RachelAmphlett

I reviewed the first in the Inspector McLean series (“Natural Causes”) a few months ago and am happy to say that with “The Book of Souls” the pace, setting and detail in these novels remains a constant.

Although at the surface a crime novel, James Oswald weaves a touch of the paranormal into his Inspector McLean novels, without it taking over the whole story, or being too over the top. It’s a very subtle touch and one which I hope the author maintains as the series progresses.

The storyline is strong, with the twist unexpected – I for one had my money on someone else entirely being the culprit in this tale! I did find it distracting how the opening of the novel jumped between time periods, but once I’d settled into the story this became much less of an issue, and didn’t deter from the enjoyment of reading.

Oswald achieves a good balance using the supporting characters too, not letting McLean overshadow them and letting them loose when necessary.

An added bonus (I read the paperback version), is the inclusion at the end of a short story entitled “The Final Reel” – having read this, I’ll be visiting the author’s website to read more.

I genuinely look forward to reading the next offering in the Inspector McLean series. Happily, it’s scheduled for release in 2014 so there’s not too long to wait.