"A Question of Blood" (Ian Rankin’s 14th John Rebus novel) is a complicated police procedural told in seven parts, one part for each day it takes Rebus and Siobhan Clarke to close the books on the Edinburgh school shooting that claims the lives of two students. The case does not appear to be a difficult one because one of the three students in the room at the time of the murders has survived to tell what he saw and the alleged murderer, an outsider, has killed himself at the scene. For Rebus and his Edinburgh police colleagues it is a question of why, not who.

John Rebus, always the outsider even among his peers, is determined to answer that question and soon finds himself in conflict not only with certain of his fellow officers but with two Army investigators that seem determined to cause him as much personal grief as possible. For a loner, though, Rebus does have one or two loyal friends willing to cover his back when he needs it most. One of those friends is in charge of the school shooting investigation and is willing to use Rebus in an “unofficial” capacity even though, midway through the investigation, Rebus has been suspended by his superiors. The other is Siobhan Clarke, the young policewoman for whom Rebus has formed a rather unlikely attachment.

It is precisely this emotional attachment to Siobhan that gets Rebus into so much trouble. He is so determined to stop the career criminal that has been threatening her that one night he is seen leaving the man’s home at precisely the wrong moment. As a result of this connection to the stalker, if Rebus is to figure out the why of the school murders, he is going to have to avoid the phone calls and visits of the investigators whose job it is to determine whether or not he is guilty of violent criminal activity.

"A Question of Blood," at its heart, is a book about relationships, families, loners and friends. John Rebus is not close to anyone in his family and can count his friends on one hand. In his own way, he probably loves Siobhan Clarke but there is no way he ever could, or would, express his feelings to her. Some of his friends are much like Rebus; they spend too much time in pubs or sitting alone at home drinking themselves toward the next hangover – and they rather enjoy the lifestyle.

Rankin’s Edinburgh is the perfect city for loners. It is a dark, wet and rowdy place, and its streets are populated by teenage thugs that respect no one unwilling to mix it up with them. Rebus can only stomach what he sees because of his deep sense of outrage about what is happening to his city and those around him. Police work is all he has left and, even though he does as much as he can to protect the innocents of Edinburgh, he senses that his is a losing battle. He accepts his fate, however, and is a little unnerved by the emotions he finds himself feeling and expressing at the end of day seven.

"A Question of Blood" is a satisfying police procedural with an extra twist or two but John Rebus fans will enjoy it most because of the opportunity it gives them to spend some time with their old friend. For such a loner, John Rebus is an easy guy to like.

Rated at: 4.0 ( )

Rebus is, unquestionably, the king of the defective detectives. Rebus' drink problem is continuous - and worsens over time. His army history is eked out bit by painful bit and even his few working relationships cause him angst.
This story all falls neatly into place over the last few pages, as any good whodunnit should. A few moments of reflection would lead to the unlikeliness of this jigsaw puzzle fit of all the lose ends but, Rankin is clever; he doesn't give you that time. The novel builds to a crescendo; one solution after another tumbling from the tangled web of the story.
This is a superb read and one that I will, undoubtedly, revisit in a few years when my memory has forgotten its intricacies. ( )

I like Rebus' grittiness and recklessness. Much like Connelly's Inspector Bosch, he is a lone wolf who will go to great lengths to solve the puzzle. The novel has a cast of interesting, colourful and well-rounded characters, a clever twist at the end and a solid plot. The only thing I didn't quite care for were the numerous threads of inlaid stories - two separate intrigues which in the end did not come together. It wasn't confusing, merely overdone. ( )

This book is the first Ian Rankin novel I've read so far. It most certainly won't be my last, and I intend to read the series in order to get the full John Rebus effect. It was hard to rate this book because this book is one of the later novels in the series, but I will say that I love the interactions between Rebus and Siobhan, their little bets and tiffs over who pays for drinks, and what pub are said drinks to be drunk in. I can appreciate that. It's also nice to find that Rebus is a bit of a smartass with a tendency towards dark humor. He can also acknowledge his failures, and it's nice that Ian Rankin created a detective that isn't the usual caliber, hardcore military man who is almost god-like. When you cut Rebus he bleeds, and usually he has something ironic to say afterwards.

I wish I could say more about the novel for now, but I'll need to delve into the series properly before I can make a more informed comment. I will suggest to other readers that perhaps they should look for earlier novels to get the snippets of information that I think was needed to read this particular book. It may just be me, but I feel I didn't get the full effect.

Highly suggested, however. ( )

Another Rebus tale told with Rankin's usual panache and striking evocation of Edinburgh. This time an ex-soldier kills two teenagers at a private school. Book tied in to the TV portrayal of Rebus by John Hannah. ( )