An illegal immigrant is found murdered in an Edinburgh housing scheme: a racist attack, or something else entirely? Rebus is drawn into the case, but has other problems: his old police station has closed for business, and his masters would rather he retire than stick around. But Rebus is that most stubborn of creatures. As he investigates, he must visit an asylum seekers' detention centre, deal with the sleazy Edinburgh underworld, and maybe even fall in love ...

Siobhan, meanwhile, has problems of her own. A teenager has disappeared from home and Siobhan is drawn into helping the family, which will mean travelling closer than is healthy towards the web of a convicted rapist. Then there's the small matter of the two skeletons - a woman and an infant - found buried beneath a concrete cellar floor in Fleshmarket Close. The scene begins to look like an elaborate stunt - but whose, and for what purpose? And how does it tie into a murder on the unforgiving housing scheme known as Knoxland?

This story contains strong language, and some scenes described may be disturbing.

James Macpherson played DCI Jardine in Taggart for fifteen years and then moved to The Bill. He has acted on stage in plays as diverse as The Taming of the Shrew and works by Hamish Wilson. He won the BBC Carleton Hobbs Award, and continues to work on radio. He presented a books programme for Radio Scotland and now co-presents a discussion of Scottish football. He lives in Glasgow.