Oscar de Muriel

Redemption Through Fire: A Triumphant Farewell

I’m currently reading books from the depths of my Kobo - things that haven’t been on my radar for a long time or which I was afraid to read. “The Sign of the Devil” by Óscar de Muriel was one from the latter category.

The previous two instalments simply stank: bland stories, bad writing, character regressions instead of development — it was Murphy’s Law materialised as a book.
And yet, I needed closure — “all will be revealed”, show more de Muriel promised for this final novel in his Frey and McGray series.

To my immense surprise, not only did he keep his promise, but he actually wrote a fast-paced, interesting, suspenseful, yes, even thrilling swan song for both his eponymous protagonists and even some side characters. First among the latter is, of course, Ms. Amy “Pansy” McGray (nothing will be revealed here, though!).

Like the phoenix from the ashes, de Muriel rises and shines: The writing is finally engaging again, the story expands at breakneck speed which is extremely fitting as this time, it’s — sometimes literally — a race against time, and Frey is back at the top of his game and changed by it…

»‘And I am sure Nine-Nails will be a bottomless pit of information on the odd and ghostly!’
‘Do not say it so disparagingly. You must know almost as much as he does by now.’
‘Hardly,’ I lied, the ingredients for a witch’s bottle at once coming to mind.«

… whereas McGray finally starts developing a character that doesn’t comprise just his signature “Och nae”.

»McGray poked my sternum quite harshly. ‘Don’t milk it, Percy. I ken yer balls’ve finally dropped, but patience is nae my strongest suit.’«

Much of what made me like the early novels is back, and the lengths, illogical and nonsensical actions are gone. We’re back to something that actually resembles (to some positive extent) a police procedural with a better balance between science and the “supernatural”.

This is one of the kinds of farewells that I for one wish for: for the characters, the readers, and, of course, the author. For any fan of this series, this is most certainly a must-read. For newcomers, start with the first novel, make sure to ignore the mere existence of books five and six, and head to this seventh one instead. Nothing of value, story-wise, will be lost.

For me, this book is very likely the last one by Óscar de Muriel I’ll ever read since his inclusion of the “supernatural” in the first place always was a gripe of mine and, ultimately, neither his writing nor his stories entice me enough to keep up with whatever he’s going to write next.

Still, this novel garners a full five stars out of five.

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Tenía ganas de leer este libro desde que lo vi en la Feria del libro de mi ciudad el año pasado, tardé mucho en llegar a él y después de leerlo no puedo evitar pensar "pero como he podido tardar tanto"

Ian Fray, un inglés tan flemático como puede ser, tiene que viajar a Edimburgo, con un encargo especial de parte del mismo primer Ministro, ha de ir a investigar un asesinato sangriento y escalofriante y tiene que hacerlo de la manera más secreta posible, para ello, lo mandan a trabajar show more bajo las órdenes del inspector McGray en la subdivisión de la "Comisión para la Elucidación de Casos Relacionados con lo Oculto y Fantasmal".

Decir que el libro no me ha defraudado en absoluto es decir poco, tiene una historia extraordinaria, un ritmo buenísimo, unos personajes que te ganan al segundo uno, un sentido del humor maravilloso, un thriller que atrapa y todo enmarcado en el más estricto ambiente gótico.

McGray no puede ser más diferente a Fray, un Escocés de pura cepa, vulgar, mal vestido, mal hablado, odia a los ingleses tanto como Fray odia a los escocés, cree tanto en lo sobrenatural como Fray no cree.

Así comienza esta investigación secreta y peculiar, juntando a dos personajes tan diferentes como adorables y juntos lo son más, las pullas que se echan me hicieron la semana ¡Geniales!.

Es innegable la influencia de Allan Poe, entre lo gótico, un asesinato de habitación cerrada, la época y por supuesto su mención en el libro, sin embargo y a pesar de esta influencia, el estilo narrativo de Oscar de Muriel es muy original, brillante, te atrapa, tiene un ritmo sorprendente, con un sentido del humor muy peculiar, eso sí, se nota que el escritor es mexicano, tiene muchos localismos a la hora de traducir el inglés escocés y lo soez de McGray, a mí me ha gustado esto, lo he encontrado cercano y fácil.

Los asesinatos son imaginativos, creativos y sorprendentes, la investigación es bastante peculiar y el desenlace del caso sencillamente es manejado magistralmente, mientras que en el transcurso del libro nos va entregando pistas que nos hace creer quién es el posible asesino, da un giro inesperado que lleva la investigación hacia un final que yo no me esperaba.

Es una historia redonda por donde se le mire y muero por leer la continuación y no perder de vista a este par de personajes maravillosos. show less

Oscar de Muriel brings back the cantankerous "Nine-Nails" McGray and his colleague, Inspector Ian Frey, in the historical thriller, "A Mask of Shadows." Sir Henry Irving and Ellen Terry travel from London to Edinburgh in 1889. They will play the leads in the Scottish Play (it is bad luck to say "Macbeth" except during a performance). We also encounter Bram Stoker, Irving's theater manager and close friend, who is best known for his classic creation, "Dracula." De Muriel's mystery involves an show more unidentified perpetrator who is leaving ominous notes written in blood that may portend a future murder. In addition, a wail that sounds like the cry of a banshee encourages Nine-Nails, who is a student of the occult, to believe that something supernatural might be plaguing this production. Frey scorns McGray's otherworldly beliefs as nonsensical; he seeks a more down-to-earth explanation for the weird happenings that occur prior to opening night.

The author is an accomplished descriptive writer who ably depicts Ellen Terry's elegance, talent, and hauteur; Henry Irving's selfishness, stubbornness, and pomposity; and Bram Stoker's slavish devotion to Irving, who anticipates a theatrical triumph that will earn standing ovations. The passages that show what goes on behind the scenes are outstanding. We learn about the Herculean effort--fraught with danger--that is required to create special effects involving the witches' cauldron, a severed head, and a lightning-filled sky. In addition, painstaking work goes into sewing and repairing Terry's costume that is adorned with, of all things, beetle wings. The plot of the novel, alas, is a melodramatic hodgepodge, in which acts of violence are fueled by rage, a desire for vengeance, and greed.

McGray is a dependable source of humor. He dresses like a clown, uses profanities liberally, threatens anyone who annoys him, and treats Frey with undisguised contempt. Frey angrily retaliates, but since the two are partners, they are forced to cooperate. The pair's mission is to protect Terry, Irving, and Stoker from whoever is planning to do them harm. Although "A Mask of Shadows" provides an atmospheric and entertaining look at famous, talented, and deeply flawed characters, it succeeds more as a colorful and amusing period piece than it does as a whodunit. show less

The chilling opening scene of "A Fever of the Blood," by Oscar de Muriel, is set in 1624. Six witches are about to be hanged in Lancaster, England: "Dressed in rags, their faces soiled, their hair grey and greasy, they were the very image of wickedness…." The story then fast-forwards to Edinburgh in the 1880s. The rich and influential Lady Anne Ardglass has arranged for her son, Lord Joel, to be sent to an asylum. Joel's loving daughter, Caroline, is heartbroken, but powerless to stop her show more grandmother from doing as she pleases.

The heroes are Adolphus McGray, an ill-mannered, scruffy, profane, hard-drinking and hot-tempered policeman, and his beleaguered colleague, thirty-one year old Ian Frey, who left the British CID under a cloud. Adolphus, known as "Nine-Nails" thanks to a missing finger, gets a kick out of impugning Frey's courage, strength, and manhood. Another source of friction between the two is Nine-Nails' tenacious belief in the occult, while Frey scorns all things supernatural. The detectives embark on a wild chase in pursuit of a killer bent on vengeance. McGray and Frey have few clues aside from vague witness statements, strange artifacts that turn up, and a cryptic comment by McGray's younger sister, Pansy.

"A Fever of the Blood" starts out promisingly, but eventually becomes a frenzied and perplexing hodgepodge. At one time or another, their foes beat, stab, shoot, and burn Nine-Nails and Frey, but these two gluttons for punishment dust themselves off and resume their quest (Frey is fed up, but goes along anyway). They are determined to uncover the secrets of the Ardglass clan, but will have to fend off the forces of evil that threaten to crush them. The book's fatal flaws are its thinly drawn albeit colorful characters and an outlandish and melodramatic plot. To his credit, de Muriel successfully creates an atmosphere of doom that is occasionally offset by hints of humor. Had the author eliminated some superfluous subplots and imbued his novel with more logic and coherence, this might have been an intriguing historical thriller. show less