It begins with a phone call. Gordon Reeve's brother has been found dead in his car in San Diego - the car was locked from the inside, a gun in his hand. In the US to identify the body Gordon comes to realise that his brother has in fact been murdered. What's more, it is soon obvious that his own life is in danger. Once back in Scotland he finds out that there have been more visitors than usual to his house and his home has been bugged by professionals. But Reeve is a professional too. Ex-SAS, he was half of a two-man unit with someone he came to fear, then to hate. It looks like his Nemesis is back. The horror has just begun . . .

イアン・ランキンが描く本作の真髄は、単なる追跡劇を超えた「過去という名の呪縛」との対峙にあります。肉親の死を機に、静謐な日常が冷徹なプロの技術で侵食されていく過程は、肌に粟を生じさせるほどの緊張感に満ちています。逃れられぬ暴力の連鎖に、著者は人間性の根源的な揺らぎを鋭く投影させているのです。 元SASのスキルが復讐の道具ではなく、己の深淵を覗き込む鏡として機能する点に、本作の文学的深みがあります。宿敵との再会は、単なる対決ではなく魂の精算に他なりません。ハードボイルドな文体の裏に潜む孤独な叫びと、緻密な心理描写が織りなす重厚な余韻。それこそが、ジャンルの枠を飛び越えた至高の魅力と言えるでしょう。