The Complaints [Paperback]

The Complaints marks a welcome return to the police procedural for Ian Rankin. There is an unusual angle here. Whilst police procedurals are relatively common, few have focused on those who investigate their fellow officers (The BBC series "Between The Lines" being the only exception which comes to mind). Such officers are generally dismissed by their fellows as "rats" and Rankin's decision to make one of them his central character is certainly a bold one.

It is a gamble which appears to have paid off. Malcolm Fox is an engages the reader's sympathy. Like most such central characters he has his problems, but at least they are not the usual clichés. Instead it is about his guilt about not visiting his father often enough and his boredom with being teetotal in the midst of a drinking culture; problems with which we can sympathise, and identify, even if we don't suffer from them ourselves.

Rebus was always going to be a hard act to follow, particularly as the previous series had been so successful over such a long period of time and had built up a very large fan base. It appears that after the slight dip in form of "Doors Open" Rankin has struck gold with this new central character.

The story is convoluted, but believable. The twists and turns in the plot ratchet up the paranoia level well and the reader is left astonished by the predicaments Fox faces because of the evil which surrounds him.

As always one of the most important "characters" is Edinburgh itself. Rankin uses the contrast between the ancient grimy parts of the city and the new developments to make the place seem like a living, breathing being which itself adds to the plot.

The Complaints introduces us to a new series using all of Ian Rankin's strengths and Malcolm Fox looks set to provide many years of entertainment for crime fans.

Rebus was always going to be a hard act to follow and if Ken Stott had played him from the beginning in the TV series, he'd have been even harder to follow. So, after a brief interlude with `Doors Open' Rankin has come up with another Edinburgh-based cop, Inspector Malcolm Fox.

He's middle-aged, divorced, stroppy - or should that be just grumpy - liked a glass or two but now has to stick to tomato juice and is as determined to solve the crime. So what's new? Well, the music is and, initially, he doesn't have a sidekick he can kick to the side.

Working for the unit which polices the police - The Complaints of the title - this first story brings into play a current hot topic - paedophilia; regrettably bringing into focus a CID officer suspected of being involved in an online group. Circumstances change as this character teams up with Fox and, as the bodies seem to pile up yet again, Rankin's great ability to entertain us with the current financial property mess coupled with the local atmosphere, local policing, local characters and, dare I say, almost another Rebus, the book is a great start to a new series - presumably. I believe I read somewhere that Rankin does not rule out Fox and Rebus appearing in a future story - after all, there must a crime or two in which the previous hero was involved which may well need a further police audit?

I loved the Rebus character and it's hard to brush this aside and take on Fox's persona. But the book works and I'll look forward to the next. Since Fox is in his forties, there are a few years ahead of us. Hopefully, this Fox will become as popular as the glacier mint of the same name.

A dilemma: Ian Rankin, Val McDermid and Iain Banks - three outstanding Scottish novelists all with a new novel out on the same day - which do I read first? Well, I bought all three before finally opting for the Rankin. All I can say is I hope Val's and Banksy's new works are of the same standard as `The Complaints'.

It's good to see Ian back with a `serious' novel set (mostly) in Edinburgh after last year's fairly lightweight offering `Doors Open'. Many fans hated this book, others LOVED it. I found it a decent read myself, but it hardly had the gravitas of the Rebus books. It wasn't meant to.

`The Complaints' however is a different kettle of fish.

Set in February 2009 in a credit crunch-hit Edinburgh of plummeting land and property prices, it features Malcolm `Foxy' Fox who heads up a team working for the Complaints Conduct Department. They're known as `the Dark Side' and investigate other policemen suspected of `dirty' deeds and actions. Fox is asked to investigate Jamie Breck, a fellow officer whose credit card details have been registered on a paedophile website. But is everything as it seems? Simultaneously, his sister's boyfriend is found murdered, and Fox is told he's got no part in the investigation...

Fox forms an alliance of sorts with Breck and is soon plunged into events where he doesn't know who he can and cannot trust.

In tackling topical issues, Rankin weaves a labyrinthine plot, that twists and turns like a twisty, turny thing. He resolves everything brilliantly and I for one didn't see more than half of what was coming.

Malcolm Fox, it has to be said, initially resembles John Rebus, but only superficially: he's a middle-aged man, living on his own, without a woman. It's only later when he starts bending the rules and dispensing the odd kicking that the reader realises the resemblance to Rebus is MORE than just superficial! Unlike John however he abstains from the bottle (although he's not adverse to going into pubs), doesn't appear to have a Rolling Stones album in his music collection, and isn't `owned' by a cat! And to be fair, he's not quite as abrasive as the older man.

We've all conjectured as to what Ian would do after Rebus's retirement from the force. Would he give Siobhan Clarke her own series, or perhaps follow Rebus into civilian life - possibly setting him up as a PI? I don't know at the time of writing whether this is a standalone novel or if he intends developing it as a series. I sincerely hope it's the latter as I'm anxious to meet Malcolm Fox and his team again. I found this book to be a top-notch heavyweight offering, and an extremely enjoyable read.

IGNORE THIS NEXT BIT IF YOU'RE NOT INTERESTED IN ROCK TRIVIA:

Two of the characters in the book - Tony Kaye and Mark Kelly - share their names with, respectively, the original and current (long-term) keyboard players with prog bands Yes and Marillion. Given that Rankin is a drinking buddy of original Marillion singer Fish, and is a fan of rock music, does anyone know if this is a deliberate in-joke?