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nwhyte's review against another edition
3.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1468843.html
One of the better Inspector Rebus novels (I do need to check back and see how often I have used that phrase). A returning psychopath, establishment paedophiles, and a long-lost ex-girlfriend infest Rebus's life, and knowing that the law may never succeed in delivering justice is starting to gring him down. It's also a very interesting novel about parenthood - Rebus and his daughter, still recovering from the injuries she sustained in the last book; his ex-girlfriend and her missing son, tangled in the decadent lives of the offspring of a senior judge; the parents and daughter of Rebus' colleague whose death opens the book; children and moral panic in a depressed housing estate; and the ex-con returning from America to exert an ancient revenge. It is very compelling reading.
One of the better Inspector Rebus novels (I do need to check back and see how often I have used that phrase). A returning psychopath, establishment paedophiles, and a long-lost ex-girlfriend infest Rebus's life, and knowing that the law may never succeed in delivering justice is starting to gring him down. It's also a very interesting novel about parenthood - Rebus and his daughter, still recovering from the injuries she sustained in the last book; his ex-girlfriend and her missing son, tangled in the decadent lives of the offspring of a senior judge; the parents and daughter of Rebus' colleague whose death opens the book; children and moral panic in a depressed housing estate; and the ex-con returning from America to exert an ancient revenge. It is very compelling reading.
bookthia's review against another edition
3.0
It was ok. Kept my interest. A good beach or airplane mystery. Kinda dark though, but all Ian Rankin books are.
pagesforages's review against another edition
4.0
Rankin and Rebus are, as always the perfect pair. I love them both, the only thing that made this drag a little was my own fault, I read the novella that Rankin wrote first (he wrote it for an American publisher would then couldn't find a market for it so he cannibalised it for this book) so it was like trying to read the same book twice. I suggest a gap in between, if you're reading in order. Otherwise, it's perfect as always.
monty_reads's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
As a high school teacher, there were many times a student's behavior would become crystal clear after meeting his parents. I'd run into problems with work ethic or attitude or whatever, and I'd think, "What's the deal with this kid?" Then I'd meet Mom and/or Dad in a parent conference and immediately realize, "Oh, of course that's why he [fill in the blank]." It would be some sort of weird mirror image, where son's classroom surliness was reflected in Dad's obvious displeasure at coming to school for a meeting.
Even so, I never felt this was a question of genetics as much as it was learned behavior. The nature vs. nurture question has always felt sort of beside the point. I mean, it's obvious to me that while some personality traits are clearly handed down from parent to child (case in point, I have my dad's social awkwardness and my mom's passive-aggressiveness – a winning combo!), much of the way we act day-to-day has everything to do with the way we were taught – explicitly or implicitly, by parents and other sources – to make our way in the world. I was taught by my parents to be civil and to err on the side of kindness, and those are two lessons that have served me well. As I grew older, I was able to extrapolate that into an understanding that I should appreciate diversity, keep an open mind, and, above all else, try to remember that not everyone sees the world the way I do. I don't think I won any kind of genetic lottery; I just know my parents and the way they tried to raise my brother and me.
Some people aren't so lucky. In one of my other blog experiments, I wrote a review of Werner Herzog's death penalty documentary, Into the Abyss. It's an important movie for lots of reasons, but in this review I staked out why I'm against the death penalty, across the board. The biggest reason is this: Even though I absolutely believe we have free will and are wholly responsible for the decisions we make, some people are less capable of making informed decisions thanks to damage that occurred to them in their youth. At some point it feels like we have to admit that some people's capacity to make the right decision has been fundamentally weakened by forces out of their control. Childhood abuse and neglect. Parents whose own moral compasses are completely out of whack. Homelessness. Drug and alcohol abuse. Kids whose parents are just straight-up garden-variety assholes. Can we really hold everyone to the same standard of decision-making?
For the first time in ten books starring Detective Inspector John Rebus, Ian Rankin explores this issue in Dead Souls. As with most of the books in this series, there are two cases that first seem unrelated but which eventually intertwine in ways that are compelling and inevitable, and in this case both of them touch on the question of how much a criminal's past is to blame for his present. The more obvious example is Darren Rough, a convicted pedophile (who himself was a victim of sexual abuse as a child living in an orphanage) who served his jail sentence and has now been set free. When Rebus discovers that Rough has been assigned an apartment with a view of a children's playground, he "outs" Rough to the other tenants with disastrous consequences.
The other case – the focal point of the novel – involves Cary Oakes, a serial killer born in Scotland, imprisoned in the States, and released to his native country on a technicality. In the course of his investigation – what does Oakes have planned now that he's back in Scotland? – he learns how the killer's sense of morality may have been warped beyond repair by external factors over which he had no control.
Rankin being Rankin, there are a panoply of other features with which Rebus has to contend: a third case involving the missing adult son of two of Rebus' childhood friends; a fling with an old high school flame; thinly-veiled criticism of the 1% (fifteen years before it was popular); the fallout from his daughter's near-death experience in the previous book; the responsibility of the media not to turn killers into celebrities; and so on. It's a little busy. But somehow Rankin keeps all the plates spinning, even while he attempts to explore larger issues of morality.
It feels a little overdue for Rebus to suddenly stumble across the realization that – hey! – maybe people's lousy childhoods have an irrevocable effect on their adult lives. But when the results are this good, better late, as they say, than never.
Read all my reviews at goldstarforrobotboy.net
As a high school teacher, there were many times a student's behavior would become crystal clear after meeting his parents. I'd run into problems with work ethic or attitude or whatever, and I'd think, "What's the deal with this kid?" Then I'd meet Mom and/or Dad in a parent conference and immediately realize, "Oh, of course that's why he [fill in the blank]." It would be some sort of weird mirror image, where son's classroom surliness was reflected in Dad's obvious displeasure at coming to school for a meeting.
Even so, I never felt this was a question of genetics as much as it was learned behavior. The nature vs. nurture question has always felt sort of beside the point. I mean, it's obvious to me that while some personality traits are clearly handed down from parent to child (case in point, I have my dad's social awkwardness and my mom's passive-aggressiveness – a winning combo!), much of the way we act day-to-day has everything to do with the way we were taught – explicitly or implicitly, by parents and other sources – to make our way in the world. I was taught by my parents to be civil and to err on the side of kindness, and those are two lessons that have served me well. As I grew older, I was able to extrapolate that into an understanding that I should appreciate diversity, keep an open mind, and, above all else, try to remember that not everyone sees the world the way I do. I don't think I won any kind of genetic lottery; I just know my parents and the way they tried to raise my brother and me.
Some people aren't so lucky. In one of my other blog experiments, I wrote a review of Werner Herzog's death penalty documentary, Into the Abyss. It's an important movie for lots of reasons, but in this review I staked out why I'm against the death penalty, across the board. The biggest reason is this: Even though I absolutely believe we have free will and are wholly responsible for the decisions we make, some people are less capable of making informed decisions thanks to damage that occurred to them in their youth. At some point it feels like we have to admit that some people's capacity to make the right decision has been fundamentally weakened by forces out of their control. Childhood abuse and neglect. Parents whose own moral compasses are completely out of whack. Homelessness. Drug and alcohol abuse. Kids whose parents are just straight-up garden-variety assholes. Can we really hold everyone to the same standard of decision-making?
For the first time in ten books starring Detective Inspector John Rebus, Ian Rankin explores this issue in Dead Souls. As with most of the books in this series, there are two cases that first seem unrelated but which eventually intertwine in ways that are compelling and inevitable, and in this case both of them touch on the question of how much a criminal's past is to blame for his present. The more obvious example is Darren Rough, a convicted pedophile (who himself was a victim of sexual abuse as a child living in an orphanage) who served his jail sentence and has now been set free. When Rebus discovers that Rough has been assigned an apartment with a view of a children's playground, he "outs" Rough to the other tenants with disastrous consequences.
The other case – the focal point of the novel – involves Cary Oakes, a serial killer born in Scotland, imprisoned in the States, and released to his native country on a technicality. In the course of his investigation – what does Oakes have planned now that he's back in Scotland? – he learns how the killer's sense of morality may have been warped beyond repair by external factors over which he had no control.
Rankin being Rankin, there are a panoply of other features with which Rebus has to contend: a third case involving the missing adult son of two of Rebus' childhood friends; a fling with an old high school flame; thinly-veiled criticism of the 1% (fifteen years before it was popular); the fallout from his daughter's near-death experience in the previous book; the responsibility of the media not to turn killers into celebrities; and so on. It's a little busy. But somehow Rankin keeps all the plates spinning, even while he attempts to explore larger issues of morality.
It feels a little overdue for Rebus to suddenly stumble across the realization that – hey! – maybe people's lousy childhoods have an irrevocable effect on their adult lives. But when the results are this good, better late, as they say, than never.
Read all my reviews at goldstarforrobotboy.net
judenoseinabook's review against another edition
3.0
Another tour de force for Inspector Rebus.
I like the way moral issues are dealt with in these books. Very little is totally black and white - trying not to give the twists of the story away!
He's not a very likeable man in many ways but is very upright and honest under all the cynicism.
I like the way moral issues are dealt with in these books. Very little is totally black and white - trying not to give the twists of the story away!
He's not a very likeable man in many ways but is very upright and honest under all the cynicism.
auhsor's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Pedophilia, Murder, and Violence
amothersmusings1's review against another edition
I’ve never passed on an Ian Rankin “Rebus” story before but couldn't get into this one and therefore not continuing. Definitely me and not the book so please don’t be put off.
cathepsut's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the book and I liked Rebus. He is a very well-drawn character, if a little depressing. The story was believable, there was enough suspense to keep me going and the ending did not offer any idiotic and off-the-wall plot twists making me go "Yeah, right, whatever!" Did not keep me up at night, but was a very good read.
boyblue's review against another edition
3.0
Rebus has definitely lost a step and he's also losing a bit of his previously unshakeable conviction. Things rattle him that shouldn't, his pride is still ready to go toe-to-toe but his body's not. Rankin's done a good job of ageing Rebus, adding another layer of complexity to the character. That physical frailty causes a little bit of a problem for the formula though because Rebus needs to go mano-a-mano with the bad guy, that's who he is. Thankfully it seems that Rebus knows he can no longer be sure of winning the physical fight and so he's playing smarter.
There is a bit of mental plodding in this book but the reflections on Rebus at high school and the connections to his past are some of the best depth we've got for his character. The long suffering and aptly named Patience is still there but frankly she remains a plot feature and doesn't even closely resemble any real world relationship. It's a shame that the main antagonist seems so far ahead of Rebus when he's not even near the calibre of previous baddies. The way he so easily rattles our stoic Scot is concerning.
It's also great to see Rankin using the device of Rebus solving a case but with no evidence and no conviction, just self-satisfaction as the reward. We know that he just wants to know the answer and be right, that's the driving force of his entire existence. As if knowing the answers to these cases is in some way knowing the meaning to his life. Without the cases he really would be nothing.
The Carey Oakes ending felt ok, though Oakes should never have troubled Rebus the way he did. The Margolies case wound up well too and tied in nicely with the wider paedophile case. Unfortunately, the ending of the missing persons case was callous and glib in comparison especially considering that it's the son of his ex-girlfriend and friend from school. Didn't sit right with me but maybe that's the point.
There is a bit of mental plodding in this book but the reflections on Rebus at high school and the connections to his past are some of the best depth we've got for his character. The long suffering and aptly named Patience is still there but frankly she remains a plot feature and doesn't even closely resemble any real world relationship. It's a shame that the main antagonist seems so far ahead of Rebus when he's not even near the calibre of previous baddies. The way he so easily rattles our stoic Scot is concerning.
It's also great to see Rankin using the device of Rebus solving a case but with no evidence and no conviction, just self-satisfaction as the reward. We know that he just wants to know the answer and be right, that's the driving force of his entire existence. As if knowing the answers to these cases is in some way knowing the meaning to his life. Without the cases he really would be nothing.
The Carey Oakes ending felt ok, though Oakes should never have troubled Rebus the way he did. The Margolies case wound up well too and tied in nicely with the wider paedophile case. Unfortunately, the ending of the missing persons case was callous and glib in comparison especially considering that it's the son of his ex-girlfriend and friend from school. Didn't sit right with me but maybe that's the point.
talentedmisfit's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0