First look: A Fever of the Blood

Look what’s arrived, all wrapped up, but not exactly for Christmas. It’s got some kind of Victorian flyer with it, and a mysterious black feather.

Our forensics team have determined that it’s not an authentic flyer, but the design does look mighty accomplished, and it forewarns of a new book by Oscar de Muriel – the second in his series featuring the rough-edged Scots detective Nine-Nails McGrey and the altogether more snobbish Inspector Ian Frey. A Fever of the Blood lands 11 February and we reviewed the previous book Strings of Murder here and interviewed the author here.

Like the first book in the series, A Fever of the Blood has an impressive cover design – all blood and darkness. That feather hints towards a touch of witchcraft in the storyline, which is set in 1889 and involves a murder in an Edinburgh lunatic asylum followed by the hunt for the killer, who has escaped into the Scottish winter. Before the murder, the culprit was heard in conversation with a girl who had been mute for years… You can pre-order yours on Amazon.

The back cover continues to mimic the carnival tone of the Victorian flyer that came with the book.