In this scorching crime hook-up, number one bestseller Ian Rankin and Scottish crime-writing legend William McIlvanney join forces for the first ever case of D.I. Laidlaw, Glasgow's original gritty detective. A war between rival gangs is set to explode on the streets of Glasgow after the stabbing of a local foot soldier. A fragile equilibrium that has been keeping the city relatively safe for many months is at risk. The death toll could be high, and the impact on the lives of innocent people calamitous. D.I. Jack Laidlaw is beginning to suspect that kingpins John Rhodes and Cam Colvin are being manipulated into a confrontation. His superiors, however, are quick to chalk the violence up to the usual gangland rivalries. Perhaps too quick. Readers will relish the return to McIlvanney's Glasgow, with its gangs, organized crime bosses, crooked politics, corrupt police, hard men, and innocent battlers caught in the crossfire. In the midst of this melee stands D.I. Jack Laidlaw, as memorable a noire character as has ever been created.