The Violent Hour: THE LATEST HIGH-STAKES INSPECTOR McLEAN THRILLER FROM THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR 'Oswald at the height of his powers' IMRAN MAHMOOD, author of YOU DON'T KNOW ME

Name: The Violent Hour: THE LATEST HIGH-STAKES INSPECTOR McLEAN THRILLER FROM THE MILLION-COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR 'Oswald at the height of his powers' IMRAN MAHMOOD, author of YOU DON'T KNOW ME
Rating: 3.5 (2 reviews)

James Oswald

Jul 2026 · Hachette UK

2 reviews

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400

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About this ebook

'A thrilling page turner . . . The Violent Hour is James Oswald at the height of his powers'
IMRAN MAHMOOD

'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'
TARIQ ASHKANANI

'Pulse-pounding from start to finish with menace and intrigue on every page'
THE SUN

'Gripping and sharply observed . . . a real page-turner!'
CHARLOTTE ESSEX
'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

________

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?

MORE PRAISE FOR THE VIOLENT HOUR

'A gift for fans'
The Sunday Post

'Written with real skill and heart . . . a propulsive and gripping read from start to finish'
DOUG JOHNSTONE

'Gruesome and gripping . . . The Violent Hour is another standout'
ROBBIE MORRISON

'James Oswald at his finest, his darkest, his most inventive'
R. D. McLEAN

'Dark, spooky and ambitious'
Scotland on Sunday

'A thrilling page turner . . . The Violent Hour is James Oswald at the height of his powers' IMRAN MAHMOOD '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' TARIQ ASHKANANI 'Pulse-pounding from start to fin...

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Ratings and reviews

2 reviews

Sharon Trew

July 6, 2026

I loved these books..the blend of police procedural with a sense of otherness..the feeling of 'could it really be'. Sadly that subtle supernatural vein that gave the stories such atmosphere isnt here..it was weird for weirds sake with a rather pedestrian storyline and wooden characters. McLean himself lost his depth and wonder when the dull Emma was introduced..their relationship bringing nothing to the stories..even Madame Rose has lost her mystery to become a tiresome old lady. This reads like someone writing a copy. I hope its just writers fatigue and the magic comes back and that clever balance between magic and menace is revived.

About the author

James Oswald is the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Inspector McLean series of detective mysteries, the DC Constance Fairchild series and, as J. D. Oswald, the standalone novel Broken Ghosts. James's first book, Natural Causes, was shortlisted for the British Book Awards Debut Author Award. His latest book, The Rest is Death, is the fourteenth in the Inspector McLean series. James farms pedigree Highland cows by day, writes disturbing fiction by night.

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