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The Black Book
 
 

The Black Book (Paperback)

by Ian Rankin (Author)
4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Orion; New Ed edition (1 Sep 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0752877240
  • ISBN-13: 978-0752877242
  • Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 10.8 x 2.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 73,723 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #47 in  Books > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Authors, A-Z > R > Rankin, Ian > Complete List

Product Description

Product Description
When a close colleague is brutally attacked, Inspector John Rebus is drawn into a case involving a hotel fire, an unidentified body, and a long forgotten night of terror and murder. Pursued by dangerous ghosts and tormented by the coded secrets of his colleague's notebook, Rebus must piece together the most complex and confusing of jigsaws. But not everyone wants the puzzle solved - perhaps not even Rebus himself ...

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 more than twenty languages and are bestsellers worldwide. 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 Anthony Award in the USA, 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, Edinburgh, Hull and the Open University. A contributor to BBC2's Newsnight Review, he also presented his own TV series, Ian Rankin's Evil Thoughts. Rankin is a number one bestseller in the UK and has 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.

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Customer Reviews

13 Reviews
5 star:
 (6)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.1 out of 5 stars (13 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars First toe in the water, 23 Jul 2001
By John Murphy - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is my first Rankin novel, at first I thought that the hype was rather undeserved but as the book progressed I could see that Rebus did have some personal characteristics that were sympathetic, uncaring, cynical and just about any other trait that a mixed up kind of guy like him would have. His work ethic was manic and unsurprisingly one of the reasons he finds himself sleeping on the couch of his own apartment after being turfed out of his long suffering girlfriends place. Rebus is believable to the extent that he is not adverse to setting up a child molester for a beating, the vigilante ethic alive and well in the moral whirlpool of the police force. The story contained sufficient twists and turns to keep it interesting and the reader tends to sympathise with Rebus in his fight against the establishment.
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24 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars The best Rebus I've read!, 27 Jun 2000
By A Customer
I became hooked on the Rebus novels after being lent "Black And Blue" last Summer. As an Edinburgh girl abroad, it was great to read a fantastic crime novel based in my hometown. I then started to read the whole series from the beginning and can really say that "The Black Book" is definitely my favourite. Great story, fantastic humour, a real cliff-hanger. Ian Rankin has got to be the best British crime-writer of the moment. Don't know what I'll do when I've finished all the books. Start at the beginning again!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Not Rankin's best, but still good., 9 Dec 2006
By Barnaby (Essex) - See all my reviews
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars 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 more
Published 19 months ago by Janie U

2.0 out of 5 stars 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 more
Published on 21 Jun 2007 by Barnaby

5.0 out of 5 stars 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... Read more
Published on 10 Aug 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars 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... Read more
Published on 28 Jul 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Rebus, the Central Hotel and the Heartbreak Cafe
Another splendid Ian Rankin novel. Excellent and intriguing plot, first class and varied characters, good descriptions of non-tourist Edinburgh and top class dialogue. Read more
Published on 5 Mar 2001

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Brilliant!
Reebus is such a brilliant character. Like all great detectives he is streetwise, inquiring and witty, yet has several flaws of character that endear him to us. Read more
Published on 20 Nov 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars Gripping Mystery!
I masterful writer in the mystery genre. I could not put it down once I stared. The suspense, humor, and great characterazations are blended together to form a perfect escapest... Read more
Published on 30 Jul 2000 by Bart Austin

3.0 out of 5 stars A lot better than Strip Jack
I bought this book for my mother at the same time as buying Strip Jack for myself. After reading Strip Jack, I was a bit sorry I had bought The Black Book as a gift. Read more
Published on 13 Jun 2000

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read.
This is the second Rebus novel I have read - both were equally impressive and I have just ordered Knots and Crosses so I can work my way through the entire series.
Published on 1 Jun 1999

4.0 out of 5 stars Another Believable Rebus Tale!
I have only recently started to read Ian Rankin's books but am already completely addicted!

This is the second novel I have read, and both are equally good. Read more

Published on 2 Dec 1998

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