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A review by boyblue
Dead Souls by Ian Rankin
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.