Synopses & Reviews
The leaders of the free world descend on Scotland for an international conference, and every cop in the country is needed for front-line duty...except one. John Rebus's reputation precedes him, and his bosses don't want him anywhere near Presidents Bush and Putin, which explains why he's manning an abandoned police station when a call comes in.
During a preconference dinner at Edinburgh Castle, a delegate has fallen to his death. Accident, suicide, or something altogether more sinister? And is it linked to a grisly find close to the site of the gathering? Are the world's most powerful men at risk from a killer? While the government and secret services attempt to hush the whole thing up, Rebus knows he has only seventy-two hours to find the answers.
Review
"A book with this many plot elements risks becoming amorphous and overcomplicated. But Mr. Rankin doesn't get lost that way. In his backhanded, reluctant way Rebus winds up uniting all the book's loose ends, and seeing how he accomplishes this is a pleasure." Janet Maslin, The New York Times
Review
"Because Rankin is at the top of his game, the minor plot maneuvers are every bit as entertaining as the detectives' pursuit of a killer....[A] grand tour of the landscape of revenge and suspense." The Oregonian
Review
"[A] solidly suspenseful mystery tale....Not only do we get to see several familiar faces from earlier Rebus installments but these characters are developed in a most satisfactory way....Strongly recommended." Library Journal
Review
"Rankin keeps his 18th novel in this series a clearly focused piece of crime fiction enhanced by his usual keen character studies....A maze of human emotions seen against the backdrop of the Scottish landscape proves, once again, Rankin's considerable talent." South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Review
"[Rankin] unifies character, place and plot with a restrained energy and a fierce elegance....[I]f this book is any indication, the old is not going quietly into the good night." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Review
"While the mystery is contrived and pushed to the max of credulity, the account of the early days of July 2005 culminating in the July 7 terrorist transit bombings in London are compelling reading." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Synopsis
World leaders descend on Scotland for an international conference. During a dinner at Edinburgh Castle, a delegate falls to his death. While authorities attempt to keep the incident quiet, Inspector Rebus has only 72 hours to find the answers.