Let It Bleed - Ian Rankin

One word for this Rebus novel - Fantastic

One word for this Rebus novel - Fantastic. Ian Rankin is very good at describing things and this novel is no exception. A winter's night in Edinburgh - the car screaming at speed as I read I could imagine it very well. John Rebus is a very tough cop and is not afraid to take on anybody and that included Gunner the Deputy Chief Constable.

This novel has you on the edge of your seat, you never know what is coming next and its like a long journey - a good one.

Congratulations to Ian on a fine piece of writing.

Hooked me straight in and kept hold all the way through

Rebus gets sadder and sadder but there are lots of witticisms and examples of dry humour throughout to keep you (and him) amused. That said, he seems a lot more open with his opinions than some of the previous books which makes for a better read.
There are many familiar Rebus characters in this story which helps to give the feeling of a pair of slippers - comfortable and you can't wait to get back to it.
There were also some great touches - I loved the constant references to the leaking radiator. Rebus's drinking partners in the pub are wonderful, they sit seperately (yet somehow together) but feel the need to ring the pub and apologise if they are not going to be there.
All through the book Rebus is asking himself questions, resolving them and then asking more which keeps the readers interest going and is very much like a real life situation, as opposed to a standard murder novel where there is a murder then it is solved at the end.
Talking of the ending I thought it worked really well with the story finishing without being resolved - again very "real world". The American version of the book had to have another chapter written to explain what happened next which I think would have made the ending artificial.
Not a classic novel but a really enjoyable one to be recommended.

Not the best but still pretty good

'Let it Bleed' is the seventh book in the Inspector John Rebus series, written by Ian Rankin and set it Edinburgh. The story begins with a high-speed car chase ending with the two teenagers in pursuit killing themselves. Then a few days later, a man who has been recently released from prison commits suicide in front of a councillor, who apparently has nothing to do with the victim at all. This takes Rebus onto an investigation into the corrupt world of Scottish politics and dodgy dealings.

I'm a big fan of Ian Rankin, especially his Inspector Rebus novels, and although 'Let it Bleed' isn't the best of the seventeen Rebus books (by a long shot), it is still a very enjoyable read and one that can be picked up and read fairly quickly. Anyone who has read a Rebus book before will be familiar with the gritty Edinburgh setting and Rebus's moody and agressive attitude and his obsessive behaviour towards his cases.

If it is your first time reading a Rankin/Rebus book, I perhaps wouldn't start with this one as it is a little slow and feels a bit like a series filler, but instead go with one of the best ones such as Knots & Crosses, Tooth & Nail, Black & Blue or Dead Souls. Still a very good read for fans of the series though.