It"s late in the fall in Edinburgh and late in the career of Detective Inspector John Rebus. As he is simply trying to tie up some loose ends before his retirement, a new case lands on his desk: a dissident Russian poet has been murdered in what looks like a mugging gone wrong. Rebus discovers that an elite delegation of Russian businessmen is in town, looking to expand their interests. And as Rebus"s investigation gains ground, someone brutally assaults a local gangster with whom he has a long history.Has Rebus overstepped his bounds for the last time? Only a few days shy of the end to his long, inglorious career, will Rebus even make it that far?