A Short Story Collection by Ian Rankin 'To be honest, if you were going to see Christ anywhere in Edinburgh, the Hermitage was perfect.' [from 'Seeing Things'] It's been a while since I read one of Ian Rankin's detective stories - Westwind isn't a detective story! - so I enjoyed dipping into these tales from …
Tag: Ian Rankin
Westwind
by Ian Rankin First published in 1990, this novel was judged by the author himself to be a flop. Now that Ian Rankin has made his name, principally as a writer of classic detective stories, he has judged it suitable for reissue (or his publishers have). Westwind is essentially a what-if spy story. Although the …
In a House of Lies
by Ian Rankin A Review ' "Information is power, Siobhan. Cafferty didn't just bludgeon his way to the top." ' A bunch of kids find an abandoned car at the bottom of a gully in the woods. Inside is the body of former private detective Stewart Bloom. He has been handcuffed round the ankles by …
Tooth and Nail
by Ian Rankin A Review Like Witch Hunt, which I reviewed two days ago, Tooth and Nail is a Rankin novel from the early 1990s. This one features Inspector John Rebus, but in an unusual setting. Rebus is called to London by the Met to assist in catching the Wolfman, a serial killer responsible for …
Witch Hunt
by Ian Rankin A Review 'No spies any more. Now there were only the technicians.' Witch Hunt is an early Rankin novel which features none of his now well-known characters. Published in 1993 under Rankin's pseudonym Jack Harvey, it is not exactly a spy thriller in the sense that heroes and villains are engaged in …
The Devil's in the Detail
Rather Be The Devil by Ian Rankin 'Darryl Christie's closed eyes were puffy and bruised, his nose swollen with dried blood caking the nostrils. A foam head brace had been rigged up with further support around his neck.' Set in Edinburgh like most of Rankin's stories, Rather Be The Devil brings together all of the …
The Travelling Companion
A Short Story by Ian Rankin I picked this little book up in a shop in Australia; I hadn't seen it for sale in the UK [though I see it's been mentioned on Goodreads]. It's not an Inspector Rebus story of course, but if you have a few minutes to spare it's a good read. …
Getting Away With Murder (3)
The Retired Cop My third (and last) fictional detective of the week is not exactly a 'classic', but he has been around for a few years now. John Rebus, creation of Scottish crime novelist Ian Rankin, was born in 1947 (we are told on Rankin's website). However, he did not make his appearance on the …
