A mesmerising psychological thriller set in Edinburgh

Three hot days in a row and Edinburgh is going a little crazy. Taking a short cut through a tough housing scheme, Detective Inspector Jim Meldrum finds himself involved in an ambush set up by a mob of twelve year olds. As a result, he arrives at a murder scene with a lump gouged out of his skull and mild concussion.

Things aren't helped when the beautiful redheaded woman in evening dress, found stabbed to death in an upstairs bedroom, is identified as well-connected city businessman Brian Ashton. Even with a brooding headache and a bad case of double vision, Meldrum can see trouble ahead. And that's before he meets the victim's redheaded widow.

Helped by local academic and crime profiler Henry Stanley, Meldrum begins to unravel the bizarre secrets surrounding more than one sudden death. Gradually, as the hot summer days pass, he is moved inexorably to a solution that will alter his life.

'An intriguing and intelligent thriller. Lindsay's detective, DI Jim Meldrum, and his taciturn sergeant make an unusual pair and the mystery is more complicated than it first appears' Sunday Telegraph

'A modern crime fable that manages to engage with the sordid without becoming overcome by its stench. It makes for an entertaining read, to be savoured for its wry, literate dialogue and compelling noirish atmosphere' The List

'The ability to create believable heroes out of policemen is rare, and Lindsay's Detective Inspector Jim Meldrum is both credible and endearing' The Sunday Times

'Lindsay is a profoundly serious writer using the conventions of the mystery novel to approach "the dangerous edge of things" ' Allan Massie, The Scotsman -