Una questione di sangue

More about the book

Given his contempt for authority and habitually ornery manner, it's surprising that John Rebus remains an Edinburgh cop. In this installment, he and his partner, Detective Sergeant Siobhan Clarke, investigate the case of Lee Herdman, a withdrawn ex-soldier who allegedly shot three teenage boys at a private school, killing two before turning the gun on himself. While Siobhan believes the case is straightforward—Herdman simply lost his marbles—Rebus suspects deeper motives behind the tragedy. His instincts lead him to explore Herdman's past, including a 1995 mission involving a downed military helicopter and the enigmatic Teri Cotter, a 15-year-old "Goth" with a secret connection to Herdman. Complicating matters are two tight-lipped army investigators and James Bell, the sole survivor of the shooting, whose politician father aims to exploit the incident to campaign against gun ownership. Rebus's focus is further disrupted by an internal police probe into his past actions and his familial ties to one of the victims. As he grapples with personal demons and the consequences of his choices, Rebus's struggle for relevance in a changing world underscores the complexities of his character in this ambitious series.