Dead Men's Bones

DI Tony McLean, DS Bob Laird, and DC Stuart MacBride have been called out to a remote ravine where the body of a highly tattooed man has been found in a fast flowing river.  However, when McLean gets back to HQ, Detective Superintendent Duguid assigns him the task of investigating the apparent murder and suicide of an MSP.

McLean selects DS Kirsty Ritchie to help him.  When they get to the scene of the crime, McLean finds his old mentor, Detective Superintendent Jack Tennant in charge. One would think that it is a simple open and shut case, but Duguid wants more.  Meantime, McLean finds out from the post-mortem that all the tattoos on the first victim are less than a month old.

Working two cases is going to keep McLean and his team busy.  McLean and Ritchie discover that the MSP's city house has been gone through, his computer wiped clean and his filing cabinet rifled.  That evening when he arrives home, he finds a man from the secret service waiting for him.  The man tells him to not give up on the MSP's case.  The following day, Duguid tells him to close the case.

DNA provides a name for the tattooed man.  He is ex-army.  McLean is also now sure where the man went into the river; at a nearby former asylum.  When he goes to it, it is in the process of being torn down.  Later, the body of the tattoo artist likely responsible for the tattooed man is discovered.  Burns on his lips appear to be the same as those on the lips of the MSP.  On top of that, MacBride finds a connection between the MSP and the asylum.

What to make of the connections?  How can McLean protect himself and his team from the powers that be as they go through their investigations?  Once again, author James Oswald has put together a fast paced action thriller.  A good read.