A terrorist threat and a serial killer on the streets Edinburgh spell trouble for Scotland's toughest cop. One of the world's most ruthless terrorists is on his way to Edinburgh with only one thing on his mind: the forthcoming conference of world Heads of Government. If DCC Skinner doesn't pick up his trail fast, he could have a global disaster in his backyard. While all eyes are focused on the terrorist threat, a terminally ill woman is found dead - an apparent suicide. But the marks of an assisted death are discovered and this seemingly random death soon proves to be the beginning of an ominous pattern. For Skinner, the desperate race to find a heartless terrorist mixes uneasily with the search for a mercy killer- a search which takes on a poignant personal significance...

Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner has a failed marriage on his hands, and a death on his conscience. In Edinburgh, Skinner's daughter is being harassed by a stalker. Can he protect her? A bookmaker has taken one gamble too many and paid his debt in a gruesome fashion. Is it an underworld vendetta, or something more sinister? Alongside it all a casual call to the Chief Constable sets him on a personal crusade which quickly points to a bigamist at work. Or is it worse? Four crimes, four crises: can Skinner and his people solve them? Indeed, can they survive them?

Attempted murder and a mysterious stalker are a little close for comfort for DCC Skinner, in this thrilling crime novel. As Bob Skinner takes an evening stroll with a gorgeous filmstar on his arm, surely the worst of his worries is that back at headquarters, an ambitious new colleague is scheming to enlarge his territory at Skinner'¬"s expense. But when a frightening shot-gun attack sends Skinner and his old flame Louise Bankier diving for cover, it seems danger has zeroed in on him once again. Returning to Scotland to shoot her latest film, Louise is one of Scotland's most popular exports. But it seems she has a stalker; someone who is clearly determined to scare her. For Skinner, tracking down her tormentor isn't just business - it's now very personal indeed...

Evil stalks the city of Edinburgh. This time the threat is bigger than the crooks, scam-artists or drug dealers who find their prey in the shadows of the streets. Some people are looking for a big-time hit. The body of a respectable businessman is found hanging from a tree; a veteran from a Belgian marching band is killed in a hit-and-run incident and another dies of an apparent heart attack. Excitement on the streets of Edinburgh is feverish as the city prepares for a huge rally to celebrate the return of Pope John the 25th to his home town. The security has to be bulletproof. But there is a chink in the armour. Does DCC Bob Skinner have the inner strength to find the answer to the biggest question of all?

When two young female artists are murdered in what looks like ritualistic killings, the pressure is on to find a highly professional murderer. What is the link with the art world? Is the killer a disgruntled art critic? A twice-jilted lover? The arrival of the father of one of the victims, millionaire businessman Davor Boras, brings in the big guns of the Home Office, MI5 and the CIA. It's not long before Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner gets called back to the frontline. With an estranged son, a dubious assistant and connections in very high places, what is more important to Boras: business or family? There's too much at stake - there's going to be bloodshed - and Skinner's men are at risk of getting caught in the crossfire...

Somewhere in Scotland the unthinkable is about to happen - something that would shatter the very bedrock of society. And Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner finds himself facing a triple threat. Ruthless Albanian gangsters have infiltrated Edinburgh's underworld. MI5 believe they are trying to take over the drug scene but could they be after a much bigger score? A police officer's son is found dead in suspicious circumstances. And Scotland's unscrupulous First Minister plans to take over the police force, threatening anyone who gets in his way. As the crimes begin to collide, fragments of the truth are revealed. Skinner and his team race against time to piece them together - but will it all come down to a shot in the dark?

When a body is found after a flood, the secrets of a tempestuous life surface with it. Deputy Chief Constable Bob Skinner has kept the existence of his hated brother Michael hidden for years. As he relives their past conflict, other demons threaten his future. For not only are his professional enemies circling, but Sarah, his wife, seems set on a course for calamity. Can Skinner surmount the greatest challenges of his life... and if he does, will he ever be the same? Meanwhile, in an Edinburgh art gallery, his team confront a shocking and very public case of arson. Was it a political protest, or something much deeper?

August in Edinburgh: As Skinner stands on the edge of a career-defining moment and his fiancée, Scotland's First Minister Aileen de Marco faces a political crisis, a famous figure from another field is found dead. As the mystery deepens, Skinner finds himself crossing swords with an old enemy from the past, while his investigating detectives are faced with the unwelcome complication of a duke's junkie daughter. Meanwhile a second Scottish celebrity dies violently in Australia. It seems impossible, but could the two be connected? As DCS Mario McGuire heads to Melbourne to investigate, back in Scotland his boss's big moment is compromised in the most dramatic and unexpected manner, as a famous friendship is shattered for ever.