by Ian Rankin
Part of Inspector Rebus, book 10
First published 2001
Detective John Rebus drowns his troubles in whiskey as Edinburgh's shadows close in around him. A fellow officer has taken his own life. Child predators stalk the city's streets. A young victim has vanished without a trace. A killer strikes repeatedly, leaving bodies in his wake. Rebus searches for patterns that connect these crimes, though his superiors doubt his theories. The veteran detective moves between Edinburgh's poorest neighborhoods and its wealthy districts, following leads that others dismiss. His instincts tell him these cases link together in ways that aren't immediately obvious. At home, Rebus confronts a personal nightmare that whiskey cannot numb. His daughter may never walk again. The injury weighs on him as heavily as any unsolved case. Through sleepless nights and long days of investigation, Rebus pursues a web of corruption and concealed wrongdoing. He knows that solving these crimes means more than delivering justice to victims. His own survival depends on uncovering the truth.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: detective-fiction, personal-struggle, web-of-deceit
Setting: Edinburgh
Period: contemporary
320 pages · Paperback · Orion
Content warnings: alcohol-abuse, depression, suicide