A Question of Blood (Inspector Rebus Mysteries) (Hardcover)

As always in Rankin's novels, Rebus's bad attitude to his superiors comes back to bite him: even though doctors testify that damage to his hands is a scalding from trying drunkenly to get into an over-hot bath, it is regarded as circumstantial evidence of his possible guilt. The high-school shooting looks at first sight like another ex-SAS crazy going wild--and here Rebus's own past as an SAS washout comes to haunt him--and the constant meddling of army investigators screams cover-up. In fact, though, this is one of those occasions on which Rebus's slightly paranoid preparedness to see connections everywhere pays off and he manages to solve both crimes and a lot of other unsuspected pieces of mayhem besides. Along the way, the book offers Rankin's usual intense commentary on embattled masculinity and what it means to be a Scot, and this excellent sequence's usual portrayal of an Edinburgh where modernity rubs up against time-worn slums and ancient privilege. --Roz Kaveney --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
'The real strength of Rankin's work...- is that it's a good deal more than a crime novel. The genre is simply the wrapping in which a complex story of human flaws and frailty is contained...Fortunately, A Question of Blood is just about as good as Rankin gets. As a crime novel, it stands favourable comparison with almost anything else currently being written in - or out of - the genre. Detective Inspector Rebus, I suspect, has a way to go yet' -- Allan Laing GLASGOW HERALD 'He writes with a natural rhythmn which exerts an almost hypnotic effect' -- Andrew Taylor THE INDEPENDENT 'You'll love every second of it' DAILY MIRROR 4-STARS 'Exemplifies the enhanced craftmanship of the author's recent work; the sheer number of handicaps Rebus overcomes and of the puzzles he solves evinces a relishable virtuosity' -- John Dugdale SUNDAY TIMES 'A rich absorbing narrative in which the focus is not on who did it - that we know - but why. Artful, moving and entertaining' -- Peter Gutteridge THE OBSERVER 'Retiring the DI would be a risk, but this 16th Rebus suggests that, while readers wouldn't push him, Rankin could survive that jump' -- Mark Lawson THE OBSERVER 'Ian Rankin's John Rebus...is a flawed but very human creation, and his Edinburgh and its inhabitants beautifully drawn and utterly real' -- Myles McWeeney IRISH INDEPENDENT 'Exceptionally well-plotted book, which is guaranteed to hook you and keep you hooked' -- Antonia Fraser SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'Still miles ahead of most modern British crime fiction' SHERLOCK MAGAZINE 'Recent crime writers...have at their disposal all the opening for alienation afforded by the modern world - and, if one of them has to be singled out as being especially attuned to contemporary murder and social malaise, it is Ian Rankin' -- Patricia Craid TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT 'Skilfully composed and powerfully written, with a vein of compassion that Rankin taps to startling and justified effect' -- Philip Oakes LITERARY REVIEW 'He is an addictive writer, which accounts for his immense popularity, but he is also a serious and disturbing one...What he does after Rebus is an interesting question. To track back and offer us some of Rebus's earlier cases would be to reduce the novels to mere entertainment, hugely popular no doubt but a betrayal of his remarkable talent' -- Allan Massie THE SPECTATOR 'Rankin at his raw-edged, page-turning best. Plot strands expertly twist around each other, puzzles are puzzling and the Edinburgh/South Queensferry locations are as real and atmospheric as it gets. With Rankin you can practically smell the fag-smoke and whisky fumes' -- Martin Radcliffe TIME OUT 'Rankin is the thinking man's thriller writer' -- Vincent Banville IRISH TIMES 'This latest story crackles with tension, energy and suspense. And it's a credit to Rankin's writing that despite our familiarity with the detective inspector, it is quite believable that Rebus is capable of committing a violent crime to protect a friend' -- Lise Hand SUNDAY TRIBUNE (Ireland) 'Nobody is better than Rankin at creating a diversion or leading readers astray only to abandon them in a cul-de-sac' -- Alan Taylor SUNDAY HERALD (Glasgo) 'As his best, few writers can match him for imaginative, multi-layered plots...he has returned to form with a novel of startling depth...In a genre where murder is the norm, it is a testament to Rankin's talent that he succeeds in making death seem as incongruous and painful as it does in real life' -- Nicola Upson NEW STATESMAN 'This gritty, fast-paced novel confirms why Rankin is such an indisputable leader' -- Allan Radcliffe THE LIST (Scotland) 'Seamlessly plotted, effortlessly compelling read. Rankin is in total command of his idiom. Rebus himself may be showing signs of burn-out and disaffection with conventional police procedure, but there is no indication that the series is running out of steam' -- Simon Humphreys MAIL ON SUNDAY 'Rankin is an astute social commentator and, as here, serious observation is often at its most effective when it comes in the form of exciting entertainment' TRIBUNE

Scotland is in shock. A gunman has walked into one of South Queensferry's best private schools and opened fire, killing two teenage boys and injuring another - the son of a Member of the Scottish Parliament - before shooting himself. Detective Inspector John Rebus is desperate to get out there and discover what has driven the man to do it, particularly when he discovers that one of the victims is his cousin's son. But he has problems of his own - his hands are badly burnt from what he claims was a freak domestic accident, while the man who's been stalking his younger colleague and protegee Siobhan has been found dead from an arson attack. It's not only Rebus's long-suffering boss Gill Templer who suspects a connection. Yes, Scotland's greatest dysfunctional detective is back, and Rankin's myriad fans will find here all the ingredients that have made his books the most popular crime novels of our time - ingenious plotting, sympathetic characterization, wry humour and a chillingly realistic depiction of the dark underbelly of Scottish social and political life. Blending the investigation of two seemingly separate crimes with practised ease, Rankin leads the reader down blind alley after blind alley, adding more and more characters with their own peculiarities and agendas until all seems hopelessly confused - and then suddenly drops into place to reveal the only possible solution. Rankin's trademark jaundiced view of Scotland - originally the most striking feature of his writing - is a given now, and in fact the theme that the loyal reader notices most in this volume is his delicate portrayal of the relationship between Rebus and Siobhan - mutually affectionate, protective, and fiercely, silently loyal. Intelligently written and enormously involving, this is a novel that fully deserves its guaranteed place at the top of the bestseller lists. (Kirkus UK)

Once again up on charges, DI John Rebus defies suspension and scalded hands to work two difficult cases. Rebus's first problem is how to prove to his partner, Siobhan Clarke, and their boss, DCI Gill Templer, that despite severely burned fingers, he didn't set Martin Fairstone ablaze to avenge his stalking and brutalizing of Siobhan. Trying to circumvent Templer's wrath and needing Siobhan to drive until his hands heal, Rebus responds with her to DI Bobby Hogan's need for help with a pair of 17-year-old corpses in South Queensferry, one the son of a judge, the other the son of Rebus's cousin Allan. Also lying dead is the shooter, ex-SAS soldier Lee Herdman. Recovering at home with his dad, a publicity-hungry anti-gun Scottish MP, is the tragedy's sole survivor: wounded student James Bell. Why did Herdman target the youngsters, then kill himself? Rebus is stymied by two hostile SAS investigators who always seem to be in his way, perhaps covering up evidence, perhaps planting some. And too many people are distracted by nubile Teri Cotter's Web site, which shows her bedroom antics 24/7. Meanwhile, Siobhan has acquired a second stalker, and Rebus seems fixated on the antics of lowlife Peacock Johnson and his gofer, Evil Bob. A notch below quintessential Rankin (Resurrection Man, Feb. 2003, etc.) with a wrap-up that doesn't quite ring true and a Rebus too dependent on painkillers and single-malt. But Siobhan-now there's a lassie to admire. (Kirkus Reviews) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.