Product Description

Bombs are exploding in the streets of London, but life seems to have planted more subtle booby-traps for Miles Flint. Miles is a spy. His job is to watch and to listen, then to report back to his superiors, nothing more. The job, affording glimpses into the most private lives of his victims, appeals to Miles. He doesn't lust after promotion, and he doesn't want action. He wants, just for once, not to botch a case. Having lost one suspect - with horrific consequences - Miles becomes too involved with another, a young Irishwoman. His marriage seems ready to crumble to dust. So does his home. But Miles is given one last chance for redemption - a trip to Belfast, which quickly becomes a flight of terror, murder and shocking discoveries. But can the voyeur survive in a world of violent action?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27595 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
While Rendell, James and Walters jostle for the position of Britain's Crime Queen, things are much more straightforward when it comes to male writers: the appearance of Ian Rankin's early thriller Watchman is a reminder that Rankin is securely at the top of the tree in terms of sales, and pretty near the upper echelons in critical acclaim. His series featuring the troubled DI Rebus, with its brilliantly realised urban Scottish settings, has consolidated a powerful reputation, although later entries in the sequence may have lacked the sharpness of their predecessors.

Watchman is something of a collector's item among Rankin enthusiasts--out of print for 15 years, this stand-alone thriller (not featuring the doughty Rebus) has been changing hands on the Internet for very large amounts--but now it's possible to catch up with one of Rankin's most intriguing books at a reasonable price.

Miles Flint is low-level operative in the world of espionage, with a watching brief that satisfies him perfectly; he's not a man who craves more active duty. But IRA bombs are wreaking havoc on the British mainland, and Miles finds himself with all kinds of problems. His professional career is in trouble, as is his marriage--his involvement with a seductive Irish woman is problematical, and his attempts to avoid a persistent newspaperman are failing. Miles is sent to Belfast, where he finds that his job is much more than merely watching people; the stakes are very high (UK security being the trump card now), and his life has become a ploy in a dangerous game.

There are shades here of two of Rankin's illustrious predecessors in the thriller genre, Gerald Seymour and Len Deighton, but Rankin (even at this early stage of his career) was very much his own man. Miles is a distinctive and conflict-filled protagonist--very different from Rebus, though sharing a messy private life--and the action is handled with pulse-racing panache. The espionage genre was not to prove Rankin's métier, but this sole effort is essential for Rankin fans--and that means most of us. --Barry Forshaw

Alex Gordon, PETERBOROUGH TELEGRAPH
'A riveting read that will have you turning page after page until there are none left'

Review
'Very impressive...If you're worried you'll miss the comfortable presence of Jack Rebus, don't - this is totally involving stuff, delivered with the kind of panache that hallmarks the Edinburgh-set thrillers' (Barry Forshaw DAILY EXPRESS )

'What is impressive in the novel is Rankin's ability to handle a complicated plot, so that in the end its various strands cohere' (Allan Massie THE SCOTSMAN )

'WATCHMAN is one for Rankin aficionados, interesting in itself, but also revealing as to a direction he might have taken with his fiction, following his first novel, KNOTS AND CROSSES, which introduced us to Inspector Rebus' (Keith Jeffery TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT )

'A riveting read that will have you turning page after page until there are none left' (Alex Gordon PETERBOROUGH TELEGRAPH )

'A curiosity from the pen of Ian Rankin: a hardback re-issue of an early, pre-Rebus novel. Though it's not a bad read, it shows he has improved' (Allan Laing GLASGOW HERALD )

'This splendid piece of espionage fiction has not worn badly with age, nor does it seem the work of a yet immature talent. Brilliantly subdued, it has the air of a le Carre...Atmospheric and subtle, Watchman shows just how long Rankin has been our best genre novelist' (GOOD BOOK GUIDE )

'Intriguing to compare it with his Rebus books. It's less introspective, but still a must' (GLASGOW EVE TIMES )

'Watchman is of its time, of course, but it moves along at a fair old clip and shows Rankin to be as adept at writing thrillers as he is at putting together more meditative crime stories' (Peter Gutteridge OBSERVER )

'This is a biting and superbly wrought thriller that will enthrall' (WATERSTONES BOOKS QUARTERLY )

'more than holds its own among recent spy thriller fare, despite its age' (Mark Evans IRISH EXAMINER )

'Essential for Rankin fans - and that means most of us' (CRIME TIME )

Customer Reviews

Watchman is a delight
First class Writing , first class plot , first class authour Watchman is Rankin at his Best. Miles Flint Brings all the best qualities of rebus but is that little bit better. If you are a fan of rankin or appreciate good writing then this book is for you.

great early novel
Planning this review in my head, before I’d even begun the book, I’d expected to find myself saying things like, though good, Watchman clearly demonstrates how Rankin’s talent has evolved, developed and grown in the many years since this book was first published. Things like that. Sentences which basically said that this was a good enough early effort, but was not to the standard of his later stuff. When reading it, I found those preconceptions blown away, as this is, if spy novels are your thing, is a great book. True, I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as his Rebus books, but that’s probably just down to preference, as this is, technically speaking at least, just as good some of his other stuff.

A summary of the plot is probably not really necessary. I shall just let it be said that it concerns one Miles Flint, a “watchman” for MI5 (i.e. a man of observation, not of action) and some explosive events…

As Rankin himself notes in his new introduction, the pace of the book is very different from his Rebus stuff. It clips along with a great speed, switching from scene to scene brilliantly. The result is, of course, a fast little book to read, which is admirably spare: even though it’s quick and with not a superfluous word, though, the writing is rich and clear, the plotting complex, if a little sharp. Miles Flint is also a great character. Similar to Rebus in many ways, he is still distinctive enough to be fresh and interesting. Like Rebus, he has that x factor, although he is less a man of action, more a pensive, laid-back observer. Too, his fascination with beetles makes for a brilliant spin, and some very effective little metaphors!

Another thing that Rankin notes is how much of its time this book is, in that it the characters don’t have mobile phones, or even home PC’s. That being said and true, that doesn’t by any means mean that this book is dated. Indeed, in some ways it is remarkably modern and up-to-date.

While I would recommend it, certainly, I would not recommend it unreservedly to people who like Rankin solely for his Rebus series, as the style is markedly different. Liking Rebus does not mean you will definitely like this. Indeed, it is very possible that you will, that you will like it a great deal, it is not a given. Be wary, is what I’m saying. But for any Rankin fan this certainly must be at least given a look, and fans of the genre would do well to read this and see a talented author extending his range even further.

An acceptable early work
Watchman is further proof that publishers are influenced by sales rather than quality. As Ian Rankin himself admits, he found it very hard to get a publisher for Watchman in 1988 and he certainly couldn't live off his profits. However with nearly 20 bestsellers under his belt his publisher has no problem printing it again now.

Watchman is perhaps slighly dated... its set in the late 80's when the IRA bombing campaigns against London where at their height. The main character Miles Flint is tasked with "watching" an Arab assasin and also supervising the observation of an IRA bomb making cell. The winding & complicated plot ties the apparently unlinked a dead Israeli "diplomat", an Arab assasin, an IRA cell, a gay MP & into one coherent story ultimating revolving around a power struggle within MI5. It also brings in a few characters that Rebus fans will instantly recognise- journalist Jim Stevens and masseur "the organ grinder".

Watchman is not as good as the Rebus books. Miles Flint doesn't have anything like the depth of character of the Scottish cop. Likewise the locations jump too much & lack the gritty realism of Rebus's Edinburgh. Likwise the plot is slow to get going & its not obvious how the various threads tie together making the book initially quite slow & confusing. That said its still worth reading, mainly because when it does come together it REALLY comes together in an explosive ending. Anyone who enjoyed the three novels Rankin wrote as "Jack Harvey" will be quite satisfied with this.