When Edinburgh police find the killer of a prominent city elder less than twenty-four hours after the crime, they are justifiably pleased. So the murderer has killed himself; that just saves the time and cost of a trial. But a second murder days later bears haunting similarities to the first, even though once more the murderer swiftly confesses and kills himself.

Detective Inspector Anthony McLean is investigating the discovery of a dead girl, walled up in the basement of an old Edinburgh mansion. She has been brutally murdered, her internal organs removed and placed around her in six preserving jars. The evidence suggests this all happened over sixty years ago, an attempt to re-enact an ancient ceremony that by trapping a demon in the dead girl’s body would supposedly confer immortality on the six men who took one of her organs each.

Very good and I'll definitely read the next in the series! The second half of the book is much faster paced and gripping than the first, it really did become 'unputdownable' so probably more of a 3.5 than a 3-star. I found some of the murder descriptions very gory but luckily I read the latest print of the book which doesn't contain the extrememly gruesome original first chapter. This appeared in the first draft which was released as a free ebook last year.

The characters are interesting although perhaps a little clichéd. I would have preferred a little more of the supernatural element and a little less of the 'authentic' Scottish dialogue but it was a good read.