This was a rare re-read for me as I read it 2-3 years ago but didn’t have the rest of the series at the time. Now I have, so it was time to reacquaint myself.

DI Anthony McLean is a man with a tough past but it's nothing compared to the young girl whose mutilated body is discovered during the renovation of a large house. The plot thickens when they realise that the remains are around 60 years old and that six “trophies” have been removed from the body and stored in jars within the brickwork of the house.

When the considerably more recent, yet equally messy, remains of an elderly gentleman are discovered, then Edinburgh appears to have a vicious killer on the loose with McLean at the centre of both cold and current cases. And that's just the first couple of chapters!!

There are a lot of bodies in this novel and a lot of characters to try to remember, although many of them aren’t around for long!! McLean's frosty relationship between fellow DI Duguid is a constant form of entertainment throughout with efficiency and the inclination to get the job done properly, clashing well with arrogance.

Although I did occasionally struggle to recall each character and their connection to others, it's still a good, gripping storyline with a satisfying explanation with a hint of the supernatural mixed in, although I must admit that the fate of one character had me putting the book down for a few minutes to take it in!

A good start to the series and I was on to the next one an hour or so after completing this one. That in itself, is praise enough.