Standing in Another Man's Grave: A John Rebus Novel [Kindle Edition]

What a joy to have my old friend Rebus back and on top form! For the first (and only!) time in my life I feel I have to thank the government for putting up the retirement age, so giving Ian Rankin this opportunity to resurrect my all time favourite policeman. Curmudgeonly as ever, but with dry sense of humour very much intact, (...to a woman with multiple piercings who refuses a drink - 'Pity, I wanted to see if you leak...') Rebus is now working in the cold cases unit. But when a young girl goes missing he makes a connection with a previous disappearance and quickly finds a way to shoehorn himself into the current investigation. The case involves several disappearances all linked to the A9 road, so Rebus is forced to leave his Edinburgh comfort zone and travel into the small towns and rural communities of the north. As he points out, he sometimes feels he's never been this far from a pub in his life.

The old characters are here - Siobhan, still unable to do the sensible thing and cut her links with her maverick old mentor; Big Ger Cafferty, like Rebus semi-retired, but still with a finger in every criminal pie. But we also meet up with Malcolm Fox of The Complaints - since Rebus has applied to rejoin the force, Fox has been tasked with checking him out and is convinced that his links with Cafferty are a sign of corruption. It's a neat trick of Rankin's to show us Fox from the other side in this book - to Rebus he's the bad guy and it's very enjoyable to see if the old fox can outrun the new one.

I enjoyed both of the Malcolm Fox books hugely and hope Rankin does more of them, but oh, the pleasure of having Rebus back...I hope the government puts the police retirement age up to eighty! Highly recommended.

I was given this as a Christmas present, and have to say that it is a thoroughly enjoyable read, almost unputdownable. Beautifully written by Ian Rankin, his evocative description of travelling around the desolate yet beautiful Scottish Highlands is spot on. The characterisation of Rebus and his unhealthy existence is superb. This book was so much more enjoyable than the sub-standard writing of many crime novelists e.g. Peter James.

It doesn't seem like 25 years since Rebus first hit the pages. In the 5 years since his retirement, I've missed him. The couple of books about The Complaints Division featuring the humourless, disagreeable and teetotal Malcolm Fox have helped to fill the gap, but Standing In Another Man's Grave cleverly squares the circle. Rebus returns and comes across his old adversary Fox.

Rebus comes out of retirement to work cold case files, but as a civilian. He has none of his previous powers as a police officer, but as may be expected, this small constraint doesn't stop him investigating in his own inimitable style. The route of the A9 links disappearances and unusually, Rebus leaves Edinburgh to follow leads all over Scotland. His beloved Saab is still going strong and other familiar characters including Big Ger and Siobhan also feature. The plot is more straightforward than many of the earlier stories and I found it easier to decide who's responsible for the killings. However, that doesn't detract in any way. It's a well judged page turner, the pace builds and lets go a number of times. For me, Mr Rankin nails dialogue. It's real people speaking, whoever they may be. The contrast between Fox and Rebus is stark. Fox remains sterile and disapproving whilst Rebus is almost anarchic, but human and likeable. The musical references are there, but increasingly involve a sense of mortality. Some of the most poignant moments are when Rebus reflects on the death of musicians of a similar age to himself, including John Martyn and Bert Jansch.

The good news is that the way is left open for Rebus to return. The retirement age for Police has been raised and Rebus makes it clear he wants another stint in his old job. For me, Rebus has lost non of his old magic.... He remains a highly individual but engaging character. He has a distinct style and outlook but has always managed not to become a stereotype or caricature. The narrative is still fresh and relevant; there's no sense of complacency or cashing in. It's almost as if the author, too, missed and old friend. There's life in the old dog yet and the bite's as keen as ever in this outing. Thank you Mr Rankin; I hope there's another soon! Read more ›

A well crafted if a little slow moving plot. For Rebus fans this is an interesting stage in his career. I found the development of Siobhan Clarke intriguing . My one reservation is Cafferty. he is becoming tiresome and obvious. Overall it held me right through wonderfully read

Standing in another man's grave by Ian Ranking
Rebus is back!
After 5 long years Scotland's most famous detective is back with a new tale of missing persons plus gangsters old and new. The now retired Rebus may well have left the police force but is now working on cold cases when a current missing person brings him back into contact with his colleagues including his former partner Siobhan Clarke.
Drawn away from his usual Edinburgh haunts up to the north of Scotland, the ruggedly determined Rebus uses his usual old-fashioned methods to try to solve this latest case whilst up against old foes from the `Complaints' department who have no time for Rebus and his unconventional ways.
Having read all the previous Rebus novels, I was eagerly awaiting this book and it did not disappoint. Although this book for me was a continuation of a great series - however, I feel that it could be enjoyed just as much if this was the first time you were reading a book featuring Rebus. Altogether it was a great book which will appeal to anybody who likes a fast moving read.