Adult Book of the Month
Standing in Another Man’s Grave
by Ian Rankin
Published in 2012 by Orion in 2012
It is twenty five years since Ian Rankin first introduced
us to John Rebus and five years since Rankin sent him into retirement.
However Rebus was just too good a character to let lie and we see his
return in Standing in Another Man’s Grave.
2012 finds Rebus, who is back as a civilian consultant working in Edinburgh’s
cold case unit, approached by a woman whose daughter disappeared a decade
previously. Two more women have gone missing from the same road where
Sally Hazlitt was last seen. Unlike his skeptical colleagues, Rebus can
sense a connection and persuades former colleague Siobhan Clarke to help
him search out the truth.
Still smoking and drinking and as belligerent as ever,
it isn’t long before he finds himself in trouble with Rankin's latest
creation, Malcolm Fox of Edinburgh's internal affairs unit. (Fox is Rankin's
new series character; he's already starred in two novels of his own, The
Complaints, and The Impossible Dead). And consorting with known criminals
and spending too much time in bars, Rebus is viewed as a bit of a dinosaur
by the new breed of by-the-book police officers with their new technology.
Not that any of that is going to stop Rebus. Not even when his own life
and the careers of those around him are on the line.
Fans of Rebus will be delighted to hear that Rankin leaves the door wide
open for future appearances by their favourite detective.
‘Genius... Rankin once again proves himself to be the consummate master of crime.’ Scotland on Sunday
‘An impeccably crafted whodunnit‘ Sunday Times
‘Rankin draws us into a thematically rich plot that evolves into a meditation on morality and how best to asses a man's worth... Rebus is one of the most popular fictional characters of our generation.‘ Irish Times
Ian Rankin was born in the Kingdom of Fife, Scotland
in 1960. His first Rebus novel was published in 1987, and the Rebus books
are now translated into thirty-six languages and are bestsellers worldwide.
He is the recipient of four Crime Writers' Association Dagger Awards including
the prestigious Diamond Dagger in 2005. Rankin has received the OBE for
services to literature.
