Ian Rankin: A Question of Blood (USA 2010)

From the Publisher:
When a former soldier and recluse murders two 17-year-old students at a posh Edinburgh boarding school, Inspector John Rebus immediately suspects there is more to the case than meets the eye.

Ian Rankin: A Question of Blood. An Inspector Rebus Novel. Back Bay Books, ISBN: 9780316099240 (October, 2010), 406 p., $15.00.

Ian Rankin: A Question of Blood (UK 2008)

From the Publisher:
Two seventeen-year-olds are killed by an ex-Army loner who has gone off the rails. The mystery takes Rebus into the heart of a shattered community. Ex-Army himself, Rebus becomes fascinated by the killer, and finds he is not alone. Army investigators are on the scene, and won't be shaken off. The killer had friends and enemies to spare and left behind a legacy of secrets and lies. Rebus has more than his share of personal problems, too. He's fresh out of hospital, but won't say how it happened. Could there be a connection with a house-fire and the unfortunate death of a petty criminal who had been harassing Rebus's colleague Siobhan Clarke?

Ian Rankin: A Question of Blood. A Crime too close to home. Orion Books, ISBN: 9780752883663 (August, 2008), 440 p., £7.99.

Ian Rankin: A Question of Blood (USA 2005)

From the Publisher:
Just how random were the killings at Edinburgh's posh, private Port Edgar Academy? Everyone assumed a lone madman was responsible for the melee at the school. But why was the killer chummy with the class misfits? Why is the sole surviving witness so reluctant to talk? And why are military officials now snooping around the crime scene? Inspector John Rebus, hobbled by injury and himself under suspicion because of the convenient recent death of his partner's tormentor, dives into the case only to discover that he has family ties to one of the victims. With his credibility near the breaking point, Rebus must ask himself what drives a man to kill - is it a matter of revenge or a question of blood?

Ian Rankin: A Question of Blood. An Inspector Rebus Novel. Little, Brown, & Co., ISBN: 0316159182 (January, 2005), 532 p., $6.99.

Ian Rankin: A Question of Blood (UK 2004)

From the Publisher:
Two seventeen-year-olds are killed by an ex-Army loner who has gone off the rails. As Detective Inspector John Rebus puts it, 'there's no mystery... except the why'. But this question takes Rebus into the heart of a shattered community. Ex-Army himself, Rebus becomes fascinated by the killer, and finds he is not alone. Army investigators are on the scene, and won't be shaken off. The killer had friends and enemies to spare and left behind a legacy of secrets and lies. Rebus has more than his share of personal problems, too. He's fresh out of hospital, hands heavily bandaged, and he won't say how it happened. Could there be a connection with a house-fire and the unfortunate death of a petty criminal who had been harassing Rebus's colleague Siobhan Clarke? Rebus's bosses seem to think so...

Ian Rankin: A Question of Blood. Orion Books, ISBN: 0752858963 (April, 2004), 440 p., £6.99.

Ian Rankin: A Question of Blood (USA 2004)

From the Publisher:
There is no mystery.
Lee Herdman stormed into a private school just north of Edinburgh and killed two boys. He was a loner, a creep, an army veteran who got kicks out of terrifying local teenagers on his speedboat - just the sort of shady character to commit a random and heinous crime. It's a simple case of a man gone mad.

But how random were the killings at Port Edgar Academy? Why did Herdman open fire only in the student lounge, bypassing the swarm of students outside the school? What exactly was his relationship with the school's misfits? Why are military detectives snooping around the murder scene? And why is the only survivor of the attack, recuperating in the hospital, reluctant to talk?

There is indeed a mystery - only this time, it's why.
When Detective Inspector John Rebus is called out of his jurisdiction to investigate the killings, he is relieved to have the distraction. His entire precinct is abuzz with rumors of his involvement in the death of Martin Fairstone, an ex-con who had been menacing Rebus's partner, Detective Sergeant Siobhan Clarke.

For weeks Fairstone tormented Siobhan: followed her home, left her cryptic messages, even threatened violence. But her woes didn't end when Fairstone died in a fire that consumed his apartment. Now Siobhan has a new worry - the morning after Fairstone's body was found, Rebus appeared with bandages on his severely burned hands. No one, not even Siobhan, can ignore the coincidence.

Immersing himself in the Port Edgar killings does little to help Rebus avoid everyone's suspicion, but an unexpected family tie draws him deeper into the case. With his superiors at police headquarters breathing down his neck, his partner's trust diminishing, and the key witness to the entire private school inquiry staying silent in a hospital bed, Rebus finds himself up against what may become insurmountable odds, asking himself what drives a man to kill - is it a matter of revenge, or a question of blood?

Ian Rankin: A Question of Blood. An Inspector Rebus Novel. Little, Brown, ISBN: 0316095648 (February, 2004), 406 p., $22.95.

Ian Rankin: A Question of Blood (UK 2003)

From the Publisher:
A shooting incident at a private school just north of Edinburgh. Two seventeen-year olds killed by an ex-Army loner who has gone off the rails. As Detective Inspector John Rebus puts it, 'there's no mystery'... except the why. But this question takes Rebus into the heart of a shattered community. Ex-Army himself, Rebus becomes fascinated by the killer, and finds he is not alone. Army investigators are on the scene, and won't be shaken off. The killer had friends and enemies to spare - ranging from civic leaders to the local Goths - leaving behind a legacy of secrets and lies. Rebus has more than his share of personal problems, too. He's fresh out of hospital, hands heavily bandaged, and he won't say how it happened. Could there be a connection with a house-fire and the unfortunate death of a petty criminal who had been harrassing Rebus's colleague Siobhan Clarke? Rebus's bosses seem to think so...

Ian Rankin: A Question of Blood. Orion Books, ISBN: 0752851101 (August, 2003), 360 p., £17.99.