Strip Jack

A well-liked MP is caught in a raid at an exclusive brothel, and the press is more than happy to play the scandal up as much as possible; when his party-loving wife appears to go missing, the scandal becomes juicer yet. DI John Rebus is initially interested in the story because DS Holmes lives in the MP’s riding and because the MP has a similar background to his own, but then the scandal turns to murder and Rebus finds the lives of the MP and his circle of friends are rather more unsavoury than he wanted to know….I’m slowly going through the Rebus novels, of which this is the fourth (published in 1992); it goes without saying by this late date that Rebus is one of the most complex and interesting characters in all of detective show more fiction. The city of Edinburgh is in itself a character, with both highly polished and terribly sordid sides, and Rebus’s ability to navigate between the two is something to behold. Highly recommended! show less

Loved this taut, character-rich, smart detective novel. In fact, reading this was so freakin' satisfying that I felt ticked about the time I've wasted recently on some new books that were marketed with a lot of vigor but left me wondering how they even got published. I was starting to think I was just not enjoying reading any more - a sad thought. But no, just sad excuses being published and promoted. How does that happen? I thought it was so competitive to get published. Oh well.

I remember reading that Jean Paul Sartre read detective mysteries for pleasure. Sometimes I've thought, wow, that's sort of embarrassing, isn't it.

But not today! Ian Rankin writes circles around these ridiculous authors I've tried lately. Life's too short, show more man. I need to trust my gut show less

This was a pleasure. I'd forgotten how sharp the dialog and the literary references were in Rankin's work, or maybe I hadn't noticed before. In addition, it's a compelling mystery with surprising connections and lots of red herrings to turn around. A popular MP is set up in a brothel raid, and the burgeoning consequences involve his wild wife, his closest and oldest friends, among them a popular actor, a rare book merchant, a real estate developer, and others.I'm glad to return to the series; maybe it's cured my book funk.

I'm slowly making my way through all the Rebus books and this was the best yet. Rankin turns into the sort of writer that makes you despair of your own authorial hopes in this story. Told almost exclusively from Rebus' point of view, the whole thing drips with his character and it really feels like being inside the man's head. Rankin's written a lot more since this, of course, and I'm left wondering how much better he can get.

Scottish MP Gregor Jack seems to have it all. Popular with voters and married to a rich wife. Then things go badly wrong when the police raid a brothel and find Jack on the premises. Someone tipped the press off, so Jack's humiliation was caught by the tabloids. Inspector John Rebus gets involved in the case and forms the suspicion that somebody iso out to bring Jack down.
Every 5 years or so I will have a go at reading one of Rankin's Inspector Rebus books and every time I am left feeling rather underwhelmed. They're always decent enough detective stories in terms of plot, but I don't feel at all engaged with Rebus as a character. A difficult personal life, obsessed with his work, fond of whisky and sitting in the pub when he should be show more working- the ingredients are there for a classic character to either love or hate, but I'm just not fussed. It all feels a bit smug to me, as Rankin has to throw in witty one-liners which aren't especially funny and do little to build tension into the stories. This particular novel was no different and I feel that Rebus is almost a caricature Scotsman. He may not have the kilt, but the booze, bad diet and rudeness are very stereotyped. Underwhelmed status notwithstanding, I am sure Rebus and I will meet again in 2027.
Dead show less

This was a strange one for me. While it was not a bad story (really, it wasn't), it just didn't seem to engage me. And the most frustrating part is that I can't put my finger on why.

I did seem to notice there was a seemingly heavier accent on the local patois, but noticing that may also be because I ended up reading this novel at a snail's pace.

To me, this particular installment of Rebus went down like a meal from McDonalds. Not the greatest, but not horrible. Tasty in spots, but overall, mostly bland. And once it's done, it really doesn't leave anything behind but a faint longing that it was something better and more substantial. Then it's forgotten.

Is it just me, or is there really no progress when it comes to Rebus's personal life? show more Maybe that's what Rankin was going for, but four books in, it's becoming an annoyance. show less

I've enjoyed Ian Rankin's Rebus series immensely. Due to the availability of his novels at the various libraries (we've moved twice in the last 4 years) we frequent, I've had to bounce around in his catalog and haven't been able to read them serially. It's interesting, in the case of Strip Jack, to return to the 'younger' Rebus and appreciate how Rankin has developed this great character over the years.

Strip Jack begins with a relatively simple raid on an Edinburgh brothel in which a locally famous politician is ensnared. Something isn't right in that the media had, we discover, been alerted to the raid and seemingly knew who they'd find. As Rebus begins to smell a rat, the politician's wife disappears and a murder investigation begins. show more That's the major plot- other sub-plots that may or may not be connected to the main investigation are likewise involved.

This is a fine 'whodunnit' with believable characters and a solid story line. I like Rankin's writing a lot- he's neither spare with his prose nor grandiloquent and therefore just right for this type of novel. I likewise enjoy the Edinburgh milieu a great deal. It's a somewhat gritty town but is also an academic and government center, so there's a lot going on with a wide range of character types available for the author to explore.

For any reader looking for a detective series to get into that hasn't yet read Rankin's Rebus series, I highly recommend it. Strip Jack is an earlier entry, but it's solid and Rankin does a great job in subsequent novels guiding his main character through the various stages of his career and personal life. show less