Four teenagers find the mutilated corpse of a young girl stuffed into a dumpster in an Edinburgh alleyway. Who is she? Where did she come from? Who killed her and why? Above all, where is the baby to which she has obviously recently given birth?

Inspector Rob Brennan, recently back from psychiatric leave, is still shocked by the senseless shooting of his only brother. His superiors think that the case of the dumpster girl will be perfect to get him back on track.

But Rob Brennan has enemies within the force, stacks of unfinished business and a nose for trouble. What he discovers about the murdered girl blows the case-and his life-wide open.

Critical Acclaim for Tony Black:

"Tony Black is my favourite British crime writer and Gus Dury the genre's most interesting protagonist. Like his previous books, Loss has the power, style and street swagger that makes most of his contemporaries a little bland by comparison" -Irvine Welsh

"Powerful, focused and intense...and then it gets better. Get your money down early on this young man-he's dead serious and deadly accurate" -Andrew Vachss

"Ripping, gutsy prose and a witty wreck of a protagonist makes this exceptionally compelling, bright and even original." -The Mirror

"If you're a fan of the Ian Rankins, Denise Minas and Irvine Welshes of this world, this is most certainly one for you." -Scotsman

"As washed-up private detectives go, Gus Dury is compelling - he's as hard as any criminal, as twice as self-destructive." Evening Standard

"Every flaw is stripped of shadow and every bad deed gets punished. If I read a better example of the police procedural this year I will be amazed." -Crimesquad

"This up-and-coming crime writer isn't portraying the Edinburgh in the Visit Scotland tourism ads." -The Sun