Dead Men's Bones (Inspector Mclean 4) (34 page)

Much
has happened in the time between writing
The Hangman’s Song
and this book. For one thing, the many separate police regions in Scotland have all been merged into one – the inspirationally named Police Scotland. My stories may have the occasional thing that goes bump in the night in them, but they are set in a reasonable facsimile of the here and now, and that needs to be reflected in the way Tony McLean’s job has changed.

I am hugely indebted to Kaye Norman, who voluntarily condensed down the mountains of documentation on the change into something I could understand. David Erskine has been of invaluable help too, and to both of them I offer a heartfelt thanks.

Which is not to say that the Police Scotland in my books is a perfect example of how the real Police Scotland works. These are stories – fiction – and I have frequently changed things to suit the needs of the book. That’s my excuse when I get something wrong, and I’m sticking to it.

Of course, none of this would have happened without my agent, the indefatigable Juliet Mushens. Or without the great team at Penguin: Alex, Bea, Katya, Tim, Charlotte and all the rest. A big thank you to you all, and to my early-draft readers, Heather Bain, Keir Allen and my brother, Duncan.

And to Barbara, thanks for being there.

Published by the Penguin Group
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Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London
WC2R 0RL
, England

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First published in Penguin Books 2014

Copyright © James Oswald 2014

Cover images: House © John Woodworth / Getty Images, Image of fallen tree © Dan Jurak / Masterfile

All rights reserved

The moral right of the author has been asserted

Typeset by Jouve (UK), Milton Keynes

ISBN: 978-1-405-91710-0