Halfhead - 9780007349265

A terrifying serial killer thriller set in the gritty Glasgow of the near future, from the author of the Logan McRae series

Glasgow, not too far in the future. A new punishment has been devised for the perpetrators of serious crimes, one that not only reduces the prison population, but also benefits society at large. The process is known as halfheading: the offender's lower jaw is removed and they are lobotomized, then put to work as cleaners in municipal areas where they serve as a warning to all. But it seems one halfhead procedure wasn't quite successful?six years after her surgery, Dr. Fiona Westfield "wakes up" surrounded by the butchered remains of a man she has just brutally killed. As her mind slowly begins to return, she sets out on a quest for vengeance. William Hunter, Assistant Section Director of the Network?a military wing of the police?is soon the trail of the killer. But before long the investigation leads back to a terrible tragedy in his own past, as well as to a terrifying conspiracy to sow violence and misery among Glasgow's most vulnerable citizens.