... And once again, it was definitely worth it.
A shooting in a private school near Edinburgh gives John Rebus and Siobhan Clarke a lot of work to do: two seventeen year olds have been shot and killed, and another wounded, by an ex-Army officer who then turns the gun on himself. Rebus and Clarke's ... Read review
Sometimes crime affects you directly: in A Question of Blood Inspector John Rebus is ... more
caught up in two cases that are closer to home than he would like. He is under investigation for the burning alive of a minor psychopath who threatened his attractive ...
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Sometimes crime affects you directly: in A Question of Blood Inspector John Rebus is ... more
caught up in two cases that are closer to home than he would like. He is under investigation for the burning alive of a minor psychopath who threatened his attractive ...
Postage & Packaging: refer to website Availability: Check Site.
Sometimes crime affects you directly: inA Question of BloodInspector John Rebus is caught ... more
up in two cases that are closer to home than he would like. He is under investigation for the burning alive of a minor psychopath who threatened his attractive yo...
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Sometimes crime affects you directly: inA Question of BloodInspector John Rebus is caught ... more
up in two cases that are closer to home than he would like. He is under investigation for the burning alive of a minor psychopath who threatened his attractive yo...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Sometimes crime affects you directly: inA Question of BloodInspector John Rebus is caught ... more
up in two cases that are closer to home than he would like. He is under investigation for the burning alive of a minor psychopath who threatened his attractive yo...
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Sometimes crime affects you directly: inA Question of BloodInspector John Rebus is caught ... more
up in two cases that are closer to home than he would like. He is under investigation for the burning alive of a minor psychopath who threatened his attractive yo...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Two seventeen-year-olds are killed by an ex-Army loner who has gone off the rails. As ... more
Detective Inspector John Rebus puts it, 'there's no mystery ... except the why'. But this question takes Rebus into the heart of a shattered community. Ex-Army himself, Rebus becomes fascinated by the killer, and finds he is not alone. Army investigators are on the scene, and won't be shaken off. The killer had friends and enemies to spare and left behind a legacy of secrets and lies.
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Sometimes crime affects you directly: in A Question of Blood Inspector John Rebus is ... more
caught up in two cases that are closer to home than he would like. He is under investigation for the burning alive of a minor psychopath who threatened his attractive young sergeant Siobhan Clarke; and the son of an estranged cousin has been murdered in a high-school shooting. As always in Rankin's novels, Rebus's bad attitude to his superiors comes back to bite him: even though doctors testify that damage to his hands is a scalding from trying drunkenly to get into an over-hot bath, it is regarded as circumstantial evidence of his possible guilt. The high-school shooting looks at first sight like another ex-SAS crazy going wild--and here Rebus's own past as an SAS washout comes to haunt him--and the constant meddling of army investigators screams cover-up. In fact, though, this is one of those occasions on which Rebus's slightly paranoid preparedness to see connections everywhere pays off and he manages to solve both crimes and a lot of other unsuspected pieces of mayhem besides. Along the way, the book offers Rankin's usual intense commentary on embattled masculinity and what it means to be a Scot, and this excellent sequence's usual portrayal of an Edinburgh where modernity rubs up against time-worn slums and ancient privilege. --Roz Kaveney
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Advantages: fantastic novel by a fantastic author Disadvantages: I have no more of his stuff left to read now!
...Once again, this one was a brilliant read, and I couldn't put it down until the last page had been read. And once again, it was definitely worth it.
A shooting in a private school near Edinburgh gives John Rebus and Siobhan Clarke a lot of work to do: two seventeen year olds have been shot and killed, and another wounded, by an ex-Army officer who then turns the gun on himself. Rebus and Clarke's job is to find out exactly why the ... ...in trouble of his own. A man who has been stalking Siobhan has been found burned to death in his own home, and Rebus, who has just left hospital with scalded hands that he claims were caused by hot bath water, is the prime suspect...
At 360 pages, it's quite a long read, but one that you won't be able to put down. As with his other novels, Rankin has created a gripping and very readable piece of fiction, not just through the brilliance ... more
Once again, I was really excited to have another one of Rankin's Rebus novels to read. Once again, this one was a brilliant read, and I couldn't put it down until the last page had been read. And once again, it was definitely worth it.
A shooting in a private school near Edinburgh gives John Rebus and Siobhan Clarke a lot of work to do: two seventeen year olds have been shot and killed, and another wounded, by an ex-Army officer who then turns the gun on himself. Rebus and Clarke's job is to find out exactly why the man would have committed such a crime...but they have a problem. Military leaders are also on the hunt for information about the man, but without saying why...and Rebus just can't shake them off.
Meanwhile, Rebus is in trouble of his own. A man who has been stalking Siobhan has been found burned to death in his own home, and Rebus, who has just left hospital with scalded hands that he claims were caused by hot bath water, is the prime suspect...
At 360 pages, it's quite a long read, but one that you won't be able to put down. As with his other novels, Rankin has created a gripping and very readable piece of fiction, not just through the brilliance of the plot, but also through his superb abilities when it comes to writing style.
The plot is, as always, fantastic. A decent piece of crime fiction should keep you guessing until the end, and that's what Rankin does. It's no fun if you work it out too quickly! Rankin's novels are also not as gory as works by many other authors, but a novel does not have to be gory to be good. One word I would use to describe it, however, is gritty: events in the novel aren't cushioned too much. It's not a tame novel, but it's not excessively bloodthirsty either. I think it is partly due to his style of writing that the plot is so believable - many authors have a tendency to go way over the top when it comes to descriptions and setting the mood.
Descriptions are something that Rankin does well -rather than creating lengthy paragraphs full of adjectives to describe the setting and the characters, it is done in pieces so that you almost don't realise how much description is given. Physical descriptions of Rebus and Clarke are sparse, as they appear in earlier novels featuring the two. If, however, you haven't read any of the earlier Rebus novels, this won't be a problem - you'll still get a good feel for what the characters are like.
And what characters they are! The character of Rebus really does appeal to me: a policeman, yes, but a very unconventional one, who is always getting into hot water and taking the biggest risks he can, even if it means risking getting suspended. You can't help but like him - and to feel sorry for Siobhan who, although close to Rebus, obviously sees him in the same light as a mother would a hyperactive child.
What does impress me is that, although there are now fifteen books in the Rebus series, there is no sense of Rankin getting bored or running out of ideas...and I'm still enjoying these as much as the earlier ones. The characters still seem effortlessly similar to how they were in the beginning, and the character development from novel to novel is continuing: we feel like we get to know Rebus more as a person as well as reading about his cases.
The setting is also fantastic: the Rebus novels are almost all set in Edinburgh, somewhere Rankin evidently knows well. This isn't, however, the modern, bustling Edinburgh that we know, but the back alleys, the darkened corners and the not so wealthy areas.
What does impress me about thie novel is that, although there are several different stories running parallel to each other in the novel, Rankin has no trouble tying them all up at the end. The ending does not seem hasty or premature, but everything slots into place perfectly, the way a well-written book should.
So who would enjoy this book? If you're a fan of crime fiction, then you should definitely give at least one of the Rebus novels a try, although I wouldn't recommend this one as his best...."Strip Jack" and "The Black Book" are both fantastic novels, as are the majority of his others. I just believe that, as an introduction to Rankin, his earlier books are the place to start.
Depending on your tastes in crime fiction you could either find this too tame or too gritty, but again, it's up to you: if the style of writing and the plot that I have described appeal, then go for it!
My verdict? Well, I certainly enjoyed it, but I'm not sure whether part of the reason I enjoyed it so much is that I've read all his others, so knew what I was expecting. If you're a Rankin fan, then you really should buy it, if only for the continuation of the development of the characters. If you're new to Rankin and Rebus, try one of the earlier ones first, but this is definitely worth a read. Highly recommended.
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Available from amazon.co.uk Published by Orion, priced £12.59 in hardback ISBN: 0752851101
Advantages: Great storyline, Rankin shows his class again Disadvantages: None, except you are best reading the other 13 books first!
...However, I do still have a review to write and if I happen to jump ahead of the known plot then I apologise!
_For those of you who have no knowledge of the John Rebus series by Ian Rankin, here is a brief history._
Ian Rankin thought up the idea of John Rebus whilst at university in 1985. Rebus himself was born in 1947 in Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. He had a troubled childhood with his mum dying young, and joined the army after leaving ... ...soldiers mind and was offered a route out with the Lothian and Borders police.
This is where the series of books picks Rebus up, and during the early books he still ahs contact with his wife and daughter. However as the series plays on, Rebus becomes a loner who is interested in only one thing - his work. Rankin often introduces characters into the series who could become Rebus' genuine friends, only for them to be killed or disappear from his life ...
martin0201 05.01.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of A Question of Blood - Ian Rankin
Advantages: The tone of this entry in the series is much lighter than the earlier books. Disadvantages: The unspoken suggestion that the SAS soldiers are idiots, just because they oppose Rebus.
...his superiors. This book is a little unusual because Rebus works pretty closely with a couple of partners, something he has steered clear from with almost pathological alacrity up until now. It felt as though the whole tone of the book was much lighter as a result, particularly when dealing with his emotional state. The book opens with Rebus in hospital nursing two very badly scalded hands. Apart from raising the question as to how he came to scald ... ...the important ones like drinking a beer or lighting a cigarette to driving a car. The result is some interesting working interactions between Rebus and his fellow detectives, most notably Siobhan Clarke, which makes a very refreshing change. Soon after leaving hospital, Rebus is called in to assist on what appears to be a tragic but straightforward schoolyard murder / suicide shooting. His experience is requested because the murderer is an ex-SAS ...
damieng 22.01.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of A Question of Blood - Ian Rankin
Advantages: totally enthralling piece of work Disadvantages: cant put it down (had loads of housework when i finished reading it)
...When two students of a private school are shot dead in their common room by a crazed ex-soldier, who then takes his own life, Detective Rebus is put on the case to provide the grieving families with the answers they crave. What made this man do this? and why their boys? But tje invistigation throws up more questions than it answers. Why have the army sent investigaters snooping around?, and what are the looking for?, and what did an ex army man have ... ...suspicion of the death of a man he was known enemies with. Can it just be coincidence that Rebus shows up with badly burnt hands after the man is found tied to a chair and burned alive. Read the excellent novel to find out..
xxxx is it any good????? xxxxxx
It is an excellent read. It has you totally captivated from the offset. Ian Rankin is a superb novelist who knows exactly how to hook his readers. His knowledge of teh differnt cultures that ...
elizabeth1983 13.01.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of A Question of Blood - Ian Rankin
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Advantages: Great story and easy to read. Disadvantages: It doesn't take long to read!
When I did a search for this book I couldn?t believe it wasn?t here. So I did a product proposal straight away.
The only Rankin novel I had read before this one was Witch Hunt. It however, is not part of the Inspector Rebus series though. I actually got this and another Inspector Rebus novel from ebay together as a bargain. Having read more than a few crime books a friend couldn?t believe I wasn?t up to date with the Rebus novels. When I decided I would read them I thought it was only logical to start with the first novel, Knots & Crosses.
Knots & Crosses was published in 1987 so they have been around for a while now! There are now another 13 novels with the latest being A Question Of Blood. One thing that drew me towards IanRankin was the fact that he was British. Rankin was born in the Kingdom of Fife in 1960 and went to ...
Advantages: Good filler in between the main Rebus novels, as always, really well written Disadvantages: They're too short!!! :-(
This is a collection of short stories, featuring IanRankin's most famous Detective, Inspector John Rebus. As a follow on from my review of Rankin's 14th Rebus novel, A Question of Blood, I have just read A Good Hanging (and other stories) written by Rankin in 1992, just five years after the first Rebus book.
IanRankin
Born in the Kingdom of Fife (the same as Rebus), in 1960, IanRankin graduated from the University of Edinburgh and has since been employed as a grape-picker, swineherd, taxman, alcohol researcher, hi-fi journalist and punk musician. His first Rebus novel, Knots & Crosses, was published in 1987 and the Rebus books have now been translated into 26 languages. Here is a list of his achievements:
• Hawthornden Fellow
• 1997 CWA Macallan Gold Dagger - Black & Blue
• 2004 - Edgar Award (USA ...
Advantages: A very good police procedural with a likable protagonist in John Rebus Disadvantages: Part of a long running series, you may feel you have to read the earlier books to keep up.
becoming more and more apparent that DS Siobhan Clarke is going to play much larger roles in future books, proving herself to be a perfect foil for Rebus’ gruff, stand-offish exterior. That being said, she is beginning to take on a few Rebus-like qualities, a fact she comments on to herself with more than a little satisfaction. To this point their relationship has been kept on a professional level (with one exception that continues to confuse them), one feels that it’s only a matter of time before a more personal side of their relationship will be explored.
IanRankin has followed up his excellent, award winning A Question of Blood with another outstanding novel, one that has, I think, raised the bar even higher. Fleshmarket Close is a book that followers of the series will love, but I think it will also appeal to those who have ...
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