Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Bombs are exploding in the streets of London, but life seems to have planted more subtle booby-traps for Miles Flint. Miles is a spy. His job is to watch and to listen, then to report back to his superiors, nothing more. The job, affording glimpses into the most private lives of his victims, appeals to Miles. He doesn't lust after promotion, and he doesn't want action. He wants, just for once, not to botch a case.

Having lost one suspect - with horrific consequences - Miles becomes too involved with another, a young Irishwoman. His marriage seems ready to crumble to dust. So does his home.

But Miles is given one last chance for redemption - a trip to Belfast, which quickly becomes a flight of terror, murder and shocking discoveries. But can the voyeur survive in a world of violent action?

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Londoner Miles Flint is in a slump--things are not good at home or at the office. He is a mid-career surveillance officer for MI5--a ``watchman''--and he has just bungled what should have been a simple assignment. Inquisitive by nature, Miles suspects something has gone awry in his unit and so begins his own internal investigation. As Miles gets closer to a nerve center, he starts to worry the people in command. When Miles is sent to Northern Ireland to oversee the arrest of two IRA terrorists, he is totally unprepared for the crazy events that transpire. A passive observer by trade, Miles is plunged into danger and has to tap resources he did not even know he possessed. Parallel to this story is Miles's attempt to rekindle romance with his wife, who has drifted away from him. This compact, well-written, and fast-paced espionage novel is sure to please readers of the genre.-- Maria A. Perez-Stable, West ern Michigan Univ. Libs., Kalamazoo (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

The British Secret Service here is a far cry from the smoothly functioning machine of James Bond and others. Chicanery, politicking, and worse are giving introspective agent Miles Flint a hard time. His marriage is in trouble. He's being blamed for the failure of Operation Latchkey, resulting in the undesired murder of an Israeli gunrunner. Operation Harvest, next in line, has failed to stop yet another IRA bombing in London, already in a state of near hysteria after a series of them. There are hush-hush changes among his co-workers and finally an assignment to Ireland, supposedly to assist in the uncovering of a terrorist cell. Flint soon finds out that it's meant to be his last hurrah. His escape and new-found determination to get to the bottom of things are the best part of an often confusing story that's slow starting but builds to a tense, convincing finale. Slightly disappointing sequel to Knots and Crosses, whose reporter character Jim Stevens makes a peripheral appearance here.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Ian Rankin lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, with his wife and their two sons.