Natural causes

Newly promoted DI Tony McLean's professional curiosity is piqued by the discovery of a body lying hidden for 60 years, but his priority is supposed to be solving a series of shocking murder/suicides, which would be easier if one of his colleagues wasn't so difficult to work with. McLean is also distracted by drama in his personal life. His beloved grandmother, who raised him after the death of his parents, is in a coma after a massive stroke and isn't expected to recover. How he copes with these events makes for a compelling story. Verdict First self-published in 2012 before being picked up by Penguin UK for best-selling success in Britain, this very promising start to a series set in present-day Edinburgh features just a touch of the supernatural. Readers who like character-driven murder mysteries such as those by John Connolly or Val McDermid will enjoy McLean's debut outing and clamor for more. [The second book in this series, The Book of Souls, will be released in July; the third title, Hangman's Song, will be published in January 2015.-Ed.]-Laurel Bliss, San Diego State Univ. Lib. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.