second-best is still more than excellent. Middle age is catching up with Rebus--he currently has no desk as a none-too-subtle hint from his superiors that he should seek retirement--but he and his friend and protegee Siobhan, who is still not his lover, race around investigating a variety of seemingly unconnected cases… The sister of a dead rape victim is missing; stolen medical skeletons turn up embedded in a concrete floor; a Kurdish journalist is brutally killed; the son of a Glasgow ganglord has moved in to the Edinburgh vice scene.Much of the book is dominated by two new settings--a sink estate divided between racist thugs and refugees, and a small town whose economy is dominated by an internment camp for those about to be deported; this is one of Rankin's preachier thrillers, but it is never less than intelligent and evocative in its descriptions of a contemporary squalor that spreads beyond the inner city. These are never quite orthodox police procedurals--Rebus' method is a little too like the standard private eye's way of wandering around being rude to people until something comes loose--but they have a deep seriousness about the way we live now that transcends mere noir moodiness.--Roz Kaveney
...In my time I've read many crime novels; Morse, Wexford et al have their moments, but ever since I read my first IanRankin novel two years ago there's only been one crime series worth reading.
Rebus is not infallible, in fact he is the very opposite if infallible. He has so many faults that if you tried to list them it would take the better part of a week. It is this, however, that makes him so likeable, perhaps because you can always see a bit of yourself in him.
For budding Rankin fans, 'The Early Years' is an ideal place to start, though be warned that you won't get much else done until you've finished it....
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
Advantages: Rankin plots are always good, Rebus is great Disadvantages: not the same as other Rebus novels
...I have read (and loved) IanRankin's Rebus books for a number of years. Last year, he brought our Night Music, centred around the G8 summit in Scotland, which was very much a Rebus novel.
And then this one.
What happened?
The length is the same (long). The setting is the same (Edinburgh). The characters are very much the same. But the FEELING is wrong. Is IanRankin already working on his next novel in his head and just 'bashing out' this one to end the series? Or does he really think that this is a fitting end to his fabulous, award-winning series of books?
The story is fine, and worthy of Rankin's Gold-Dagger-Award style. Hard-nosed cops, convoluted plot, a bit of politics, Edinburgh gangsters, and a bit of personal life thrown in for good measure. All good stuff. If you've never read any IanRankin and like a good detective story...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
...I am a big fan of the short story, but had previously only read IanRankin novels. What a treat I had in store.
I love the darkness in IanRankin's imagination. The Rebus character appears, detailed and human as always. The additional characters are equally wonderfully portrayed- you have a real sense that these people exist- they become alive very easily as you read. Even in the short story, Rankin manages to complete a picture that allows you to visualise a character, a setting, or a scene- the emotions are clear and the motives unconfusing.
I have become a little disappointed lately, as a short story writer myself, and a fan of short story writers such as Bradbury. The medium is a difficult one to publish in, especially for the unknown writer. My faith was slightly renewed by reading these stories, and I hope that such concise writing...
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful
This product has not yet been reviewed. 
28.11.2000
15.10.2007
21.07.2000
