In Edinburgh you`re never far from a peaceful spot, or from a hellish one either. Now, in the heart of summer, in the midst of a nationalist festival, Inspector John Rebus is on the murder case of a young man left hanging in a spot where his screams would never be heard. To find the victim`s identity - and his killer - Rebus searches from Edinburgh`s most violent neighborhood to Belfast, Northern Ireland - amongst petty thugs, gunrunners, and heavyweight criminals. But before Rebus can get to the truth, he`s bloodied by the dream of society`s madmen - and staring into the glint of a killer`s eyes.