Ian Rankin is clearly in the first rank of living mystery writers. Do not miss him! ( )

Fantastic. These are more than crime novels and I just love the way that Ian Rankin blends Edinburgh's history - Burke and Hare in this instance - into its present. ( )

This is one of my favourite Inspector Rebus books to date (I have not read them in order). The interaction and relationships between the different characters is excellent with a few sub-plots thrown in for good measure.

When the daughter of a wealthy banker goes missing all the stops are pulled out to find her. The finding of a small coffin with a doll in it sends Rebus on what seems to be a wild goose chase and 'Quizmaster' has Siobhan and her partner chasing their tails to solve the computer clues he sets, convinced that the game level 'Hellbank' will disclose what happened to the missing girl. In the meantime DCS Templar, ACC Carswell and DC Hood all seem to have their own agendas. Throw in a retired professor of pathology and you have a real melting-pot.

If you are a fan of Inspector Rebus, this is a must-read. ( )

I knew that this moment would come: a five star rating is simply not enough for this book. Rebus is an excellent character and, here, we see him at his zenith.
Is the story of two intertwined murderers believable? In the cold light of day, no: utterly preposterous but, within the confines of those 390 pages, unquestionably.
Rankin has a great way of bringing reality into his fiction (here, the story of Burke and Hare, details of Edinburgh's history and topography) blur with the edges of his fiction until one is as hooked upon the Quizmaster's game as Siobhan.
I have read this one before, as a library book, and I will certainly read it again. Fiction of this quality deserves to be treasured. ( )

I loved this. It is set in Edinburgh where a university student Philippa Balfour, known as ‘Flip’ to her friends and family has disappeared. DI Rebus and his colleagues have just two leads to go on - a carved wooden doll found in a tiny coffin at The Falls, Flip’s home village and an Internet game involving solving cryptic clues. Rebus concentrates on the tiny coffin and finds a whole series of them have turned up over the years dating back to 1836 when 17 were found on Arthur’s Seat, the extinct volcano within Holyrood Park, east of Edinburgh Castle. DC Siobhan Clarke meanwhile tries to solve the cryptic clues.

There are many things I liked about this book - the the interwoven plots, throwing up several suspects; the historical references to Burke and Hare, the 19th century resurrectionists; the spiky relationship between Rebus and his new boss Gill Templeton; Siobhan Clarke whose liking for doing things independently matches Rebus’s own maverick ways; and above all the setting in and around Edinburgh. All the way through I kept changing my mind about “who did it” and it was only just before the denoument that I worked it out. This is a very satisfying book and I’m looking forward to reading more Rebus books very soon. ( )