Ian Rankin has definitely still got it. After reading a couple of rather disappointing new books from long-established authors I approached this with a little trepidation, but I enjoyed it very much.
Rebus is ageing with the rest of us and is now suffering from COPD. He is, therefore having to make changes to his way of life, including giving up smoking and cutting down on the booze. He is retired, of course, but he is still his old, dogged, determined, contrary and sometimes bloody-minded self. When his daughter Samantha’s partner goes missing in the far north of Scotland, Rebus goes there immediately, pursuing enquiries in spite of repeated warnings from local police to stay out of it and leave it to them. Meanwhile, DIs Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox are investigating a murder in Edinburgh, which may have some connection to Rebus’s case.
It’s very well done. Rankin remains a brilliant storyteller and I was hooked throughout. It’s not as dark as some Rankin classics, but Big Ger Cafferty is still a malign presence and the Clarke/Fox stories are developing very well in their own right. There is some interesting stuff about POW camps in Scotland during the war as the history of that time becomes very relevant to Rebus’s enquiries, but Rankin never overdoes it. He has clearly done a lot of research, but doesn’t overburden us with it, so it forms a very believable background without bogging down the story. (Some other authors may wish to take note of the skill of a light touch here.) Rankin’s characterisation and dialogue are, as always, excellent, the sense of place is very well done and I found this a really good read.
There are perhaps one or two coincidences too many and it may not be absolute classic Rankin, but I enjoyed it so much that I’ve rounded 4.5-stars up to 5. Warmly recommended.
(My thanks to Orion for an ARC via NetGalley.)
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