The Poisoned Death Investigation
Hide and SeekJohn Rebus turns an apparent overdose into an investigation of a staged death and a hidden criminal enterprise.
increasing
Bearing strength in each event
decreasing
Bearing strength in each eventdecreasingA Body in Pilmuir
A Body in Pilmuir
The scene
John Rebus finds Ronnie McGrath laid out between candles in an abandoned house, his arms spread beneath a pentagram.
The tableau invites an occult explanation, but bruises and an uneasy instinct keep the inspector from treating the death as routine.
Tracy's Warning
Tracy's Warning
A disputed account
Tracy tells John Rebus that Ronnie McGrath warned her to hide before she found him apparently dead upstairs.
Her description conflicts with the body’s position downstairs, turning an anonymous overdose into a question of who moved it and why.
Poison Confirmed
Poison Confirmed
The cause
Dr Enfield reports that the heroin in Ronnie McGrath’s system was dangerously contaminated, while a separate packet at the scene was clean.
The difference makes deliberate substitution plausible and gives John Rebus reason to pursue a supplier rather than accept misadventure.
The Hidden Operation
The Hidden Operation
A larger crime
John Rebus follows evidence toward Finlay’s Club and discovers Hyde’s Club beneath it, where wealthy clients pay to watch brutal underground fights.
The illicit venue gives the poisoning, missing photographs, and powerful men’s secrecy a common setting, though not every clue means what Rebus first thought.
A Partial Reckoning
A Partial Reckoning
The aftermath
Finlay Andrews and Malcolm Lanyon die before their operation can be fully exposed, and public accounts reduce the scandal to disconnected misfortune.
John Rebus knows the truth but cannot turn it into complete justice; the investigation closes with evidence and accountability still dangerously incomplete.
Monday morning
Monday afternoon
Tuesday morning
Friday night
Saturday morning
