The Black Book - Ian Rankin

Not as good as many other Rebus books

I've read quite a few of the Rebus books over the years and am now trying to fill in all the gaps so have found myself reading some of the early books which I hadn't previously read. This is the fifth book in the series and seems to fall into a bit of a gap. It was written before the Rebus books became really famous but well after the character had been introduced.
The story is good but I found my attention lagging in the middle of the book. I know that Rebus always works better when he is suspended but it seems that he is suspended more than any other fictional policeman. Interesting that Siobhan's character was developed in more detail - lots more of her to come later.
OK book but have come to expect more than this from Ian Rankin.

Far too abridged

This book wasn't brilliant to start with, but this abridged audiobook makes it worse. The story is far too abridged down to only the naked outline of the story. Read the book, or find the unabridged version from Clipper Audiobooks.

Not Rankin's best, but still good.

This dark and gritty crime thriller is very good in its own right, but when put next to some of the other novels in the series, it stands out as one of the poorest.
The characters are believable, but are not placed in particularly beleivable situations, and the would-be-witty remarks made by people and the narrative start to become annoying.

Dark, so dark

Even on the sunniest day of June Rankin makes the city feel like the dead on a midwinter night. Tightly characterised the low life and the shadows infiltrate at every turn. Brilliantly done, gripping stuff.

WE ARE NOT WORTHY!

How good is Ian Rankin? Absolutely outstanding, that's how good. In The Black Book, his uber-cop, John Rebus, has to contend with burned bodies, sordid secrets and ghosts from the past. Another day at the office for Rebus, then! A fantastic read - curiously, my other fave crime/thriller this summer also has a burned and tortured body at the centre of the mystery: Dexter Dias's POWER OF ATTORNEY. Rankin and Dias highly recommended.