Scotsman Ian Rankin, author of the famous series of detective novels about John Rebus, begins a new saga about the Edinburgh police. Inspector Malcolm Fox works in the Compliance and Complaints Division, which investigates violations of the law within law enforcement agencies themselves. Suddenly, his monotonous life turns into a theater of the absurd: on the one hand, a very unusual task, on the other, the murder of his sister’s partner, in which Fox is about to get the role of the main suspect. Ends do not meet, professional duty conflicts with common sense, enemies and friends change masks every day. But the controller is a guardian of the law “in the square”, he is obliged to get to the bottom of it, even knowing that he is risking his reputation, career and, probably, life. Ian Rankin, a favorite of fans of the crime genre, begins a new series of novels about the work of Scottish investigators. Edinburgh Police hate their own Complaints Unit, which exposes unscrupulous police officers. Many gloat when Inspector Malcolm Fox, having successfully exposed his colleagues, suddenly finds himself under a hail of absurd suspicions. He is forced to defend himself at his own peril and risk, entering into a dangerous game with the law and with those for whom the law is not a hindrance.