When the body of private investigator Stuart Bloom is found
after twelve years, the missing person case is suddenly a
murder investigation for Scotland Police. Siobhan Clarke has
been assigned to the Major Investigation Team, while her
mentor, John Rebus who had been involved in the original
case, is now retired. The main problem is not that so much
time has passed, but that some of the police who had
initially made a mess of the original investigation are
still around, albeit in different capacities. More and more
it appears that some cops might have been dirty, or at least
might have not come completely clean about their
extracurricular activities at the time.
Ian Rankin has been a favorite of mine for quite some time,
because of the realism and grit that characterize his
novels. John Rebus has aged along with the books, which
provided the opportunity of promoting to the brilliant
character that is Siobhan to Detective Chief Inspector. But
Rebus is not used to being idle, and this time his opinion
is valuable, and I thought that Rebus' sneaking in the
investigation was particularly clever of Ian Rankin. That IN
A HOUSE OF LIES is the twenty-second Rebus
novel, should not be a deterrent to new readers, as
neophytes familiarize themselves with the characters as the
team is assigned their roles in the case. I thoroughly
enjoyed the steady and relaxed pace of the book, as it is
clearly indicated what day the action takes place, which
gives it a sense of happening in real time. I also liked
that the reader is not given any more information than the
police; we have to follow and think along with them.
Ian Rankin is an absolute master when it comes to police
procedurals. I always feel completely involved because it
all rings true: the characters, the police environment, the
investigation. It feels comfortable, natural; there are no
snags, no glitches, and everything is believable. Ian
Rankin's prose is effortless, yet crisp and polished and
the dialogues flow just as easily, with a dash of cynicism
added for good measure. I even found myself a new character
to love: Detective Constable Emily Crowther, and I hope she
will play an even bigger part in future Rebus novels. IN A
HOUSE OF LIES exemplifies everything I love in Ian Rankin's
novels: an intricate and air-tight plot, thorough research
and knowledge of the subject matter. There are even two
investigations, woven so skilfully in the narrative that
they become one. If you have never read a Rebus novel, this
is a time as good as any because IN A HOUSE OF LIES is Ian
Rankin at his finest.
A new investigation threatens to unearth skeletons from
Rebus's past in this "must-read" (Tana French)
mystery.
Rebus' retirement is disrupted once
again when skeletal remains are identified as a private
investigator who went missing over a decade earlier. The
remains, found in a rusted car in the East Lothian woods,
not far from Edinburgh, quickly turn into a cold case murder
investigation. Rebus' old friend, Siobhan Clarke is
assigned to the case, but neither of them could have
predicted what buried secrets the investigation will
uncover.
Rebus remembers the original case--a shady
land deal--all too well. After the investigation stalled,
the family of the missing man complained that there was a
police cover-up. As Clarke and her team investigate the cold
case murder, she soon learns a different side of her mentor,
a side he would prefer to keep in the past.
A
gripping story of corruption and consequences, this new
novel demonstrates that Rankin and Rebus are still at the
top of their game.
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