Its late autumn in Edinburgh & 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
- & everyone is determined that the case should be closed quickly & clinically. But the further they dig the more Rebus & 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 & 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?