to see Madame Rose back and also see that even in her line of work there are some people that even she does not always see eye to eye with, there was also a nod to James Oswald’s Con Fairchild series that fans will understand.
As much as I miss some of the characters from the earlier books it is also nice to see Tony forging new working relationships with some strong and independent officers as the team evolves and brings in fresh perspectives even if they don’t always understand what they are dealing with.
I am still holding out hope that Tony and Emma will work everything out and find the common ground they shared….oh and maybe he should invest in a Tank…. Not the best for driving around Edinburgh but it may be safer, and it may last longer than his cars do.

As a big follower of the Inspector McLean series and have enjoyed every book, I’ve got to know the characters well, so well that I feel like I am reading about old friends, This book was no different, another great instalment.

Excellent, gripping and James Oswald still at his best with Tony McLean still attracting the strangest cases!

Couldn't put this down and finished in just one day. James Oswald's writing just gets better and better!

An elderly woman beaten and burnt to death in her isolated a cottage and three men who die in unusual circumstances are the cases being investigated by Tony McLean and his team. Tony has just returned to work following suspension after his last case. His new boss, promoted from the Met in London, has allowed his return to work although he has been demoted to Detective Inspector.

Always look forward to the next instalment of the Inspector McLean series by James Oswald. The series has a great set of characters who are developing in each book and always a hint of the supernatural. Great read as always.

Thanks to Netgalley, Headline and James Oswald for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Another great book in this brilliant series. I have read them all and tis is one of the best, can't wait for the 12th book
Full of great characters, touching on current issues and with a twisting and turning plot.

What Will Burn, the eleventh of James Oswald’s books featuring Tony McLean, sees my favourite detective back from suspension, demoted to DI, but rather pleased to be getting back to doing what he does best. There is a fly in the ointment, however, in the shape of the new Chief Superintendent, Gail Elmwood. Having intervened in Tony’s case to prevent his punishment being any more severe, she oversteps the mark in what she expects from him in return. It’s difficult to decide whether her behaviour or that of Tommy Fielding was the more disturbing.
In a cottage deep in the woods, the charred remains of Cecily Slater are found and, at first, assumed to be the result of a tragic accident. The postmortem soon puts paid to that idea; before being set on fire she had been brutally beaten. Meanwhile, Tommy Fielding QC, who habitually defends men accused of violence against women, has been holding seminars on men’s rights in an Edinburgh hotel, and preaching his particularly offensive brand of misogyny. More men die in ‘weird’ circumstances, and are handed over to Tony to investigate, but could they all be connected?
I am not normally a fan of the supernatural, but it seems perfectly plausible here, and gives the Tony McLean books a unique quality, something that makes them stand out from the crowd. In What Will Burn, James Oswald skillfully blends the historical with the contemporary, and shows how the negative attitudes of some men towards women have never really changed.
The role of women is very much at the heart of What Will Burn. James Oswald writes wonderfully convincing female characters; in fact the majority of McLean’s team are female officers, two of whom get promoted in this story, and it’s good to see Janey Harrison going from strength to strength.
Tony’s interactions with Mrs McCutcheon’s cat when he gets home late in the evening, and the scene where Cecily Slater’s cat seems to be waiting for him, bring a touch of humour that lightens the all-pervading sense of unease in What Will Burn. This series just keeps getting better, and I look forward (patiently) to reading the next one.
Thanks to Wildfire and NetGalley for a digital copy to review. #WhatWillBurn #JamesOswald

The 11th outing in this "weird" and wonderful Scottish police procedural series featuring the now demoted maverick DI Tony McLean. The team investigate the brutal murder of a reclusive elderly woman in a remote cottage by an angry mob who believed she was a witch. They soon die in what appear to be random bizarre accidents. Dark and gruesome with elements of the supernatural. A fully entertaining and engrossing read.

In a word...superb!
I only recently discovered the joys of James Oswald and his Inspector McLean, and now having read three books in the series this latest installment is the best yet.
It is a classic page turner where the reader keeps wanting to read just that little bit more to see what happens next, even if the reader is meant to be working, sleeping or eating 😊
For those who enjoy crime writing with a supernatural twist this book and the Inspector McLean series come highly recommended.

This is the 11th outing for Inspector McLean and although it's not completely necessary to have read any of the previous books in the series, it does help a little but I definitely think it works well as a stand-alone.

Mr Oswald manages to continue to write ever interesting and intriguing stories featuring DI Tony McLean, his excellent team and eclectic mix of friends, which are all superbly written, within a story which cleverly mixes the past and the present with a smattering of the unexplained; it all blends together seamlessly to give an engaging and totally engrossing read.

I would highly recommend reading any of the books in the series especially if you enjoy something a bit different than the usual police procedurals.

Thank you to Headline and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

I am a big fan of James Oswald so I was excited to get my hands on the new DI McLean novel.
McLean is back at work after a 3 month suspension to find a new Chief Superintendent, Gail Elmwood. Elmwood has McLean lead the investigation into a 90 year olds murder where she was brutally beaten and then burned alive. The case is going nowhere but a string of weird murders follows with a supernatural feel.

This was a fantastic thriller, I absolutely love any story involving witches so it was a real win win for me. Although this is part of a series and there is references to previous cases, you could easily read it as a stand alone.

Absolutely brilliant piece of work by a fantastic Scottish Author, Tartan Noir at its best.
Thank you to Netgalley and Headline books for allowing me to review the book.

This is the second book I read in this series and I'm thinking of reading the others as I loved every moment of this book.
It's complex story, full of twists and turns, that kept me turning pages as fast as I could and kept reading till late in the night and I didn't want to stop even if it was 2 am.
It can be read as a stand alone even if there are some references to previous cases and the return of some characters.
The plot is full of twists and turns, tightly knitted, and kept me on the edge till the end because the culprit part seemed to be less important as all the the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.
The characters are well developed and interesting, the paranormal element is fascinating and always leaves space to doubts about what happened.
A highly entertaining, gripping and enthralling story that I strongly recommend.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Returning to work after 3 months’ absence, Tony McLean is faced with a predatory new boss, Gail Elmwood, who puts him in charge of investigating the death of a 90 year old woman who has been beaten and set on fire. Then follows a string of bizarre , unexplainable deaths.
We know through James Oswald’s previous books in this series that there will be a sense of darkness and supernatural influences and in this the 11th McLean novel there is a hint of witchcraft. This is another great page-turning, read it in one sitting, crime novel. If you’ve not read any James Oswald before try this as it’s one of his best.

My thanks to Headline/Wildlife for granting my wish for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘What Will Burn’ by James Oswald in exchange for an honest review. As I began reading on publication day, I bought its unabridged audiobook edition, narrated by Ian Hanmore, for an immersive reading experience.

This is the eleventh in Oswald’s acclaimed Inspector McLean series of police procedurals set in Edinburgh. The books are always structured so that they can be read as stand-alones. In order to avoid spoilers I won’t say too much about the plot.

Detective Inspector Tony McLean has just returned from a three month suspension and has been demoted, something that actually suits him. He also has a new boss, Chief Superintendent Gail Elmwood, formerly with the Met. She quickly begins to shake things up in the department.

When the charred remains of an elderly woman are discovered in a burned-out game-keepers cottage, on an estate to the west of Edinburgh, it is quickly evident that it was not an accidental fire. McLean also doesn’t believe that this was a case of arson, especially when it is apparent that there is far more to the victim’s situation than her humble surroundings first suggested. Yet this is only the first in a string of deaths with ritualistic overtones that Tony and his team investigate.

I have been a huge fan of this series from its start and feel that it continues to be one of the best examples of Tartan Noir available. In addition, I have always appreciated Oswald’s understated inclusion of elements of the supernatural in his plots.

It was good to see an appearance by Madame Rose, the enigmatic antiquarian bookseller and medium, along with Isabel ‘Izzy’ DeVilliers, who was introduced in Oswald’s crossover Constance Fairchild series.

Overall, this proved a highly engaging police procedural and another great addition to this fascinating series. Now comes the wait for Book 12!

The charred remains of Cecily Slater,an elderly woman are discovered in a burned-out game-keepers cottage, hidden away in woodland to the west of Edinburgh. Clearly no accidental fire, Detective Inspector Tony McLean, returning to work after a three month suspension & a demotion, suspects that neither is this simply a grim arson attack. There is far more to the victim than her humble surroundings might suggest, and something ritualistic to her horrific murder. Then there are more bodies. There’s also a new Chief Superintendent Gail Elmwood who fought to have Tony reinstated. Janie Harrison is promoted to DS & I loved how she grew throughout the book.
This is the eleventh book in the series & it’s another engrossing, page turner which doesn’t hold its punches. It's one of the highlights of each February to read the latest McLean book & they never disappoint. I love Tony who is more than happy to be just a DI so he can be at the chalk face rather than behind a desk. It could be read on its own but when a series is this good I’d recommend reading in order. Of course not everything is at it seems, there are some flash backs to previous times which seem strange to begin with but when the penny drops well! Madame Rose reappears as do a couple of other characters. I loved how Tony worked his way through all the different events, especially when they didn’t appear to be connected & the climax was breath taking. An extremely well written book that had me engrossed from cover to cover & I found it hard to put down
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

I absolutely love James Oswald and his Tony McLean series. I think this one is one of my favourites. I adore Tony and all he stands for. Its close between Tony and Logan McRae over who is my favourite book detective. I really enjoyed this book, loved Izzy being in it, as I really enjoy the Con Fairchild series. Madam Rose is just brilliant and I cannot wait to know more about Miriam and her secrets. The story from start to finish had me hooked. Now I patiently count down the days for the new James Oswald. Always recommend this series as its just brilliant.

Whoop! Tony McLean is back with a bang. They’re all here in this 11th outing of our favourite unruly detective. After the events of the last book, Tony’s on suspension awaiting news of his fate and thus it is Acting D.S. Janie Harrison who is sent to a game-keepers cottage tucked away in the in the wooded grounds of Bairnfather Hall.

90 year old Cecily Slater has been burned to death but whether by accident or design is hard to tell. There’s little in the way of forensics and with staff shortages it’s not looking like a priority, though when it is discovered that Cecily Slater was the aunt of Lord Bairnfather, they realise that he will want to be kept abreast of the investigation.

Tony’s return to work coincides with the appointment of a new Chief Super. Gail Elmwood is smart, says all the right things and is clearly looking to get on Tony’s good side. She’s even made sure he only steps down one rank when his punishment is meted out. Now he’s back to plain D.I. and he’s more than happy that he can lose all that paperwork and get back to doing a job he loves.

When the post mortem reveals that Cecily Slater was badly hurt prior to her death, he realises that they’ve been slow to react and finding her killer is not going to be easy.

D.S. Janie Harrison, meanwhile, is attending to a bit of a rammy outside a major Edinburgh Hotel where the well-known and rather obnoxious lawyer Tommy Fielding is holding a conference on men’s rights. Women are protesting against the vile tactics used by this man in defending his clients against charges of rape and sexual assault.

That’s what’s going on on the surface. Underneath, however, there are much bigger ripples.

In a story where James Oswald employs his created universe to bring in one character we have met in his Con Fairchild series, we are also deliciously treated to Madame Rose and to a brief appearance by Jane Louise Safire, so you know that something is very definitely afoot. We also meet another intriguing character who feels more than fleeting and I have the sense that ripples from this story will continue to resonate across future books.

Cleverly interlacing past and present, Oswald draws clear parallels between what happened centuries ago and events of the present day. Atmospheric, intriguing and beautifully executed, this is Oswald on excellent form. There’s humour – not least in the visual image of Tony tootling round Edinburgh in Emma’s electric car and quite a lot of wry observation. We celebrate the reappearance of Grumpy Bob and the promotion of two women within the team. I loved seeing the character of Janie Harrison come into her own with excellent results.

As two investigations proceed in parallel and more deaths occur, it becomes clear that they are all related. But what the connection is and how their macabre deaths occurred is something that will require more than an obvious police approach. Oswald has written some excellent strong voices into this book, many of them women and while they’re not all likeable, that strength underpins the ripples of ‘otherness’ that permeate this book, drawing you into to a perfectly understandable and acceptable alternative version of what’s going on. The forces of good v evil are at work here, even though it’s not always obvious quite who is good and who is evil.

As Madame Rose tells Tony; “It annoys you when I speak of dark forces and the balance of things. It is out of kilter all the same, though, whether you believe it or not. I fear it will be up to us to put it right. Again.”

Verdict: I hung on every word of this delicious, pacy tale. I love the sense of supernatural forces that underpin this series and I’m delighted by the characters and even more pleased to see that Janie Harrison has learnt some maverick ways from McLean which are bound to stand her in good stead for what’s to come. A splendid addition to an unmissable series.

Another excellent,complex thriller in this series. The characters are varied and interesting and the plot full of twists.Bring on the next one.

This has to be the best quirky police procedural, with a touch of the supernatural and witchcraft thrown in for good measure, around. James Oswald is a master at the top of his game. Clever plotting, great characterisation and suspenseful writing make this a 5* read. Although it is book 11 in the Inspector Mc Lean series, it can easily be read as a stand alone. I would highly recommend this series, one of the best of it's kind, from another excellent Scottish author. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.