Written in bones

A corpse hangs from a tree in The Meadows, the green stretch of parkland in the middle of Edinburgh. The injuries point to a long fall, and Detective Inspector Tony McLean has to decide whether he is looking at a tragic accident or a killing staged as a warning.

The man in the branches had lived several lives. He began as a police officer forced out in disgrace, moved on to running a criminal empire, and later reappeared as a generous public benefactor admired across the city. Following the dead man's path leads McLean back through Edinburgh's history and down into its underworld, where he meets people who are both dangerous and desperately vulnerable. The investigation gradually shows how one crime reaches into the city's core.