The Violent Hour
Inspector McLean, Book 15
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The Violent Hour
Narrated by:
Ian Hanmore
Pre-order for $38.24
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Narrated by:
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Ian Hanmore
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By:
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James Oswald
About this listen
TARIQ ASHKANANI
'Written with real skill and heart . . . a propulsive and gripping read from start to finish'
DOUG JOHNSTONE
'James Oswald at his finest, his darkest, his most inventive'
R. D. McLEAN
'Do yourself a favour and read James Oswald's series. I can almost guarantee you won't stop at one' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
READER REVIEW
'The Violent Hour should be on everyone's TBR' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
READER REVIEW
'Another "must-read" from James Oswald' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ READER REVIEW
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Festival season. The streets are filled to bursting with tourists, and Edinburgh is gripped by a stifling heatwave. Not the best time for one of the most violent murders the city has witnessed in years.
The victim of the murder cannot be identified; its brutal nature of the shocking both the public and the police. What could possibly have inflicted such gruesome injuries? Was it a wild animal on the loose, or the beginning of some horrific gang warfare?
Another body is found on Musselburgh Beach: naked, comatose, but this time still alive. DI Tony McLean can't shake the feeling that there is a connection to the killing - but there are few leads for him and the team to go by.
The police are at a loss, and the city is on edge - will the killer strike again?
Praise for James Oswald:
'The new Ian Rankin' Daily Record
'Creepy, gritty and gruesome' Sunday Mirror
'Oswald's writing is in a class above most' Daily Express©2026 James Oswald (P)2026 Headline Publishing Group Limited
Critic Reviews
A fast-paced procedural with plenty of surprises - while this might have been my first Tony McLean outing, it certainly won't be my last.
Written with real skill and heart, The Violent Hour is a propulsive and gripping read from start to finish.
James Oswald at his finest, his darkest, his most inventive . . . the beautiful tension between the down-to-earth realities of McLean and his squad's investigative techniques and the possibly fantastical nature of the crimes they investigate has always been a highlight, but here it's deployed to powerful effect as McLean slowly realises that what looks like an especially violent assault may in fact be related to ancient Viking curses and legends. That Oswald can balance these two halves of his unique take on genre and keep the readers' belief suspended perfectly is a testament to his skill and his ability. He approaches crime like no one else in the genre, and has gone from a promising and unusual voice to a must-read veteran whose books I will recommend to readers everywhere.
And while McLean himself is a superb series lead, his supporting cast continue to grow and pull on our emotions - Madame Rose and Mrs McCutcheon's Cat (may our favourite feline live forever) may be the most dependable and recognisable, but seeing Janie Harrison and other officers truly step forward in the last few books has shown that these books are about more than our hero; they're about a team of characters we care about in such a way that we - like McLean, even if he might grumble about admitting it - have to come to think of as fast friends.
And while McLean himself is a superb series lead, his supporting cast continue to grow and pull on our emotions - Madame Rose and Mrs McCutcheon's Cat (may our favourite feline live forever) may be the most dependable and recognisable, but seeing Janie Harrison and other officers truly step forward in the last few books has shown that these books are about more than our hero; they're about a team of characters we care about in such a way that we - like McLean, even if he might grumble about admitting it - have to come to think of as fast friends.
Creepy, gritty and gruesome
Oswald's writing is in a class above most
James Oswald is one of this country's consistently superior crime writers
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