The gripping new mystery in Quintin Jardine''s bestselling Bob Skinner series, not to be missed by readers of Ian Rankin and Peter May.

Sir Robert Skinner''s stock is rising - after retiring from the police service he''s been promoted to head an international media organisation. Yet a series of unexplained deaths on his home turf in Scotland threaten to bring him crashing back down to earth.

As Skinner helps the elderly in his local community, several residents seem to die of natural causes. But when a gruesome discovery is made in a Glasgow flat and one of Skinner''s long-time friends - an aspiring politician - emerges as the prime suspect, things become very murky indeed.

After unpicking clues that go nowhere, Skinner and his team are left grappling the most baffling conundrum they have ever encountered - is there a mystery at all?

Praise for Quintin Jardine''s Bob Skinner series:

''The legendary Quintin Jardine . . . such a fine writer'' DENZIL MEYRICK
''Scottish crime-writing at its finest, with a healthy dose of plot twists and turns, bodies and plenty of brutality'' SUN
''Another powerful tartan noir that packs a punch'' PETERBOROUGH EVENING TELEGRAPH
''Incredibly difficult to put the book down . . . a guide through a world of tangled family politics, hostile takeovers, government-sanctioned killing, extortion and the seedier side of publishing . . . Quintin Jardine should be . . . your first choice!'' SCOTS MAGAZINE
''Well constructed, fast-paced, Jardine''s narrative has many an ingenious twist and turn'' OBSERVER