I’ll start this review by saying I am a massive fan of Ian Rankin, especially his John Rebus series of books. So basically, he could write up Rebus’ shopping list, and I’d probably give it a 5 Star review. Just so you know. There have been at least 20 books about John Rebus and his adventures in the Edinburgh police department. And this was the first one that wasn’t really about John Rebus that much. Yes, he was in it, and yes, he played a […]
All Tied Up
This novel, the first in a long-running and popular mystery series, introduces the reader to John Rebus, the most reserved and cantankerous inspector on the Edinburgh police force. Like seemingly all fictional cops Rebus has an ex-wife and a growing daughter he rarely sees. He lives in a crummy flat where the hallway smells like cat piss and the pilot light keeps going out. He also has a past that haunts him, having left military service without discussing the reason with anyone. At the start of […]
I swear, Ian Rankin, if you kill John Rebus, I will come after you.
2017 marks the 30th anniversary of Ian Rankin’s John Rebus series, one of my favorite literary detectives. Like Harry Bosch, Kurt Wallender, and even my beloved Bill Hodges, Rebus is a cop who’s very life revolves around his work. His family and non-police friends have mostly disappeared. He drinks and smokes too much and his diet isn’t exemplary. He thinks outside the box, and is often criticized or even punished for going against the rules. But he gets results. And he does it all against […]
Even dogs in the wild will care for whatever means most to them.
Ian Rankin is on my Mt Rushmore of revered authors (along with Rainbow Rowell, James Ellroy, Jane Austen, Christopher Brookmyre, and Stephen King), and when he writes a new book, I celebrate. Even Dogs in the Wild (the title taken from a song by The Associates) is the 20th to feature DI John Rebus, so I don’t quite recommend starting with this one, but if you are familiar with the main characters — Rebus, Siobhan Clarke, Big Ger Cafferty, Malcolm Fox, and young Daryl Christie […]