The Dance of the Serpents

'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...

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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