Two seventeen-year-olds are killed by an ex-Army loner who has gone off the rails. The mystery takes Rebus into the heart of a shattered community. Ex-Army himself Rebus becomes fascinated by the killer & finds he is not alone. Army investigators are on the scene & won't be shaken off. The killer had friends & enemies to spare & left behind a legacy of secrets & lies. Rebus has more than his share of personal problems too. He's fresh out of hospital but won't say how it happened. Could there be a connection with a house-fire & the unfortunate death of a petty criminal who had been harassing Rebus's colleague Siobhan Clarke?