Farquhar Knox QC heard a creak to his right and swung round, prepared to bully an intruder into going away. But the blustering tirade died on his lips as the sharp point of an arrow pierced his dinner shirt, entered his torso below the ribs and was pushed up until it penetrated his heart. A few gurgles were the last sounds Farquhar Knox made. His own day of judgement had arrived.

When a leading QC is found dead after a function at the law courts in Edinburgh, rumour has it that he had been having an affair with the wife of a senior police officer. Detective Inspector Flick Fortune and Detective Sergeant Bagawath Chandavarkar (Baggo) encounter hazy memories, awkward lawyers and a fervent religious group. Their efforts are derided in the press by ex-Inspector No. In the background, a multi-million pound fraud trial reaches its conclusion as unorthodox methods are needed to reach the truth...

Ian Simpson is inspired by a number of authors, including PG Wodehouse, John Mortimer and William Boyd. His writing style is comparable to Christopher Brookmyre.