by Ian Rankin
Part of Inspector Rebus, book 2
First published 1997
A drug addict turns up dead in a rundown Edinburgh apartment. The authorities write it off as just another overdose, but Detective Inspector John Rebus refuses to let the case slide. He starts digging beneath Edinburgh's polished tourist veneer and uncovers layers of corruption, betrayal, and moral rot. While everyone else shows complete indifference to the victim's fate, Rebus becomes increasingly convinced this was no accidental death. The investigation draws him deeper into the city's criminal underworld, where he encounters a dangerous attraction that speaks to his own troubled psyche. As Rebus peels back the respectable facade of Scotland's capital, he finds himself the only person willing to seek justice for someone society has already forgotten.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, moral-ambiguity, social-commentary
Setting: Edinburgh, Scotland
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
210 pages · Mass Market Paperback · St. Martin's Paperbacks
Content warnings: drug-use