Customer Reviews

Dead Souls: An Inspector Rebus Novel (Inspector Rebus Novels)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I'm a fan of contemporary British mysteries, and Ian Rankin's extraordinary John Rebus series ranks among the best. This recent entry in the Edinburgh police procedural series is a great starting point for a new reader; for the long-time Rebus-fan, it's a look inside Rebus's dark past. When the son of a former love goes missing, Rebus takes up the (unofficial) investigation; never mind that he's already got his professional life full of a few other major cases including the suicide of a colleague, a hunt for a former child molester, and a manipulative, charismatic serial killer released into Edinburgh and wooed by a glory-seeking journalist. A "perfect" detective would solve every one of the cases, wrapping all four cases up by the final chapter in time for a drink and a witty denouement at the local pub. Thankfully, Rebus is not such a cliche. A happy ending isn't the goal here--cases are flubbed, go awry, and entangle Rebus's personal life, friends, and family in dangerous ways.

Sounds dark, no? But that's one of the reasons I love the Rankin mysteries. No one is better than Rankin at setting the scene of Edinburgh: from the crowded, tempestuous housing projects to the smoke and lager filled pubs. But it's the characters, razor-sharp dialogue, and personalities that make Rankin the master he is: once again Rebus is the troubled hero, his time and attention divided between his complicated personal life and police cases. He doesn't just make an attempt to figure out whodunit, he digs deep into the human mind to find out "why"...and drags himself deeper into his own personal hell in the process. He is motivated by a sense of justice--whether or not it conflicts with the law or the wishes of his long-suffering superior "The Farmer." We aren't along for the ride to watch Rebus crack the cases--we're along for his personal triumphs, no matter how small, and for his darkest moments, from alcoholism to cigarette addiction to remembering the loss of his innocent youth. These moments, set to Rebus's own personal "soundtrack" of classic rock music when he retreats to his armchair with his headphones for just one moment of peace, make this dark, nuanced, and many-layered psychological crime series a classic.

For those keeping score of the Rebus mysteries: several of the subplots in this book were first used in Rankin's novella "Death is Not the End." I gave that one four stars as a great introduction or brief look into the psychology of Rebus. "Dead Souls" gets a full five stars: as a full-length novel, Rankin's dark and nuanced writing continues to show that he's one of the top talents in British crime fiction today. If you want a British mystery with a clever-clever ending and a witty twist solution, this one might not be for you. But if you want some of the best writing about all the aspects of Edinburgh society...the best in *and* out of a crime novel...then run, don't walk, to grab a Ian Rankin novel.

Once again Ian Rankin is responsible for the dark circles under my eyes. In a series that just keeps getting better it's impossible to put down the latest Rebus at a human hour and yet appropriate to be reading when it's dark and silent all around you. Dead Souls is a grim and thoroughly enjoyable read.

With a tangled web of sub plots featuring a coworker's suicide, a pedophile, a serial killer, and a missing person I found myself turning pages. In addition we are allowed a glimpse of Rebus's past and made to worry about his present in a way I haven't done since Lawrence Block's Matt Scudder started drinking again. Personal dilemmas and professional questions haunt Rebus across every page of Dead Souls. Present day ethics and morality are explored in such a seamless way you don't even realize that you along with Rebus are indeed pondering "Is there such a thing as free will?" And of course there's Scotland itself, presented as no travelogue ever would, but as perhaps, it is.

For the mystery fan who enjoys their protagonist's layers being peeled away like birch bark no series currently being written offers more for a reader to chew on,savour and spit out. Here's hoping neither the author or we ever get to the core of the man.

A new Parliament is being built and people are drinking single malts and Irn-Bru...yes, we're in Scotland - Edinburgh, to be precise, and our host is Detective Inspector John Rebus of the Lothian and Borders police. Dead Souls takes Ian Rankin into double figures with his Rebus crime novels, and thankfully they are as fresh and inventive as his first, Knots & Crosses. Rebus is still the same compelling character: haunted by dead friends, prone to imbibe too much of the electric soup and a bit of a loose cannon - but still a tough and determined enforcer of the law. Just as well, because his triple challenges here are investigating the disappearance of his childhood sweetheart's son, looking into a colleague's suicide and keeping tabs on a serial killer who returns to Edinburgh after his release from a US prison. Tight plotting, laconic dialogue and the urban whiff of the Edinburgh tenements make Dead Souls more than a wee bit better than the standard crime thriller.

Since "Black and Blue," Rankin's novels have had very tight, complicated plots, with about four independent strands coming together (or not). Here the plot lines are more thematically linked than anything else, further illuminating the character of DI Rebus, one of the most interesting characters in crime fiction. He's hard-boiled, he smokes and drinks, he's too wrapped up in his work to have satisfying relationships, yada yada, but he's always trying very hard. He comes away from the stories if not changed, at least recognizing something and working at some aspect of himself. He's not a forever constant, Marlowian hero. In this one, novel #9, the crimes are of a personal nature, no business dealings, no crime syndicates, so the story inevitably is more about Rebus, and less about the puzzles to be solved. It's a matter of personal taste, perhaps, but probably for that reason I felt this one wasn't quite up to the level of the last two (B&B, and "The Hanging Garden"). Rankin should be better known, and would probably be compared to Michael Connelly if he was American and writing about a cop in a US city. He remains one of the best writers of police procedurals out there.

John Rebus comes up against two undesirables who move onto his patch. The first is Darren Rough, a paedophile who has recently been released from prison, much to Rebuses indignation and disgust. The second is Cary Oakes, a murderer who has been in prison in the US and is being released on the proviso that he return home to Edinburgh. As if this isn't enough to keep him busy, the 19 year old son of an old school friend has gone missing and Rebus is asked to help find him.

The main theme of this book is paedophilia and it attempts to highlight how many people are affected by it. So many of the main characters are haunted by incidents from their past and their actions today seem to be dictated by what happened to them so long ago. This includes Rebus himself who is still a troubled soul, although not due to paedophilia I hasten to add. It's nice to see, though, that he appears to have found a manner of peace and meaning to his work.

I found this to be one of the best Inspector Rebus books that I've read yet. This books sits more in the thriller category that the police procedural. The psychological mind games played by Oakes ensure a gripping mood leading up to a shattering climax. A definite must-read for all Rebus fans.

Perhaps for the first time in his life, veteran Edinburgh Detective John Rebus feels his age and ponders retirement. His long term friend Jack Morton just died, but seems to visit him after a few drinks. A hit and run driver has left his daughter wheelchair bound with her ability to ever walk in doubt. Now his latest law enforcement efforts not only flopped, but apparently led to a murder. Finally, rising superstar Jim Margolies, who had everything, apparently killed himself by jumping off the Salisbury Crags.

Already despondent, Rebus has to deal with a deported serial killer moving into the neighborhood, which also now includes a pediophile. As Rebus thinks about his future, he investigates the murder and the alleged suicide. On the side, he looks for a missing person as a favor to a former sweetheart. Soon, Rebus connects everything as he realizes he faces a grandmaster in a game where the loser dies.

The return of Rebus is always an enjoyable experience for fans of Scottish police procedural novels. The engaging mystery includes several sub-plots that seem divergent but Rebus nicely ties them together. Still, DEAD SOULS focuses on the main character's inner thoughts and to a lesser degree on that of the villain. Ian Rankin shows why he ranks with the top authors of the genre. He turns an emotionally weary Rebus into a real person that, in turn, makes for an entertaining skillful story.

Harriet Klausner

"Dead Souls" is quality thriller that keeps you reading from the first page to the last. Rankin's hero, Edinburgh policeman John Rebus, juggles three plot lines: the suicide of a fellow officer, the release of two former criminals (a paedophile and a murderer) and their return to Edinburgh, and the disappearance of his secondary school sweat-heart's son. As a result, the plot and action move quickly, with creative twists and overlapping clues. The criminals are creative and keep Rebus and the reader on their toes.

For those readers devoted to the Rebus series, the "Dead Souls" installment is an opportunity to gain insight into the inner-workings of our hero. We find out about his home-town, his school-boy shannanigans, his old friends, and old ghosts. Rankin uses "Dead Souls" to develop Rebus as a character.

Unlike some of Rankin's other novels, "Deal Souls" does not fall into a series of clichés. The climax is exciting. The characters are believable and have more depth than you find in run-of-the-mill-mysteries.

I was first introduced to the work of Ian Rankin in an airport when departing for Edinburgh. I was looking for an entertaining read to get me through the flight, and found "The Falls" in the airport bookshop. Because the novel took place in Edinburgh, I thought I'd give it a shot to learn a bit about the city. I wasn't disappointed. Not only does Rankin (always) offer the reader a great mystery, but he also offers an inside look on the "real" Edinburgh. He describes real streets, real cafes, and real history. Through the ever-cynical Rebus, Rankin addresses issues facing the city as only an insider could. His writing bring Edinburgh to life for those who already know and love it, and those who want to get know it better.

"Dead Souls" is a good, entertaining, mystery/thriller. Perfect for plane rides, long commutes, and lazy Sundays. I recommend it!

One feels the weariness, the weight of guilt and depression as DI Rebus literally slogs his way through several investigations, some of which have no relation to one another. A released paedophile and the weight of guilt over his brutal death, the missing son of a former high school sweetheart in the throes of a bad marriage, the return of a convicted serial killer from the US, all these combine in to a fascinating tale of crime and punishment in contemporary Scotland. Yes, the plot is convuluted and at times as plodding as Rebus himself, but Rankin is more concerned with exploring his characters and what motivates them to action or inaction, a plus in my view. Dead Souls, though distantly akin to Gogol's novel, is a fascinating read, and though somewhat overly long, is utterly more satisfying than many of Rankin's contemporary mystery writers.

Rebus is one of the best cop protagonists out in the market today. He is a very complex person, who is no longer sure of himself or of the job he is supposed to be doing as a detective inspector in Edinburgh. His family is broken up, his daughter injured in an `accident' that was intended for him, his relationship with his new significant other is on the rocks, and his relationship with his bosses is in the toilet. Probably from his rather unorthodox methods. Rebus is not afraid to mingle with the morally-challenged underside of Edinburgh... he makes his own rules up as he goes, and that particular trait of his tends to get him in trouble.

In this book, Rebus has way too many strings to hold onto. A young man has gone missing who just happens to be the son of one of Rebus' old flames. The U.S. is ever-so-nicely sending home a known serial murderer, who continues to wreck as much havoc as possible in Scotland. Rebus also gets involved in another case concerning a pedophile (I hate reading books on that particular topic!), and the embarrassment leads to bad press for the cops.

Rankin is a good writer. Trouble is he puts way too many off-shoot plots in his books. It makes it very difficult to keep track of these guys and the plots. I do like Rankin's ability to characterize. His characters come across as real people, with real problems, and this is one of the traits I look for in books.

Karen Sadler

Believe it or not, that was my first encounter with Rankin's DI Rebus, but it will definitely not be the last. A good, tight plot with many subplots and the psychological dash re Rebus is especially welcome. You can almost imagine yourself in Edinburgh - a sense of place is admirable. Oh yes, and wonderfully crafted villain characters to top it all. Get it, you won't be disappointed,