by Ian Rankin
Part of Inspector Rebus, book 14
First published 2005
Inspector John Rebus arrives at a crime scene that hits close to home. A former Army soldier has gunned down two teenagers before taking his own life. The shooting tears through a Scottish community already fraying at the edges. Rebus, himself an ex-military man, finds himself drawn to understand what drove the killer over the edge. But he's not the only one asking questions. Army investigators descend on the case and refuse to back down, suggesting the dead man's military past holds secrets they want buried. The killer left behind a web of friends and enemies, each with their own version of the truth. Meanwhile, Rebus carries his own baggage. He's just been released from the hospital under mysterious circumstances he won't discuss. His silence becomes more troubling when questions arise about a recent house fire and the suspicious death of a criminal who had been threatening his partner Siobhan Clarke. As the investigation deepens, Rebus must confront whether his personal demons are connected to the violence around him.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Scotland
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
440 pages · Paperback · Orion
Content warnings: violence