Gritty, interesting mystery peopled with an varied, excellent cast, headed by cynical, war weary Detective Inspector John Rebus of Edinburgh's crime squad.

The other police in this novel interest me -- I won't go down the list, but those who can't see why he cares about something, those who can't understand why he'd do something with so little regard to consequences are on one end -- the other end is filled by people (like Clarke) who know exactly what kind of man he is, and without approving or participating in the less-than-savory aspects his methods, can use him and them for good. Fast paced thriller, with some slap the forehead moments as you realise that you have been misdirected time and again.serving as typical language of the roughish characters forming the narrative: inspectors, establishment owners, street people, cabbies, dockers, etc. In the 12th novel in the increasingly engaging Inspector Rebus series (Knots and Crosses; Dead Souls; etc. Kudos to Rankin for the heightened drama of this police procedural beyond the usual crimes and their investigations. Another antagonist from Rebus’ past, the journalist Jim Stevens, is attempting to make a come-back by arranging an exclusive interview with Cary Oakes. After recently visiting the Edinburgh of Isabel Dalhousie in "The Careful Use of Compliments", I decided to linger a while.

Then there is the case of a missing boy who goes missing right around the time that it is discovered that Darren Rouse, the convicted pedophile, is living in the same apartment complex. The subject matter of pedophiles and missing children is a hard one to deal with but when Rebus sends them away it makes it all better. There are more deaths, and the various cases -- Margulies' suicide, Rough, Oakes, and the missing teenager -- are all resolved. These were skillfully introduced without leaving you non plussed but I suspect that knowing the full history would help. He may even be said to have invented modern Scotland, or at least modern Edinburgh, for his readers, just as Scott did in his time.While the many plot lines pull the narrative in disparate directions, the whole is held together by Rankin's drum-tight characterization of Rebus as a man deeply shaken in his convictions, but unwilling to fall apart. But Oakes has consistently underestimated Rebus, who kicks him into the path of a speeding car while he is intent on his attack. Then there was the Shellion case, regarding young children abused by their custodians, and now his superintendent had saddled him with another case a violent serial killer, Gary Oakes, was deported back from US to Edinburgh. Rebus chases a released pedophile when he is supposed to be trying to catch someone who has been poisoning the animals. One reason Rough is back in town is because there is a big paedophile trial going on, and he might testify.

I enjoy Rebus very much; a character perfect in his imperfections, questioning whether being a police officer remains viable, and whether he can deal with the types of crimes with which he must be involved. In the beginning of the book he is part of a stakeout of the Edinburgh zoo trying to find the person who is poisoning the animals. Rebus encounters him at the zoo (where Rebus is meant to be on the lookout for an animal-poisoner), and soon enough Rough becomes a bigger part of his life than he might have wanted. The other case – the focal point of the novel – involves Cary Oakes, a serial killer born in Scotland, imprisoned in the States, and released to his native country on a technicality.When the social workers claim he is there for legitimate educational reasons, Rebus is faced with a dilemma - should he be outed to protect local kids or given a chance to start anew? While, as is his habit, he deploys a complex plot made of apparently unrelated elements, and in doing so binds the highest in the land to the poorest in their feral pursuit of gold and gratification, at some points the book lacks the element of menace which has given several of its predecessors their addictive appeal.