The year 2007 marks Detective Inspector John Rebus's last year in the Scottish police force. Forced to retire by both the law and his - relieved - superiors, Rebus knows that his time in the blue ranks must now come to an end. But how will the irascible detective deal with this grim terminus? Particularly with his nemesis, Ger Cafferty, still walking the streets of Edinburgh. And how will John's protege and friend Siobhan Clarke move forward with the old relic finally gone?
