Skinner's Rules - Tapa dura

Bob Skinner is a hard man. As head of Edinburgh's CID, he's seen it all - but the discovery of a savaged corpse in a dark alleyway just off the famous Royal Mile comes as a shock even to him. The victim is a successful young lawyer, and the motive for his brutal death is an utter mystery. As other seemingly random killings horrify the city, a pattern points to a vicious serial killer. But when the murdered lawyer's fiancee also dies, the circumstances seem beyond the bounds of mere coincidence.
His suspicions aroused, Skinner uncovers an elaborate smoke-screen shrouding an intricate conspiracy that has startling political implications - and deadly consequences. A masterful novel, ingeniously plotted and detailed by a skilled and welcome newcomer to the mystery scene.