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by Ian Rankin The 17th installment of the Rebus series begins with Inspector John Rebus at a funeral, trying not to exhibit the personal loss he’s feeling. It’s 2005 and the G8 summit is taking place in Edinburgh. With it come demonstrations serious enough to bring reinforcements by the hundreds from all over the UK. Despite the need for reinforcements, the Chief Inspector has told Rebus to sit this one out. Detective Inspector Derrick Star is looking to run the local police station one day and Rebus is a year away from retirement. DI Star tells Rebus "Nobody would blame you for coasting, John." Rebus resents it, but does as he’s told - until Detective Sergeant Siobhan Clarke calls him with information on Colliar’s murder and a missing jacket. Colliar was employed by a crime boss. He was also a sexual predator. Rebus leaves one sanctuary only to enter another, but this is a sanctuary of a different sort - a place dedicated to naming the dead; a place where clothing hangs in trees; a place where they might find a missing jacket. Throughout the series, Rebus’ young colleague, DS Siobhan, has developed into a strong sub-character. In this installment Siobhan deals with her parents. Siobhan is from England, but chose Scotland for her law enforcement career. Siobhan gives the impression she isn’t close to her parents, maybe even resents them. Yet when her mother is assaulted during a demonstration, Siobhan takes it personal and hunts the culprit down. Between the G8 summit, violent demonstrations, the death of a Scottish delegate, the Colliar murder and Siobhan hunting down an attacker who may or may not be on their side of the law, Rebus does anything and everything but sit this one out. In fact, there is a lot going on. Listeners may find the sub-plots - good as they are - very busy (I hit replay a few times). Also, I haven’t followed the series faithfully, so at some points I felt like I was missed something. However, once it was over, I was reminded why I enjoy this series. Rankin’s words put me in Edinburgh and Rebus is a character all his own - and not always likeable. He’s a good guy and rogue. He’s complex, yet some times obvious. In a way, I find him a contemporary version of Charles Todd’s Ian Rutledge. I highly recommend both series. James Gale narrates Hachette’s audio version. With a deep Scottish accent, Gale draws listeners on to the streets of Edinburgh to witness the chaos of Rebus’ job. His gruff voice suits Rebus well. Remember your headphones. Reviews of other titles in this series Resurrection
Men #13 [book]
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The Naming of the Dead