Publisher's Weekly Review
The Edinburgh of Insp. John Rebus has more than its share of violent crimes involving drugs and gangs, but there's always another layer of institutional vice and corruption. As Rebus says, "[W]e spend most of our time chasing something called `the underworld,' but it's the overworld we should really be keeping an eye on." In Edgar-winner Rankin's 15th novel to feature the moody, dogged detective (after 2004's A Question of Blood), a Kurdish refugee's death in a dreary housing estate leads Rebus into a labyrinthine plot involving a modern-day version of the slave trade. As has been the trend in recent Rebus novels, colleague Siobhan Clarke assumes a more central role, this time investigating the disappearance of the sister of a rape victim who later committed suicide. These mysteries begin to intertwine when Rebus and Clarke are called to a pub on Fleshmarket Close where two skeletons have been exhumed. As always, Rankin is deft with characterization and wit, but here he juggles too many narrative balls. The story lines are slow to gestate, and their complexity undermines the book's momentum. Still, Rebus remains one of the more compelling characters in crime fiction-and Rebus's Edinburgh one of the more compelling settings. Agent, Dominick Abel. (Feb. 2) Forecast: A seven-city author tour should help this internationally bestselling author break out in the U.S. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Library Journal Review
After taking a detour with a thriller featuring a female assassin (Witch Hunt), the Edgar Award-winning Rankin returns to the gritty police procedurals that made his name. When the body of a Kurdish refugee is found in Knoxland, a housing estate in one of Edinburgh's poorer neighborhoods, Inspector John Rebus finds himself helping the investigation. Rebus and his sometime-partner DS Siobhan Clark have recently been relocated to Gayfield Station after their old station, St. Leonard's, was closed, but both officers end up working murder cases outside their new jurisdiction. In a strange coincidence, these two separate crimes are found to be connected to two skeletons discovered in a pub in their new precinct. In this hard-boiled crime novel, Rankin deftly explores Scottish attitudes towards refugees in Edinburgh today, and readers, like Rebus, may find their opinions changing as they learn more about the circumstances under which these desperate people live. Rankin's popular series remains as fresh and satisfying as ever, and this latest installment will leave fans wondering what the future holds for Rebus as he nears retirement. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 10/15/04.]-Lisa O'Hara, Univ. of Manitoba Libs., Winnipeg (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
