by Ian Rankin
Part of Inspector Rebus, book 23
First published 2020
A midnight call shatters John Rebus's sleep. His daughter Samantha's voice carries terrible news: her husband has disappeared for two days. Rebus knows the statistics. In missing person cases, spouses become prime suspects. He failed Samantha as a father, always putting police work before family. Now she needs him desperately. Rebus drives through dawn toward Scotland's windswept coast, where a small town harbors dangerous secrets. His dual nature creates an impossible conflict. Does he go as a protective father or as a detective trained to uncover truth? For perhaps the first time in his career, Rebus dreads what his investigation might reveal. The case forces him to confront his greatest fear: that finding the truth could destroy the daughter he's already let down too many times.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: father-daughter-relationship, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Scotland
328 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company