#adolphus nine-nails mcgray

[rustic-ghoul]

I love picturing actors as Book characters to help visualise the story.

I’ve adored reading the Frey & McGray series and have finally got my main characters so here we go :

Inspector Ian Percival Frey

With the equal amount of bitchy sass and traumatic angst :

Inspector Adolphus ‘Nine-Nails’ McGray

With the equal amount of rugged rouge and cheeky softy :

Uncle Maurice

With the equal amounts of mischievously brash, galavanting gentleman and heartbreaking tender support system :

[storms-of-lastweek]

Wanted to practice horses today, what better way to do that than paint the lovely Rye and Phillipa!

[bluebrrsnmtint]

Inspired by the song “When Somebody Needs You” from he Camp Here & There soundtrack, by Will Wood

[mrsmcgray]

So, up to The Darker Arts (I haven’t read The Dance of the Serpents), this is my hot take of their relationship.

Minor spoilers? Idk, I tried not to be explicit but do be careful.

The Strings of Murder

They first meet, and they kinda like each other but hate each other at the same time. The beginning of the enemies to lovers trope.

A fever of the blood

They started dating. Frey realizing he would follow McGray to the end of the world and knowing how much he means to him.

The Mask of Shadows

They’re married here, the first scene where Bram Stoker approaches them, honesty, that’s a married couple. Frey had nothing to do there yet he was there because McGray was “unmanageable”.

Loch of the Dead

That’s a couple who are so deeply in love, they trust each other, they know the other very well, they start to catch some stuff the other does (Frey understanding the Scottish accent). But also, McGray supporting Frey. They work really well together they can go separated ways and get things done.

The Darker Arts

As the sun of Mexico, great Luis Miguel would say: La incondicional (the unconditional if you don’t speak Spanish). Frey does everything in his hand to help McGray, they like spending time together after work. This is a married couple who just want to retire and live a peaceful life together

Honestly, if OdM doesn’t make them canon already.

[ninewitchycats]

I can’t get out off my mind this scene I would like to read/write: Ian being drunk and then thinking the lyrics of Jupither’s cover “I kissed a boy”. Then Eugenia being utterly mad at Ian and saying something like: well I was gonna tell you that I’m dating your brother anyway.

But I’m not very good at writing, fuck. Should I?

[sicknessglory]

matching icons for ye and yer london lassie

[ysabeau-valikov]

Guess I gotta make more fanart to fix my version of mcgray. How tragic

[nemtheanga]

I’d like to introduce you to Adolphus ‘Nine-Nails’ McGray who, without a shadow of a doubt, is still both the absolute love of my life and, yet, also me.

[annarellix]

The Sign of the Devil by Oscar de Muriel (Frey & McGray #7)

The Devil Has Come to Edinburgh…

An ill-fated grave-robbery unearths a corpse with a most disturbing symbol on it. The very same sign is daubed in blood on the walls of Edinburgh’s lunatic asylum, on the night that one of the patients is murdered. The mark in question? The mark of the devil.

The prime suspect: Amy McGray, the asylum’s most infamous inmate, a young woman who has grown up behind bars after she killed her parents many years ago. Her brother, Detective ‘Nine-Nails’ McGray, knows the evidence is stacked against her. To prove her innocence, he needs the help of an old friend… Inspector Ian Frey insists he is retired. But when called upon, he reluctantly agrees to their final case.

Because this is the case in which all will be revealed – as twists follow bombshells on the way to the secrets that have been waiting in the shadows…

Book page: https://www.orionbooks.co.uk/titles/oscar-de-muriel/the-sign-of-the-devil/9781409187707/

My Review: The end of a series it's always a bitter-sweet moment and if you loved the characters it may be hard to say good bye. I discovered this series using Netgalley and fell hard for the "strange couple" Ian Frey and Adolphus "Nine Nails" McGray. They're a perfect match in a sort of positivism vs occultism and this differences made them a very effective couple of detective. They're also complex person and there's always a fun side that makes me smile. As this was the final story part of me wanted to read it very fast and part of me was reluctant to say goodbye. I thoroughly enjoyed this twisty and gripping novel, it surprised me and kept me hooked. It's a gothic novel with plenty of humour. We get to know what happened and all the mysteries were solved in a very satisfying way. I loved this series and think it was one the most entertaining in the historical mystery field. I can't wait to read the next book by Oscar de Muriel and I'm sure I won't be disappointed. This gripping and entertaining novel is strongly recommended. Many thanks to Orion and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The Author; Oscar de Muriel was born in Mexico City where he began writing stories aged seven, and later came to the UK to complete a PhD in Chemistry. Whilst working as a translator and playing the violin, the idea for a spooky whodunnit series came to him and Nine-Nails McGray was born. Oscar has now written four Frey and McGray titles and splits his time between Manchester and Mexico City.

Website: http://www.oscardemuriel.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/OscardeMuriel Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/odemuriel/ Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8584678.Oscar_de_Muriel

[flutteringazure]

When the author just straight up says “there were some rumours that Bram Stoker was a little bit in love with Henry Irving, so that will thicken the plot.”

[rustic-ghoul]

I have finally finished ‘The Sign of the Devil’ book along with the Frey & McGray book series…I have thoroughly enjoyed book series and will recommend it to anyone.

But anyway, I started my visual casting for this series but never finished so here we go (I am aware some of these visuals don’t match the entire book descriptions but I don’t care)…(I am also very aware of the cast crossover being heavy on the good omens cast 😁 I like what I like) …this is who I picture as these characters :

Inspector Ian Percival Frey

Detective Adolphus Nine-Nails McGray

Caroline Ardglass

Amy ‘Pansy’ McGray

Lady Anne Ardglass

Uncle Maurice

Superintendent Trevelyan

Dr Clouston

Fiscal Pratt

[dandelionthoughts]

A Backstory Of The Frey & McGray Books & Review Of ‘Loch Of The Dead’.

So, this blog is more about my writing, rather than critiquing other's writing. But, I have just finished, probably my favourite book in the Frey & McGray series by Oscar De Muriel, and if I don't get down my thoughts on it, I might explode. I shall start by detailing my finding of the Frey & McGray series, and a little backstory into the books. I will apologise, I didn’t know that when I started writing this it would turn out so long, over 1500 words! This review will contain some spoilers, but most of them are from the beginnings of the books anyway, but I implore you, please, have a look into reading the books, more people need to find out about this incredible book series.

I distinctly remember browsing the shelves in the book section of my local Sainsburys, now I'm not normally one to judge a book by it's cover, but I saw the cover of the first Frey & McGray book, 'The Strings Of Murder', and I fell in love. I usually read the blurb, and the first few pages to get a grasp of whether I'll like the book. I read the blurb, and I instantly wanted to know more, so I read the prologue, and again, I wanted to carry on reading, and so I bought it, and I haven't regretted it since. The series has fast become my favourite series, I did have another, but that was spoilt due to a film made of it, which in my eyes has rendered the sequels from the first book useless. The second Frey & McGray book was released a year later, 'A Fever Of The Blood', and reading the synopsis on Amazon, I saw that it was set at Pendle Hill, not far from where I live, and a place I have been countless times. As you may know Pendle is synonymous with the Lancashire Witches, one of which, Alice Nutter, I am  (according to my father's cousin) related to by marriage some where along the line. Needless to say, I was ecstatic about it being set so close to home, and I was delighted to have something in common with Frey's maid, Joan, she came from my hometown. Not that there's much to be proud of in my town, but to know someone, even fictionally, who is such a strong character is from my town, was great. The third book was announced, 'A Mask Of Shadows', and when I saw the news on twitter, I said 'I screamed like a banshee', and the author, Oscar, tweeted back saying it was funny I mentioned that. The third book told the tale of prophecies from a banshee, during the time Henry Irving, Ellen Terry and Bram Stoker were in Edinburgh with their rendition of Macbeth. Now we come to the fourth book, which I will review in just a moment, I know this has been long so far, but please, bear with me.  

The series is set in November 1888 at the start of the first book, and the two main characters of the series are, Ian Percy Frey, and Adolphus 'Nine-Nails' McGray. Ian is a Londoner, or a 'Southron' as McGray calls him, he comes from a well to do family, and is an Inspector for the CID. His tale began in London, where he was ousted from his post in London, due to Sir Charles Warren being ousted from his post as head of Scotland Yard by Lord Salisbury, the prime minster at the time, and James Monro taking his post. Frey was then forced to take a position in McGray's subdivision in order to keep his place in the police, the sub division itself is made a mockery by the majority of the police, the division is the 'Commission For The Elucidation Of Unsolved Cases Presumably Related To The Odd And Ghostly.' Needless to say, the prim and proper Frey, is not at all happy about being sent up to 'Edin-bloody-burgh' as his father calls it, and being in the most mocked subdivision of the entire CID. With his career in tatters, he visits his fiancée, Eugenia, who announces to him that she is calling their engagement off, due to a better offer, which Frey would later find out is his older brother Lawrence, whom he detests. With nothing left to lose, he embarks to Edinburgh, where he soon meets, the infamous 'Nine-Nails' McGray.

McGray is as Scottish as they come, on their first meeting, Frey describes McGray as being one of Mary Queen of Scots jesters, as apart from his moth eaten overcoat, and tattered shirt, he is covered in tartan. McGray's backstory is a rather tragic one, his father a distiller of whiskey, and on June 23rd 1883, on a family holiday to their home in Dundee, tragedy struck when his younger sister, Amy 'Pansy' McGray, then only 16 years old, in a spate of madness, murdered both of their parents, and hacked McGray's ring finger off on his right hand, hence his nickname. When the good Dr. Clouston, the doctor from Morningside Lunatic Asylum in Edinburgh came to the family after the tragedy, the last thing Amy said, was that it was the devil who had caused her violent outburst. Since the tragedy, she has resided in Morningside, apart from in the 3rd & 4th book, when Dr. Clouston took her to the Orkneys to try and improve her condition after the events of the 2nd book, where she was witness to a rather brutal murder. Since, the McGrays are a laughing stock, and everyone takes the opportunity to remind Adolphus of his mad sister, or what happened, which is usually met with a swift punch to the face from McGray. Since the tragedy, McGray has poured all of his efforts into finding a cure for his sister, so much so, that he created the division he and Frey work in, and has entirely funded it himself. His office at both home and work is full of books, and artefacts related to the paranormal.

Frey & McGray's relationship is a rather ragged one at the start, Frey not liking McGray's vulgarity, his uncleanliness, and his predilection for violence. McGray on the other hand can't stand the soft southron he has been partnered with, and winds him up at every opportunity. The relationship, and banter between them both, is one of the strongest suits of the series, though they are starting to come to a mutual understanding.

Now, we move on, briefly, to the events of the 4th book. McGray has gone to visit his sister in the Orkneys, and Frey still in Edinburgh, with his uncle, Maurice Plantard, who is one of his favourite members of his family, the other being his younger half brother, Elgie, who after the 3rd book went back down to London after appearing in the 1st book. Frey gets a visit from a Millie Fletcher, a servant of the wealthy Koloman family who reside in a elegant, extravagant manor on the shores of Loch Maree, a rather interesting loch, as within it’s waters, are a number of islands, one of which has a smaller loch inside, she comes asking to see McGray, because she believes he, and only he can help with the case, and in return, she can help cure his sister of her madness, with mystical waters from a well on Loch Maree, which are said to cure madness, and cured the madness of Mr. Nellys, who resides on Juniper Island which is in the loch. Millie had a son, 16 years ago, after being raped by Maximillian Koloman, the wayward, womanising brother of Konrad Koloman. Due to Millie being a servant in the Koloman's household, and also the child conceived out of wedlock, it was improper for her to keep the child, named Benjamin, so he was sent to Thruso to live with a priest. Millie now believes there is a serious threat against her son's life, after having a brick thrown through a window, with a note saying as much. With a few murders, and a gloomy, and mysterious setting Loch Of The Dead is quite the read.

The book, like the others is incredibly well written, De Muriel has quite a way with describing scenes so vividly, the gloomy loch, contrasts with the vibrant elegance of the Koloman’s house. He also has a knack for creating well rounded, and believable characters, describing them in great detail, giving them intriguing and believable backstories, and giving them quirks, which make them more human and relatable, like in this book, we find that McGray has debilitating sea sickness, and now has a distaste for salted herrings, and the incredibly clever, and curious twin daughters of the Kolomans, Veronika and Natalja, who have a shadows room in the house, and are interested in the science of light, and conduct experiments using different shaped prisms. The books usually keep you guessing right up until the end, with plenty of red (salted) herrings thrown in, though I had my suspicions in this one, I felt that Dominik and Calcraft were rather obvious, but I didn't count them out, I also suspected Minerva Koloman, since she is talented at medicine, and all of the wounds suffered by the victims were described as being done with surgical precision. De Muriel’s background in chemistry allows him to write the intricacies of the scientific elements in greater detail. The book also leaves a rather interesting cliffhanger, McGray had taken a sample of water from the well on the loch to take back to Edinburgh for Dr. Clouston to give to Amy. Regardless, I am very excited for the 5th book, which Oscar has said on twitter he is working on now.

[bluebrrsnmtint]

My Frey and McGray headcanons:

1. Ian Frey - Demiromantic and demisexual

2. McGray - Pansexual

3. Elgie - Gay

4. Caroline Ardglass - amgry bisexual

[mrsmcgray]

I don’t see James McAvoy as McGray but he’s my favorite Scottish man so quick idea: before renting a house, Frey found a picture of young Nine-Nails and he kept it by accident (he was probably reading a book, found it and left it as a bookmark). So when he finds it in his new house, he pins it in his cork board so he doesn’t forget to give it back but lowkey he doesn’t want to.

[ninewitchycats]

I’m asking for help, this is not a meme

[doreyg]

Chapters: 3/? Fandom: Frey & McGray Series - Oscar de Muriel Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Ian Frey/Adolphus "Nine-Nails" McGray, Adolphus "Nine-Nails" McGray/Original Male Character Characters: Adolphus "Nine-Nails" McGray, Ian Frey Additional Tags: Ficlet Collection, Victorian pornography, mistaken for a hooker, Antagonistic Flirting, Prostitution, Substitution, Pining Series: Part 4 of 2018 Ficlet Collections Summary:

A collection of any Frey and McGray ficlets I write in 2018 that are under 500 words.

New Update: McGray pines, and copes with this in an unhealthy way. McGray/OMC, McGray(/Frey)

TW: Prostitution.