http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1342672...

An excellent Rebus mystery: raking through the ashes of an Edinburgh hotel brings out all kinds of seamy connections between the business elite and Scotland's criminal underworld, with Rebus and his colleagues bending rules slightly beyond my suspension of disbelief, but accepting the consequences when things go wrong. Rebus' brother reappears as well. I worked out the significance of the gas being turned on before Rebus did, but there was a sufficiently satisfying series of twists before we reached the end. One of the better Rebuses I have read (of five so far). ( )

If you have not read a John Rebus book, and if you like hard-hitting, fast-paced British mysteries, then you have a treat in store for you. I highly recommend Edinburgh's Dick Tracy (DI John Rebus). This is the fifth book in this series, and as always it's best to start at the beginning, but if you don't and start with this book that's OK too. Rebus has morphed by this book. He is a really strong character with the tenacity of a bloodhound when he's on the hunt. When a close colleague is mugged in an alley, Rebus is drawn into a case that began five years ago when a famous hotel burned to the ground. When the smoke cleared a body with a bullet hole in his head is found. The body has not been identified by the time Rebus gets on the case. With the help of his new DC Siobhan Clarke, they try to bring down a huge crime ring that has been terrorizing Edinburgh for ages. This is an intelligently written, hard-hitting, tightly written book that kept me turning pages. ( )

An anniversary edition of this novel with a new introduction by Rankin (this is what makes it a "Custom" book in the library catalolgues). This is the fifth John Rebus novel. The plot is more of a puzzle than a straightforward thriller, with gothic undertones. Rankin's confidence as a writer is clearly growing. For the first time Siobhan Clarke and Big Ger Cafferty emerge as fully-fledged characters each reflecting different aspects of Rebus's own personality. Several other characters from earlier novels reappear in this book, and some of the locations are real rather than fictional. ( )

Siobhan makes herself known at last.

This book is better than Rankin's last novel (Strip Jack), that's for darn sure. It was a lot of fun and I highly recommend it. It is, however, a very twisty novel, and I'm endlessly tired of Rebus's devotion to certain women in his life. He's a bit of a bastard at work, but at love he's a total weak mess. ( )

As usual, a good read from Ian Rankin. Familiar characters with good story lines and an original solution from Inspector Rebus.