Rather Be the Devil

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 show more 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. show less

Rather Be the Devil, it should be noted, is the twenty-first novel in Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus series - and a whole lot has happened to John Rebus since he was introduced in 1987’s Knots and Crosses. Rebus is no longer the mentally fragile young detective of those early days who struggled with life as much as he did with the Scotland Police crime cases assigned to him. Instead, because of Rankin’s wise decision to allow Rebus to age almost in real time as the novels appear, Rebus is now an ex-cop struggling with the boredom of retirement and suffering the physical ailments of a lifetime of bad habits. The man has COPD and suspects that there could be something even more seriously wrong with his lungs than that.

Rebus cannot show more picture himself as a pensioner, and fortunately for him, some of his ex-colleagues with the Scotland Police themselves find it impossible to see him that way. This is especially the case with those for whom Rebus was a one-time mentor and for others who remember him as the effective crime-solver he was in his prime. And that explains how Rebus gets his hands on the files of a cold case murder that is destined to remain forever unsolved unless someone like him takes it on. When I say that the heavy drinking, chain-smoking John Rebus has now been limited to half-pints of low-alcohol beer and zero cigarettes, it will be easy for long-term fans of the series to forecast that the angry ex-detective is about to make someone pay for that old murder.

The case involves the 1978 murder of a promiscuous young woman in the hotel room in which she awaited the arrival of her latest lover. Also in the hotel at the time of the murder were seventies rock star Bruce Collier, Collier’s band, and all the hangers-on usually associated with an event like that one. As it turned out, there were so many people with potential access to the death scene and the victim that no one could be charged with the murder. Now, all these years later, the investigation leads Rebus into the world of international finance and banking – and right back to two local mobsters with whom he is well acquainted: his longtime nemesis “Big Ger” Cafferty and the younger thug who is trying to take over Cafferty’s criminal empire.

John Rebus may be more than a bit creaky these days, but he know his turf well and he is willing to bend whatever rule necessary to help him catch a killer, including impersonating a police officer. There are those with the Scotland Police who wish they had seen the last of him on the day he turned in his badge, but even they sometimes grudgingly ask his help. Rebus has contacts, he has snitches, and most importantly, he is just about the only cop that “Big Ger” Cafferty will speak with – both on and off the record.

Although it’s chief character has not physically aged very well, the same cannot be said for the series itself. With good reason, readers are always ready to snatch up the next Inspector Rebus novel, and Rather Be the Devil will leave them anxiously anticipating whatever Rankin has planned next. show less

Retired but without a hobby, and suffering from health problems is how we find John Rebus in Rather Be the Devil. As a result, his attention has been turned to a cold case that happened in the 1970's when a wealthy socialite, Maria Turquand was killed at the famous Caledonian Hotel in Edinburgh.

While examining the old case files, a seemingly unrelated local gangster Darryl Christie is attacked outside his home. There are several suspects and at least one has a connection to Anthony Brough, an investment banker, currently missing, and whose Grandfather was connected to the Maria Turquand case. Rebus is drawn into the Christie case by way of knowing both the victim and the investigating officers. But could there really be a connection show more that enables Rebus to solve the 1970's cold case?

Rather Be the Devil is a fantastic read with twists and turns that meander all over Edinburgh. It's carefully plotted, full of atmosphere and gripping as well. I found myself barely able to put it down. While I have to admit I've been a fan of the television version of Rebus for some time this is my first time reading a novel by Ian Rankin. I don't know what took me so long to read one but now that I have I can't wait to read more.

Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
More reviews at: www.susannesbooklist.blogspot.com show less

For an avid crime reader one of the greatest fictional characters to have emerged in almost 30 years is undoubtedly John Rebus. In so many ways he is the archetypal detective. He plays the game of cops and robbers under his rules and is not adverse to a little underhand dealing if it means a successful outcome to the criminal case. A divorced loner he has always lived a solitary existence at his flat in Arden Street Marchmont, surrounded by his memories and a vast LP collection (no modern cd's here) overpopulated by Bob Dylan, Jethro Tull, John Martyn and Van Morrison....to name but a few. Since the publication of Knots and Crosses in 1987 the personification and emergence of John Rebus as a "reality" rather than a writers creation has show more become blurred and for most Rankin fans he is a living breathing legend.

Rather be the Devil sees a retired JR doing what he does best, refusing to give into the inevitable pull of retirement, having been assigned to a cold case; the murder of Maria Turquand some 40 years previously. All the familiar characters are there; old time crime boss Big Ger Cafferty and the attractive career driven DI Siobhan Clarke. She has never doubted the great analytical and solving ability of our hero but has grave misgivings over his methodology, manners and approach to bringing a killer to justice. Clarke meantime is involved in solving a vicious attack on a young crime pretender Darryl Christie who appears to be at the heart of a money laundering scheme....soon to come to the attention of Cafferty.

It is however the characters, language and humour of modern day Edinburgh that is the real winner rather than the plot and storyline, from the past and present, which at times is a little confusing. There is also an inevitability and concern about the fate of John Rebus and the questioning of Rankin's writing in an attempt to discern how our great detective might finally make an exit...."He'd had a coughing fit in the toilet five minutes back, hawking gobbets into the sink then running the tap, rinsing away the evidence before dabbing sweat from his brow while thinking that next time maybe he'd remember to bring his inhaler. His face in the mirror told its own story, with little to indicate that the ending would be happy."

The interplay between Rebus and the characters and suspects he meets during the course of his investigation is always a joy and a pleasure to behold showcasing the crisp and delightful writing skills of Mr Rankin....."Thought you'd been put out to pasture? I'm here for a bit of a graze, Rebus replied"........"Tea or coffee? Then, to Fox specifically: And how do you take it? Without Saliva, preferably."........."You snatched some of my business cards, Fox said eventually. Of course I did- sometimes people need to think they're talking to a cop. But they're not, John, and impersonating a police officer is an offence. I know guys who spent their whole lives on the force doing not much more than impersonating cops."

Rather be the Devil once again proves that even in retirement there is still great mileage and stories to be had from the pen of Ian Rankin and the stubborn inquiring mind of John Rebus. It will be a sad day when our great detective finally brings to an end his long and colourful career a time of great lament and perhaps in Scotland a day of national mourning! show less

John Rebus confronts his mortality in this book but then decides to forget about it by trying to solve homicides (even though he is most definitely retired). There is even his old nemesis, Gerald Cafferty, to check out. Rebus and Cafferty are old age pensioners now but they are certainly not taking life easy.

Rebus has a girlfriend these days. Deborah Quant is a pathologist so Rebus likes to enliven their dates by telling her about past cases. At dinner at the Caledonian Hotel Rebus tells the story of an unsolved murder that happened in one of the hotel rooms forty years before. Maria Turquand was married to a banker but had a string of lovers and she was in the habit of meeting them in a hotel room at the Caledonian. Someone strangled show more her in that room and the killer was never found. Telling the story to Deborah revives Rebus' interest in the case and he starts delving into the old files. He learns that it was re-examined about 8 years previously but nothing definitive was discovered. Rebus goes to talk to the detective who did the re-examination anyway. Robert Chatham is retired from the police force now but he works as a bouncer at nightclubs across Edinburgh. He doesn't tell Rebus anything that he didn't know but the very next day Chatham's body is discovered and he appears to have been murdered. Of course, Rebus immediately thinks his death is due to Rebus looking at the Turquand murder and he is determined to find Chatham's killer.

Meanwhile Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox are involved in the investigation of an assault on Edinburgh's new crime boss, Darryl Christie. Christie has his fingers in all kinds of pies so there could be any number of people who hold a grudge against him. Maybe even Gerald Cafferty who isn't the type to step down gracefully. Since Rebus has a special rapport with Cafferty he is tasked by Siobhan to check out Cafferty's story.

To further complicate the story there is a missing financier who seems to have worked with Darryl Christie in laundering money from criminal activities. Has he also been assaulted or killed?

So many investigations but in the end they all tie together in one big tangled web. show less

A solid Rebus, a page-turning police procedural with strong characterisations and punchy prose.

Judging by this single book, Rankin is a journeyman writer who is good at both character and plot. His main man is a police detective named John Rebus, who is, in the cliched-hallowed literary tradition of crime fiction, a pensioner with no straight arrow boss to bust his chops. There is the further cliched-hallowed implication that he has two sidekicks, Fox and Clarke, to keep him within conventional boundaries. Despite my rather sarcastic tone, I don’t really begrudge a writer these familiar parameters. Look what Shakespeare did with his little fourteen lines and a tight rhyme scheme. A “Rather Be the Devil” is an average book. The crime and its method are in a sense ripped from the headlines, but the means, method, and motive show more are nicely twisted. There are a number of excellent red herrings smelling up the works. As usual there are some unexpected twists-and-turns in the story, and Rankin's masterful depiction of Scotland and its people, ranging far beyond Rebus' usual Edinburgh haunts to take in the desolate countryside.

If you're into Crime Fiction, you can read the rest of this review on http://manuelaantao.blogspot.com. show less