The Hangman's Song cover art

The Hangman's Song

Inspector McLean 3

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The Hangman's Song

By: James Oswald
Narrated by: Ian Hanmore
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About this listen

The Hangman's Song is the thrilling third novel in James Oswald's Inspector McLean series set in Edinburgh.

Look out for the fourth instalment in the bestselling Inspector McLean series, Dead Men's Bones, available for pre-order from Penguin.

A young man is found hanging by a rope in his Edinburgh home. A simple, sad suicide, yet Detective Inspector Tony McLean is puzzled by the curious suicide note. A second hanged man and another strange note hint at a sinister pattern.

Investigating a brutal prostitution and human trafficking ring, McLean struggles to find time to link the two suicides. But the discovery of a third convinces him of malicious intent.

Digging deeper, McLean finds answers much closer to home than he expects. Something terrifying stalks the city streets, and bringing it to justice may destroy all he holds dear.

The first two titles in the series, Natural Causes and The Book of Souls, are both available as Penguin Paperbacks and ebooks.

Praise for James Oswald:

'A star of Scotland's burgeoning crime fiction scene' Daily Record

'Crime fiction's next big thing' The Sunday Telegraph

'Literary sensation...James' overnight success has drawn comparisons with the meteoric rise of EL James and her Fifty Shades of Grey series' Daily Mail

'Fifty Shades of Hay' The Times

'Oswald is among the leaders in the new batch of excellent Scottish crime writers' Daily Mail

'The new Ian Rankin' Daily Record

'The hallmarks of Val McDermid or Ian Rankin: it's dark, violent, noirish' The Herald

'A good read' The Times

'An excellent start to what promises to be a fine series' Guardian

'Classy, occasionally brutal, and with the odd suggestion of the supernatural, this will doubtless be another deserved hit. Oswald's writing is in a class above most in this genre' Daily Express

Crime Thrillers Mystery Police Procedural Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Thriller Crime Exciting Scary

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Critic reviews

The hallmarks of Val McDermid or Ian Rankin: it's dark, violent, noirish
Crime fiction's next big thing
Literary sensation...James' overnight success has drawn comparisons with the meteoric rise of EL James and her Fifty Shades of Grey series
Fifty Shades of Hay
Oswald is among the leaders in the new batch of excellent Scottish crime writers
The new Ian Rankin
All stars
Most relevant
I have listened to all three books in this series and I can honestly say that you can see an improvement in each of these books. The story line was excellent, the narration was excellent and the continuity of characters was excellent. I would not hesitate to recommend this series. Keep it up Mr Oswald.

Mr Oswald has honed his craft

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I enjoyed this, the narrator was good, but it just went on a bit long, it was more like a TVs series that you want to see the next episode rather than a blockbuster movie that pulls you along , but still a good yarn if you like detective fiction

A TVs series?

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, great story, and if you are intersted in Edinburgh and like the Scottish accent especially

What did you like best about this story?

The cleverness of the killer to stage the deaths they way he did, and the tenacity of Tony McLean to get to the bottom of it.

Have you listened to any of Ian Hanmore’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Yes, others in the Inspector McLean series, and just as good as the others

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes, feeling of revulsion in response to the murders, certainly did not make me want to laugh or cry.

Inspector Mclean on the case again

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What made the experience of listening to The Hangman's Song the most enjoyable?

I love the voice of Ian Hanmore. Without him, the story would be one that I would enjoy, but I think that he is perfect for this role.

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoy reading about crime and detection. However, I felt that the criminal here was obvious, from the point at which her character was introduced, so I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought i would.

What does Ian Hanmore bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Ian Hanmore brings the book alive. Without his voice, I may just have given up on this one, once I had worked it out.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No! It's an odd question for this book.

Any additional comments?

Let's have more Inspector McLean, but let's make him more credible next time-stop whinging!

The Hangman's Song Or The Familiar Knows!

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Good read and quality writing shows through. Like sitting in comfortable armchair and letting the story flow over you.

Good!

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