After a long recuperation from a stab wound, Detective Sergeant Logan McRae's first night back on duty in Aberdeen, Scotland, takes him to a crime scene where the body of a missing boy has been found on a riverbank. To the horror of even the most experienced cops on the job, all the details point to a ritualistic murder--a serial killer. Then twenty-four hours later, another child goes missing.

The case's latest developments keep appearing as the next day's headlines, leading the department to believe one of their own is leaking information. Logan is keen to catch the mole as well as the killer, but even with Police Constable Jackie Watson, assigned to help "ease" him back into the job, it seems impossible.

From the violent world of organized crime to the dark fantasies of a murderer and the naughty games cops play to stay sane, Logan is moving through the Scottish winter in search of a few hard facts. And as the rain turns to snow, as new outrages are discovered, he begins to get his answers: one victim, one deception, and one killer at a time...

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Relentless rain reflects the tormented mood that permeates MacBride's impressive debut set in Aberdeen, Scotland. Det. Sgt. Logan MacRae, back from a lengthy convalescence caused by a crazed suspect's knife attack, is plunged straightaway into the investigation of a brutally murdered child. To make matters worse, the victim's family learns of the death from a reporter before the police have a chance to inform them. Angered and embarrassed by the press leak, Logan, aided by WPC Jackie Watson, vows to expose the source within the precinct. Enter Colin Miller, flashy journalist, who befriends Logan, causing suspicious stares from Logan's superiors. More children go missing, and soon the populace of Aberdeen is screaming for blood. Further inciting the rabble, a notorious defense attorney earns acquittal for a habitual child molester. As a result, a hapless, ruined scholar–turned–street sweeper becomes a scapegoat for the chilling fear that grips the community. Logan must eliminate the distractions caused by the sensational publicity and summon his barely restored strength to anticipate the killer's next move. MacBride allows his characters their humanity, while weaving intriguing subplots in this edge-of-your-seat page-turner.
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From Booklist

Starred Review One year after being stabbed in the line of duty, Scottish Detective Sergeant Logan McRae returns to his Aberdeen beat to tackle a case that makes even his most callous colleagues cringe: the strangling and mutilation of a four-year-old boy. Fears of a pedophile serial killer are confirmed when more children turn up missing and, then, dead. To make matters worse, someone is leaking privileged police information to a member of the press. DS McRae digs in his heels, doing his best to ignore the dirty looks of ex-girlfriend Isobel, the forensic pathologist on the case. MacBride's impressive first outing has plenty of atmosphere, subversive humor, and a sinuous plot reminiscent of fellow countryman Ian Rankin. Among his memorable characters: an overeducated schizophrenic with a secret cache of roadkill and a grumpy detective inspector forever gnawing on fruit pastilles. Dubbed "Granite City" for its stark, stone edifices, Aberdeen is a place of social misfits and surly moods, where gunmetal gray clouds dump endless buckets of icy rain. "Everyone looked murderous and inbred," writes MacBride. "The whole city looked like a casting call for Deliverance." Newcomers to the police procedural, take note: MacBride's deft debut is more macabre than most. Allison Block
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