Resurrection Men: An Inspector Rebus Novel (Inspector Rebus Novels) [Mass Market Paperback]

Ian Rankin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Inspector Rebus Novels | Publication Date: January 1, 2004

While in a reform school for cops, Inspector John Rebus joins a covert mission to gain evidence of a drug heist orchestrated by some of his classmates known as "Resurrection Men."

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Like Edinburgh inspector John Rebus, the resurrection men of the title are treading on thin ice--they've all been sent to a short course at the Scottish Police College because they've failed in some way, generally "an issue with authority." Rebus has been known to have issues of that nature before, which only boosts his credibility with the other cops in attendance, suspected by their bosses of being on the wrong side of the fence, on the take, or even guilty of murder on several previous occasions. The dour Inspector's agenda aims to bring the higher-ups proof of the so-called Wild Bunch's nefarious activities; in the process, his own conduct in the old case he and his college classmates must rework and revisit comes under scrutiny. A solid police procedural whose protagonist, the hero of 14 other titles in this internationally acclaimed series, continues to grow on readers who are just discovering him. --Jane Adams --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Rankin's moody Inspector John Rebus, unorthodox pride of the Edinburgh police, begins this latest installment in hot water. He's been sent back to the police college for "retraining," with a group of other "resurrection men," for throwing a cup of coffee at a superior in a moment of frustration. It soon becomes clear, however, that the police brass have their own agenda for Rebus. Some of his fellow officers are suspected of being on the take, and it's his mission-should he accept it-to try to infiltrate their schemes, perhaps even encourage them. Meanwhile, a murder he and the edgy Det. Sergeant Siobhan Clarke have been investigating has turned up some curious links with an apparently Teflon crime boss Rebus has been after for years. The two cases gradually come together in Rankin's skillfully woven plotting, full of his trademark tough, oblique dialogue and sudden moments of touching warmth. The book's only drawbacks are that it seems a little overextended, and that the final bloody climax lacks something in conviction, if not in tension. This isn't one of Rankin's top efforts, but even coasting, he leaves most police procedurals at the gate.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; Reprint edition (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316608491
• ISBN-13: 978-0316608497
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 1.2 x 7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #632,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a truly wonderful reading experience, January 25, 2003

By 

tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Resurrection Men: An Inspector Rebus Novel (Hardcover)

In a moment of pure frustration, DI Rebus throws a mug of tea at his superior DCS Gill Templer. This action causes him to be removed from the Marber murder inquiry (Edward Marber was a successful Edinburgh art dealer who was brutally murdered outside his residence), and sent to Tulliallan Police College for counseling and a refresher's course on how to be a better police officer. There, he meets other officers who have all been sent up for the same reasons -- an inability to deal with authority and proper police procedure -- the Resurrection Men (or the Wild Men depending on who you're talking to) who have all been given this one last chance to pull up their socks and rescue what's left of their careers.

As part of their rehabilitation, the Resurrection Men have been given a cold case to investigate -- the murder of Eric Lomax, a vicious small time crook who was beaten to death sometime in 1995. The point of this exercise is to go over (again) the previous inquiry and to understand where that initial investigation had gone wrong, see if any new leads can be further developed, and to see if they can all work together as a team and actually get a result. Hindering this current investigation however are secrets that some of the Resurrection Men have pertaining to the original investigation -- Rebus included. Will these secrets come back to haunt these officers? Will the secrets actually affect the current investigation? More worrying for Rebus however is the sinking feeling that any time now someone will discover his particular secret, and that he will really have to face the music for having crossed the line that fateful day in 1995...

"The Resurrection Men" proved to be quite to read. Ian Rankin does a wonderful job of painting in Rebus's feeling of paranoia and loneliness as he tries to do his job as well as make sure that no one ever discovers what he did back then. Also nicely done was the manner in which Rankin seamlessly sews together the three subplots -- the subplot involving the Resurrection Men's reexamination of the Lomax murder; DS Siobhan Clark's investigation of the Marber murder; and a third subplot involving Rebus that I will not go into so as to enter into the realm of plot spoilers. And even though I expected that all these subplots would suddenly come together with a bang, waiting to see how Rankin would actually achieve this was still a treat. Some resolutions I expected but some still surprised me (in a good way, that is).

Well written, with strong character developments and a plot that unfolded smoothly and with nice tight pacing, "The Resurrection Men" was fun to read and should not be missed.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This Is A Great Time To Meet John Rebus, If You Haven't Yet, March 22, 2003

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Bookreporter (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Resurrection Men: An Inspector Rebus Novel (Hardcover)

Inspector John Rebus has outdone even his own previous record for behaving badly --- he threw a cup of tea at DCS Gill Templer and got himself sent back to the police academy for some remedial lessons in playing well with others. Those who know Rebus well from previous books about him by Ian Rankin (this is the 14th, plus a novella) will be skeptical that this old Scottish dog can take on any new tricks --- and those who haven't yet had the pleasure are well advised to make his acquaintance very soon.

The Resurrection Men, as they are collectively called, is a group that, like Rebus, is being given one last chance to behave, or be tossed out of their various precincts. That's on the surface. Beneath the surface, it's not so simple. There are, as you might expect, shades within shades of bad cop behavior. Some difficult cops are worse than others --- that's the real problem Rebus takes on in this complexly plotted novel.

There are really three stories here, two of them are about crime (one past, one present) and the other is the ongoing, absorbing tale of Rebus's personal life, which has taken a new turn since the book just previous, THE FALLS. Our Scots Detective Inspector has, no matter how improbably, entered a relationship with an interesting woman of his own age named Jean Burchill. Jean works as a curator in a museum in Edinburgh; she can hold her own and doesn't take any guff off anybody, including John Rebus. His sudden remand to the police academy, with its outside-Edinburgh location, together with his having to maintain a certain amount of secrecy, soon puts the new relationship at risk. Dealing with this personal problem, Rebus gains new depth to his personality. It's painful. There's nothing easy about these things, ever, especially for Rebus.

The remedial instructor at the academy assigns the group of Resurrection Men a cold case, ostensibly as an exercise to teach them to work as a team. Each of the six men has had difficulty with teamwork in the past --- but three of them, as Rebus gets to know them better, appear to have some prior connection they're keeping mum about. The cold case assignment deals with an unprosecuted murder, some years earlier, of Rico Lomax, a thoroughly bad sort of man who took others down with him. It's a case in which Rebus was more involved than he wants to admit and one he does not like to remember. As their investigation deepens, Rebus begins to wonder if someone at Headquarters has set him up, if they may not be using this old case as a means to drive him off the police force once and for all.

Meanwhile, back at the home precinct, DS Siobhan Clarke continues to work on the case of Edward Marber, a murdered art dealer; she was partnered with a new recruit, DC Hynds, when Rebus was shipped off to Tulliallan (the academy). Some years his junior, Siobhan is perhaps too much like Rebus in personality for her own good. He has trouble letting go of the Marber case and she is more than willing to consult him behind the scenes, thus keeping him involved. As the Marber investigation goes broader and deeper, some of the same personalities who were involved in the old Lomax case begin to surface as players in the new case as well. Lines begin to cross and the Resurrection Men begin to behave very badly indeed.

One does not read a Rebus novel solely for the plot, though in this book there is plot enough and more besides. Rather, one reads Ian Rankin for the totality of the experience, which is as much sensual as it is intellectual. Rankin gives us all of Edinburgh, of today's Scotland, in his novels -- much more so than any other novelist working at present. We get the sounds, the smells, the taste, the feel of the weather, of the nights, of the very air on the skin. With it all, we too have the enormous privilege of getting to know John Rebus. I have no words to adequately describe this remarkable character --- Rebus is a man you must know for yourself.

--- Reviewed by Ava Dianne Day

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Detective John Rebus at his best!!!, April 2, 2003

By 

prisrob "pris," (New England USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Resurrection Men: An Inspector Rebus Novel (Hardcover)

Detective John Rebus goes "under" at the request of his superiors to find the "dirty cops" in this Scottish novel.
This is superb writing, you get the feel of the characters, are inside their minds editing as they speak and wondering as they do what will happen next. I have read enough mysteries that I can often guess the ending- this story was more subtle and more exciting- a great, great read...