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ajnel's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
One of the more thought provoking Rebus novels as it deals with a pertinent moral dilemma. The whodunnit and other mysteries is as always very well constructed.
mallaby's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
Finished in a couple days so it was clearly good. I find myself a bit disappointed in the ending though- I’m a bit confused.
itscakey's review
3.0
As much as I enjoyed this book on the whole, the multiple storylines kept getting muddled for me and I found some of it difficult to follow. I loved the character of Oakes though, he was awesome. This wasn't the best Rebus novel I've ever read but it wouldn't stop me reading more.
bibliobethreads's review against another edition
One of my favourite Rebus novels, bit of a dodgy subject area but handled very well and makes for a gripping read. And Rebus is back on the booze...is it wrong to like him better when he is?!
knick83's review against another edition
3.0
Not among the best books in the Rebus series, but still pretty good. There’s a lot of plot, as always with Rankin, but I felt the story could have moved at a slightly faster pace.
3,5 stars.
3,5 stars.
woolfardis's review against another edition
4.0
nonna7's review
4.0
Dead Souls was written in 1999 and depicts a John Rebus who is increasingly feeling dead inside and wondering if he should continue as a police officer. In the beginning of the book he is part of a stakeout of the Edinburgh zoo trying to find the person who is poisoning the animals. When he sees a known pedophile taking photos, he gives chase and, while he is going after the pedophile, the poisoner almost is able to do the deed yet again.
Darren Rouse, the pedophile, claims that he is taking a photography class and the zoo is his assignment. This claim is verified by his social worker. Rebus discovers that he is living in an apartment that overlooks a playground. He tells a reporter he knows about him who refuses to write the story, telling him that there is something inside him that has died.
The book has a number of different stories that come together, as always, in an interesting way. A former girlfriend of Rebus' when he was in high school contacts him about her missing son. A fellow police officer commits suicide by jumping off a high wall in Edinburgh. Meanwhile there is a trial going on of a former school in which two of the principals were involved in child abuse.
In addition, a convicted murderer who spent 25 years in an American prison has been released and deported to Edinburgh, where he grows up. He is seeking to settle old scores but not until he spends some time with a local reporter talking about his life for a series of articles.
Then there is the case of a missing boy who goes missing right around the time that it is discovered that Darren Rouse, the convicted pedophile, is living in the same apartment complex.
As always, it is complicated with a great deal of retrospection on Rebus' side as well as he examines his own conscience, wondering what has happened to him. As in so many of Rankin's books, it starts out a bit slow, but then things start to build up. It's really a great story.
Darren Rouse, the pedophile, claims that he is taking a photography class and the zoo is his assignment. This claim is verified by his social worker. Rebus discovers that he is living in an apartment that overlooks a playground. He tells a reporter he knows about him who refuses to write the story, telling him that there is something inside him that has died.
The book has a number of different stories that come together, as always, in an interesting way. A former girlfriend of Rebus' when he was in high school contacts him about her missing son. A fellow police officer commits suicide by jumping off a high wall in Edinburgh. Meanwhile there is a trial going on of a former school in which two of the principals were involved in child abuse.
In addition, a convicted murderer who spent 25 years in an American prison has been released and deported to Edinburgh, where he grows up. He is seeking to settle old scores but not until he spends some time with a local reporter talking about his life for a series of articles.
Then there is the case of a missing boy who goes missing right around the time that it is discovered that Darren Rouse, the convicted pedophile, is living in the same apartment complex.
As always, it is complicated with a great deal of retrospection on Rebus' side as well as he examines his own conscience, wondering what has happened to him. As in so many of Rankin's books, it starts out a bit slow, but then things start to build up. It's really a great story.
coralang's review
3.0
Bonnes et longues intrigues. J'y vois un certain parallèle avec Wallander: le sommeil, l'alcool, les tourments. Pas facile d'être un inspecteur.
geoffreyjen's review
4.0
Not my favorite Rebus, but for reasons I find hard to define. Wasn't entirely convinced by the pedophilia subplot, and Rebus seemed, to begin with, more manic than usual and then less manic than usual. Plot went through several additional twists past the climax, didn't seem to want to wind down. I thought it was trying to clean up loose ends, but like most Rebus books, it left several loose ends. Not that that's bad. Don't get me wrong, Rankin is an outstanding writer, this just wasn't my favorite of us.