Frey & McGray Books in Order
Part ofOscar de Muriel Books in OrderSee the Frey & McGray series by Oscar de Muriel in order, with book summaries, Victorian mystery background, and clear where-to-start advice.
Last updated: June 7, 2026
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Publication Order
9 books
The Hunt
by Oscar de Muriel
2015
A brief companion story set between the first two Frey & McGray novels, with Ian Frey back among his family during a Christmas hunt. The mystery is smaller, but it sharpens Frey's bruised pride and background.
The Strings of Murder
by Oscar de Muriel
2015
In 1888 Edinburgh, a violinist is murdered in a locked room after playing a melody linked to the devil. Inspector Ian Frey is sent north and paired with the occult-minded, infuriating Nine-Nails McGray.
A Fever of the Blood
by Oscar de Muriel
2016
On New Year's Day 1889, an asylum patient escapes as a nurse lies dying. Frey and McGray chase him through a brutal blizzard toward Pendle Hill, where witch legends and old conspiracies refuse to stay buried.
A Mask of Shadows
by Oscar de Muriel
2017
When a production of *Macbeth* comes to Edinburgh, bloody prophecies and a possible banshee stalk the stage. Frey and McGray investigate Henry Irving, Ellen Terry, Bram Stoker, and a theatre full of motives.
The Loch of the Dead
by Oscar de Muriel
2018
A threatened young heir draws Frey and McGray to remote Loch Maree and the secretive Koloman family. The promise of a cure for McGray's sister makes the case personal, even before murder darkens the loch.
The Darker Arts
by Oscar de Muriel
2019
Madame Katerina hosts a séance for Edinburgh's wealthy elite, and by morning nearly everyone is dead. McGray believes his clairvoyant friend is innocent, but he and Frey need proof before the gallows claims her.
The Dance of the Serpents
by Oscar de Muriel
2020
In December 1889, Frey and McGray are summoned by the Prime Minister and learn Queen Victoria wants them dead. Their only chance is a perilous mission tied to Pendle witches, McGray's sister, and royal secrets.
The Falling Shroud
by Oscar de Muriel
2020
A wintry, ghoulish Frey & McGray poem written for the detectives' fifth anniversary. It is a small companion piece, more a mood-setting bonus than a full investigation.
The Sign of the Devil
by Oscar de Muriel
2022
A grave robbery uncovers a corpse marked with the devil's sign, and the same symbol appears after a murder in the asylum. With Amy McGray under suspicion, retired Ian Frey returns for one last case.
Series background & context
The Frey & McGray series is Oscar de Muriel's run of Victorian gothic mysteries, beginning with The Strings of Murder. The setup is simple, and very useful: Inspector Ian Frey, a polished London detective, is sent to Edinburgh in 1888 and paired with Adolphus 'Nine-Nails' McGray, a Scottish detective who is far more willing to believe in ghosts, curses, witches, and anything else that makes Frey roll his eyes.
It is an odd-couple setup, and it knows it.
Frey is neat, status-conscious, and determined to keep one foot in reason. McGray is loud, blunt, often impossible, and haunted by a family tragedy involving his sister Amy, nicknamed Pansy. That past is not just decoration. It explains why McGray is so drawn to cases that appear to touch the occult, and it gives the series a longer emotional thread beneath the murders, jokes, and bad weather.
Most of the books start with a crime that looks impossible or supernatural. A violinist is killed in a locked room in The Strings of Murder. A chase through asylum rumours and witch lore drives A Fever of the Blood. A Mask of Shadows moves into the theatre world as a production of Macbeth seems to attract bloody prophecies. Later books bring in remote Highland legends, deadly séances, Pendle witch history, and a final case that circles back to McGray's family.
Edinburgh matters here. De Muriel uses the city as a place of fog, stone, music halls, police offices, asylum corridors, and social tension. The series also travels, especially to Pendle Hill, Loch Maree, and other places where local history can turn into a murderer's camouflage. The tone is dark and playful at the same time. There is violence and grief, but there is also constant verbal sparring between two men who would deny they are friends for as long as possible.
Read the main novels in order if you can. The mysteries have their own shapes, but the partnership, McGray's family story, and Frey's slow softening all build from book to book. The Hunt and The Falling Shroud are short companion pieces for readers who want the extra material, while The Sign of the Devil is written as the closing Frey & McGray case.
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