The Falls

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 show more 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. show less

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.

When a rich student goes missing, DI John Rebus has the feeling that it is more than a young woman running off for an adventure. A search through her computer finds that she was involved in a role playing game, and the discovery of a small wooden coffin with a doll inside links back to the early 1830s, Burke and Hare, and more recent similar discoveries following the disappearance of young women. Rebus knows that all of these are somehow connected, but finding out how will be a very long and complicated journey indeed….This is the 12th Rebus novel and, unusually for the series, Rebus himself is somewhat sidelined for large parts of the story. Instead, some of the secondary characters in the series, including Siobhan Clarke, Ellen show more Wylie and Grant Hood are featured in more prominent roles, while Gill Templer, newly promoted, must somehow navigate her new highly visible role, maintain order within the ranks and satisfy the political machinations of her superiors; in other words, as ever, a lot is going on in this book. I’m getting a little tired of the constant references to Rebus’s drinking, and it’s never been clear to me how this character could reasonably remain employed by the Edinburgh police given his behaviour, but then one does not tend to read novels for realism; recommended. show less

Yet another great Rebus book. In this one, in addition to the actual case, Rebus has to contend with changes in the management: Farmer Watson has retired and Gill Templer has taken his place, and Rebus is faced with the prospect of himself being one of those retirees someday. There is also some romantic interest for Rebus (very discreetly written -- thank you, Ian Rankin, for giving them their privacy), some great lines about tea, and an A+ reference to a Northern Irish punk-rock band. This book is also entertaining for its being published in the early days of portable computers and the Internet. Recommended.

This has to be one of my favourite books in the Rebus series. Initially I had a bit of trouble getting into it, but once I was into it I just read and read and read. It has to be one of the more in-depth books in the series in my opinion, and has a bit of something for everyone - some history (Burke and Hare connections), puzzle solving and pure crime and trying to detect the killers, as well the ongoing saga of Rebus and his colleagues. It has a slightly different feel than many in this series as it is not rooted in the crime scene in Edinburgh and there is even some romance of some description for Rebus (as much as he ever does romance that is). It also marks a watershed point in the series as Gill Templar is now his boss, following show more the retirement of Farmer Watson. I definitely recommend this book if you want an in-depth crime fiction book which is high quality. I look forward to continuing the series next time I am in Scotland, it does add to the feel! show less

Ein brillanter Kriminalroman, dessen Sogwirkung man schon nach wenigen Seiten erliegt! Im Thriller des schottischen Autors Ian Rankin bringt ein makabres Puppenspiel den eigenbrötlerischen Inspektor John Rebus und dessen Kollegin Siobhan Clarke in echte Schwierigkeiten. Kaum ein Autor des Genres hat derzeit Aufregenderes zu bieten als der Schotte Ian Rankin. Kurioserweise wurde sich Rankin erst der Tatsache bewusst, Krimis zu schreiben, als er in den Literaturabteilungen der Buchhandlungen vergebens nach seinen Büchern suchte und sie stattdessen in den einschlägigen Krimiregalen wiederfand. Große Atmosphäre, Detailgenauigkeit, glaubwürdige und fein entwickelte Charaktere und die große Kunst des Dialogs zeichnen Rankins Romane show more aus, zu dessen Fans kein Geringerer als der Polizeipräsident von Edinburgh gehört. Rankins Held John Rebus ist ein mit Instinkt und Intuition gesegneter genialischer Dickschädel, ein Einzelgänger und Gerechtigkeitsfanatiker, dem sein gespaltenes Verhältnis zur Polizeihierarchie häufig zum Verhängnis wird. Vordergründiger Zynismus ist sein Schutzwall, tiefe Melancholie leistet er sich erst alleine im Pub oder zu Hause bei Whisky und Rockmusik. Philippa Balfour, eine junge Frau aus reichem Hause, ist spurlos verschwunden. Die intensive Suche verläuft zunächst erfolglos. Ganz nebenbei wird in der Nähe eines kleinen Wasserfalls auf dem Land ein winziger Sarg mit einer Puppe gefunden. Rebus glaubt, Verbindungen zu ähnlichen Fällen aus der Vergangenheit zu erkennen und ermittelt gegen den Willen seiner Vorgesetzten in diese Richtung. Philippa wird ermordet aufgefunden und Rebus suspendiert, während Kollegin Siobhan Clarke in Erfahrung bringt, dass die Tote ein merkwürdiges Rätsel im Internet gespielt hatte. Sie klinkt sich ein und erliegt mehr und mehr der Faszination dieses Spiels. Ian Rankin schreibt in Echtzeit; Rebus wird also von Roman zu Roman älter und strebt mittlerweile dem Pensionsalter zu. Vielleicht dürfen wir hoffen, dass dem großartigen Erzähler Rankin ein Kunstgriff einfällt, uns seine wundervollen Rebus-Stories zu erhalten, denn große Unterhaltung auf derart hohem Niveau hat wahrlich Seltenheitswert. --Ulrich Deurer show less

My grandma actually gave me this book before I left for Japan in 2012, and I only got around to reading it in 2020. I was surprised at how much it's dated since its release in 2001. Like, a character has a WAP phone, cutting-edge tech at the time. Or the word "barista" is italicized, as a non-integrated loanword.

Anyway the Edinburgh and East Lothian setting made me nostalgic. Crime story was nothing special, there was something about riddles I think.