Frey & McGray Mystery
3 primary works • 5 total works
Book 1
Book 2
A spellbinding concoction of crime, history and horror, perfect for fans of Sherlock Holmes and Jonathan Creek
'A hugely entertaining Victorian mystery' NEW YORK TIMES
'I enjoyed this - properly creepy and Gothic' IAN RANKIN
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New Year's Day, 1889.
In Edinburgh's lunatic asylum, a patient escapes as a nurse lays dying. Leading the manhunt are legendary local Detective 'Nine-Nails' McGray and Londoner-in-exile Inspector Ian Frey.
Before the murder, the suspect was heard in whispered conversation with a fellow patient - a girl who had been mute for years.
What made her suddenly break her silence? And why won't she talk again? Could the rumours about black magic be more than superstition?
McGray and Frey track a devious psychopath far beyond their jurisdiction, through the worst blizzard in living memory, into the shadow of Pendle Hill - home of the Lancashire witches - where unimaginable danger awaits . . .
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Praise for The Strings of Murder:
'This is wonderful. A brilliant, moving, clever, lyrical book - I loved it' Manda Scott
'One of the best debuts so far this year - a brilliant mix of horror, history, and humour. Genuinely riveting with plenty of twists, this will keep you turning the pages. It's clever, occasionally frightening and superbly written. Everything you need in a mystery thriller' Crime Review
Book 3
'A hugely entertaining Victorian mystery' New York Times
'I enjoyed this - properly creepy and Gothic' Ian Rankin
1889. The Scottish Play is coming home.
But before the darling couple of London theatre, Henry Irving & Ellen Terry, take their acclaimed Macbeth to the Edinburgh stage terror treads the boards.
A grisly message found smeared across the cobbles in blood, foretelling someone's demise.
As the bloody prophecies continue to appear Edinburgh's own beloved pair - Detective 'Nine-Nails' McGray & Inspector Ian Frey - enter the scene. Frey scoffs at this blatant publicity stunt, while McGray is convinced of supernatural affairs.
As they scrutinise the key players, they discover that Terry, Irving, and his peculiar, preoccupied assistant (one Bram Stoker) all have reasons to kill, or be killed...
But one thing is clear. By occult curse or human hand, death will take bow the night the curtain rises.
Praise for the Frey & McGray series:
'I enjoyed this - properly creepy and Gothic' Ian Rankin
'A hugely entertaining Victorian mystery' New York Times
'This is wonderful. A brilliant, moving, clever, lyrical book - I loved it. Oscar de Muriel is going to be a name to watch' Manda Scott
'Fun to read and a fast page-turner. Love and murder - they go together like strawberries and cream' Independent
'A brilliant mix of horror, history, and humour. Genuinely riveting with plenty of twists, this will keep you turning the pages. It's clever, occasionally frightening and superbly written ... Everything you need in a mystery thriller' Crime Review
'Fast-paced, well-researched and thoroughly spellbinding. The mismatched pair is as entertaining as Holmes and Watson at their best' Historical Novel Society
Madame Katerina, Detective 'Nine Nails' McGray's most trusted clairvoyant, hosts a séance for three of Edinburgh's wealthiest families.
The following morning everyone is found dead, with Madame Katerina being the only survivor. When questioned she alleges a tormented spirit killed the families for revenge.
McGray, even though he believes her, must find a rational explanation that holds up in court, else Katerina will be sentenced to death.
Inspector Ian Frey is summoned to help, which turns out to be difficult as he is still dealing with the loss of his uncle, and has developed a form of post-traumatic stress (not yet identified in the 19th century).
This seems an impossible puzzle. Either something truly supernatural has occurred - or a fiendishly clever plot is covering a killer's tracks...
'Properly creepy and Gothic' IAN RANKIN on the Frey & McGray mysteries...
December, 1889.
There have been many bad days in Edinburgh police's secret subdivision 'The Commission for the Elucidation of Unsolved Cases Presumably Related to the Odd and Ghostly'.
But today is surely the worst.
Because the exiled English Inspector Ian Frey, and his Scottish boss 'Nine-Nails' McGray are summoned to a meeting in the middle of the night with the Prime Minister himself.
And he tells them that Queen Victoria - the most powerful person in the world - wants them both dead.
To be pardoned they must embark on a mission so dangerous that they might be saving Her Majesty the job of executing them. Because this case ties together the dark history of the Pendle witches, with the tragic case of McGray own sister, to a conspiracy within the highest office in the land...
* * * * * * *
Praise for the Frey & McGray mysteries:
'A hugely entertaining Victorian mystery' New York Times
'A fun to read fast page-turner' Independent
'A brilliant mix of horror, history, and humour. Genuinely riveting with plenty of twists, this will keep you turning the pages. It's clever, occasionally frightening and superbly written ... Everything you need in a mystery thriller' Crime Review
'It's official: I am addicted to Frey and McGray' Christopher Fowler, author of the BRYANT & MAY series