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Although none of the Inspector Rebus books have ever approached lightheartedness (simply not the style of author Ian Rankin or his protagonist, Rebus), I found Dead Souls to be the most intensely emotional story of the series thus far.

Rebus finds himself on a treacherous precipice both professionally and personally, dealing not only with the death of a long-time friend and colleague, Jack Morton, but also disturbing cases both past and present. I found myself holding my breath at times for Rebus, who despite being irascible and rough around the edges, is a decent human being and a good detective.

Kudos to Rankin for the heightened drama of this police procedural beyond the usual crimes and their investigations.