by Ian Rankin
Part of Inspector Rebus, book 10.5
First published 2000
Inspector John Rebus receives an unexpected phone call from a woman he once knew in high school. She needs his help. Her son has disappeared, and the last anyone saw of him was at a bar connected to local gangsters. Rebus accepts the case and begins tracking the young man through Edinburgh's darker neighborhoods. The investigation leads him far from the city's tourist attractions into a world of criminals and their prey. As Rebus navigates this dangerous terrain, he moves through a modern Edinburgh that exists alongside the historic streets visitors know. The search forces him to confront both the immediate danger facing the missing teenager and his own understanding of the city he calls home. The case becomes more than a simple missing person investigation as Rebus discovers the complex web of crime that operates beneath Edinburgh's surface.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: investigation, redemption
Setting: Edinburgh
Period: modern
73 pages · Hardcover · Minotaur Books