Fifteen years ago, Duncan Talisker was found guilty of murdering six young women in Edinburgh. He was investigated and arrested by Alessandro Chaplin, an old school friend, now a police detective. Duncan is released - and another young woman dies.
On the world of Sutra an ancient prophecy comes near to fruition, which will lead to further deaths in Scotland. But Talisker is the only one who can complete the cycle of good and evil in the other world which will lead to an entire race coming home. Transported to Sutra with the shade of an ancestor, highland warrior Malky MacLeod, and - through an accident - Chaplin, who still believes him guilty of murder, Talisker must deal with a new life and the weight of expectations of two races . . . and the enmity of a god.
Miller Lau's debut novel propels her into the top rank of fantasy writers, with characterisation and world-building skills worthy of a master.