Reviews

Black and Blue by Ian Rankin

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dansquire's review against another edition

4.0

Not much of a crime fiction reader usually, but enjoyed this. The plot is dense and complex, so it's rewarding when it all comes together.

samharnold's review against another edition

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5.0

Am a massive fan of Ian Rankin’s - Rebus series so I wasn’t disappointed with this read at all.

This book feels a step up from the rest it deals with a true crime story as well as the normal mysteries and multiple threads. I loved the fact that whilst chilling with a good read I learnt something about an actual cold case that of Bible John.

Can’t wait to read the next in the series.

hoserlauren's review against another edition

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4.0

Inspector John Rebus is managing a few cases, harassment from television stations about a possible wrong conviction, and a personal interest in two serial killers. The cases start with a man that is impaled on a fence, tied to a chair, with a bag over his head. Did he jump or was he pushed? What circumstances caused the man to end here? The evidence takes him up north, looking at a crime boss Uncle Joe. He is known to run drug rings but no one can touch him.

While investigating this crime, Rebus' old partner commits suicide. This is after media has been hounding him on a case he closed many years ago where some suspected that his partner planted evidence. The media hounds Rebus too and an internal investigation is opened with someone who is not too fond of Rebus heading it up. Rebus is assigned DI Jack Morton, an old friend, to watch Rebus' every move and follow him everywhere.

This makes it harder to Rebus to continue his unofficial investigation in to the serial killer Bible John, and his more recent copy cat killer, Johnny Bible. There was lots going on in this book but everything managed to work and fit together quite nicely.

Morton and Rebus being paired up was the best part of this book. The two have a mutual respect for each other but Rebus is angry enough at having Morton watching his every move to get a few good one liners off at Morton. Morton also, somehow, manages to get Rebus off alcohol. Let's hope it lasts. He may just be able to make something with Gill work out if things stay this way.

katygw's review against another edition

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4.0

Best Rebus book so far. Love the way that Rankin writes, it’s so satisfying watching everything snap into place toward the end.

berlinbibliophile's review against another edition

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4.0

This book, set several books and years afterKnots & Crosses , I read for fun, having read several reviews saying that it represented a real leap forward in the quality of the Rebus series. On the whole, I agree. The plot was much more tightly woven, there was a much bigger cast of fully fleshed-out supporting characters, and, even if I still often wanted to shout at Rebus to get his life in order, at least there were acute reasons for his fucked-up behaviour, and by the end of it, Rebus actually seems to be working towards a better life for himself. I hated that Rankin felt the need to have Rebus randomly sleep with the sole female criminal for no reason, and I honestly don't understand why she would want to sleep with him either. Is it that Rankin has some sort of checklist of manly-man things Rebus must accomplish in every novel, and sleeping with a woman, any woman, is just one of the points on it?
That is not to say, however, that I did not thoroughly enjoy most of this book. I liked the more diverse settings, I think getting out of Edinburgh only helped the novel. I was especially impressed by how Rankin managed to interweave the different plot strands, although that particular plot point was spoiled by the tag line on the cover. Still, it was entertaining to watch Rebus figure it out gr8 himself. I also liked the supporting cast better this time around, especially Siobhan and Jack Morton.
The ending of the book felt rushed, just like the last one. The killer simply disappears and the book ends, without even a closing sentence from Rebus on whether or not they have found him, or if the police even believe Rebus's story.
Still, overall, a better book than Knots & Crosses, and an entertaining read in its own right.

saltycorpse's review against another edition

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2.0

This novel tried to do too much, tie too much together, and had a rushed, unsatisfying ending void of any real answers, which is unfortunate because as about three separate novels this would have been great.