Product Description

Rebus is juggling four cases trying to nail one killer - who might just lead back to the infamous Bible John. And he's doing it under the scrutiny of an internal inquiry led by a man he has just accused of taking backhanders from Glasgow's Mr Big. As if this wasn't enough, there are TV cameras at his back investigating a miscarriage of justice, making Rebus a criminal in the eyes of a million or more viewers. Just one mistake is likely to mean an unpleasant and not particularly speedy death or, worse still, losing his job.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16469 in Books
• Published on: 2008-08-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 528 pages

About the Author
Ian Rankin is a regular No.1 bestseller, and has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Diamond Dagger. He lives with his family in Edinburgh, and in 2003 received an OBE for his services to literature.

Customer Reviews

Why not start here - a good intro the the world of Rebus
This is a great detective book with a number of plot threads to keep you hooked. I demolished this book in only a few short reading sessions desperate to find out not only who serial killer Johnny Bible was but how this would tie in with the resolution of everything else Ian Rankin has packed into this story.

John Rebus is now a strong central character and Ian Rankin has also created a strong cast of characters centred both around Rebus's home and work life.
This series of books have a definate reading order and events in one book often effect future stories. Despite this Black & Blue may be a good book to start with - Rankin is very much at the height of his powers on this story. Black & Blue gives a much better account of how good his books can be than some of the earlier novels.
Although this book talks about events in Rankin's 'Knots & Crosses' tale the ending of that is never given away. Other plot points from other stories are alluded to but, in my opinion, should not reduce your enjoyment of his earlier tales.

So if you want a solid, intelligent, exciting detective story with added Scottish grit (and humour) look no further.

One of the best books I have ever read.
As this was my first Rebus book, i was a little sceptical at first, however I was proved wrong. So much that I've started buying the other books in the series. This book has insane attention to detail and the research for this book is incredible. The dialogue is also stunning, realistic and is packed with humour. Rankin uses dialogue with the precision of a chess master and techniques far beyond my expectations. Being a citizen of Aberdeen, i found the detail very accurate and i could picture the settings in my mind with ease. The description in this story also creates images and pictures that make the book easy to understand. You can picture what people look like from Rebus' descriptions. Dont listen to the Yanks who have read the Rebus novels and hate them- They arent Scots so they wouldnt understand our slang and culture. Just buy it.

complex, gripping, satisfying Scottish crime novel
Inspector John Rebus returns in a multi-stranded novel, ostensibly starting with the murder of a North Sea oil worker in Edinburgh, with ramifications including an old and new serial killer, an investigative TV program claiming a miscarriage of justice and vicious gangland drug operations. Ian Rankin is bang up to date with his background and brings these diverse strands brilliantly together to a satisfying and realistic conclusion.

Perhaps the strongest feature of Rankin's writing is his evocation of the social, political and of course criminal landscape of modern Scotland, and this novel is no exception as Rebus travels between Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen and then on to Shetland and the North Sea itself to follow his leads and make his cases. Rankin's narrative sweeps along as strong as ever and the occasional implausibilities and jarring cliches just do not seem to matter.

All in all, Rankin continues on form in another richly satisfying and gripping read. If you like crime fiction, you'll love Ian Rankin's books.