The book that began Ian Rankin''s phenomenal career.
From the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES
''The themes that would come to dominate the Rebus books are already here ... the blurred boundaries between good and evil; the pull of superstition and myth; the difficulties in escaping and resolving one''s past; the emotional complexities of the male of the species; and, not least, a good mystery'' TIME OUT
Mary Miller had always been an outcast. Burnt in a chemical mix as a young girl, sympathy for her quickly faded when the young man who pushed her in died in a mining accident just two days later. From then on she was regarded with a mixture of suspicion and fascination by her God-fearing community.
Now, years later, she is a single mother, caught up in a faltering affair with a local teacher. Her son, Sandy, has fallen in love with a strange homeless girl. The search for happiness isn''t easy. Both mother and
