Initially, I almost gave up on this book. The first hundred pages or so were confusing to me as Paul Johnston introduced various characters and set the scene. I kept going and was shortly drawn into an intriguing mystery. Johnston kept me reading and pulled the details together. The story is set in a not-so-distant future (2026)where the world's political landscape has been rearranged and genetic research and experimentation takes place. I'll definitely look for one of Johnston's other books on the shelves of our local library.

This book is one in a series set in Edinburgh, Scotland in the 2020's after the world economy has collapsed into scattered city-states due to wars and drugs. Edinburgh is tightly run by the Guardians with the support of auxiliaries, who are referred to by their numbers rather than their names. The Guardians proclaim the city crime-free, but then hire Quint (Quintilian) Dalrymple to solve the crimes that occur. Quint is supported by a great group of friends and acquaintances who are interesting and well fleshed out. The series is amusing and entertaining.

In the fourth book, Quint, Davie and Katherine travel to Glasgow to retrieve some Edinburgh teenagers who have been kidnapped, at the same time as Quint is trying to solve murders that are occurring bad in Edinburgh. ( )