Saturday 3 August 2013

Standing in Another Man's Grave

Finished August 1
Standing in Another Man's Grave by Ian Rankin, read by James Macpherson

I hadn't read an Ian Rankin in years, but spotted this one that features Rebus and grabbed it. Rebus here is not with the police exactly. He is a civilian working for the police, specifically a unit that investigates cold cases. When he meets a woman, Nina Hazlitt, trying to link her daughter's disappearance years before with several other missing women, one of which is a new case, he becomes intrigued and listens to her story enough to request the case files for the earlier women. All disappeared along the A9 highway.
With what he has learned, he approaches the detective on the current case, who just happens to be an officer he worked with closely, Siobhan Clarke, to convince her to explore the link between these old cases and her own. Not to mention get him involved back on a current investigation.
But Fox in the Complaints department also has his eye on Rebus, and notes his relationships with supposedly retired crime boss Ger Cafferty, and current crime boss Frank Hammell, who is also linked to the latest girl to disappear.
I like the way music, lyrics and song titles play roles in these books, and this one has several instances of that. I also like the way Rebus relies on his instincts and finds ways to prove that those instincts are spot on, even if it means breaking the rules. Rebus truly cares about the victims and pushes himself to try different approaches to a case. Seems like there is hope for more from Rebus after all.

1 comment:

  1. sounds good, it's been a long time since I read Ian Rankin books too.

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