Mortal Causes: An Inspector Rebus Novel (Hardcover)

by Ian Rankin (Author) "He could scream all he liked..." (more)
Key Phrases: Davey Soutar, Siobhan Clarke, Billy Cunningham (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The last people to die in Mary King's Close had been plague victims. But that was in the 1700s. Now a body has been discovered, brutally tortured and murdered in Edinburgh's buried city. Inspector John Rebus, ex-army, spots a paramilitary link, but how can this be true?

About the Author
Born in the Kingdom of Fife in 1960, Ian Rankin graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982, and then spent three years writing novels when he was supposed to be working towards a PhD in Scottish Literature. His first Rebus novel was published in 1987, and the Rebus books are now translated into twenty-two languages and are bestsellers on several continents. Ian Rankin has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow, and is also a past winner of the Chandler-Fulbright Award. He is the recipient of four Crime Writers' Association Dagger Awards including the prestigious Diamond Dagger in 2005. In 2004, Ian won America's celebrated Edgar Award for 'Resurrection Men'. He has also been shortlisted for the Edgar and Anthony Awards in the USA, and won Denmark's Palle Rosenkrantz Prize, the French Grand Prix du Roman Noir and the Deutscher Krimipreis. Ian Rankin is also the recipient of honorary degrees from the universities of Abertay, St Andrews and Edinburgh. A contributor to BBC2's 'Newsnight Review', he also presented his own TV series, 'Ian Rankin's Evil Thoughts'. He recently received the OBE for services to literature, opting to receive the prize in his home city of Edinburgh, where he lives with his partner and two sons. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 278 pages
• Publisher: Orion (August 11, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857979389
• ISBN-13: 978-1857979381
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #7,226,152 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 7 in The Inspector Rebus Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Troubles In Edinburgh, June 27, 2001

By	Untouchable (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Mortal Causes (Inspector Rebus Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

After a particularly gruesome murder is discovered during Edinburgh's Fringe Festival, Inspector John Rebus is seconded to the elite Scottish Crime Squad. The reason for this is that aspects of the murder make it appear that a terrorist group was responsible and Rebus's previous SAS experience would come in handy. The investigation takes him from his home base to the villages of rural Scotland and across to Belfast and back again.

Throughout the book, the Catholic versus Protestant problem is continually raised, comparing Scotland to the Troubles in Northern Ireland and suggesting that the same uprising could be imminent. While the characters were discussing terrorist organisations there were enough three letter acronyms being bandied about to make me think I might have stumbled into a Microsoft manual.

Once again we are treated to the bare bones of Edinburgh's back streets and dingy estates that have fallen into ruin. Rebus is as inscrutable and removed from his fellow officers as ever, yet, at least for me, he is becoming more and more likable. I feel this series is getting more and more enjoyable with every book I read, this one is no exception.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rankin's best John Rebus mystery to date!, January 17, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Mortal Causes (Inspector Rebus Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

I only discovered Ian Rankin's John Rebus mysteries quite recently and have read through all those available in a relatively short time. Rebus is a memorable character and Rankin's portrait of Edinburgh and the police department in his procedurals rings as very convincing and true-to-life. In _Mortal Causes_, the most recent of the Rebus titles to see paperback, Rankin's hero must investigate a particularly gruesome murder which begins to look like it might be the work of a terrorist cell from Northern Ireland. Rebus had spent time there earlier in his career, before joining the police. His expertise comes to prove valuable in this case, on in which not everything is as it appears. Set during Edinburgh's annual summer Festival, readers are treated to an exciting, realistic mystery which takes place in the side streets and housing estates that tourists don't normally see. Inspector John Rebus continues to develop into one of the more multi-faceted and interesting characters in contemporary mystery fiction and Ian Rankin's ability to grab the reader by the throat shows no signs of letting up. All in all, this is the best of the Rebus series, with a new book, _Let it Bleed_ currently out in hardcover, and another, _Black and Blue_, waiting in the wings. Receives my highest recommendation

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice Yarn, May 12, 2004

By	Charles Miller (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Mortal Causes (Inspector Rebus Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

It's a good thing that Inspector Rebus is so smart. Otherwise, drinking too much and losing every fight he gets into would surely do him in. When a brutally murdered body turns up during the Edinburgh Festival, Rebus starts our tour of the city's seamier underside. There are more than enough additional murders, beatings, pubs, slums, betrayals, and manipulations to satisfy any mystery fan. The story is taut, well-paced, and peopled by memorable, well-developed characters. Although there was a bit too much impenetrable British slang for my taste, it certainly adds credibility and color to the tale. Pour yourself a single-malt, sit back, and enjoy the ride.