A brilliant Rebus novel from the master of British crime. It's late autumn in Edinburgh and
late autumn in the career of Detective Inspector Rebus. As he tries to tie up some loose ends
before retirement a murder case intrudes. A dissident Russian poet has been found dead in what
looks like a mugging gone wrong. By apparent coincidence a delegation of Russian businessmen
is in town - and everyone is determined that the case should be closed quickly and clinically.
But the further they dig the more Rebus and DS Siobhan Clarke become convinced that they are
dealing with something more than a random attack - especially after a particularly nasty second
killing. Meanwhile a brutal and premeditated assault on a local gangster sees Rebus in the
frame. Has the Inspector taken a step too far in tying up those loose ends? Only a few days shy
of the end to his long inglorious career will Rebus even make it that far?
