Exit Music (Hardcover)

'Utterly compelling

'Rankin has an unparalleled ability to draw in the reader and make us feel every knock and setback in Inspector Rebus's red-raw life. Rarely has that talent been better displayed than in Exit Music which sees the flawed but redeemingly honest central character staggering towards the finishing line of an inglorious career that has utterly defined his life' (SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY )

'the main theme of the book is civic corruption by the power of money, money from whatever source. Always up to the minute, Rankin has Russian oligarchs or something similar lurking on the streets of Edinburgh and the murder of a Russian poet is directly counterpointed to the death throes of the real life Russian, Litvinenko... As Rankin percipiently observes, the problem is the overworld not the underworld - words which might well sum up the philosophy of Rankin's whole ouevre' (Antonia Fraser THE SPECTATOR )

'The last scene bringing together Rebus and Cafferty, is a sly, ingenious reworking of Holmes's apparently fatal tussle with Moriarty at the Reichenbach Falls - another Scottish author attempting to retire his detective but failing, you can't help but notice. The possibility of Rebus returning is conspicuously left open' (John Dugdale SUNDAY TIMES )

'The title Exit Music serves a dual meaning - not just Rebus's exit from the police but also the possibility of Scotland's wishing to leave the Union with England after the recent election results...Exit Music is a fitting end to the career of one of the most beguiling characters in the history of crime fiction - not because the lowering of the final curtain finds the audience satisfied but because it leaves them gasping for more' (Marcel Berlins THE TIMES )

'It would, of course, be criminally bad form to reveal the precise manner of John Rebus's final exit - but I think most readers will find the music more or less note-perfect' (Mark Billingham DAILY MAIL )

'Throughout the entire series, Rankin's strength has been his ability to get under the skin of Edinburgh's pyschogeography: he vividly describes 'a city...of banking and brothels, virtue and vitriol' where underworld meets overworld. Deftly plotted and awash with sarky one-liners Exit Music is no exception' (METRO )

'Rankin's understanding of the man in the street gives special weight to the thread of nationalism which recurs throughout the book. It is exactly because Rebus is non-political - his complaints about the cost of the Parliament Building in Exit Music are as unreflective and herd-minded as the average cab driver - that his acceptance of the inevitability of independence carries such conviction' (GLASGOW HERALD )

'This may be Rebus's swansong but every page crackles with energy. Ian's skill and pawky wit make even the most routine interview a pleasure to read...After 20 years and 17 novels, the old bastard will be missed. Rebus, that is. Rankin will no doubt go on to even greater things' (Mark Sanderson DAILY MAIL )

'a classic Rankin' (Five Star Review) (DAILY MIRROR )

'An elegiac tone pervade Exit Music, a timely wistfulness designed to put you off your guard. Hard to say much else without giving the game away - just brace yourself for a stoater of a cliffhanger ending' (SUNDAY TELEGRAPH )

'Rebus's final case - a satisfyingly enjoyable farewell' (SUNDAY TIMES )

'Whatever he writes, it will be worth reading. For the retirement Rebus, there will not have been bookshops opening at midnight and lines of excited readers dressed as over-weight, near-alcoholic, smoking Scottish cops but such fuss would have been justified. What his Edinburgh neighbour achieved in children's fantasy - redefining the genre and changing publishing expectations - Rankin has achieved in detective fiction' (Mark Lawson THE GUARDIAN )

'The first thing to say is that in the Rebus novels Rankin has not only produced the most sustained body of fiction devoted to modern Edinburgh, but has made it once again a city of the mind as Dickens made London and Chandler Los Angeles. He has changed the way people imagine the city. (Allan Massie THE SCOTSMAN )

'The detection in these fascinating books has always been secondary to the relationships between detectives and the portrait of Edinburgh...Perhaps our hero shoudl stand for the Scottish Parliament' (Jessica Mann LITERARY REVIEW )

'After 20 years together, both Rebus and Rankin are at the height of their respective powers, and this web of intrigue is as good as detective drama gets' (GLASGOW EVE TIMES )

'I can't for a moment believe this will be the last Rebus novel, but it's definitely the end of a very long chapter' (Peter Gutteridge OBSERVER )

'The uncertain postcolonial politics of present-day Scotland is cynically woven together with the dodgy business dealings of new Russian billionaires and old Scots gangsters. Rankin's Edinburgh is, as always, a completely convincing stage for high-flying wheeler dealing as well as low-life veniality' (TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT )

'Factor in the involvement of shady Russian oligarchs; thehead honchos of Scotland's national bank; a couple of ruthless MSPs; and Rebus's nemesis, local gangster Big Ger Cafferty, and you have the makings of a ripely entertaining tale' (TIME OUT )

'Sharply written, thoroughly gripping, seventeen books and Rankin's still on top form' (DAILY SPORT )

'How much do we have to bribe Rankin to bring this one (Rebus) back?' (DAILY RECORD )

'I believe he (Rebus) will return in some form or other. He is too successful a character to stay off the bestseller lists for long' (IRISH TIMES )

'Utterly compelling (REVIEWING THE EVIDENCE .COM )

'the eighteenth in Ian Rankin's wonderful series about the hard-drinking, Seventies-music-loving, authority-hating Edinburgh detective' (THE TABLET )

'Rankin cleverly brings his famous character's career to a close' (CHOICE )

'Rankin is on top form in this one' (INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY )

'Ian Rankin whose last Rebus book is as fine example of its form as you could hope for' (Stuart Kelly SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY )

'Exit Music is up to Rankin's usual standard and it'll be a pity if it is his swansong' (Vincent Banville IRISH EXAMINER )

'I enjoyed the retirement party Ian Rankin threw for his gloomy Inspector Rebus in Exit Music. After 17 books - this lsat a swirl of Tartan gangsters and dead Russian dissidents - the old warhorse was long overdue a nice sit-down and a stiff drink' (Sam Leith DAILY TELEGRAPH )

'The 'last' Rebus is one of the best' (Allan Massie THE SCOTSMAN )

'No prizes for guessing the crime fiction event of the year. What with a final showdown with his long-time nemisis Big Ger Cafferty, this is a fitting send off for Rebus, and quite right too. He's the reason for the phenomenal success of this series, the kind of loveable rogue who's not above picking up a few signed copies of a victim's last book to punt on e-bay. Pure class' (METRO )