Can you fight evil with evil...? DCC Bob Skinner faces his toughest investigation...
Evil stalks the city of Edinburgh. This time the threat is bigger than the crooks, scam-artists or drug dealers who find their prey in the shadows of the streets. Some people are looking for a big-time hit. The body of a respectable businessman is found hanging from a tree; a veteran from a Belgian marching band is killed in a hit-and-run incident and another dies of an apparent heart attack. Excitement on the streets of Edinburgh is feverish as the city prepares for a huge rally to celebrate the return of Pope John the 25th to his hometown. The security has to be bulletproof. But there is a chink in the armour. Does Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner have the inner strength to find the answer to the biggest question of all?
Originally published: 2004.
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Publishers Weekly Review
First published in the U.K. in 2004, Jardine's 14th Bob Skinner mystery (after 2003's Fallen Gods) offers a sprawling cast of characters, some of whom have died in the seven subsequent installments. Readers who think this follows 2011's Grievous Angel may be confused. In any event, keeping track of who's hooking up with whom among Skinner's police colleagues detracts from the central plot, the triumphant return home of Edinburgh's most famous native son, Gilbert White, who recently was elected pope. White's visit is a security nightmare, and Skinner must anticipate not only how and when terrorists might strike but how to keep the different government entities involved in planning the papal trip on the same page. Meanwhile, the deputy chief constable's marriage to a pathologist hasn't recovered from mutual infidelity, leaving him open to new romantic possibilities. Those who can tolerate larger-than-life heroes whose minor failings only accentuate their positives will be most rewarded. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.