• The author: Scotsman Ian Rankin, whose moody Inspector Rebus series has made him the #1 mystery writer in the U.K.

• The book: Resurrection Men (Little, Brown; $19.95).

• The plot: John Rebus is in it up to his neck, again. This time, Edinburgh's rogue cop is shipped off to reform school after he tosses a cup of coffee at his boss (a former lover, no less). He finds himself in a class of misfits in which it's far from clear who are the bad cops and who are the good ones. The class inquiry into an old case is overlapping a current case and, inevitably, putting Rebus' life in danger.

• The signings: 7 p.m. Monday, Books & Co., Town & Country Shopping Center, 350 E. Stroop Road,Kettering (937) 298-6540; and 1 p.m. March 1, Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Rookwood Pavilion, Madison and Edwards roads, Norwood, (513) 396-8960.