In recent years, the choices available for readers of suspense fiction have been enriched by Scottish writers Ian Rankin, Denise Mina and Louise Welsh. Now comes Stuart MacBride, the newest Scot to have his work available to US readers, and a very welcome addition to the mix.

Logan McRae is a cop in Aberdeen. The winter weather is miserable - day upon day of drenching rain followed by wind swept snow which snarls traffic, covers important trace evidence and makes any outdoor activity an arduous endeavor.

Young children are reported missing and some young bodies have been found. A local ne'er do well is found floating in the harbor, with his knee caps missing and his body bearing signs of other torture. Every move made by the investigating police pops up in the morning headlines and no one can identify the source of the leak. Two repeat sex offenders are on trial, and their slick attorney obtains acquittals.

McRae is newly reassigned to duty after a serious injury received in an earlier investigation, and unhappily is assigned to investigate the dead and missing children, the body with the missing knees, and the leak to the press.

Like peeling the proverbial onion, McRae's efforts only lead to more questions and more frustration. All plot lines converge in the end, and prevailing against all obstacles, McRae sorts it all out.

I'll be eagerly waiting for MacBride's next book.

REVIEWED BY WOODSTOCK