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Content snapshot
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Violence
A lot
A disappearance and historical murders; Rankin's procedural violence
Language
Some
Strong language in Rankin's register
Sexual Content
Barely any
Mild content
Substance Use
Some
Heavy drinking; the Rebus/pub dynamic continues
Emotional Intensity
Some
Institutional willingness to take some disappearances seriously and dismiss others based on class; the cold case mystery rewards patient reading
What this book is about
An Edinburgh University student goes missing. She is the daughter of a prominent businessman, and her disappearance is taken seriously in ways that other missing persons cases are not. Rebus investigates and finds a tarot card — handmade, with a distinctive coffin — that connects to a cold case from years before. Ian Rankin's twelfth Rebus novel is the most structurally puzzle-like of the series: the mystery of the tarot cards, their origin, and their targets requires Rebus to think rather than simply push until things break. The Edinburgh setting extends further into the city's suburbs and wealth than previous novels.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
twelfth of the Rebus series; works as a standalone
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