A review by geoffreyjen
The Falls by Ian Rankin

4.0

I liked this Rebus, but that doesn't mean I thought it didn't have flaws. The book follows two different subplots, one being investigated by Rebus' disciple Siobhan and the other by Rebus. I loved the puzzle game followed out by Siobhan, but found the conclusion of this one anticlimactic - I thought it was pretty obvious right from the beginning who the Quizmaster was. The Rebus-Wylie interplay I found more interesting, it had a very different dynamic from the early stages of the Rebus-Siobhan interplay and I enjoyed the change. The new love interest was also interesting. I found the second subplot worked out to a satisfactory conclusion, although there, too, I guessed the culprit well before the ending. I also found the connection between the two subplots to be weak, as finally presented. However, despite these flaws, I enjoyed the book - I always love a yarn that mixes up present and past in interesting ways. And Rebus did grow a little - it gets boring if the character stays always the same. Overall, a solid Rebus story, but there is room for improvement still.