The first in a long line of Inspector Rebus crime mysteries, and I believe the first Ian Rankin for me too. I enjoyed many things about the story - that it hadn't aged much in the thirty-odd years since it was published, that it had twists I guessed right and others I didn't get, that it was a mostly simple but horrific crime told from the viewpoints of a number of characters not just Rebus - and I found the writing easy to read and follow, if a little repetitive and stop-start when it came to developing the plot. I certainly felt the first half was more original than the second. This is me being very pernickety, of course, because I still enjoyed the book and would be very interested to read more in the series to understand what happens next for Inspector Rebus... It's also very true when they say that Edinburgh is a main character in the book and it's a must-read for anyone who knows or visited the city and was moved or intrigued by its gothic architecture and deeply layered history of literature.