Thriller

Ex-DI John Rebus, now retired and attempting belatedly to start looking after his health, is drawn to a cold case: the murder of a promiscuous woman married to a wealthy man. She died in a hotel which was also hosting a pop star and his entourage, some of whom knew the woman, and various businessmen and other movers and shakers - including a young Cafferty, not yet Big Ger, running an errand to deliver drugs to the musicians. Fast forward to today, and some of those characters are still around, still possibly carrying out crimes and still eluding justice. When Big Ger’s successor, Darryl Christie, is attacked outside his home, the attention of both the financial crimes unit and major crimes, in the forms of DI Malcolm Fox and Siobhan Clarke, are brought to bear - but can they solve the crime without Rebus?.... This was published in 2016, so I’m finally catching up to the series (having I think two more already-published books to read) and I’m still enjoying Rebus and, especially, Siobhan. I appreciate that Rebus’s terrible lifestyle is finally catching up to him, and it was interesting to see Big Ger back in (horrifically evil) form after his apparent retirement. Apparently these old guys just never stop! Recommended. ( )

Rebus gets hung up on a cold case that turns out to be related to Fox and Clarke's latest case, and, not surprisingly, to "Big Ger" Cafferty who has his fingers in all the pies and is thinking of making a comeback in a big way. This is another great installment in a great police procedural series with an interesting locale, witty characters, and solid plot-lines. Rebus health condition raises the stakes enormously and the tension between Fox and Clarke - because of Rebus and because of Fox's promotion - adds a lot of pressure to the characters, which isn't nice for them, but adds a lot for the reader. Highly recommend this series - it's one where I will go back and reread passages out loud to myself just because it's written so cleverly and the dialogues are so realistic. Very happy Rankin decided not to stop writing about Rebus and I am thoroughly enjoying how he's incorporated Fox into the Rebus storyline; they balance each other perfectly ( )

I hadnt read a Rebus book for some time and didnt realise how much I enjoyed them.

This time with Malcolm Fox in the mix, we have a classic Rebus story that effortlessly follows on from the earlier series. Almost made better by his retirement and exclusion from the police force ( )

Rebus is retired. So is Big Ger Cafferty. But in both cases, this retirement may be only theoretical. Rebus is asking questions about a cold case in which a woman was murdered at a hotel the same day as a famous rock star’s comeback concert, and Cafferty seems to have a hand in the beating of a gangster who’s looking to muscle in on Cafferty’s turf. Rebus, Clarke, and Fox are all back together again to solve both these crimes.

It’s hard to come up with words beyond “hurray, this is another great Rebus book”. I love the dynamics between Rebus, Clarke, and Fox: their group is a great blend of personalities that help get the job done. Fox is becoming more well-rounded too. I think I’m going to have to re-read The Complaints and The Impossible Dead now that I like him better.

One fun moment in this book, a nice bit of reading synchronicity, was the scene where Rebus goes to interview the famous rock star and brings a record of theirs to get signed. He brings it in a bag from Bruce’s Record Shop in Edinburgh, which was mentioned in Rip It Up: The Story of Scottish Pop as one of several beloved record shops in Scotland.

Recommended if you’ve been enjoying the series. You could also in theory pick up the series with this one, if you were feeling rebellious. ( )