Hide and Seek (Inspector Rebus Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

by Ian Rankin (Author) "'Hide!' He was shrieking now, frantic, his face drained of all colour..." (more)
Key Phrases: Brian Holmes, Calton Hill, Inspector Rebus (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
At night the summer sky stays light over Edinburgh. But in a shadowy, crumbling housing development, a junkie lies dead of an overdose, his bruised body surrounded by signs of Satanic worship. John Rebus could call the death and accident--but won't. Instead, he tracks down a violent-tempered young woman who knew the dead boy and heard him cry out his terrifyng last words: "Hide! Hide!" Now, with the help of a bright, conflicted young detective, Rebus is following the girl through a brutal world of bad deals, bad dope and bad company. From a beautiful city's darkest side to the private sanctums of the upper crust, Rebus is seeking the perfect hiding place for a killer.


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 an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Paperbacks (December 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312963971
• ISBN-13: 978-0312963972
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #34,137 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 2 in The Inspector Rebus Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ian Rankin Paints With Words..., December 11, 2001

By	Vicky J. Shultz "Vicky In Missouri" (Hannibal, MO USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There are two sides of Edinburgh, Scotland. There's the side that tourists see: the city of Grayfriar's Bobby, of the annual Summer Festival, of the quaint pubs and the scenic castle sitting on a hill called Arthur's Throne. Then there's the other side of Edinburgh, the domain of Detective Inspector John Rebus. This Edinburgh is one of boarded up housing tenements inhabited by the hopeless, a city of AIDS ridden junkies and prostitutes, of deals made in back alleys at midnight amid violence and sometimes death.

Inspector Rebus is sent to investigate what appears to be a junkie's death in an abandoned housing estate. The man's body is laid out spread-eagle with Satanic symbols and candles decorating the room. While the other cops are convinced it's just another all-too-familiar overdose victim, Rebus gets the inkling there is more to it than meets the eye. A young female witness is found and tells Rebus that the last words the dead man said were "Hide! Hide!". Assisted by his protegé, Rebus explores the dark side of Edinburgh, seeking justice for a young man too easily dismissed both in life and in death.

Ian Rankin is the best mystery writer I've ever read. The character of Inspector John Rebus is melancholy, brooding, cynical, funny, intelligent, a workaholic and a perfectionist. He's both addicted and repelled by his work. Being a copper has absorbed his entire life. Rankin's style has been described as "Tartan Noir" and the label is fitting. But to think this book and the series it's part of are dreary would be a mistake. Rankin takes the reader to the depths of dark grittiness, then surprises with bright flashes of humor. Watch for tongue in cheek touches, such as a detective named Holmes and a superior named Watson. Do yourself a good turn and read not only HIDE & SEEK, but the entire Inspector Rebus series.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Above and Beyond the average crime novel, March 15, 1998

By	A. N. Smith (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

Rankin is really, really good. His plots are interesting enough in these Scottish police procedurals, but he weaves them through the lives of Inspector John Rebus and those close to him. Great character development, great details about Edinburgh, and the investigation is step by step, believable, timed just right. This is an early Rebus novel, so the language and style aren't as polished as later ones in the series. So what? Read them all. This is one of the best detective series going.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thoughts, February 20, 2000

By	"birse" (Aberdeen, Scotland) - See all my reviews

This is the first Ian Rankin book I have read and I choose it because my English class all had to choose a Scottish text to read and review...so I thought I'd give it ago. I thought the book was extremly well written and described and I could imagine how each of the charcters were acting. I could hardly put the book down because I was wanting to read on and how it all ended...This is a must read book if u like a simple but extremly effective murder mystery.....its easy going and great!