Dead Girl Walking — Christopher Brookmyre

"Dead Girl Walking" is the latest thrilling novel from one of Scotland's most treasured crime writers, as well known in his native country as Val McDermid, Ian Rankin, and Denise Mina. In "Dead Girl Walking," Brookmyre has written his most accessible book yet -- a thrilling story of sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, and murder.

Life is dangerous when you have everything to lose. Famous, beautiful and talented, Heike Gunn has the world at her feet. Then, one day, she simply vanishes. Meanwhile, journalist Jack Parlabane has lost everything: his career, his marriage, his self-respect. A call for help from an old friend offers a chance for redemption -- but only if he can find out what happened to Heike. Pursued by those who would punish him for past crimes, Parlabane enters the secret-filled world of Heike's band, Savage Earth Heart, a group at breaking point. Each of its members seems to be hiding something, not least its newest recruit Monica Halcrow, whose alleged relationship with Heike has become a public obsession. Monica's own story, however, reveals a far darker truth. Fixated on Heike from day one, she has been engulfed by paranoia, jealousy and fear, as she discovers the hidden price of fame. From Berlin to Barcelona, from the streets of Milan to remote Scottish islands, Parlabane must dredge up old secrets to find Heike before it's too late.