Customer Reviews

Rebus: The Early Years

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

 

 

I took a recommendation to read this author from a TV clip about him. I must say I was very impressed and am now a fan. These first three novels introduce the character and set up some background about him. Well constructed stories and excellent capture of Scottish dialects. Highly recommend to read.

I bought this as a gift for my mom as she read on of his later books but the library only carried the most recent years. She devoured the first book in two days. She is struggling with the last one (Tooth and Nail). Time to read someone else for a change. Great author

I bought the early trilogy because the hard backs were out of print. The first three novels came in an easy to hold and read softcover edition.

The book was well worth the money. Knots and Crosses was the first read in the book. It was nicely written, taut, short and a good introduction for Detective Sargent Rebus.

The second book, Hide and Seek was long and not nearly as engaging as the first book.

Tooth and nail found a nice happy medium between books one and two. Well written; more polished.

The softcover edition can be purchased very reasonably, and presents a good value to detective story readers.

G.G.

..although I have to commend Ian Rankin for a wonderfully-developed and complex character, his protagonist, Rebus, nontheless seems to have settled into the wrong line of work. There's no denying that it is a tough line of work, yet there is at least the possibility that a top-of-class graduate of the famously hard-bitten SAS unit of the British military would be easily a match for this calling. What Rebus displays, on the contrary, is squeamishness, quirkiness, and what might pass as fear in many situations. Perhaps I am somewhat unused to the modern hero, but, as an American and a consumer (primarily) of military histories, I came away a little wary of an individual who displays such varying degrees of capacity to handle different situations.

That consideration aside, I believe the author has hit on a very believable and exciting theme and his reluctant hero, although not up to the standards of, say Fleming's Bond, seems to be a sympathetic character and therefore very enjoyable. Rankin seems to have a jeweler's eye for scene-description and dialogue, so any "adjustments" which need to made are wholly on my part. I do recommend this series.

I'll admit my expectations might have been a bit high for a book I got so inexpensively, but past expereinces had been much better. The book I recevied is certainly readable, but it is water-stained and more than a little worn -- not the condition I expected from the seller's description. I would encourage the seller to be a bit more precise in descriptions of individual books. All that being said: I'll enjoy reading it, but I'll likely not proudly put on my shelf. However, since it was such a bargain, that might not have been a realstic expectation. I will say the book was shipped quickly, and arrived before expected -- always a plus. As such, I would probably try the seller again if the occasion presented itself.