Even Dogs in the Wild

Retired Edinburgh Inspector John Rebus is back in the detecting game, and, thanks to narrator James Macpherson, he sounds as brilliant and curmudgeonly as ever. This time he helps a former subordinate learn who is shooting famous politicians and equally famous crooks. Macpherson has performed many of the Rebus pantheon and knows his actors--growly Rebus, crisp Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke, snooty political bosses, and a host of other Scottish high- and low-life characters. He has a way with pacing as well; conversations move with realistic rhythm, barroom sections have the temper of single-malt whiskey, and action sequences are rat-a-tat-tat. You may need to listen intently for the first half-hour to understand the Scottish accents. Stick with it. You'll be amply rewarded. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

November 23, 2015
In Rankin’s uneven 21st John Rebus novel (after 2013’s Saints of the Shadow Bible), the Edinburgh police hire the retired cop in a “consultative capacity” to work with former partner Siobhan Clarke on the murder of Lord Minton, a lawyer found beaten to death. It looks like a home invasion until the police find a note: “I’m going to kill you for what you did.” A similar note is received by Edinburgh crime boss “Big Ger” Cafferty, shortly before someone takes a shot at Cafferty. Some Glaswegian gangsters moving into Edinburgh at the start causes some confusion, and Malcolm Fox, the lead of another Rankin series, appears on the scene. Fox, who’s now a detective and no longer with Complaints (Scotland’s Internal Affairs), may be meant as a kind of Rebus alter ego, but he’s just too milquetoast to hold any interest. When Rankin finally gets to his real narrative, involving a former home for juvenile delinquents, the pace picks up considerably. Fans will hope for a return to form next time.

April 4, 2016
In Rankin’s new novel, Detective Siobhan Clarke seeks the assistance of her former partner, retired copper John Rebus, in investigating the murder of a senior government prosecutor found beaten to death. The codgers form an uneasy alliance and eventually confront a father and son gangster duo from Glasgow who are the likely suspects. Meanwhile, Detective Malcolm Fox has left the soul-wrenching job of investigating other cops for a new assignment, surveying the Glasgow gang. It’s a tangled, gritty tale, and reader MacPherson adds much to the Edinburgh atmosphere with a Scottish burr that’s thicker than haggis. A Little, Brown hardcover.