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lauranisbet's review
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
nonna7's review
5.0
NOTHING is ever simple in an Ian Rankin novel, but THIS one was among the most complicated and surprising ones I've read. When a posh private school experiences a gunman who seems, at random, to have killed two students and wounded a third one before turning the gun on himself, the assumption is made that it is a cut and dried case. Rebus is on the hot seat after a frying pan fire causes the death of a thug who was harassing Siobhan, a member of his team, and a special friend. It doesn't help that his hands are badly burned - a result of putting them in scalding water - or so he says. The school murders aren't in his patch, but an old friend, Bobby Hogan, specifically requests Rebus, and, by extension, Siobhan. Soon it's obvious that there is more to this than meets the eye. The gunman, a former member of an elite British army unit, is considered unstable. He left his wife and children after leaving the army unexpectedly. He has an expensive boat and drugs are found in his boat shed. Also the army is sniffing around about a helicopter that crashed. The gunman was a member of the group that investigated the crash. He apparently took something away with him. Then there's the guy who operates a flying school and corporate jet. Something doesn't add up for Rebus. Plus he is also trying to clear his name and soon discovers a connection to the case. This one really took me by surprise. The ending was a complete shock. I have one more Rebus to read, and then I'll be caught up in the series. I'm looking forward to his next book.
geoffreyjen's review
4.0
Rather too slow for my taste. And the ending for Siobahn was also rather predictable. Not my favorite Rankin. Gave it four stars for the writing, but was tempted to give it only three stars for the rest.
bookworm_brad's review against another edition
2.0
I must start by stating that my review is only for the Brilliance Audio version of A Question of Blood, read by Michael Page. I say this because had it not been for the narrator I would likely have scored it higher.
The book follows the typical Rebus style with he and Siobhan working together yet dealing with separate cases that are somehow linked. Rebus is in hot water (*ahem) with his bosses, as per usual thanks to his maverick ways and reputation. Plenty of twists and turns in the book though one of the events at the end involving Siobhan left me confused as I couldn't make sense of the reasoning behind it.
Anyway it's another great story in the series and was, on the whole, most enjoyable.
Sadly the narrator cost this edition a couple stars and somewhat spoiled the book for me.
Firstly, Let's face it, both Rebus and his creator are Scottish and hail from Edinburgh so why they chose and english narrator instead of a scot is a mystery. Granted Michael Page does perform a fairly decent if rather over-the-top scottish accent but I'm more used to the natural flow of James MacPherson who manages an English accent more naturally than Page's Scottish.
Secondly, he reads sooooo sloooowwwly, I had to increase the speed substantially to avoid falling asleep. I don't want narrators to rush it but honestly this was painfully slow.
Third, and most important for me, was the mispronunciation of a number of words throughout the book, by far the worst of which was DCS Gill Templer, who he pronounces with a hard G as in a fish's gill, when it is obviously pronounced Jill with a soft G (like the whiskey measure, something Rebus would likely appreciate). This had me constantly cursing through gritted teeth "it's Jill you ****" every time I heard it which is pretty often. No chance of immersion in the book with stupid errors like that repeatedly pulling me out of the story.
Still, it's a good book but I'd advise that you either read it yourself or buy the audiobook with a different narrator to enjoy it more.
The book follows the typical Rebus style with he and Siobhan working together yet dealing with separate cases that are somehow linked. Rebus is in hot water (*ahem) with his bosses, as per usual thanks to his maverick ways and reputation. Plenty of twists and turns in the book though one of the events at the end involving Siobhan left me confused as I couldn't make sense of the reasoning behind it.
Anyway it's another great story in the series and was, on the whole, most enjoyable.
Sadly the narrator cost this edition a couple stars and somewhat spoiled the book for me.
Firstly, Let's face it, both Rebus and his creator are Scottish and hail from Edinburgh so why they chose and english narrator instead of a scot is a mystery. Granted Michael Page does perform a fairly decent if rather over-the-top scottish accent but I'm more used to the natural flow of James MacPherson who manages an English accent more naturally than Page's Scottish.
Secondly, he reads sooooo sloooowwwly, I had to increase the speed substantially to avoid falling asleep. I don't want narrators to rush it but honestly this was painfully slow.
Third, and most important for me, was the mispronunciation of a number of words throughout the book, by far the worst of which was DCS Gill Templer, who he pronounces with a hard G as in a fish's gill, when it is obviously pronounced Jill with a soft G (like the whiskey measure, something Rebus would likely appreciate). This had me constantly cursing through gritted teeth "it's Jill you ****" every time I heard it which is pretty often. No chance of immersion in the book with stupid errors like that repeatedly pulling me out of the story.
Still, it's a good book but I'd advise that you either read it yourself or buy the audiobook with a different narrator to enjoy it more.
hamja's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
the_discworldian's review
4.0
Solid Rebus complete with all the usual ingredients, both good (Rebus and Siobhan's interactions) and bad (whhhhyyyyy can I not keep all these Scottish guys straight in my head or is it just me?). I don't have much to say about this one: it's a solid, middle-of-the-road Rebus. I do kind of wish I hadn't read the intro first because it gives information on a couple of characters I had a lot of trouble ignoring during the book. That is, every time .
Spoiler
Peacock Johnson appeared, all I could think of was "oh, yeah, that's the guy Belle & Sebastian invented for this book." It made it hard to take him seriouslyluffy79's review
4.0
I found out the correct way, if that exists, of reading this series. These books are all about dialogue. Conviviality between two kindred souls is what drives this series. The plot is relegated to the background. The murder of this very book is solved, not through skill, but through procedure of the most routine kind. All the trials of the detective, Rebus, all the angst and discomfiture is made gone away through simple police work, not intuition. I was amazed that I didn't mind that. The way to enjoy these books is to engage with what the characters are doing. Sometimes it's Rebus and Siobhan musing. Sometimes it's the former and Hogan. Sometimes, only more rare, it's Rebus and his one time lover, but now boss, Gill Templer. I was satiated by the approach of Ian Rankin, and I'm now a fan.
plantbirdwoman's review against another edition
4.0
When two students are killed and a third wounded at Edinburgh’s posh, private Port Edgar Academy, it seems to be just another random act of a madman. But in Inspector Rebus’ world, things are never truly random. There are always links, causes, relationships, and it is his job, his calling in life, to puzzle them out, to discover the mystery and the truth behind the seemingly motiveless act.
In this particular instance, Rebus is at a distinct disadvantage in his quest, because his hands have been severely burned. Scalded by too hot bath water he says, but is it mere coincidence that the home of one of Edinburgh’s bad guys was recently torched with the bad guy inside? Or that this happened just hours after Rebus was seen in a pub with the now deceased and that he had left the pub with him? It’s one coincidence too many perhaps, leading some to suspect Rebus of murder. Has he finally crossed the line and become one of the bad guys himself?
One reviewer has called John Rebus “the baddest of the bad boys of modern crime fiction” and he fully lives up to his reputation in A Question of Blood. Rebus has never put much stock in rules. He tends to go his own way, using his own methods of detection. That has created some very powerful enemies for him, enemies who would not shed one single tear at the ending of his career.
As usual, Ian Rankin has created a many-layered and complicated plot with interconnecting relationships. One of those relationships turns out to be with Rebus’ family when it is learned that one of the victims in the school shooting was the son of his first cousin. The plot also turns on the deepening relationship between Rebus and his colleague and friend Siobhan Clarke. The two are so alike that they seem almost to be mirror images of each other – which may not always be a good thing.
Rankin, as is his modus operandi, keeps the action moving and the pages turning. And he keeps the reader guessing. Even when the resolution comes, it is not neatly wrapped in a box with pretty paper and a bow. There are a few loose ends still, which just whet the reader’s appetite for the next installment of Inspector Rebus of the Lothian and Borders Police.
In this particular instance, Rebus is at a distinct disadvantage in his quest, because his hands have been severely burned. Scalded by too hot bath water he says, but is it mere coincidence that the home of one of Edinburgh’s bad guys was recently torched with the bad guy inside? Or that this happened just hours after Rebus was seen in a pub with the now deceased and that he had left the pub with him? It’s one coincidence too many perhaps, leading some to suspect Rebus of murder. Has he finally crossed the line and become one of the bad guys himself?
One reviewer has called John Rebus “the baddest of the bad boys of modern crime fiction” and he fully lives up to his reputation in A Question of Blood. Rebus has never put much stock in rules. He tends to go his own way, using his own methods of detection. That has created some very powerful enemies for him, enemies who would not shed one single tear at the ending of his career.
As usual, Ian Rankin has created a many-layered and complicated plot with interconnecting relationships. One of those relationships turns out to be with Rebus’ family when it is learned that one of the victims in the school shooting was the son of his first cousin. The plot also turns on the deepening relationship between Rebus and his colleague and friend Siobhan Clarke. The two are so alike that they seem almost to be mirror images of each other – which may not always be a good thing.
Rankin, as is his modus operandi, keeps the action moving and the pages turning. And he keeps the reader guessing. Even when the resolution comes, it is not neatly wrapped in a box with pretty paper and a bow. There are a few loose ends still, which just whet the reader’s appetite for the next installment of Inspector Rebus of the Lothian and Borders Police.
nwhyte's review
3.0
http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1707280.html
Another excellent Rebus novel, let down a little bit by the end - the solution to one of the mysteries depends on someone simply by coincidence having been in the right place at the right time and then doing something rather unexpected conveniently for the plot, another mystery depends on the memory of one of the viewpoint characters and is revealed to us only at the very end though presumably the character in question has been aware of it all through the book. Also I now have spotted that whenever we start to hear in great detail about Siobhan's (Rebus's sidekick's) observations of her surroundings, something 'orrible is about to happen to her. But on the way there we have the usual brilliant interweaving of professional jealousies, moments of heroism, awful politicians (a recurrent Rebus/Rankin theme), music, and stories from various levels of society which intersect each other in unexpected ways. Pretty accessible to the newcomer as well, I would think
Another excellent Rebus novel, let down a little bit by the end - the solution to one of the mysteries depends on someone simply by coincidence having been in the right place at the right time and then doing something rather unexpected conveniently for the plot, another mystery depends on the memory of one of the viewpoint characters and is revealed to us only at the very end though presumably the character in question has been aware of it all through the book. Also I now have spotted that whenever we start to hear in great detail about Siobhan's (Rebus's sidekick's) observations of her surroundings, something 'orrible is about to happen to her. But on the way there we have the usual brilliant interweaving of professional jealousies, moments of heroism, awful politicians (a recurrent Rebus/Rankin theme), music, and stories from various levels of society which intersect each other in unexpected ways. Pretty accessible to the newcomer as well, I would think