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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. This leapt of the shelf at me when I was in on my own the other night, as something that would be fairly light reading. Which is odd really given that some of the stories are a little gruesome. But what with one thing or another Rebus usually finds out what's going on and gets his man. Nice to read it in short story size chunks for a change. I've got the next couple in the series to read at some point, and I'll be looking forward to them. (  ) lnr_blair | Jul 7, 2009 |  It would be wrong to award a John Rebus book less than 3.5 stars but, it has to be said, that rebus does not work as well in the short story format. The strength of Rebus is the way in which we are drawn in to a world of several investigations and the red herrings, twists and turns of a good whodunnit. Ten to twenty pages is simply not enough time to create the aura which surrounds the novels and, I would suggest that this is to the books detriment. There are some fair stories here and, were it to be judged by anything short of the high standard which comes as the norm from an Ian Rankin book, this review would be much more positive. (  ) the.ken.petersen | May 26, 2009 | My first taste of Ian Rankin, and a fine bit to chew on, to boot! These short stories serve as a nifty introduction to Inspector Rebus and his superior detecting skills, as well as provide some glimpses into the inner life of an extraordinarily lonely man. Wonderful. I'll keep my eye out for more from Mr. Rankin and Inspector Rebus. ( ) avanta7 | Apr 24, 2009 | I was pleasantly surprised by how well Rebus works in the short form; partly, I suspect, it's because we're dealing with a well-worked character and so we can avoid reintroducing his background each time. One or two very clever little stories, some a lot simpler, and at least one with no real plot to speak of at all. (This last one I like a lot - it's just Rebus, procrastinating away his Sunday off, unsettled and unhappy and fretting...) Definitely a worthwhile addition to the series; better, I suspect, than some of the novels were. shimgray | Jan 27, 2009 | I found these short stories excellent to dip in and out of. Having been used to Rankin's novels, I really didn't think the short stories would hold my interest, but I thought they were well written and with just enough action to keep me interested. ( ) Fluffyblue | Jun 4, 2008 |  no reviews | add a review
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| Book description |
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Dubbed "Tartan Noir" by James Ellroy, Rankin's tales are set in Edinburgh. Not in the beautiful streets that tourists see (those cobbled sidewalks leading up to Edinburgh Castle), but in its dark, damp recesses where crime flourishes. That's where Rebus works. The crime and criminals there make Rebus's job a tough one, and they also offend his sense of decency and order.
These 12 stories tell of mystery, suffering, and mayhem, which Rebus alone of all the detectives on the force, with his remarkable deductive skills, can solve. In "Being Frank," a homeless man, from his unique perspective on the park bench, is able to give Rebus the information he needs to break up a scam by local ne'er-do-wells. Crimes gone unsolved for 20 years, religious sightings, lovers crossed, and tales of revenge all come under the jaundiced eye of the very talented Rebus.
Even 10 years ago, when he was writing these stories, Rankin was a writer of great gifts. Time has borne out this promise. So it is easy to predict that, once you have sampled these short cases, you will become one of the many readers eagerly awaiting another Rebus novel from this sensitive and enormously talented young writer. --Otto Penzler
(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:57:57 -0400)
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