Haven’t read any Ian Rankin for ages, but revisited the library on a sunny day and found that Rebus had been resurrected.
I am not normally a big fan, but I loved this book, particularly the huge geographical sweeps up the A9 in northeast Scotland (at time read it with an Atlas open beside me) and Rebus’s relationship with Siobhan Clarke, which has matured like Banks and Annie Cabbott’s. Cafferty and Malcolm Fox from ‘Complaints’ also appear, so it is a bit of a Rebus’s world fest.
But the plot really let it down; the villain is identified I thought purely by supposition and prejudice on Rebus’ part and towards the end, I wondered if the book would conclude with his innocence and the discovery of the true villain. But Rebus got his man, albeit with a confession beaten out of him, as he stands in another man’s (intended) grave. So this bit didn’t work for me.
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