Dead Souls

Rebus is at the Edinburgh Zoo, monitoring the animal enclosures for a poisoner, when he spots someone in the crowd: a freed paedophile. By giving chase, Rebus sets in train a series of events that ends messily for everyone involved. And as if that weren't enough, a killer who has been deported from the United States upon his release from prison is intent on hunting Rebus down for some sick games of his own.

Overall this is a very good Rebus book, with Rebus's perspective on other characters changing over the course of the book, as well as reflections on paths not taken, the difficulty of going home again, and thoughts of Scotland's future as the Scottish Parliament is being built. There's even a cameo appearance by a writer who sounds an show more awful lot like Ian Rankin! That plus descriptions of Rebus's teenage years in Fife, where Rankin himself was born, lend a slightly more personal (if not exactly autobiographical) touch to the story.

I recommend this to fans of Rebus, with the suggestion that you follow up with its sequel, Set in Darkness, fairly quickly. show less

Rebus' natural disgust for pedophiles causes him to endanger a man who may be less than dangerous and Rebus is then left to somehow manage a violent mob, set on murder. This is Rankin's tenth book about Inspector rebus, and there are just no signs of slowing down. As usual, Rankin's descriptions of the working-class neighborhoods of Edinburgh, its people, its language, its desperation are so spot on that it's easy to get lost in the emotions and the action. With a realistic and somewhat inconclusive ending, it's even easier to lose yourself in the characters since the frustration isn't only theirs, it's yours.

I find this one of Rankin's better books, at least it is clear what is the theme he is pursuing i.e. what makes a man? Is it background or genetics? What makes Darren Rough a pedophile, and Cary Oakes a serial-killer? But as usual, there are too many threads to follow, and the one about the disappearance of Billy boy doesn't add to the story. And at one point, I disliked Rebus when he was so dogmatic about Rough, thinking that he will never change his spots. However, he did change his mind and even provided Rough shelter for a night. Overall, I give it 3.5 stars.

DI John Rebus is asked by old school friends to look into the disappearance of their son; unfortunately he is an adult and therefore not eligible to be listed as a missing person, but Rebus agrees to look into the matter. At the same time, he becomes aware of a pedophile living in a housing estate where children abound, and a serial killer has somehow been released from prison in the United States and come “home” to Edinburgh, where he has unfinished business…. As is frequently the case with the Rebus series, there are multiple situations in “Dead Souls” that turn out to be at least tangentially related; I only described three of the half-dozen or so story lines in this book. I find Rebus alternately exasperating and touching; show more here, he’s a bit more of the former rather than the latter, but Mr. Rankin’s writing is compelling and that keeps me hooked because I always want to find out What Happens Next. By this point in the series (the 10th I think), it is probably best to have read all of the previous books in order to understand the many complex relationships that Rebus has, both with place and with characters; that said, recommended. show less

Many strands weave together in this complex story where Rebus must balance multiple cases and also face up to some of his own flaws. Early in the story he encounters a paedophile who has been released from jail and, discovering that he has been housed on an estate in a flat overlooking the children's playground, "outs" him to the neighbourhood, ultimately with tragic consequencies despite Rebus' guilt ridden attempts to help. Meanwhile, a high profile case of historical child abuse is currently on trial with possible connections.

Rebus is asked for help by two old school friends whose son has gone missing in suspicious circumstances, and has to resist the draw of a rekindled attraction to the mother, Janice. He is also troubled by the show more apparent suicide of a colleague who appeared to 'have it all' with a loving family and a rapid rise in the police career structure, in total contrast to Rebus. And to finally add to his problems, a serial killer and sociopath is released from custody in the USA and heads for Edinburgh to settle old scores - Rebus' role in keeping surveillance on this man leads to his becoming a target for the man's manipulative behaviour and draws into the killer's ambit three women who are significant to Rebus: Janice, Rebus' girlfriend Patience, and his daughter, still recovering from the accident in a previous book which left her unable to walk.

A complex book which manages to keep all the plates spinning and portrays a truly chilling sociopathic character, keeping the suspense level high. The only thing I missed is the relationship with Siobhan, Rebus' colleague, who has only a bit part in this book. So a 4 star rating overall. show less

This book follows after The Hanging Garden which I read a couple of years ago. John Rebus is a Detective Inspector at the St. Leonard's branch in Edinburgh but he's having doubts about his chosen career. He is on a stakeout at the Zoo because someone has been poisoning the animals. Then he sees a familiar face, Darren Rough, a convicted paedophile that Rebus helped put away. Darren has a camera and is taking pictures of children. Rebus leaves his post and runs toward Darren who flees. When Rebus catches up to Darren at the sea-lion enclosure Darren climbs over the fence and Rebus follows him. Apprehended at last Darren denies doing anything wrong; he's taking a photography class and his assignment was the zoo. He is released but Rebus show more isn't prepared to let it go.

Back at the station Rebus has to attend Jim Margolies' funeral. Margolies was a colleague who committed suicide by jumping from the cliff at Salisbury Crags. Margolies was involved in Darren Rough's apprehension and Darren claimed Margolies beat him up. Rebus thought Darren was lying at the time but now he wonders if there is some connection between Margolies' death and Darren's release from prison.

Investigation of Margolies' death and Darren's reappearance takes a back seat when a highschool classmate calls to ask Rebus for help in finding their son who disappeared one night while on the town in Edinburgh. Although it was the father who called the mother, Janice, is the one who is more distraught. And Janice was Rebus' highschool sweetheart. Memories from long ago start to flood back and Rebus ponders how life changed for him when he left school.

And just so things are even more complicated Rebus gets involved in surveillance of Cary Oakes. Oakes has been in prison in the States for ten years on murder charges but he worked the system and has been released and deported back to Scotland. He is deemed likely to reoffend and the police want to keep an eye on him or at least make it so difficult he will move elsewhere. Oakes figures out how to evade the surveillance and work his own agenda which includes harassing Rebus and targeting Rebus' family and friends.

There is a common theme in all these investigations that only becomes clear at the end and that is the question of whether people are permanently changed by the things that occur while they are young or whether they can overcome those early influences. Rebus ponders that quite a bit throughout this book. There's no easy answer. Some people can (perhaps even convicted felons) but some don't. show less

This is the 10th book in the Inspector Rebus crime series, and it kept me up way past my bedtime last night. A highly respected police officer, Jim Margolies, commits suicide, but Rebus doesn't believe that is what happened. A convicted paedophile, Darren Rough, is freed from prison, and winds up placed in housing near a playground. A child from the same housing complex goes missing. Old high school friends (the wife was once Rebus' sweetheart) come to Rebus for help after their son disappears. And to top things off, a murderer, Cary Oakes, is released from jail in the U.S. due to a technicality and has been deported back to Scotland where Rebus is assigned to the team responsible for keeping tabs on him. The authorities have been show more warned by the U.S. authorities that he will likely murder again. All of these subplots could be confusing, but Ranking deftly weaves them together for a rather satisfying read. show less