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Product Description
Review
"We're in recession-hit 2009 Edinburgh, and the travails of a property developer in serious financial deficit to some very nasty people become central to the unraveling of several mysteries, not least of which is who wants to discredit Fox. He's not the only new character Rankin has introduced to Edinburgh's police force, teaming up with the thoroughly modern detective Jamie Breck - posh, ambitious, online gamer - in a partnership that begins in a grippingly tense cat-and-mouse standoff." Karen Robinson, The Sunday Times (audiobook review)"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
Nobody likes The Complaints - they're the cops who investigate other cops. Complaints and Conduct Department, to give them their full title, but known colloquially as 'the Dark Side', or simply 'The Complaints'. Malcolm Fox works for The Complaints. He's just had a result, and should be feeling good about himself. But he's middle-aged, sour and unwell. He also has a father in a care home and a sister who persists in an abusive relationship. In the midst of an aggressive Edinburgh winter, the reluctant Fox is given a new task. There's a cop called Jamie Breck, and he's dirty. Problem is, no one can prove it. But as Fox takes on the job, he learns that there's more to Breck than anyone thinks. This knowledge will prove dangerous, especially when murder intervenes.
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Most helpful customer reviews
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Complaints,
By
This review is from: The Complaints (Paperback)
This new novel by Ian Rankin is what is hoped is the first in a new series, introducing Inspector Malcolm Fox. It must be said without further ado that John Rebus, declared by the author to have made his last appearance in print [newly published, that is], will be sorely missed. But his new protagonist promises to be equally splendid and sure to quickly find a place in the hearts of Mr. Rankin's myriad fans.There are many similarities between the two Edinburgh cops, among these a history of drinking and a broken marriage. Fox has been five years dry; he has a father in a care home, and a sister in what can best be described as an abusive relationship, both being important in his life, but the latter becoming central to his job. He has worked for the past 4-1/2 years for the Complaints and Conduct department of Lothian & Borders Police, more particularly the Professional Standards Unit, referred to variously as The Complaints or, more informally, The Dark Side, the equivalent of the Internal Affairs Bureau in the US, cops who investigated other cops. The "other cops" tend to look at those in The Complaints with disdain, and Fox is told at one point "Stick to watching the detectives, Malcolm. Let us other cops do the real work." Fox's nickname was "Foxy," "but he didn't think of himself that way. 'A bear of a man' - that's the way one of his previous bosses had described him. Slow but steady, and only occasionally to be feared." The supporting cast in the current book includes colleagues Tony Kaye and Joe Naysmith, CID head "Bad Billy" Giles, DCS Adam Traynor, and DC Gilchrist and DS Annie Inglis, both with the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Dept. [CEOP]. Fox is assigned to assist CEOP in its investigation of a suspected paedophile within CID, of one of whose members he had just successfully concluded an investigation. But a conflict of interest develops when that same suspect heads an investigation of a murder very close to home. Fox finds there is more than one person in his circle who may not be what [s]he seems, and as things go on he doesn't know who he can trust. The book jacket describes the novel is "an inquiry into personal morality, private vice, friendship, and the state of the nation." A grand claim, perhaps, but no less true for that. Just as wonderful a read as the author's previous novels, Rebus or otherwise, it is highly recommended, and I say without hesitation "Welcome Malcolm Fox!"
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Its Ok,
By
This review is from: The Complaints (Paperback)
I really wanted to enjoy this book. I need to be able to relate to a character or simple just like the character. I could do neitherwith these characters. I usually reread all his books. This won't be one of them though. Pierre
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another Winner,
By
This review is from: Complaints (Hardcover)
After retiring his famous protagonist John Rebus in "The Exit", Mr. Rankin is back in full force by audaciously unveiling a new detective Malcolm Fox, a man with integrity and dogged determination but at times hated and feared by his colleagues.Malcolm Fox works at the Complaints and Conduct Department in Edinburgh, a section dedicated to sniffing out racism and corruption and other serious internal offenses. He also is a man with his own personal problems: a frail father in a care home and a sister living in an abusive relationship. The story is paced chronologically chapter by chapter. After Fox and his team compile enough evidence to expose CID Glen Heaton for bending the rules to his own advantage they move on to Jamie Breck suspected of being a member of a pedophile ring. Fox is assigned to covertly forge a relationship with Breck but in doing so an atmosphere of respect and friendship develops...Others wonder if Fox has crossed the line and will he be professionally destroyed along with his prey... Simultaneously, his sister's boyfriend is found murdered and Fox is ordered to stay away from the investigation...but can he? This is an interesting novel, a fantasized version of how police work and how they police themselves, a story based on morality, ethics, friendship, trust and respect. The characters are totally believable; Fox and Rebus have similar traits, they are committed to their jobs and thrive on complex cases. The plot is brilliant, it is a labyrinth of twists and turns providing endless intrigue, a roller coaster ride till the end. Fox is a refreshing change but I suspect Rebus with all his attributes will reappear at some point in the future In my view, this novel is the lunch of a new series and I am looking forward to it.
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