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jimbowen0306's review against another edition
3.0
This book is the 22nd John Rebus book by Ian Rankin. In it Rebus has resigned again, suffering from old age, and some of things that go with that, his old sidekick, Siobhan Clarke is a DI with a decent to good record, and Malcolm Fox is based at the central office of the Scottish police force, but still being used to act as a member of the Scottish equivalent of Internal Affairs.
Clarke is pulled into an inquiry into the death of Stuart Bloom, after his body is found in a car on a field on the outskirts of Edinburgh. I remember Bloom from older books I think, but I can't place the book he appeared in. He has been missing for years, so Fox is called in to examine the original inquiry, which Rebus was involved in.
At the same time, Clarke asks Rebus to have a look at an old case of hers. She got a kid convicted of murdering his girlfriend, but his family guilt her into looking at the case, and she passes the task on to Rebus, to divert him from the "proper case".
It wasn't a bad read, it's just it... didn't grip me. I read it, and it was fine, but that's all it was if I'm honest.
Clarke is pulled into an inquiry into the death of Stuart Bloom, after his body is found in a car on a field on the outskirts of Edinburgh. I remember Bloom from older books I think, but I can't place the book he appeared in. He has been missing for years, so Fox is called in to examine the original inquiry, which Rebus was involved in.
At the same time, Clarke asks Rebus to have a look at an old case of hers. She got a kid convicted of murdering his girlfriend, but his family guilt her into looking at the case, and she passes the task on to Rebus, to divert him from the "proper case".
It wasn't a bad read, it's just it... didn't grip me. I read it, and it was fine, but that's all it was if I'm honest.
mrbrownsays's review against another edition
4.0
Spotted some nostalgic luxuries, especially at the end. Feels like we´re working towards a more rounded end than exit music would have been.
daja57's review against another edition
3.0
The 22nd Rebus novel!
John Rebus has long retired and has COPD. Ex-sidekick Siobhan Clarke, now a DI, is assigned to investigate the murder of a man whose body has turned up after going missing years ago; the missing person case was investigated by a team that included John Rebus. The baddies include Steele and Edwards, who were also on the original team but are now investigating bent coppers; but are they themselves bent? In fact, who isn't bending the rules? Every officer appears to be compromised in some way, including our heroes.
My biggest criticism of this book was the way in which the final solution was sprung on the reader (though there are some clues). The investigation is bogged down, making pitifully slow progress, the story itself kept going by the inclusion of a sub-plot. Then the soil analysis finally arrives and, following some extraordinarily serendipitous policing involving a chase, the solution arrives. I struggled to find any motive for the accessory. And the criminal? His behaviour during the investigation seemed to me to be totally out of character with his behaviour when the original crime was committed. This stuck-until-you-get-lucky structure may be reflective of real policing but there are certain expectations of a whodunnit which I feel were unfulfilled.
But this is only tangentially a murder mystery. It's really the chronicle of a fascinating group of characters, all of whom have skeletons in their cupboards, and a commentary on corruption and decay in public life.
John Rebus has long retired and has COPD. Ex-sidekick Siobhan Clarke, now a DI, is assigned to investigate the murder of a man whose body has turned up after going missing years ago; the missing person case was investigated by a team that included John Rebus. The baddies include Steele and Edwards, who were also on the original team but are now investigating bent coppers; but are they themselves bent? In fact, who isn't bending the rules? Every officer appears to be compromised in some way, including our heroes.
My biggest criticism of this book was the way in which the final solution was sprung on the reader (though there are some clues). The investigation is bogged down, making pitifully slow progress, the story itself kept going by the inclusion of a sub-plot. Then the soil analysis finally arrives and, following some extraordinarily serendipitous policing involving a chase, the solution arrives. I struggled to find any motive for the accessory. And the criminal? His behaviour during the investigation seemed to me to be totally out of character with his behaviour when the original crime was committed. This stuck-until-you-get-lucky structure may be reflective of real policing but there are certain expectations of a whodunnit which I feel were unfulfilled.
But this is only tangentially a murder mystery. It's really the chronicle of a fascinating group of characters, all of whom have skeletons in their cupboards, and a commentary on corruption and decay in public life.
teganlivingston's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
_pauline's review against another edition
medium-paced
2.75
struggled to keep up with the different characters & therefore the plot; it’s not a bad crime novel but also not that memorable - I didn’t really care what happened, didn’t care much about the characters
stephlel's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
winterreader's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
eastofthesunwestofthemoon's review against another edition
4.0
3 1/2 stars. Audio book. It's a well written tale, but it just didn't keep my interest as much as I would hope - it got a bit boggy in places. That may have to do with being only the 2nd Rebus book I've read. Sometimes the ongoing moral ambiguity gets to be a bummer, as well.
gemjar321's review against another edition
1.0
This book seems to be part of a series which I wasn't really aware of. I felt it difficult to keep up with because there was an awful lot of characters so maybe if I had read previous books in the series it would have made it easier to follow. Overall it was an okay crime thriller but I wouldn't recommend it. A bit too boring for me.