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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
Serial disappearances along a highway; the investigation is unofficial; some violence
Language
Some
Some strong language
Sexual Content
Barely any
Mild content
Substance Use
Some
Rebus drinks heavily; the cold case unit is full of people drinking into retirement
Emotional Intensity
A lot
The specific frustration of a detective who can see what others refuse to see; the pattern of predation that becomes visible only when you stand back far enough
What this book is about
John Rebus is retired and working in the Cold Case Unit, going through old files. A mother comes to him about her daughter's disappearance — a case that was never solved — and Rebus begins to notice a pattern: women disappearing from the A9 road at intervals spanning years. Nobody in the official investigation wants to hear it. Ian Rankin's eighteenth Rebus novel (first since the character's retirement) brings Rebus back with his edges intact — a man who cannot stop being a detective even when he no longer has the authority to act as one.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
eighteenth Rebus novel; Rebus returns from retirement
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