This is the first book in the DI Anthony McLean series. There are several cases in which McLean is involved but the primary one - the ritualistic murder of a young girl from 60 years ago but newly discovered - seems to have connections to current crimes. Tony has to conduct his investigation with limited resources and very little help as most of the personnel in the precinct are assigned to a high-profile murder.
Natural Causes is a new genre for James Oswald who is primarily known for fantasy. However, he does a very good job on his first crime/mystery book by giving us characters that are likable (most, anyway), cases that are interesting and just enough information to potentially allow the reader to have a chance of solving the case along with McLean.
Tony McLean is an interesting guy. He's a new Detective Inspector who has already had run-ins with the Chief Inspector when he was working his cases as a sergeant. His fiancee was horribly murdered a few years ago and he has not yet fully recovered from that loss. His grandmother, who raised him from age 4 after the death of his parents, has been in a stroke-induced coma for the past 18 months. Despite all of these challenges (or maybe because of them?) he puts his all into solving crimes and getting answers/closure for the loved ones.
I really liked the characters - Tony, Emma, McBride, even Grumpy Bob - and enjoyed Oswald's writing style. I definitely intend to continue with the series - especially as it appears the next book will give us more insight into Tony's past. A note - this book does contain a supernatural aspect but it, ultimately, did not detract from the story though I was initially concerned that it would.
Rating: 4 Stars
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