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Doors Open [Hardcover]

Ian Rankin
2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (102 customer reviews)

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Book Description

16 Sep 2008
For the right man, all doors are open... Mike Mackenzie is a self-made man with too much time on his hands and a bit of the devil in his soul. He is looking for something to liven up the days and perhaps give new meaning to his existence. A chance encounter at an art auction offers him the opportunity to do just that as he settles on a plot to commit a 'perfect crime'. He intends to rip-off one of the most high-profile targets in the capital - the National Gallery of Scotland. So, together with two close friends from the art world, he devises a plan to a lift some of the most valuable artwork around. But of course, the real trick is to rob the place for all its worth whilst persuading the world that no crime was ever committed. But soon after he enters the dark waters of the criminal underworld he realises that it's very easy to drown... THIS BOOK IS ALSO AVAILABLE ON AUDIO


Product details

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Orion; First Edition edition (16 Sep 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0752890700
  • ISBN-13: 978-0752890708
  • Product Dimensions: 15.3 x 2.6 x 23.4 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (102 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 265,550 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

'It convincingly shows that he can move with aplomb into another crime form, and tell a story that's typically at once gripping and full of subtle effects, without his depressive detective holding it together' (John Dugdale SUNDAY TIMES )

'Doors Open is a lot of fun. It's pacy, witty, full of action, twists and splendid dialogue. And Rebus does make a subtle appearance when an officer describes his police station as "a damn sight quieter since you-know-who retired" ' (THE TIMES )

'Because Rankin is a master story-teller, that means the reader is quickly swept up and carried along. I read this in one sitting, on a swelteringly hot beach in Greece; I kept meaning to do other things - find a beer, fetch a sunhat, check the BlackBerry - but somehow had to keep putting them off until I finished this chapter; and then the next; until I'd reached the end' (Andrew Marr GUARDIAN )

'An immensely satisfying, bloody and constantly surprising story of middle-class amateurs mixing it with the big boys. And, as usual, Edinburgh - "a village masquerading as a city" - is a character in itself. So much so that "you-know-who" is hardly missed' (EVENING STANDARD )

'Rankin has taken a holiday from Rebus before, notably in the Jack Harvey thrillers. Here he is trying something new, a "caper" that is also a publishing experiment. Doors Open was serialised in the New York Times so it should reach even more readers than Rebus did' (TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT )

'It's different - and it's good' (Carla McKay DAILY MAIL )

'Rankin is having fun here, name-checking Ocean's Eleven and Banksy, inverting the Rebus idea and writing a heist thriller from the criminals' point of view' (METRO )

'Ian Rankin can pull off an audacious criminal caper even without his trademark detective' (SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY )

'a superbly-plotted, light-hearted romp which owes a debt to Ocean's Eleven, but has plenty of charm of its own too' (BIG ISSUE IN SCOTLAND )

'Rankin is enjoying himself here examining the flipside of Rebus' world: the mindset of the criminal attempting the perfect crime. The plotting and suspense are as impeccable as ever, and his ear for dialogue and insight into his home city remain perfectly honed. Freed from his Rebus back-story, Rankin sets a rattling pace, and Doors Open is an untrammelled joy to read. Consummate in its execution, this is another fine addition to Ian Rankin's career, Rebus or not' (THE LIST )

'As you'd expect from Rankin, a good plot and an interesting collection of Edinburgh characters' (CHOICE )

'You won't be able to turn the pages fast enough' (RED )

'The king of crime returns with another rip-roaring thriller' (WOMAN )

'Rebus might be resting but Rankin has lost none of his skill in creating a pacy plot set in Edinburgh. It's a compelling story with some great characters, at least one of whom I wouldn't be surprised to see in a future book. Recommended' (THE BOOK BAG )

'There is acute psychology and social commentary in Doors Open' (STANDPOINT )

'This comic crime caper is a real treat, with Scotland's superlative author masterfully delivery thrill-a-minute plot twists on every page. Rankin fans, and even Rankin amateurs, will be crying with laughter, as well as crying out for more' (NHS MAGAZINE )

'Rankin has produced another stunningly clever plot, and peopled it with convincingly intriguing characters. Can this man do no wrong?' (DAILY MIRROR )

'Perhaps Rankin's most entertaining book yet, an old-school caper with a sting in the tail' (John Connolly IRISH TIMES )

'Fans of Rankin's successful Inspector Rebus series can stop crying into their whiskies. The publication last year of Exit Music, the final novel featuring the hard-drinking detective, has not stopped its author writing some excellent new tartan noir. Doors Open is Rankin's first stand-alone thriller for a decade. A fast-paced, intriguingly plotted tale of a heist in Edinburgh's art world, it also features the city's shadier side - where Rebus so often hung out' (Melissa McClements FINANCIAL TIMES )

'This is exhilarating stuff, markedly different in tone from the kind of book we are used to from Rankin, but welcome proof that he has much more than one string to his bow' (GOOD BOOK GUIDE )

'Rankin's superlative prose and well-crafted plot twists make this a must-read, especially for those still in mourning for the grumpy guy with a bus pass' (Shari Low DAILY RECORD )

'Now Rankin has retired Rebus he can use his considerable talents to create standalone titles like this' (THE INDEPENDENT )

'Having retired Rebus, Rankin concocts a sharp, cleverly plotted, smartly paced criminal novel, throwing amateur crooks plannng an art theft to the professional sharks of Edinburgh's underworld' (SAGA )

'a compelling new departure for Scotland's king of crime' (THE INDEPENDENT )

'An amusing bloody tale of middle-class amateurs mixing it with the big boys to pull off an audacious art heist' (EVENING STANDARD )

'a gripping crime novel that gradually enmeshes the reader in its dark world of wrong choices and deception' (DEADLY PLEASURES )

'We love the thought that went into this Rankin release. He's a legend, and books like this prove why' (U MAGAZINE )

'Rankin has a seemingly effortless ability to tell a good and suspenseful yarn' (Barbara Fister MYSTERY SCENE )

Book Description

Ian Rankin's first stand-alone thriller for over a decade. Something sensational for his enormous fan-base...

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
89 of 93 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars A Break From The Day Job 29 Sep 2008
By G. J. Oxley TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
You're a celebrated crime author and you've just retired your most famous character - DI John Rebus, as if you didn't know - so what do you do next? Answer, you write an old-fashioned heist caper.

You'll have read the plot synopsis so I'll not summarise it again, I'll simply confine myself to making a few general points about the book:

First of all, this originally ran as a serial in the same publication that first printed Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch-lite `The Overlook' before it was published as a novel last year. I don't know if Ian has padded out `Doors Open' prior to publication, but it doesn't read like a novella stretched beyond its natural length.

I found `Doors Open' to be a satisfying read, even if it doesn't come close to approaching the quality of the best of the Rebus novels. For anyone else it would be decent little book, but Rankin has set his own standards so high, that you're perhaps looking for a bit more. I personally suspect that he wrote this as a bit of light relief after creating the increasingly complex plots of the `you know who' series for the past twenty years. That and the large wad of cash he was apparently paid for writing it.

His policeman here, DI Ransome could not be less like John Rebus if he tried. For a start, he doesn't rush bull-headed into things with no care for insulting his betters - or anyone, else for that matter. Ransome has a facility for diplomacy when among his peers (his counterpart from another station is the one officially investigating the art theft) and has subtle plans for his own advancement. He's no less effective than Rebus, but like I say, his methods are totally different. However, in local Edinburgh gangster Chib Calloway he's created a baddie cut from the same cloth, or perhaps that should be, hewn from the same block of granite, as 'Big Ger' Cafferty from the Rebus novels.

There are a few times in this novel where Rankin has his characters spit things out... as in "`Blah, blah, blah', he spat". This despite the fact that the sentences often contain no sibilants. This is a bit lazy, and proves to me that Ian himself regards this as no more than a frippery; a break from the real day job. Having said that, it's still a professional effort and contains a good number of decent twists.

In summary, this is an effective and efficient little thriller. It's Ian Rankin writing in a much lighter vein - but it's no less enjoyable for that. If I'm going to be picky, there are writers around like Christopher Brookmyre who, frankly, do this kind of thing much better. Still it's a nice enough stab at something different, and it's never less than entertaining. But it isn't major league Rankin and anyone approaching it with that expectation is going to be disappointed.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars lacklustre and predictable 29 Dec 2009
Format:Paperback
I was looking forward to a good read but didn't get one.
This came across as a "pocket money for Christmas" venture and Ian Rankin should be mortified.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Why is it that all great writers of fiction slowly run out of steam - eg Lee Child (how I loved Jack Reacher)and Patricia Cornwell.

A good crime / thriller book to me is one that I can't put down, and I sneak off when I should be doing other things to read a few pages. This book is very "put-downable" and very forgettable between reads.

Will someone please tell Ian Rankin that he has to up his standard - this book doesn't cut it and I'm not even sure if I can trudge to the end of this one.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Nail biting tension
Because it has the most wonderful arc shaped plot, with tension increasing and rising to the very moment of the heist, and then slowly slackening with the inevitability of the... Read more
Published 11 days ago by Ann Purser
4.0 out of 5 stars Doors open
Bit slow at first - made up for it at the end. At first I thought Rebus would figure in it?
Published 29 days ago by sandra knight
3.0 out of 5 stars Recorded the film but decided to read the book first
I am happy I read the book first but I could hear Steven Fry in my mind, I now look forward to watching the film,
Published 1 month ago by P R Golds
5.0 out of 5 stars Much Better Than Expected
I did not expect love Mr Fox. Rebus was irreplaceable. How wrong can you get,
Iloved this book, couldn't put it down.
Ian Rankin never disapoints.
Published 1 month ago by J L Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars was halfway through this, started asking about time machine
Again, haven't quite read it all yet....went to Edinburgh halfway through and was mightily puzzled...about whether the art galleries have always been like that.... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Ms. Sarahjane Mackenzie
4.0 out of 5 stars Doors Open
Well its certainly a bit different from what we are used to.
Its an excellent read and adds a new string to Rankin,s bow
Published 2 months ago by david hair
4.0 out of 5 stars Rising Tensions with Twists in Every Chapter Until the End Climax
This is a story of a heist and the heroes are the guys who plan the heist. It starts off with medium tension and then Rankin raises the stakes with every chapter with twists and... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jenni Wickham
4.0 out of 5 stars Didn't miss Rebus!
An entertaining and very relaxing read. I enjoyed it even though I had previously seen the TV version - something I usually avoid. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Perpetual student
4.0 out of 5 stars A ripping yarn
An intriguing crime/detective novel with a twist in the tail. Based in Edinburgh, as is the author's Rebus novels, this books tells the tale of an amateur art heist. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Avid reader
1.0 out of 5 stars Mmmm
Ive read the book and my personal opinion its not the usual high standard we expect from Ian Rankin. Read more
Published 4 months ago by D. Smith
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