The Darker Arts (A Frey & McGray Mystery) Kindle Edition

this is the third novel in the series , and I think the author has really hit his stride . Funny scary and complex . Definable you recommend it , but I would start with the first novel and read them in order .

Love this series. Could not put it down went from book 1to book 6.

another in the series. keeps the narrative going, but not a "stay up to read" story.

I've read all of the other books in this series and I have to say this one was the best. I was hooked from start to finish. I had to find out how it ended. Thank you for writing such an entertaining series of books!

This is one of my favorite series. Each book that is written gets better every time. I love the characters. I love the witchcraft. Hope we don’t have to wait very long for the next adventure.

An incredible story and a great author. Excellent read, he is now one of my favorites!

This is the fifth in the mystery series set in 1890s Edinburgh and starring Odd Couple detectives Adolphus “Nine-Nails” McGray (a rough-and-ready police inspector who got his nickname because he lost a finger in a tragic event in his childhood) and Ian Frey (a well-to-do, rather prissy English counterpart whom McGray disparagingly calls “Percy”). Although I hadn’t read any other books in the series, I was drawn to this one because its plot featured a séance, in which six of the seven attendees are suddenly and mysteriously killed, leaving only the medium alive. The medium, Katerina, is an old friend of McGray’s, but to the public she’s an evil “gypsy” and must surely be guilty of the crime. Indeed, she is convicted of it and sentenced to hang, but of course McGray, and eventually Frey as well, are convinced that she is innocent.I normally read series books in the order in which they were written, and I often regretted breaking my rule in this case, because there were many references to events in previous books that would have considerably improved my grasp of the characters if I had understood them. The relationships among the family members involved in the séance (directly or indirectly) were also a bit hard to keep track of, though de Muriel helpfully did provide a charted family tree. However, I definitely liked Katerina, and I came to be fond of McGray and, eventually, even of Frey—who, oddly, felt like the least developed or interesting of the main characters, even though he was the narrator. There was nice dry humor in some of the dialogue, too… and the climactic set of scenes, though in some respects rather improbable (if not downright Over the Top), was a first-class nail biter. Racing against some sort of deadline is common in mysteries, but this one really gets it down to the minute, if not the second! The occult element related to the séance was suggested but not pushed; you can take it or leave it.In short, I would recommend this book to those who like classic mysteries with good characters and some unusual elements… but I would also recommend starting the series at the beginning.

Ever been interested in participating in a seance? well, that’s what you do in this book. There’s one held at the start for a rich Edinburgh family and they want answers from the dead…A medium is employed for the dark task, and the evening is set up. Table, candles and an offering to give to the dead person. Then they begin.In the morning, all but one of the people in the room are dead – the medium. So, a clear and cut case, right? Not so fast….A sceance. Six guests and the medium. The next day only the medium is alive and she states that she is innocent and woke up to a scene of carnage. No one believes her but it’s up to Frey and McGray to sort it all out.And they do – from the investigation to the trial to the denouement, they race around Edinburgh and further afield to sort out what appears to be a matter of the dark arts, the occult and a confession that a dark hand appeared to float above the table just before the lights went out.The chill factor is there from the start as is the confusion of the locked room mystery. There seems to be no suspects or clues as to what could have happened. The scene of the crime, the house of the victims, the home of someone far away from the city – the author evokes all locations and the atmosphere really well and I’m sure as I turned each page, a little puff of mist wafted in the air..A suitably creepy read in the vein of the best locked room Christie style mysteries. The ending and denouement is interesting! Don’t read the author note at the end of the book before the story whatever you do! Spoilers galore of course. Wait until you read the novel and then use it to wander the streets BookTrail style!And the best bit? Frey and McGray’s banter and annoyance with each other. I just can’t enough of these two and their working relationship. There’s some very funny scenes when one drags the other from their bed and gapes at the many suitcases he has. Then there’s the trying to outdo each other, the snide remarks about the medium and the seance, the love of food and drink and the general Scottish vernacular and sense of humour.Oh a joy in other words. All in all, I was immersed inside a world of the dark arts, witchery goings on and the locked room mystery with a twist!

I love this series. The Darker Arts did not disappoint. The two main characters spark, Frey and McGray, off one another whilst the plot twists and turns, then twists and turns again around them. I for one did not expect the outcome. Brilliant!

The Darker Arts was yet another enjoyable story in the Frey and McGray series. Excellent writing as always and a riveting plot kept me glued to the story. Onwards to the next book in the series.

Great read, bought the first in series to read from beginning. Being in Edinburgh added to the novel as I knew the places mentioned and been in some.

Fabulous

Love Frey and Mcgray series of novels x