Edinburgh is a city steeped in history and tradition, known as the 'Athens of the North.' But that isn't all. The city's flip-side is a city of blackmail, violence, greed and fear - where old wounds fester. In any year Detective Inspector John Rebus can expect gang warfare, murder and assault at the very least. In this collection he investigates the hanging of a student actor during the Festival, an arson attack on a bird watcher and the witnessing of an apparent miracle...