by Ian Rankin
Part of Inspector Rebus, book 19
First published 2014
John Rebus returns to police work with a demotion and wounded pride. He investigates a routine car accident when word comes that authorities are reopening a three-decade-old murder case. His former colleagues from those years stand accused of letting a killer walk free to serve their own purposes. Malcolm Fox from internal affairs gets assigned to uncover what really happened. Fox approaches his final case before leaving the department. The old team called themselves "The Saints" and made their pact over something they named the Shadow Bible. Now past and present crash together as Scotland prepares for its independence referendum. Political loyalties shift and new enemies emerge. Rebus must decide what secrets he will protect and which side deserves his allegiance. The investigation threatens to expose crimes that have stayed buried for thirty years.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-allies, moral-ambiguity, past-coming-back-to-haunt
Setting: Scotland
Period: 1980s, 2010s
389 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company
Content warnings: violence