Detective Inspector John Rebus is buried under a pile of paperwork generated by his investigations into a suspected war criminal. His immediate supervisors are more than happy to have him tucked away in a quiet backwater for several months, but the escalating dispute between the upstart Tommy Telford and Big Ger Cafferty's gang gives Rebus an escape clause.

Telford is known to have close ties to a man nicknamed Mr. Pink Eyes, a brutal gangster running a lucrative business bringing Chechen refugees into Britain to work as prostitutes. And when Rebus takes under his wing a distraught Bosnian call girl, it gives him a personal reason to make sure Telford takes the high road out of town.

Within days, Rebus's daughter is the victim of an all-too-professional hit-and-run, and Rebus knows that there's nothing he won't do to bring down prime suspect Tommy Telford-even if it means cutting a deal with the devil.

A chilling glimpse into the darkest extremes of human cruelty, a page-turning literary thriller, this ninth entry in Ian Rankin's award-winning series confirms his reputation as a writer of rare and lasting gifts.