"The weathered remains found on a Scottish mountainside may be those of Eleanor Gray, but the imperious Lady Maude Gray, Eleanor's mother, will have to be handled delicately. This is not the only ground that inspector ian Rutledge of Scotland yard must tread carefully, for the case will soon lead him to Scotland, where many of Rutlege's ghosts rest uneasily. But it is an unexpected encounter that will hold the most peril. For in Scotland Rutledge...

In 1919 Ian Rutledge returns to his career at Scotland Yard after fighting in the war, still suffering from shell shock. His next case, with a war-ravaged ex-soldier as the witness, could spell disaster for him.

Summoned to a small harbor town by a former trenchmate falsely accused of assaulting an ex-lover's husband, Scotland Yard inspector Ian Rutledge is reminded of an affair from his own past and investigates a bizarre coincidence.

When respected MP Gregor Jack is caught in a police raid on an Edinburgh brothel and his flamboyant wife Elizabeth suddenly disappears, John Rebus smells a set-up. And when Elizabeth's badly beaten body is found, Rebus is suddenly up against a killer who holds all the cards.

Scotland Yard's most intrepid inspector is sent to Dorset with strict orders to coordinate the search for two missing children, but his investigation is complicated by his growing feelings for a potential suspect.

On the eve of the first Scottish parliament in three hundred years, Edinburgh is a city rife with political passions and expectations. Queensbury House, the home of Scotland's new rulers, falls in the middle of John Rebus' turf, keeping him busy with ceremonial tasks. That quickly changes, however, when a long-dead body is discovered in a Queensbury House fireplace, a homeless man throws himself off a bridge - leaving behind a suitcase full of cash...