A review by nonna7
A Question of Blood by Ian Rankin

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.