Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #55226 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-06
• Released on: 2007-09-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 400 pages

REVIEWING THE EVIDENCE .COM
'Utterly compelling

Review
'Rankin has an unparalleled ability to draw in the reader and make us feel every knock and setback in Inspector Rebus's red-raw life. Rarely has that talent been better displayed than in Exit Music which sees the flawed but redeemingly honest central character staggering towards the finishing line of an inglorious career that has utterly defined his life' (SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY )

'the main theme of the book is civic corruption by the power of money, money from whatever source. Always up to the minute, Rankin has Russian oligarchs or something similar lurking on the streets of Edinburgh and the murder of a Russian poet is directly counterpointed to the death throes of the real life Russian, Litvinenko... As Rankin percipiently observes, the problem is the overworld not the underworld - words which might well sum up the philosophy of Rankin's whole ouevre' (Antonia Fraser THE SPECTATOR )

'The last scene bringing together Rebus and Cafferty, is a sly, ingenious reworking of Holmes's apparently fatal tussle with Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls - another Scottish author attempting to retire his detective but failing, you can't help but notice. The possibility of Rebus returning is conspicuously left open' (John Dugdale SUNDAY TIMES )

'The title Exit Music serves a dual meaning - not just Rebus's exit from the police but also the possibility of Scotland's wishing to leave the Union with England after the recent election results...Exit Music is a fitting end to the career of one of the most beguiling characters in the history of crime fiction - not because the lowering of the final curtain finds the audience satisfied but because it leaves them gasping for more' (Marcel Berlins THE TIMES )

'It would, of course, be criminally bad form to reveal the precise manner of John Rebus's final exit - but I think most readers will find the music more or less note-perfect' (Mark Billingham DAILY MAIL )

'Throughout the entire series, Rankin's strength has been his ability to get under the skin of Edinburgh's pyschogeography: he vividly describes 'a city...of banking and brothels, virtue and vitriol' where underworld meets overworld. Deftly plotted and awash with sarky one-liners Exit Music is no exception' (METRO )

'Rankin's understanding of the man in the street gives special weight to the thread of nationalism which recurs throughout the book. It is exactly because Rebus is non-political - his complaints about the cost of the Parliament Building in Exit Music are as unreflective and herd-minded as the average cab driver - that his acceptance of the inevitability of independence carries such conviction' (GLASGOW HERALD )

'This may be Rebus's swansong but every page crackles with energy. Ian's skill and pawky wit make even the most routine interview a pleasure to read...After 20 years and 17 novels, the old bastard will be missed. Rebus, that is. Rankin will no doubt go on to even greater things' (Mark Sanderson DAILY MAIL )

'a classic Rankin' (Five Star Review) (DAILY MIRROR )

'An elegiac tone pervade Exit Music, a timely wistfulness designed to put you off your guard. Hard to say much else without giving the game away - just brace yourself for a stoater of a cliffhanger ending' (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )

'Rebus's final case - a satisfyingly enjoyable farewell' (SUNDAY TIMES )

'Whatever he writes, it will be worth reading. For the retirement Rebus, there will not have been bookshops opening at midnight and lines of excited readers dressed as over-weight, near-alcoholic, smoking Scottish cops but such fuss would have been justified. What his Edinburgh neighbour achieved in children's fantasy - redefining the genre and changing publishing expectations - Rankin has achieved in detective fiction' (Mark Lawson THE GUARDIAN )

'The first thing to say is that in the Rebus novels Rankin has not only produced the most sustained body of fiction devoted to modern Edinburgh, but has made it once again a city of the mind as Dickens made London and Chandler Los Angeles. He has changed the way people imagine the city. (Allan Massie THE SCOTSMAN )

'The detection in these fascinating books has always been secondary to the relationships between detectives and the portrait of Edinburgh...Perhaps our hero shoudl stand for the Scottish Parliament' (Jessica Mann LITERARY REVIEW )

'After 20 years together, both Rebus and Rankin are at the height of their respective powers, and this web of intrigue is as good as detective drama gets' (GLASGOW EVE TIMES )

'I can't for a moment believe this will be the last Rebus novel, but it's definitely the end of a very long chapter' (Peter Gutteridge OBSERVER )

'The uncertain postcolonial politics of present-day Scotland is cynically woven together with the dodgy business dealings of new Russian billionaires and old Scots gangsters. Rankin's Edinburgh is, as always, a completely convincing stage for high-flying wheeler dealing as well as low-life veniality' (TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT )

'Factor in the involvement of shady Russian oligarchs; thehead honchos of Scotland's national bank; a couple of ruthless MSPs; and Rebus's nemesis, local gangster Big Ger Cafferty, and you have the makings of a ripely entertaining tale' (TIME OUT )

'Sharply written, thoroughly gripping, seventeen books and Rankin's still on top form' (DAILY SPORT )

'How much do we have to bribe Rankin to bring this one (Rebus) back?' (DAILY RECORD )

'I believe he (Rebus) will return in some form or other. He is too successful a character to stay off the bestseller lists for long' (IRISH TIMES )

'Utterly compelling (REVIEWING THE EVIDENCE .COM )

'the eighteenth in Ian Rankin's wonderful series about the hard-drinking, Seventies-music-loving, authority-hating Edinburgh detective' (THE TABLET )

'Rankin cleverly brings his famous character's career to a close' (CHOICE )

'Rankin is on top form in this one' (INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY )

'Ian Rankin whose last Rebus book is as fine example of its form as you could hope for' (Stuart Kelly SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY )

'Exit Music is up to Rankin's usual standard and it'll be a pity if it is his swansong' (Vincent Banville IRISH EXAMINER )

'I enjoyed the retirement party Ian Rankin threw for his gloomy Inspector Rebus in Exit Music. After 17 books - this lsat a swirl of Tartan gangsters and dead Russian dissidents - the old warhorse was long overdue a nice sit-down and a stiff drink' (Sam Leith DAILY TELEGRAPH )

'The 'last' Rebus is one of the best' (Allan Massie THE SCOTSMAN )

'No prizes for guessing the crime fiction event of the year. What with a final showdown with his long-time nemisis Big Ger Cafferty, this is a fitting send off for Rebus, and quite right too. He's the reason for the phenomenal success of this series, the kind of loveable rogue who's not above picking up a few signed copies of a victim's last book to punt on e-bay. Pure class' (METRO )

THE SPECTATOR
'the main theme of the book is civic corruption by the power of money, money from whatever source. Always up to the minute, Rankin has Russian oligarchs or something similar lurking on the streets of Edinburgh and the murder of a Russian poet is directly counterpointed to the death throes of the real life Russian, Litvinenko... As Rankin percipiently observes, the problem is the overworld not the underworld - words which might well sum up the philosophy of Rankin's whole ouevre'

Customer Reviews

Goodbye and thanks for the memories
What a fantasic send off for one of the great creations of modern literature.
I have read all the Rebus books in sequence over the years and fans of the series will be delighted to know Ian Rankin has written a a suitable finale.
We join Rebus with one week until his retirement and in a great device the chapters count down the days no surprising the pieces don't slide together until the final day of the week.

A murder of a Russian poet in Kings Stable Road gives Rebus one last case to solve soon ties are being made to big business, politicians and the criminal underworld led by Rebus' nemesis Big Ger Cafferty. Is this the last chance saloon for John to finally nail Edinburgh's gangster ?
As has been the case with the last few Rankin books the reader is left guessing right until the final pages who has commited the crimes. I can say that I guessed part of it but I doubt anyone will be able to predict all the conclusions.

The early books in the series were enjoyable but it's been the last half dozen that have really elevated the series the introduction of DS Siobhan Clarke I feel was where it really kicked in giving Rebus a genuine partner to bounce off. This book is no exception with the scenes with them together being the strongest. It's real shame in some ways that Rankin's decision to age Rebus in real time deprives us of further INSPECTOR Rebus books but if you haven't ever read any of the series you are so lucky to have twenty books available to you.

For the rest of us here's looking forward to the first of the DI Clarke stories which if Ian Rankin decides not to write then there really will have been a crime committed.

Brilliant
This is a fantastic conclusion to DI Rebus' police career. Rankin's plot is typically rich and complex with subtle twists, interesting characters and a remarkable conclusion. Rebus is in prime form; argumentative, opinionated, awkward, aggressive and ultimately inspired. Pitted against dubious Russian businessmen and politicians as well as his old nemesis Cafferty and various opponents within Gayfield Square Police Station, he investigates, under Clarke's authority, the seemingly related deaths of a dissident Russian poet and a local sound recordist. Rebus' method gets him into trouble with various people on both sides while the final solution only emerges very late on. The rivalry between Rebus and Cafferty is brilliantly done; both men are older and more circumspect but the strange combination of respect and contempt bristles on to a thrilling climax. What a brilliant book; read it now.

An Excellent End(?) To A Fantastic Series
I took the day off work, bought this today and read it in 5 hours so I'm still a little breathless over all the events in the novel. Breathless, but exhilarated at the same time.

Like the reviewer below I don't wish to spoil it for anyone so I won't make reference to the plot, but I will say that it's well up to the incredibly high standard set by Ian from 'The Black Book' onwards and is a fitting climax to a great series.

Red herrings, false trails and misdirection abound and Rankin weaves the complex plot strands together but leaves the odd tantalising loose thread to remind us that things don't always end neatly in real life. And one of those loose threads is whether or not a major series character lives...

As always, Rebus manages to get up a nose or two. But that's one of the great things about him: he doesn't kowtow to anyone in his pursuit of justice, and enjoys, even relishes, tangling with the higher authorities for whom he lacks respect (often with good reason).

But is it the end of John Rebus in print? There are suggestions that Ian might bring him back to act as a 'consultant' to Siobahn Clarke in future novels, or even, God forbid, as a central character (a private eye perhaps?) in his own right. He should resist these and let this fine novel stand as a fitting epitaph to one of the very best series in crime fiction.

Along with Reginald Hill's wonderful 'The Death of Dalziel' this is the best British crime novel of the year so far. I really can't imagine any fan being disappointed with it.