Customer Reviews

Resurrection Men

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Another fine piece of work from Ian Rankin, one a handful of writers who's newest and latest I usually buy sight unseen. At this point in his career, I'm convinced that this chap isn't capable of writing a bad book. One of the great ironies here is that as a side effect of his job, the John Rebus character has become so wonderfully flawed that it's amazing he still has a job! You almost want the man to go ahead and retire so that he can stop drinking, relax and finally have a normal life. Hopefully, that will not happen anytime soon, at least not until some of his rebelliousness has worn off on DS Siobhan Clarke, who appears to be groomed as his protege.

But, as others have pointed out, the later Rebus novels are on the long side, with frequent stretches of dead-end procedural work, as well as dull, slice-of-life tedium usually reserved for mainstream literature. And while the secondary characters are all very well done, there are now so many of them that even the author felt a need to list them in the beginning of the book. On the other hand, Resurrection Men contains more plot twists and surprises than usual, and overall, in my opinion, this is was a very good choice for the Edgar.

Inspector Rebus, the hero of this long running series, has been sent to a "police college" for rehab after an incident of insubordination. With four other detectives, he's assigned to work an old unsolved murder - ostensibly to relearn the value of teammwork. Meanwhile back in Edinburgh, Rebus' partner and friend Sibohan is working on a high profile investigation of her own. Of course, all is not as it seems...
John Rebus is a brooding, driven cop who relieves stress by listening to rock n roll and of course drinking. I think he's a close spiritual Scottish cousin to Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, and I recommend Rankin to all Connelly fans. Rebus family life, his ability to trust, and his personal relationships are all affected by his job , yet he does it anyway. He's one of those fictional homicide cops who "speak for the dead", like Bosch or Frank Pembleton. All fans of police novels with atmosphere should like this series. An interesting subplot involves Sibohan, who worries she may be headed down the same road as Rebus. I highly recommend RESURRECTION MEN and this series.

Great character development, brilliant plot developments, twisty endings, realistic settings. 435 pages holds your interest all the way through, this book follows after The Falls, the development of the supporting/background characters continues in believable and interesting fashion. The complexity of the plots that sometimes run parallel then may fold in on themselves, then unfold, is fascinating. A great detective story, fantastic writing. If you are in the mood to read two, read The Falls first and then this; however you can read this one on its own and be very pleased.

RESURRECTION MEN by Ian Rankin (Little, Brown, $19.95)
Ian Rankin's series about the Scottish detective, John Rebus, has been one of the most popular series written over the last decade. It has brought a legion of fans and great riches to Ian. He now calls J.K. Rowling and Alexander McCall Smith his neighbors. What has brought him to this high level is the consistent excellence of his very long, very complex and all absorbing books.
After an incident of insubordination, Rebus is sent to "school" with other problem detectives to rehabilitate them and resurrect their image. Hence, the term Resurrection Men referring to the group of detectives Rebus is grouped with. As an exercise, they are given an old and cold murder to solve. It concerns the bludgeoning death of a drug dealer. At the same time, Siobhan Clark, Rebus' old partner and friend, is working on a case of an art dealer's murder. In both cases the interpersonal relationships of the victims to those around them become the keys to the cases. Surprisingly, the two cases begin to overlap as do the two investigations.
This is the first Rankin book I have not read at publication. The reason I stopped reading the books is the fact that they are long and slow reads demanding so much time from the reader. More importantly, they are depressing works that are so similar to each other. I just can't get over the feeling that Ian Rankin is writing the same book again and again. He has his own formulaic style. This one is no exception. There are so many characters introduced that a list of characters at the front of the book proves to be a major necessity. This can become especially daunting to a first time reader of the Rebus series. It all takes some getting used to. In fact, the story doesn't really start clicking until well over one hundred pages. Once everything is in place, however, the book flows beautifully and quite seamlessly becomes all encompassing including superbly rendered characterizations and the striking immediacy of the locale. Pacing is still a problem for me in these books but their true excellence cannot be denied.

Rankin has a great sense of characterization. Now add to it what they say his "Razor sharp dialogue delivery", a plot mingled with superb crime writing and thoroughly believable responses from the characters.

This time it's Rebus(The acclaimed creation of Rankin) who gets into the soup, and all those who wanted to take a look in the head of the good'ol tough cop will have plenty to read on. Rankin instead of focussing on the psyche of a serial-killer or a peadophile takes his chance on Rebus and deliver the goods.

Story : Cop(Rebus) gets dentention and has his last chance to show improvement or to get kicked out of the police force. Sent to a kind of behavior school to get his screws right. Given an old case to handle with other detended cops and show teamwork.
The CATCH is the other cops(called wildbunch) are suspected of blotting their copies and Rebus has to find out the blots, however the case they(Rebus and co.) are given is an unnoticed blot of Rebus' career. So, who ends up as the guilty party - Rebus or the Wildbunch.

A group of selected policeman from around Scotland--selected for being in trouble--go to police school to learn better attitudes and procedures. John Rebus is sent undercover to the school to determine if some of the selectees are not only bad but criminal. Or is it John Rebus the establishment is after and his assignment just a blind? Especially suspicious is the cold case they are given to work their new procedures on. It is one that tracks back to some of his more questionable associations and decisions. Wheels within wheels within wheels. Rankin at his best.

Inspector Rebus just gets better. His character has developed into a real colourful middle aged man with many of the problems we all face. His constant fight with his own morality and what life is really about is fascinating while the story lines again has an originality we come to expect from Rankin. I understand the character will soon die in one of the future books. What a shame.