Witch Hunt (novel) - Plot Summary

Plot Summary

A fishing boat sinks in the English Channel in the middle of the night, and the evidence points to murder. Ex-Special Branch agent Dominic Elder comes out of retirement to help investigate the explosion of the boat, as it appears that his long-time obsession, a female assassin known as Witch, may be responsible. Using the boat to get to England from France, Witch left a subtle trail of clues to announce her arrival and to warn off Elder.

But that is the least of Special Branch's worries, if Elder's well-honed intuition is correct. He has seen her work before and knows her to be a resourceful enemy, who always seems a step ahead of the authorities. With an imminent summit of world leaders to be held in London, Witch's target seems obvious.

Young Michael Barclay's thoroughness leads him onto Witch's trail, with the help of his liaison in the French police, Dominique Herault. Apart from her language help and guidance around Paris, Michael is sexually attracted to her.

The team of detectives and MI5 agents, and the terrorist, play cat-and-mouse with each other in Scotland, England, France, and even briefly visit a former associate of Witch in prison in Germany.

Works by Ian Rankin
Novels
  • The Flood (1986)
  • Knots and Crosses (1987)
  • Watchman (1988)
  • Westwind (1990)
  • Hide and Seek (1991)
  • Tooth and Nail (1992)
  • Strip Jack (1992)
  • The Black Book (1993)
  • Witch Hunt (1993)
  • Mortal Causes (1994)
  • Bleeding Hearts (1994)
  • Let It Bleed (1995)
  • Blood Hunt (1995)
  • Black & Blue (1997)
  • The Hanging Garden (1998)
  • Dead Souls (1999)
  • Set in Darkness (2000)
  • The Falls (2001)
  • Resurrection Men (2002)
  • A Question of Blood (2003)
  • Fleshmarket Close (2004)
  • The Naming of the Dead (2006)
  • Exit Music (2007)
  • Doors Open (2008)
  • A Cool Head (2009, Quick Reads)
  • The Complaints (2009)
  • The Impossible Dead (2011)
  • Standing in Another Man's Grave (2012)
Short story collections
  • A Good Hanging and Other Stories (1992)
  • Beggars Banquet (2002)
Non-fiction
  • Rebus's Scotland: A Personal Journey (2005)
  • Jackie Leven Said (2005, With Jackie Leven)
Graphic novels
  • Dark Entries (2009)
Short stories
  • An Afternoon (1984)
  • Voyeurism (1985)
  • Colony (1986)
  • Trip Trap (1992)
  • Marked For Death (1992)
  • Well Shot (1993)
  • Someone Got to Eddie (1994)
  • A Deep Hole (1994)
  • Adventures in Babysitting (1995)
  • Natural Selection (1996)
  • Auld Lang Syne (1997)
  • Principles of Accounts (1997)
  • Death is Not the End (1998)
  • The Hanged Man (2000)
  • Saint Nicked (2003)
  • Soft Spot (2005)
  • Not Just Another Saturday (2005)
  • Sinner: Justified (2006)
Related articles
  • Inspector Rebus
  • Quick Reads
  • Jackie Leven
  • University of Edinburgh
  • Gold Dagger


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