A Question of Blood is a 2003 crime novel by Ian Rankin

Ian Rankin

Ian Rankin, OBE, DL , is a Scottish crime writer. His best known books are the Inspector Rebus novels. He has also written several pieces of literary criticism.-Background:He attended Beath High School, Cowdenbeath...

. It is the fourteenth of the Inspector Rebus

Inspector Rebus

The Inspector Rebus books are a series of detective novels by the Scottish author Ian Rankin. The novels, centred on the title character Detective Inspector John Rebus, are mostly based in and around Edinburgh.-Content and style:...

 novels.

Plot summary

At a private school two teenagers are killed by an ex-Army loner who then turns the gun on himself. As Detective Inspector John Rebus

Detective Inspector John Rebus

Detective Inspector John Rebus is the protagonist in the Inspector Rebus series of detective novels by the Scottish writer Ian Rankin, ten of which have so far been televised as Rebus...

 puts it, 'There's no mystery...except the why'. In searching for these answers, Rebus finds himself drawn into a shattered community and a link with his own past. He becomes fascinated with the killer who had friends and enemies aplenty, from politicians to goth

Goth subculture

The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...

s, and who left behind a web of secrets and lies.

Meanwhile, Rebus faces his own trials: DS Siobhan Clarke has been stalked by a petty criminal who is found burnt to death in his own home and Rebus is fresh out of hospital with his hands heavily bandaged.