James Oswald

James Oswald is the author of the Inspector McLean series of detective mysteries. The first two of these, Natural Causes and The Book of Souls were both short-listed for the prestigious CWA Debut Dagger Award. Set in an Edinburgh not so different to the one we all know, Detective Inspector Tony McLean is the unlucky policeman who can see beneath the surface of ordinary criminal life to the dark, menacing evil that lurks beneath.

James has also written a classic fantasy series, The Ballad of Sir Benfro, which will be appearing in Kindle editions soon. Inspired by the language and folklore of Wales, it follows the adventures of a young dragon, Sir Benfro, in a land where his kind have been hunted near to extinction by men.

James has lived in England, Scotland and Wales long enough to qualify for any of their rugby teams, but not Ireland yet - he gets in there through his maternal grandfather. He has pursued a varied career - from Wine Merchant to International Carriage Driving Course Builder via Call Centre Operative and professional Sheep Shit Sampler (true). He currently lives in a large caravan inside a Dutch Barn in Fife, with four dogs and (alas) no cats. He farms Highland cows and Romney sheep by day, writes disturbing fiction by night.