Ian Rankin

I am a big fan of Ian Rankin’s books featuring the jaundiced and prickly John Rebus – a man for whom the Scots term ‘thrawn’ might specifically have been coined – although I have never managed to feel the same enthusiasm for his other books. I am not generally keen on short stories, either, but my interest was piqued sufficiently to buy this novella.

The Rise is a luxurious apartment development in West London, within walking distance of Paddington Station. The development offers a wide range of exclusive services, and the reception area is presided over by a uniformed man combining the roles of concierge and security guard. As the story opens, the incumbent of that role has been found dead in the foyer, having suffered a heavy head wound. From there on we are introduced to the owner (and lead investor) of the development, and the inhabitants of several of the individual apartments. These include a Russian oligarch, the wife of an imprisoned London gang boss, and a former soap actress and model who has recently lost her most lucrative employment.

Rankin deftly weaves these ingredients into an engrossing novella following a standard police procedural approach. His principal investigator, Detective Sergeant Gish, is engaging and empathetic, and certainly easier for her colleagues to work with than Detective Inspector Rebus ever was. I am wondering whether Rankin has any plans for more stories featuring her. He has consciously aged John Rebus in real time, so may feel that he is reaching the end of the line as far as his plausibility as an investigative lead is concerned. While I love the Rebus books, I would be intrigued to see a series featuring Gish.… (més)

A collection of short stories about Rebus, set during his earlier career when his Detective Constable is Brian Holmes - no sign of Siobhan. Some were fairly lightweight, others more serious and downbeat, such as Aud Lang Syne when Rebus is part of a team assigned to intercept a drug's bust in busy Edinburgh on New Year's Eve, or 'Sunday' where Rebus is busying himself on his day off, attempting to keep his mind off an awful event which is haunting him.

As always, I like the character of Rebus with his wry/dark humour and offbeat way of viewing things. On balance, I would award this 3 stars.… (més)

Many strands weave together in this complex story where Rebus must balance multiple cases and also face up to some of his own flaws. Early in the story he encounters a paedophile who has been released from jail and, discovering that he has been housed on an estate in a flat overlooking the children's playground, "outs" him to the neighbourhood, ultimately with tragic consequencies despite Rebus' guilt ridden attempts to help. Meanwhile, a high profile case of historical child abuse is currently on trial with possible connections.

Rebus is asked for help by two old school friends whose son has gone missing in suspicious circumstances, and has to resist the draw of a rekindled attraction to the mother, Janice. He is also troubled by the apparent suicide of a colleague who appeared to 'have it all' with a loving family and a rapid rise in the police career structure, in total contrast to Rebus. And to finally add to his problems, a serial killer and sociopath is released from custody in the USA and heads for Edinburgh to settle old scores - Rebus' role in keeping surveillance on this man leads to his becoming a target for the man's manipulative behaviour and draws into the killer's ambit three women who are significant to Rebus: Janice, Rebus' girlfriend Patience, and his daughter, still recovering from the accident in a previous book which left her unable to walk.

A complex book which manages to keep all the plates spinning and portrays a truly chilling sociopathic character, keeping the suspense level high. The only thing I missed is the relationship with Siobhan, Rebus' colleague, who has only a bit part in this book. So a 4 star rating overall.… (més)

Another complex novel in the Rebus series. In this, Rebus is co-opted onto a school shooting investigation by his friend Bobby Hogan, with colleague Siobhan Clarke along to drive and otherwise support him as Rebus has, it seems, badly scalded his hands in the bath. The problem is that a criminal who was stalking Siobhan and had just assaulted her in the street is now dead after a chip pan fire - and seems to have been tied to his chair during it - after being seen drinking in a pub with Rebus who then went back home with him. As Rebus is known to be protective towards Siobhan, their boss and her superiors assume he is responsible, so during the course of the novel he ends up suspended which makes it tricky for him to keep working on the school shooting - although he does manage it, of course.

Investigation into the ex-army suspect for the school shooting reveals apparent criminal involvement, and a couple of army investigators are also around to menace Rebus who eventually works out their hidden agenda. Meanwhile, Siobhan is attracted to an ex RAF friend of the shooter's with unexpected consequencies.

On the plus side I enjoyed the much greater role played by Siobhan in this and the humorous interaction between her and Rebus. However, I didn't find the guest star villains - Rankin tells the story in his foreword of how they were created after a charity raffle to auction off the right to appear in the book - at all convincing. I found their parts of the story rather dragged out and thought the book could still have worked without them and with a little rewriting to cover the essentials of their role. I also wasn't convinced by the climax wouldn't it have made more sense for someone with the proceeds of drug trafficking who has his own plane and has flown to Amsterdam many times to have tried to do a runner instead?. So the rating balances out at 4 stars for me.… (més)