"We have a dead child, and a crime scene that has been remarkably well kept for us." A young child lies mummified in a barrel. His hands, cable-tied, appear to be locked in prayer. As forensic officers remove the boy they are in for an even bigger shock - he is not alone. With his near-fatal stabbing almost a memory, DI Bob Valentine is settling back into life on the force, but he knows nothing will ever be the same. Haunted by unearthly visions that appear like waking dreams, he soon understands he is being inducted into one of Scotland's darkest secrets. When the boy in the barrel is identified as a missing child from the 1980s, it re-opens a cold case that was previously thought unsolvable. When further remains are unearthed, the facts point to a paedophile ring and a political conspiracy that leads all the way to the most hallowed corridors of power.

Author Biography

Tony Black is the author of twelve novels. An award-winning journalist, he was born in Australia and grew up in Scotland and Ireland. Described by Irvine Welsh as his 'favourite British crime writer' Tony's work took a turn away from the mean streets after the birth of his son. His Father's Son was his first novel outside of the crime genre. Tony was shortlisted for The Guardian's Not the Booker Prize in 2014 and has been nominated for the Crime Writers' Association Dagger six times.