Two days before Christmas 2015, veteran crime journalist Russell Findlay was the target of a vicious attack on his own doorstep. An unknown assailant, disguised as a postman, hurled sulphuric acid in his face before attempting to stab him with a steak knife. Despite suffering horrific burns, Findlay managed to overcome his assailant before the police arrived.

In this book he unravels the identity of the man who ordered the hit and reflects on a two-decade career during which he has exposed some of Scotland's most violent and dangerous men. The result is an unflinchingly realistic portrait of the country's criminal underworld, involving not just organised crime's most notorious bosses but also murky behaviour by lawyers, politicians, policeman and even fellow journalists which has enabled the criminals to flourish.