Tooth And Nail (Paperback)

In Tooth and Nail the Scottish cop is on his usual form - upsetting his superiors, his ex-wife and his daughter, while still managing to help Scotland Yard with their pursuit of a serial killer. With a stunning climax set in Central London, this should convince anyone who has read the first two Rebus books to stick with this complex, somewhat haunted, character. Most of the action in this story takes place in London, and the scope for Edinburgh itself to become, as it usually does in the series, virtually a character in the plot itself is therefore limited. However, this does not detract from the book because the action moves at a cracking place, the plot is well constructed and there is always a feeling of not wanting to put it down.

I have tried to read the series in order as far as possible, and I believe that this helps to enhance one's enjoyment of the world which Ian Rankin has created for Rebus. Whilst each book is self-contained, various characters seem to crop up regularly throughout the series and there are numerous references back to incidents which have taken place in earlier stories - all of which helps the whole concept to hang together very well.

Both this book and the entire series are highly recommended.

The series...
...each of the books in the Rebus series is self-contained (in the sense that it deals with a case or group of cases) but there is significant character development through the series and it is best to read them in order. Ian Rankin is much better writer than the average crime writer. He has a number of strengths that make the Rebus series the most enjoyable contemporary crime series. Rankin's strengths include strong story telling, the ability to conjure up imagery very quickly and effectively, strong characterisation and an excellent sense of place (he is particularly interested in exposing the seedy underbelly of Edinburgh). He writes well and does not rely on local patois or dialect (unlike Irvine Welch for example) - this has the advantage of making the books easier to read but it does lead to the sense of place occasionally faltering. For me, he is the best British crime writer, almost in the same league as Thomas Harris and James Ellroy. One of the strengths of the series is the central character, John Rebus. He is an interesting, flawed man - with a failed marriage behind him, a rather distant teenage daughter he barely knows, a traumatic military career (ultimately in the SAS) and something of a drinking problem. He is a curmudgeon - he has problems with dealing with authority but also expects absolute respect from the people below him in the hierarchy. He is not a team player, he likes to work alone and keep secrets. Despite all these flaws his passion, drive and humanity make him a sympathetic character.

The book...
...as noted above, the third book in the Inspector Rebus series is a bit of an oddity. Rankin transfers Rebus to London to try to catch a serial killer. This takes Rankin away from one of his strengths as he clearly knows London a lot less well than he knows Edinburgh and his usually faultless sense of place sometimes goes a little awry. He compensates for this with a strong story although he does flirt with cliché about the psychology of serial killers together with a rather incongruous and not entirely believable relationship for Rebus. This is a good book even if it is not entirely successful. It is one of the weaker books in the series but it is still well worth reading.

Note that there is an omnibus version, "Rebus: The Early Years", incorporating the first three novels (Knots & Crosses, Hide & Seek and Tooth & Nail) available.