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Inspector Rebus #22
In a House of Lies
IN A HOUSE OF LIES...
Everyone has something to hide
A missing private investigator is found, locked in a car hidden deep in the woods. Worse still - both for his family and the police - is that his body was in an area that had already been searched.
Everyone has secrets
Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke is part of a new inquiry, combing through the mistakes of the original case. There were always suspicions over how the investigation was handled and now - after a decade without answers - it's time for the truth.
Nobody is innocent
Every officer involved must be questioned, and it seems everyone on the case has something to hide, and everything to lose. But there is one man who knows where the trail may lead - and that it could be the end of him: John Rebus.
Everyone has something to hide
A missing private investigator is found, locked in a car hidden deep in the woods. Worse still - both for his family and the police - is that his body was in an area that had already been searched.
Everyone has secrets
Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke is part of a new inquiry, combing through the mistakes of the original case. There were always suspicions over how the investigation was handled and now - after a decade without answers - it's time for the truth.
Nobody is innocent
Every officer involved must be questioned, and it seems everyone on the case has something to hide, and everything to lose. But there is one man who knows where the trail may lead - and that it could be the end of him: John Rebus.
370 pages, Hardcover
First published October 4, 2018
About the author
Ian Rankin
305 books6,030 followersAKA Jack Harvey.
Born in the Kingdom of Fife in 1960, Ian Rankin graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982 and then spent three years writing novels when he was supposed to be working towards a PhD in Scottish Literature. His first Rebus novel was published in 1987; the Rebus books are now translated into 22 languages and are bestsellers on several continents.
Ian Rankin has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow. He is also a past winner of the Chandler-Fulbright Award, and he received two Dagger Awards for the year's best short story and the Gold Dagger for Fiction. Ian Rankin is also the recipient of honorary degrees from the universities of Abertay, St Andrews, and Edinburgh.
A contributor to BBC2's Newsnight Review, he also presented his own TV series, Ian Rankin's Evil Thoughts, on Channel 4 in 2002. He recently received the OBE for services to literature, and opted to receive the prize in his home city of Edinburgh, where he lives with his partner and two sons.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/ianrankin
Born in the Kingdom of Fife in 1960, Ian Rankin graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982 and then spent three years writing novels when he was supposed to be working towards a PhD in Scottish Literature. His first Rebus novel was published in 1987; the Rebus books are now translated into 22 languages and are bestsellers on several continents.
Ian Rankin has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow. He is also a past winner of the Chandler-Fulbright Award, and he received two Dagger Awards for the year's best short story and the Gold Dagger for Fiction. Ian Rankin is also the recipient of honorary degrees from the universities of Abertay, St Andrews, and Edinburgh.
A contributor to BBC2's Newsnight Review, he also presented his own TV series, Ian Rankin's Evil Thoughts, on Channel 4 in 2002. He recently received the OBE for services to literature, and opted to receive the prize in his home city of Edinburgh, where he lives with his partner and two sons.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/ianrankin
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,278 reviews
September 16, 2018
So Ian Rankin gives us the 22nd in the Edinburgh series featuring the iconic DI John Rebus, except Rebus is retired, although when was that ever going to stop him? He may well have given up the fags and curbed his excessive need for the drink, he may well have trouble climbing the stairs with his emphysema but he has not forgotten his well honed detective gut instincts. A group of schoolboys in Poretoun wood discover a well hidden red VW polo, in the boot is the body of a dead man with his feet in handcuffs. The dead man turns out to be gay private investigator, Stuart Bloom, who disappeared in 2006, whilst working for film producer, Jackie Ness, in his fight over a land deal he wanted for film studios, he was up against Adrian Brand who wanted it for a golf course. The police team looking into Bloom's disappearance at the time came to be discredited in later years, with Bloom's mother, Catherine, accusing it of corruption and negligence. The new murder case is to open a can of worms, in which no-one comes out well, no-one is innocent and that includes Rebus. It is a house of lies, speaking of families and the lies they tell each other, in more ways than one.
DI Siobhan 'Shiv' Clarke's reputation has a cloud hanging over it, she has been the focus of ACU, the new version of Complaints, Professional Standards with DS Brian Steele and DC Grant Edwards looking at her for leaking to a journalist contact, Laura Smith. Steele and Edwards were uniforms part of the original 2006 police team, nicknamed the Chuggabugs from the Wacky Races. Clarke has been seconded to the murder inquiry headed by DCI Graham Sutherland. Clarke is getting silent phone calls from public phone boxes. With her eye on the ACU efforts to get her for anything, Clarke asks Rebus to look into the murder conviction of Ellis Meikle for killing his beautiful girlfriend. DI Malcolm Fox has been based at Gartcosh, and with his superiors mindful of the possible ramifications to Police Scotland of the Bloom case, he is asked to go over the old case files to identify problematic areas and any corrupt police practices that took place. Needless to say, Morris Gerald Cafferty, Big Ger, the now revived gangster plays a part in the case, still regretful of the ambitions he had been forced to let go of in 2oo6.
I am not sure how long Ian Rankin can continue this series given Rebus's state of health and retirement, but there is still plenty of life left in Rebus, so I hope he has a long well deserved future. There is no-one quite like Rebus for deploying all that he knows and engaging in machinations worthy of Big Ger himself when it comes to getting a result when it looks out of reach. Rebus may well be viewed as a dinosaur in the modern Police Scotland, but there is no doubt that old policing skills and instincts have their place which computers, IT, and CCTV are unable to replicate. The constant reorganisation, restructuring and bone deep budget cuts facing the police is made clear in the novel. This is another fantastic addition to what is a brilliant and well loved series. Highly Recommended. Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.
DI Siobhan 'Shiv' Clarke's reputation has a cloud hanging over it, she has been the focus of ACU, the new version of Complaints, Professional Standards with DS Brian Steele and DC Grant Edwards looking at her for leaking to a journalist contact, Laura Smith. Steele and Edwards were uniforms part of the original 2006 police team, nicknamed the Chuggabugs from the Wacky Races. Clarke has been seconded to the murder inquiry headed by DCI Graham Sutherland. Clarke is getting silent phone calls from public phone boxes. With her eye on the ACU efforts to get her for anything, Clarke asks Rebus to look into the murder conviction of Ellis Meikle for killing his beautiful girlfriend. DI Malcolm Fox has been based at Gartcosh, and with his superiors mindful of the possible ramifications to Police Scotland of the Bloom case, he is asked to go over the old case files to identify problematic areas and any corrupt police practices that took place. Needless to say, Morris Gerald Cafferty, Big Ger, the now revived gangster plays a part in the case, still regretful of the ambitions he had been forced to let go of in 2oo6.
I am not sure how long Ian Rankin can continue this series given Rebus's state of health and retirement, but there is still plenty of life left in Rebus, so I hope he has a long well deserved future. There is no-one quite like Rebus for deploying all that he knows and engaging in machinations worthy of Big Ger himself when it comes to getting a result when it looks out of reach. Rebus may well be viewed as a dinosaur in the modern Police Scotland, but there is no doubt that old policing skills and instincts have their place which computers, IT, and CCTV are unable to replicate. The constant reorganisation, restructuring and bone deep budget cuts facing the police is made clear in the novel. This is another fantastic addition to what is a brilliant and well loved series. Highly Recommended. Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.
April 26, 2023
There’s no doubt that Ian Rankin is one of Britain’s finest crime fiction writers, in recent times maybe the best of all. But he’s now having to address a problem of his own making: by allowing his Edinburgh detective to age in real time he now finds that his frontman is well past 60 and therefore at a point he can no longer actively serve. So what now? It’s the same issue a number of other well respected crime writers are facing (James Lee Burke and Michael Connelly spring instantly to mind) and the choice Rankin has made is to use John Rebus as a non-serving - and often unwelcome - source of information and assistance to Police Scotland.
Siobhan Clarke, long ago introduced as a mentee of Rebus, has his aid foisted upon her here when skeletal remains turn up in the boot of a car, found in a deep gulley close to the city. John is pretty sure he knows the name of the deceased, it’s that of a man who disappeared a decade or more ago. And John should know, he was involved in the botched and much criticised missing person operation back then. But for much of the first half of the book he is side-lined as Siobhan and the rest of team kick-off the murder investigation. Soon after, another of Rankin’s creations, Malcolm Fox, is parachuted in to join the team. Now, in truth, I find Siobhan somewhat irritating and Fox a dull and humourless character. At the half way point this book was going nowhere for me.
Luckily (for the book and for the sake of my own mental health) Clarke asked Rebus to look into a separate matter, involving a young man who had confessed to the murder of his girlfriend. Almost immediately the book took off. The pages were once more peppered with dry one-liners and the energy of the whole thing seemed to increase exponentially. There’s no doubt that the pages light up when Rebus is about. However, my broader issue with this book is that it really feels like a case of too many cooks. There are a number of potential murderers (fair enough), loads of cops (far too many, though the bent pair from the Anti-Corruption Unit are good value) and too many faces from the past (in addition to Fox, organised crime bigwigs Big Ger Cafferty and Darryl Christie both make an appearance). It’s like they say on Masterchef: too much on the plate!
I remain a huge fan of this series, now in it’s 22nd instalment, but I’m starting to wonder where Rankin takes it next time around. Maybe a retrospective novel would be a good idea? Either way, I hope he manages not to repeat the muddle he’s created in this one. Very disappointed.
Siobhan Clarke, long ago introduced as a mentee of Rebus, has his aid foisted upon her here when skeletal remains turn up in the boot of a car, found in a deep gulley close to the city. John is pretty sure he knows the name of the deceased, it’s that of a man who disappeared a decade or more ago. And John should know, he was involved in the botched and much criticised missing person operation back then. But for much of the first half of the book he is side-lined as Siobhan and the rest of team kick-off the murder investigation. Soon after, another of Rankin’s creations, Malcolm Fox, is parachuted in to join the team. Now, in truth, I find Siobhan somewhat irritating and Fox a dull and humourless character. At the half way point this book was going nowhere for me.
Luckily (for the book and for the sake of my own mental health) Clarke asked Rebus to look into a separate matter, involving a young man who had confessed to the murder of his girlfriend. Almost immediately the book took off. The pages were once more peppered with dry one-liners and the energy of the whole thing seemed to increase exponentially. There’s no doubt that the pages light up when Rebus is about. However, my broader issue with this book is that it really feels like a case of too many cooks. There are a number of potential murderers (fair enough), loads of cops (far too many, though the bent pair from the Anti-Corruption Unit are good value) and too many faces from the past (in addition to Fox, organised crime bigwigs Big Ger Cafferty and Darryl Christie both make an appearance). It’s like they say on Masterchef: too much on the plate!
I remain a huge fan of this series, now in it’s 22nd instalment, but I’m starting to wonder where Rankin takes it next time around. Maybe a retrospective novel would be a good idea? Either way, I hope he manages not to repeat the muddle he’s created in this one. Very disappointed.
January 15, 2021
Antes de nada, agradecer a mi querida amiga Pili, de la comunidad de GR, el precioso obsequio que me hizo con este libro, que incluye una entrevista ¡con nada menos que el mismo Rebus sobre los discos de su vida!
En cuanto al contenido, es decir, la novela en sí, creo que es más bien una trama de transición hacia lo que tiene que ser el desenlace de lo que nos cuenta, es decir, el enfrentamiento final entre Rebus y Big Ger Cafferty, que ya se vislumbra claramente en estas páginas. Otra cosa que no fuese ese cara a cara final sería poco menos que decepcionante. Además, nuestro inspector está ya para pocos trotes, mayor, y cada vez con más problemas para subir las famosas cuestas de Edimburgo, debido a su enfisema pulmonar. En cuanto al resto de personajes importantes, encuentro a Siobhan Clarke un poquito descafeinada, y a un Malcolm Fox que sigue en descenso desde que dejó su puesto en Asuntos Internos, puesto al que parece que podría regresar, y donde, sin duda le irá mejor que haciéndole la puñeta a Rebus, aunque en el fondo sean dos almas “casi” gemelas. La trama en sí no da para mucho, con la aparición del cadáver de un desaparecido hace doce años en el maletero de un coche, en una investigación de la que Rebus formó parte, y en la que irán saliendo trapos sucios por parte de las fuerzas policiales implicadas. Afortunadamente, Rebus, para ayudar a Clarke, tendrá que lidiar con una investigación paralela, y ahí es donde asistimos a la verdadera sustancia del componente de las novelas de Rankin, donde encontramos su verdadero leitmotiv. Un renacimiento breve, pero que me recuerda porqué me han llegado a gustar tanto las andanzas de este detective, asiduo de un Oxford Bar al que ya casi no acude, motivo que también me llena de desesperanza.
Conclusión: Le pediría al autor que no me vaya arrastrando por mucho más tiempo a este carismático personaje. Que le de una conclusión brillante, por todo lo alto, como esta magnífica serie se merece. Lo demás sería postergar lo inevitable. A Fox lo que es de Fox, pero los laureles que se los conceda a Rebus, que tras 22 entregas se los tiene muy merecidos.
En cuanto al contenido, es decir, la novela en sí, creo que es más bien una trama de transición hacia lo que tiene que ser el desenlace de lo que nos cuenta, es decir, el enfrentamiento final entre Rebus y Big Ger Cafferty, que ya se vislumbra claramente en estas páginas. Otra cosa que no fuese ese cara a cara final sería poco menos que decepcionante. Además, nuestro inspector está ya para pocos trotes, mayor, y cada vez con más problemas para subir las famosas cuestas de Edimburgo, debido a su enfisema pulmonar. En cuanto al resto de personajes importantes, encuentro a Siobhan Clarke un poquito descafeinada, y a un Malcolm Fox que sigue en descenso desde que dejó su puesto en Asuntos Internos, puesto al que parece que podría regresar, y donde, sin duda le irá mejor que haciéndole la puñeta a Rebus, aunque en el fondo sean dos almas “casi” gemelas. La trama en sí no da para mucho, con la aparición del cadáver de un desaparecido hace doce años en el maletero de un coche, en una investigación de la que Rebus formó parte, y en la que irán saliendo trapos sucios por parte de las fuerzas policiales implicadas. Afortunadamente, Rebus, para ayudar a Clarke, tendrá que lidiar con una investigación paralela, y ahí es donde asistimos a la verdadera sustancia del componente de las novelas de Rankin, donde encontramos su verdadero leitmotiv. Un renacimiento breve, pero que me recuerda porqué me han llegado a gustar tanto las andanzas de este detective, asiduo de un Oxford Bar al que ya casi no acude, motivo que también me llena de desesperanza.
Conclusión: Le pediría al autor que no me vaya arrastrando por mucho más tiempo a este carismático personaje. Que le de una conclusión brillante, por todo lo alto, como esta magnífica serie se merece. Lo demás sería postergar lo inevitable. A Fox lo que es de Fox, pero los laureles que se los conceda a Rebus, que tras 22 entregas se los tiene muy merecidos.
November 9, 2018
”Who is it exactly that you’ve been speaking to, Siobhan?”
“He’s an ex-cop. Been retired a few years. And if I know him, he’ll be turning up here in the next ten or fifteen minutes.”
“Feel like telling us a bit about him before that happens?”
“In ten or fifteen minutes?” Clarke gave a little snort. “I doubt I’d be able to do him justice.”
Sigh. Another Rebus book devoured. So wonderful to have spent time in his company again. Sigh because the ending left me satisfied, with the carrot dangling that Rebus will be back.
As I’ve mentioned before, John Rebus is very much like an old friend that you’ve lost touch with, but who is always on the periphery of your life. It doesn’t take long to settle in very comfortably with this book and get drawn in. And it also doesn’t take long for Rebus to hear of the discovery of a car in the woods…with a body in the boot that went missing twelve years previously. Never mind that Rebus has been retired for several years, in his heart he’ll always be a copper. It’s in his blood. And he still has plenty of scores to settle.
I love the friendship between Siobhan Clarke and Rebus, and how much her character has grown, as she’s climbed the greasy pole of heirachy in the force. Great to see Malcolm Fox working alongside Siobhan to help solve this cold case, and great to see Big Ger Cafferty (Rebus’ nemesis) is still on the scene. Rebus and Big Ger go wayyyyy back, and now have somewhat of a grudging respect for one another, even while being on opposing sides of the law.
Originally I gave this four stars, but on completing this review I’ve upped it to five. Days later, I still find it incredible how all of the stories were woven in together so tightly, with no loose threads. Ian Rankin really knows how to write.
I also love that Rebus still has his dog Brillo (that he picked up in the previous book “Rather Be The Devil”). I don’t know why, but this warms my heart. I can just imagine the two older chaps, going out for their evening constitutional, mulling over the state of the nation…
”Not every day you meet a legend,” he said.
'Me or you?' Rebus responded.”
Touché to that.
June 25, 2022
I stayed up very late last night because I just had to finish this excellent book. I find I am having no trouble adjusting to this old, unwell Rebus because, although he runs out of breath climbing stairs, he never runs out of brain power and disrespect for the system. For Rebus solving the crime is everything and he uses every avenue available to him to do exactly that.
Because he is retired Rebus uses Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox as his entree to the secrets of the police enquiry. To this he adds his whole history of acquired local knowledge, experience and sheer bloody mindedness. It is a pleasure to watch him solve crimes for the sake of solving them although he does have other reasons for his doggedness. He is always very protective of his own, in this case Siobhan, and he always has Big Ger Cafferty in his sights.
I was very happy to find that Rebus has a relationship and a dog too. He deserves some pleasures in his retirement. I enjoyed every moment of this book and I was cheering Rebus along the whole way.
Because he is retired Rebus uses Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox as his entree to the secrets of the police enquiry. To this he adds his whole history of acquired local knowledge, experience and sheer bloody mindedness. It is a pleasure to watch him solve crimes for the sake of solving them although he does have other reasons for his doggedness. He is always very protective of his own, in this case Siobhan, and he always has Big Ger Cafferty in his sights.
I was very happy to find that Rebus has a relationship and a dog too. He deserves some pleasures in his retirement. I enjoyed every moment of this book and I was cheering Rebus along the whole way.
November 16, 2020
This is the twenty-second novel featuring Scottish police detective Inspector John Rebus. It appears thirty-one years after the first book in the series, Knots and Crosses, and Rebus, who was no spring chicken when readers first met him, has been allowed to age in real time. He's now nearing seventy and is in poor health with COPD. He's had to give up liquor and cigarettes, and even worse, he's been forced to retire. He spends a lot of his time now walking his dog, Brillo.
This presents the author with a difficult problem that's been confronted by other authors who have allowed their series characters to age over time, and in particular one also thinks of Michael Connelly's Detective Harry Bosch who is basically the same age as Rebus. What do you do with a beloved character who has obviously lost much of his physical prowess and who has been pushed to the sidelines by his department's retirement regulations?
Both Rankin and Connelly have attempted to keep their protagonists engaged by finding roles that they could legitimately fill in retirement and by giving them younger sidekicks who can do much of the heavy lifting, especially in an official capacity. The problem with that approach, though, is that a book billed as "An Inspector Rebus novel" really becomes a novel featuring Siobhan Clarke, Malcolm Fox and others, with Rebus forcing himself into their investigation as much as he is able. In the end, he still plays a fairly consequential role in this book, but it's not nearly the same as the Good Old Days when he was basically carrying the story solo.
The book opens when a car is found concealed at the bottom of a gully in the woods. In the trunk is the body of a man whose ankles have been handcuffed together. The case is assigned to Rebus's former protege, Siobhan Clarke, and when the news of the discovery is reported, Rebus contacts Clarke, suggesting that he might know who the victim is.
Sure enough, the body turns out to be that of a private investigator who was reported missing years earlier while on a very sensitive case. The investigation into his disappearance was worked by Rebus and others but went nowhere. The victim's family has long maintained that the police botched the investigation and covered up critical details to avoid embarrassing themselves and others. Now that the body has finally surfaced, there will be a new investigation into the crime itself and into the circumstances surrounding the original investigation, which may not bode well for Rebus and for some of his former associates in the department.
Clarke is having problems of her own with the ACU--the branch of the department that investigates police corruption. She's also getting mysterious phone calls and asks Rebus for his assistance. Rebus also manages to insert himself into the new investigation and is soon working with Clarke and his old adversary Malcolm Fox in an effort to sort out some very complex developments both old and new. It's a good story with a heavily-layered plot and the principal characters are by now old friends. I enjoyed reading it but feel somewhat sad about the fact that Rebus has deteriorated to such an extent and is no longer front and center. Having finished In a House of Lies, I feel almost obligated to go back and reread one of the earlier novel is the series when he was younger and in full vigor.
This presents the author with a difficult problem that's been confronted by other authors who have allowed their series characters to age over time, and in particular one also thinks of Michael Connelly's Detective Harry Bosch who is basically the same age as Rebus. What do you do with a beloved character who has obviously lost much of his physical prowess and who has been pushed to the sidelines by his department's retirement regulations?
Both Rankin and Connelly have attempted to keep their protagonists engaged by finding roles that they could legitimately fill in retirement and by giving them younger sidekicks who can do much of the heavy lifting, especially in an official capacity. The problem with that approach, though, is that a book billed as "An Inspector Rebus novel" really becomes a novel featuring Siobhan Clarke, Malcolm Fox and others, with Rebus forcing himself into their investigation as much as he is able. In the end, he still plays a fairly consequential role in this book, but it's not nearly the same as the Good Old Days when he was basically carrying the story solo.
The book opens when a car is found concealed at the bottom of a gully in the woods. In the trunk is the body of a man whose ankles have been handcuffed together. The case is assigned to Rebus's former protege, Siobhan Clarke, and when the news of the discovery is reported, Rebus contacts Clarke, suggesting that he might know who the victim is.
Sure enough, the body turns out to be that of a private investigator who was reported missing years earlier while on a very sensitive case. The investigation into his disappearance was worked by Rebus and others but went nowhere. The victim's family has long maintained that the police botched the investigation and covered up critical details to avoid embarrassing themselves and others. Now that the body has finally surfaced, there will be a new investigation into the crime itself and into the circumstances surrounding the original investigation, which may not bode well for Rebus and for some of his former associates in the department.
Clarke is having problems of her own with the ACU--the branch of the department that investigates police corruption. She's also getting mysterious phone calls and asks Rebus for his assistance. Rebus also manages to insert himself into the new investigation and is soon working with Clarke and his old adversary Malcolm Fox in an effort to sort out some very complex developments both old and new. It's a good story with a heavily-layered plot and the principal characters are by now old friends. I enjoyed reading it but feel somewhat sad about the fact that Rebus has deteriorated to such an extent and is no longer front and center. Having finished In a House of Lies, I feel almost obligated to go back and reread one of the earlier novel is the series when he was younger and in full vigor.
January 28, 2024
When three teenagers stumbled on a car deep in the bush, covered by undergrowth, they initially thought they'd have some fun with it. Until they opened the boot of the vehicle and spotted a dead body inside.
DI Siobhan Clarke made up part of the team that was to investigate the murder. John Rebus - retired and a good friend of Siobhan - told her who the body might be, as he'd been involved in the search for the missing person back in the day, and it seemed there were many mistakes made, as well as cover ups. Now it was up to the new team to find the answers; find the killer; uncover the corruption. But could she and her team do it? It was a long time ago, and much had been covered up...
In a House of Lies is the 22nd in the Inspector Rebus series by Ian Rankin and I quite enjoyed it. There are many characters, especially secondary ones, which made it hard to keep up with at times. But I decided to concentrate on the main characters, and it was easier to follow. Rebus is one of the old school of cops, and although he's retired, he still wants to be involved. He still has the smarts he always had and makes a difference. I liked Siobhan's character as well - feisty, determined, strong willed - she's one of the good ones! I've only read a couple of the earlier titles in the series, so this one easily can be read as a standalone. Highly recommended.
DI Siobhan Clarke made up part of the team that was to investigate the murder. John Rebus - retired and a good friend of Siobhan - told her who the body might be, as he'd been involved in the search for the missing person back in the day, and it seemed there were many mistakes made, as well as cover ups. Now it was up to the new team to find the answers; find the killer; uncover the corruption. But could she and her team do it? It was a long time ago, and much had been covered up...
In a House of Lies is the 22nd in the Inspector Rebus series by Ian Rankin and I quite enjoyed it. There are many characters, especially secondary ones, which made it hard to keep up with at times. But I decided to concentrate on the main characters, and it was easier to follow. Rebus is one of the old school of cops, and although he's retired, he still wants to be involved. He still has the smarts he always had and makes a difference. I liked Siobhan's character as well - feisty, determined, strong willed - she's one of the good ones! I've only read a couple of the earlier titles in the series, so this one easily can be read as a standalone. Highly recommended.
March 6, 2019
Although John Rebus is retired and suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, he is drawn into Siobhan Clarke’s latest investigation. A skeleton is discovered in the woods and later determined to be that of a man Rebus and his team tried to find years ago. Because they were never able to locate the missing man, the team fell under serious scrutiny for their failure to solve the case. There were accusations of incompetence and corruption, and Malcolm Fox is brought in to evaluate the initial handling of the case. Rebus wants to protect former team members when it makes sense to do so, but he was not entirely clean in the original investigation either.
Siobhan Clarke and Malcom Fox have been a welcome addition to this series, especially since Rebus’s retirement often puts him on the outside looking in. But he still manages to work his way in, and that is most welcome. Rebus is one of my favorite fictional detectives and I hate to see the day he’s done. Another great Scottish crime fiction novel from one of the very best.
Siobhan Clarke and Malcom Fox have been a welcome addition to this series, especially since Rebus’s retirement often puts him on the outside looking in. But he still manages to work his way in, and that is most welcome. Rebus is one of my favorite fictional detectives and I hate to see the day he’s done. Another great Scottish crime fiction novel from one of the very best.
December 13, 2018
First this not an Inspector Rebus because he is now 72 finished he is past it, not even been brought back for cold cases. This perfect example of money wasted as police officers are made to retire at 60 yet load of the good offices do not become brilliant till 55-57.
This is Siobhan Clarke 's big case when body turns up murdered back in 2006 it is one of John's unsolved missing cases but It is not just her its also Malcolm Fox too. So Got three way cross old fart Rebus, Siobhan & Fox as well as gay murder.
This perfect example of how much things in the police force have change in ten years.
Rankin has brought Rebus back but Still not done want few fans wanted a prolong story. He cannot write much more -now as it says he is far too old.
Well done to Orion the cover wins worst cover of the month award it stinks.
It is set in a wood in old car. Why couldn't had a car pocking out of lot of trees but No they have very colourless depressing grey crappy
This must certainly be one of Rebus' last books at 72 he not be up for much except pissing everybody off. This be why Fox is in this, I have not said was Rebus book but Fox book with John In it & not other way around . Its all about selling the book the name Rebus sells Fox does not.
Reference to the TV cartoon characters from 1970s Wacky Races which be complete loss lot of anybody under under 30. Why on earth could not used Family Guy but A old series like this just showing off, it is funny but It is also silly.
There is sub plot a old case of convicted murderer That John Investigates which becomes more important than the main plot. Both stories are old cases, both run side by side not to cross paths, yet the 2nd sub becomes more interesting than the first. But Could be because it is Rebus.
Oh That sod Cafferty is in it in fact lot of story is set around that bastard!
Rebus now has a dog called Brillo bloody odd name for a dog named after a scrubbing wire pan brush. That is Rankin making bad joke. At the readers expense so People may not get it.
His style has changed lot from his early books such as Strip Jack or Wolfman but Style still got the jokes but Not the Rolling Stones titles which is shame. I find it odd that he has not moved on from Rebus it is like an old dog with a bone. This could easily been just Siobhan Clarke but No had to bring in sour face.
Cannot he move on. I think have to kill Rebus off if wanted to move on. Like Taggart or Victor Meldrew is 6ft under. But Then have all the oh why not do a prologue about how became a police man so Still be trapped hahaha!
This is Siobhan Clarke 's big case when body turns up murdered back in 2006 it is one of John's unsolved missing cases but It is not just her its also Malcolm Fox too. So Got three way cross old fart Rebus, Siobhan & Fox as well as gay murder.
This perfect example of how much things in the police force have change in ten years.
Rankin has brought Rebus back but Still not done want few fans wanted a prolong story. He cannot write much more -now as it says he is far too old.
Well done to Orion the cover wins worst cover of the month award it stinks.
It is set in a wood in old car. Why couldn't had a car pocking out of lot of trees but No they have very colourless depressing grey crappy
This must certainly be one of Rebus' last books at 72 he not be up for much except pissing everybody off. This be why Fox is in this, I have not said was Rebus book but Fox book with John In it & not other way around . Its all about selling the book the name Rebus sells Fox does not.
Reference to the TV cartoon characters from 1970s Wacky Races which be complete loss lot of anybody under under 30. Why on earth could not used Family Guy but A old series like this just showing off, it is funny but It is also silly.
There is sub plot a old case of convicted murderer That John Investigates which becomes more important than the main plot. Both stories are old cases, both run side by side not to cross paths, yet the 2nd sub becomes more interesting than the first. But Could be because it is Rebus.
Oh That sod Cafferty is in it in fact lot of story is set around that bastard!
Rebus now has a dog called Brillo bloody odd name for a dog named after a scrubbing wire pan brush. That is Rankin making bad joke. At the readers expense so People may not get it.
His style has changed lot from his early books such as Strip Jack or Wolfman but Style still got the jokes but Not the Rolling Stones titles which is shame. I find it odd that he has not moved on from Rebus it is like an old dog with a bone. This could easily been just Siobhan Clarke but No had to bring in sour face.
Cannot he move on. I think have to kill Rebus off if wanted to move on. Like Taggart or Victor Meldrew is 6ft under. But Then have all the oh why not do a prologue about how became a police man so Still be trapped hahaha!
May 26, 2021
Book 22 in the John Rebus series published 2018.
3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.
Book 22 and it’s fair to say that John Rebus is no longer in his prime. Now into his sixties and with his health suffering from a lifetime of self inflicted abuse. A man who epitomises the old adage of “the spirit’s willing but the flesh is weak” but for all that he so longs to still be a part of what was his former life.
When a body, decomposed with age, turns up in the boot of a car and the police are clueless as to who the victim could be John Rebus sees an opportunity to be apart of the game again.
John, who has forgotten more about policing than this lot will ever learn, has a bloody good idea just who the victim is.
This is not an opportunity to be wasted so John presents himself at police headquarters and tells the chief investigating officer who the victim most likely is. John is thanked for the information and is then told politely to “bugger off”. “Fair enough” John says and turns to leave but in so doing gets the last word in by says there’s more, and with that John walks out the door, he’s back in the game.
This is yet another well put together story with a strong plot but for me I have to say that it took awhile to really get a hold of me. In the end it did get me but it took awhile to get there.
Three stories running side by side.
The first and main story concerns the body in the boot, this story has a lot of police procedures in it, in my opinion too much.
The second concerns a cold case that John is looking into for Siobhan Clarke on the QT. This turned out to be my favourite part of the book.
Last but not least, corruption within the force both now and then.
All in all a good read but not a standout, I should qualify by saying, for me.
November 2, 2018
Time Rebus retired for good
I’ve been a fan of Ian Rankin’s Rebus from his early books but I think it’s time for one of us to part company.
Earlier books were cutting edge but I found this one to be tired, cliched and with a story that stretched credibility too much and relied on chance just a bit too often.
If this was the work of a newer writer, I might have given it four stars because even though the writing fails to sparkle the story is better than average. But truth is I expect better from Rankin.
I’ve been a fan of Ian Rankin’s Rebus from his early books but I think it’s time for one of us to part company.
Earlier books were cutting edge but I found this one to be tired, cliched and with a story that stretched credibility too much and relied on chance just a bit too often.
If this was the work of a newer writer, I might have given it four stars because even though the writing fails to sparkle the story is better than average. But truth is I expect better from Rankin.
October 25, 2018
Okay, I understand that Ian Rankin can write crime. That much is obvious. But In A House of Lies has been coined a ‘thriller’, and honestly, the first half of the novel is about as thrilling as my Monday evenings. Rankin takes a lot of time setting the scene with so many different characters, both from Rebus’ past and quite a few new faces, which ultimately leads to too many threads leading to the investigation. In A House of Lies by Ian Rankin is out now from Orion Books. My rating: 2.5*.
The story
Simply put, a body has been uncovered of a man who went missing more than a decade ago. There are handcuffs around his ankles, so everybody is a suspect, including the police who worked the missing persons case way back when. So, of course Rebus knows all about it. He trots up, bringing a few nearly forgotten characters from the series with him and offers vague clues and gets in the way right until the end. Clarke and Fox and a myriad of other police ranking at varying levels of seniority band together to discover the truth. But will they get to the bottom of it?
What I thought…
In A House of Lies by Ian Rankin is not a thriller. It is a crime novel with a thousand police, members of authority and everybody is stepping on one another’s toes to hide the truth, or to discover it. There are far too many characters, old and new, making this book difficult to follow and enjoy. Also, now that Rankin has clearly exhausted his interest in Rebus as a main character, I believe that he should move on to and stick with his new detectives, or create a new series in a new setting where it isn’t convenient for Rebus to stick his nose in wherever it suits him.
While I agree that Rankin can definitely write and tell a story, it was a struggle to get through this book. I didn’t get to enjoy a fast-paced, thrilling who-dunnit, or simply even the police procedures of interviews and searching for evidence, as I was far too busy trying to keep track of who was who and what their role was in the narrative. I believe that Rebus is a dead-weight character, and it is time for him and his huge series to be left on the shelf so that a new protagonist can be formed in Rankin’s mind.
Overall, I found In A House of Lies to be quite disappointing. I would recommend this book only to die-hard Rankin/Rebus fans, as new readers would not know the characters or the history which has made this story possible. Thank you to NetGalley and Orion for my advance e-copy of In A House of Lies by Ian Rankin in exchange for an honest review.
The story
Simply put, a body has been uncovered of a man who went missing more than a decade ago. There are handcuffs around his ankles, so everybody is a suspect, including the police who worked the missing persons case way back when. So, of course Rebus knows all about it. He trots up, bringing a few nearly forgotten characters from the series with him and offers vague clues and gets in the way right until the end. Clarke and Fox and a myriad of other police ranking at varying levels of seniority band together to discover the truth. But will they get to the bottom of it?
What I thought…
In A House of Lies by Ian Rankin is not a thriller. It is a crime novel with a thousand police, members of authority and everybody is stepping on one another’s toes to hide the truth, or to discover it. There are far too many characters, old and new, making this book difficult to follow and enjoy. Also, now that Rankin has clearly exhausted his interest in Rebus as a main character, I believe that he should move on to and stick with his new detectives, or create a new series in a new setting where it isn’t convenient for Rebus to stick his nose in wherever it suits him.
While I agree that Rankin can definitely write and tell a story, it was a struggle to get through this book. I didn’t get to enjoy a fast-paced, thrilling who-dunnit, or simply even the police procedures of interviews and searching for evidence, as I was far too busy trying to keep track of who was who and what their role was in the narrative. I believe that Rebus is a dead-weight character, and it is time for him and his huge series to be left on the shelf so that a new protagonist can be formed in Rankin’s mind.
Overall, I found In A House of Lies to be quite disappointing. I would recommend this book only to die-hard Rankin/Rebus fans, as new readers would not know the characters or the history which has made this story possible. Thank you to NetGalley and Orion for my advance e-copy of In A House of Lies by Ian Rankin in exchange for an honest review.
October 21, 2018
Ian Rankin's legendary creation John Rebus may have retired from the police force, but he's lost none of his investigation skills. With over twenty books in the Rebus series Rankin, like the detective himself, shows no sign of slowing down.
In A House Of Lies is dramatic, thrilling & surprising. It's also full of humour & great dialogue.....& that's just the first two chapters.
It is perhaps more of a John Rebus/Siobhan Clarke thriller, as Rebus is now retired & it's not quite as easy to squeeze him into the action. However, he does have some truly excellent moments in this story. Does he have much time left before it all ends ? I, for one, certainly hope not.
In A House Of Lies is dramatic, thrilling & surprising. It's also full of humour & great dialogue.....& that's just the first two chapters.
It is perhaps more of a John Rebus/Siobhan Clarke thriller, as Rebus is now retired & it's not quite as easy to squeeze him into the action. However, he does have some truly excellent moments in this story. Does he have much time left before it all ends ? I, for one, certainly hope not.
October 27, 2023
The 22nd book in the John Rebus series. Rebus has been through the ups and downs of life as a frontline cop and is now well and truly in retirement. But he’s the sort of bloke who’s not going to give up, regardless of his ill health. All of the main characters, Rebus, Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox, Big Ger Cafferty are together once again, not quite in perfect harmony but prepared to put up with one another if only because they’re now used to one another.
So, yes, the blurb on the front cover says it’s a John Rebus Thriller, but in fact, it’s more accurately a Siobhan Clarke Thriller, with occasional help from John Rebus.
The discovery of a body of a man, handcuffed at the ankles and left in an abandoned car, is the start of a cold case for Siobhan Clarke and her fellow detectives. The case has barely been handed to her before she gets a phone call from John Rebus who correctly guesses the make and colour of the car he was found in. It’s a case he worked on 12 years ago, one that was deemed a missing person case and was thought to have been closed.
The dead man is Stuart Bloom and he was a private investigator. At the time of his disappearance he was working for film producer Jackie Ness, gathering information for a land deal. Also trying to buy this particular piece of land was a man named Adrian Brand who wanted to turn it into a golf course. There was no love lost between the two men and that appears to have remained the case down the years.
Finding the car and the body has turned the spotlight onto the original investigation team and Rebus was one of them. Accusations that the police were negligent in their investigation stems firstly from the fact that they focused largely on the fact that Bloom was gay and, secondly from the fact that some of the cops appeared to be in the pocket of Adrian Brand. It’s not inconceivable that the case was closed quickly for nefarious reasons.
With Rebus’ health continuing to be a concern, there’s only so much further he can go before totally handing the top billing reins to Siobhan. In the meantime, he remains a shadowy figure for the mainstream police to mutter about and for the top brass to be openly hostile. He’s also starting to admit to playing outside the rules back when he was in harness. Not only that, he’s prepared to go head to head with a couple of bent cops who were part of the original team and who have also, in recent times, made life difficult for Siobhan in their roles as part of ACU, the new version of Complaints, Professional Standards.
Although the main character has shifted slightly, the rough and tumble that’s always been a big plus in Rankin’s armoury is still present. He has created a dark and tangled mystery that manages to include a range of criminal bosses and then pulled everything together to form a smooth and cohesive case.
It’s been a few years between drinks for me but I’m extremely pleased that I picked up the series again and feel as though I haven’t missed a beat. There’s no doubt that the Rebus series remains at the top of the UK crime tree, maintaining its rough edginess and enjoying a complex plot that challenges to predict where it’s taking you next.
So, yes, the blurb on the front cover says it’s a John Rebus Thriller, but in fact, it’s more accurately a Siobhan Clarke Thriller, with occasional help from John Rebus.
The discovery of a body of a man, handcuffed at the ankles and left in an abandoned car, is the start of a cold case for Siobhan Clarke and her fellow detectives. The case has barely been handed to her before she gets a phone call from John Rebus who correctly guesses the make and colour of the car he was found in. It’s a case he worked on 12 years ago, one that was deemed a missing person case and was thought to have been closed.
The dead man is Stuart Bloom and he was a private investigator. At the time of his disappearance he was working for film producer Jackie Ness, gathering information for a land deal. Also trying to buy this particular piece of land was a man named Adrian Brand who wanted to turn it into a golf course. There was no love lost between the two men and that appears to have remained the case down the years.
Finding the car and the body has turned the spotlight onto the original investigation team and Rebus was one of them. Accusations that the police were negligent in their investigation stems firstly from the fact that they focused largely on the fact that Bloom was gay and, secondly from the fact that some of the cops appeared to be in the pocket of Adrian Brand. It’s not inconceivable that the case was closed quickly for nefarious reasons.
With Rebus’ health continuing to be a concern, there’s only so much further he can go before totally handing the top billing reins to Siobhan. In the meantime, he remains a shadowy figure for the mainstream police to mutter about and for the top brass to be openly hostile. He’s also starting to admit to playing outside the rules back when he was in harness. Not only that, he’s prepared to go head to head with a couple of bent cops who were part of the original team and who have also, in recent times, made life difficult for Siobhan in their roles as part of ACU, the new version of Complaints, Professional Standards.
Although the main character has shifted slightly, the rough and tumble that’s always been a big plus in Rankin’s armoury is still present. He has created a dark and tangled mystery that manages to include a range of criminal bosses and then pulled everything together to form a smooth and cohesive case.
It’s been a few years between drinks for me but I’m extremely pleased that I picked up the series again and feel as though I haven’t missed a beat. There’s no doubt that the Rebus series remains at the top of the UK crime tree, maintaining its rough edginess and enjoying a complex plot that challenges to predict where it’s taking you next.
October 3, 2018
I have a soft spot for Rebus given it was this series that got me interested in reading crime fiction in the first place, and I can't believe we still have new additions to it so many years after it began, not that there is any reason to stop producing a series that is universally popular. This is, in fact, the twenty-second novel to feature Edinburgh-based former Detective Inspector John Rebus of Police Scotland. You often find as a series wears on that the author becomes a little despondent and lacks the oomph that was provided and put into earlier books, but there's no such issue here. Rankin is still very much at the top of his game!
Despite Rebus being practically retired, here he is strongly featuring in 'In A House of Lies' where he assists the police with an intriguing cold case. The plot deals with a missing private investigator who is found and points to police corruption. Much like what is going on in reality, Rebus's old headquarters at Lothian & Borders Police is now defunct and has moved to a centralised location in Gartcosh near Edinburgh. So, to oversee the reinvestigation of the old case DI Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox are parachuted in from the Major Incident Team (MIT). This is a soundly structured, complex and subtly nuanced tale, and each of the characters are superbly drawn but particularly Rebus, Fox and Clarke.
As always, the pace is impeccable, the plot interesting enough that you become immersed quickly and Rebus, even though he is no longer in charge, is still a unique character that knows his own mind, is confident is his abilities, and although he may be a little unconventional we all know that all of the best people always are!
However, with his COPD creating havoc in terms of breathing and his issues with alcohol and cigarettes not to mention his age, he now has more important priorities than just police work.
Another wonderful addition to Scottish Noir with plenty of wit and dry humour and an atmosphere few crime writers know how to create! I challenge any crime buff to not enjoy this novel. The multiple strands of the plot are woven together seamlessly by a true master of the genre. I hope both him and Rankin are on top of their game for the foreseeable!
Many thanks to Orion for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
Despite Rebus being practically retired, here he is strongly featuring in 'In A House of Lies' where he assists the police with an intriguing cold case. The plot deals with a missing private investigator who is found and points to police corruption. Much like what is going on in reality, Rebus's old headquarters at Lothian & Borders Police is now defunct and has moved to a centralised location in Gartcosh near Edinburgh. So, to oversee the reinvestigation of the old case DI Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox are parachuted in from the Major Incident Team (MIT). This is a soundly structured, complex and subtly nuanced tale, and each of the characters are superbly drawn but particularly Rebus, Fox and Clarke.
As always, the pace is impeccable, the plot interesting enough that you become immersed quickly and Rebus, even though he is no longer in charge, is still a unique character that knows his own mind, is confident is his abilities, and although he may be a little unconventional we all know that all of the best people always are!
However, with his COPD creating havoc in terms of breathing and his issues with alcohol and cigarettes not to mention his age, he now has more important priorities than just police work.
Another wonderful addition to Scottish Noir with plenty of wit and dry humour and an atmosphere few crime writers know how to create! I challenge any crime buff to not enjoy this novel. The multiple strands of the plot are woven together seamlessly by a true master of the genre. I hope both him and Rankin are on top of their game for the foreseeable!
Many thanks to Orion for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
January 8, 2019
John Rebus is now pushing 70 and has been retired from Scotland's Lothian and Borders Police for several years. He's been retired so long that the Lothian and Borders Police no longer exists; it's now Police Scotland. But all of his former colleagues are now a part of this "new" police force, and it's not really true that Rebus is retired. Being a detective is his life and he won't retire until that final exit music plays and he draws his last breath.
He keeps his hand in because his former colleagues, especially his former partner and protege, Siobhan Clarke, often call on him for his expertise regarding Edinburgh crime and criminals and for his memories regarding particular cases that he worked in the past. And that's where this story begins.
Some teenage boys messing around in the woods come upon a rusted out car hidden under brush. In the boot of the car is a skeleton. Police are called and the skeleton is finally identified as that of a private investigator named Stuart Bloom who had disappeared a few years earlier. Rebus had worked on that earlier missing person case and it had never been resolved. A review of that case now finds some slipshod work and errors that should never have happened. Malcolm Fox of internal investigations is on the case and finds that Rebus may not have been as diligent in his investigation as he should have been.
Meanwhile, Siobhan Clarke is assigned to the (now) murder case and she questions Rebus about how it all went down years before. She also asks his help on another case of hers - a young man who was convicted of unlawful killing (which he admitted to) and was sent to prison. Siobhan has misgivings about the case and wants a second opinion.
Suddenly, the old retiree has a full plate of mysteries on which to chew. He couldn't be happier.
Inevitably it seems, his reviews and his memories lead him back to his old nemesis "Big Ger" Cafferty, always the one who got away for Rebus. The two established a grudging relationship over the years, even becoming drinking buddies back in the day when Rebus was a drinker. All that, along with the constant smokes, is behind him now as he struggles with COPD.
One of the great charms of this series has always been the believability of its characters. These are not supermen or superwomen. They are all too human, but they do take pride in the work they do and they try to do it to the best of their abilities. Even those like Rebus who never felt constrained by rules and who cut corners.
A part of that believability factor has been the aging of Rebus, which has occurred more or less in real time along with the series that began way back in 1987 with Knots and Crosses. This is the twenty-second entry in that series and, even though some books are better than others, the quality has never faded. It's interesting to see Rebus now dealing with the problems of aging and I look forward to seeing how Rankin continues the series for - it is hoped - many more years.
As for this particular book, for me it was a five-star read, near perfect. I can't think of anything about it of which I can complain.
He keeps his hand in because his former colleagues, especially his former partner and protege, Siobhan Clarke, often call on him for his expertise regarding Edinburgh crime and criminals and for his memories regarding particular cases that he worked in the past. And that's where this story begins.
Some teenage boys messing around in the woods come upon a rusted out car hidden under brush. In the boot of the car is a skeleton. Police are called and the skeleton is finally identified as that of a private investigator named Stuart Bloom who had disappeared a few years earlier. Rebus had worked on that earlier missing person case and it had never been resolved. A review of that case now finds some slipshod work and errors that should never have happened. Malcolm Fox of internal investigations is on the case and finds that Rebus may not have been as diligent in his investigation as he should have been.
Meanwhile, Siobhan Clarke is assigned to the (now) murder case and she questions Rebus about how it all went down years before. She also asks his help on another case of hers - a young man who was convicted of unlawful killing (which he admitted to) and was sent to prison. Siobhan has misgivings about the case and wants a second opinion.
Suddenly, the old retiree has a full plate of mysteries on which to chew. He couldn't be happier.
Inevitably it seems, his reviews and his memories lead him back to his old nemesis "Big Ger" Cafferty, always the one who got away for Rebus. The two established a grudging relationship over the years, even becoming drinking buddies back in the day when Rebus was a drinker. All that, along with the constant smokes, is behind him now as he struggles with COPD.
One of the great charms of this series has always been the believability of its characters. These are not supermen or superwomen. They are all too human, but they do take pride in the work they do and they try to do it to the best of their abilities. Even those like Rebus who never felt constrained by rules and who cut corners.
A part of that believability factor has been the aging of Rebus, which has occurred more or less in real time along with the series that began way back in 1987 with Knots and Crosses. This is the twenty-second entry in that series and, even though some books are better than others, the quality has never faded. It's interesting to see Rebus now dealing with the problems of aging and I look forward to seeing how Rankin continues the series for - it is hoped - many more years.
As for this particular book, for me it was a five-star read, near perfect. I can't think of anything about it of which I can complain.
January 13, 2019
Not five star is the determination of the correct edition I actually read since it does not appear in the long list of editions. I could monkey with it, but I won't. Mine is US edition from Little Brown and 372 pages. I did earlier take advantage of the free preview Kindle from Amazon and enjoyed it.
After the preview, I knew I would love the book. It manages to be fresh. Such new life was breathed into this 22nd Rebus book that it sparkles. Ian Rankin rules!
Yes, Rebus appears with his little dog Brillo, changed by COPD and retirement, yet not diminished! The main focus is old case Rebus had been assigned to twenty years ago along with others who are now hiding in the cloth of ACU, internal investigative arm of police.
The puzzle presents itself with the discovery of a hidden old car in a gully that contains remains of missing person. Sioban is assigned to team by new guy in town, DCI Sutherland. Rebus asks her if it is a VW Polo since his memory has not gone. Thus he enters the action with the first clue as to who the missing person was.
Plenty of time has passed since the crimes connected to this missing person and the lies have solidified and will be protected. Even old Cafferty comes into view and quite literally from Rebus's window he can be seen inside his house.
After the preview, I knew I would love the book. It manages to be fresh. Such new life was breathed into this 22nd Rebus book that it sparkles. Ian Rankin rules!
Yes, Rebus appears with his little dog Brillo, changed by COPD and retirement, yet not diminished! The main focus is old case Rebus had been assigned to twenty years ago along with others who are now hiding in the cloth of ACU, internal investigative arm of police.
The puzzle presents itself with the discovery of a hidden old car in a gully that contains remains of missing person. Sioban is assigned to team by new guy in town, DCI Sutherland. Rebus asks her if it is a VW Polo since his memory has not gone. Thus he enters the action with the first clue as to who the missing person was.
Plenty of time has passed since the crimes connected to this missing person and the lies have solidified and will be protected. Even old Cafferty comes into view and quite literally from Rebus's window he can be seen inside his house.
October 30, 2021
In a House of Lies is the best Ian Rankin book that I have read in some time. As usual, pain-in-the-ass now-retired detective John Rebus still lurks around the police station from which he retired, inserting himself into cases where he has no legal authority. He does this partly because he has nothing else to do and partly because a careful examination of some of these cases could lead back to some rather questionable things that he did as a police officer.
The current case involves a car that is found with a dead body in it. The body proves to have been dead around ten years, although the car and body may have been placed in their current location fairly recently. Rebus, his onetime partner DI Clarke, and Malcolm Fox, with whom Rebus worked with and against previously, become embroiled in the case which has its origin in an unsolved, case previously worked by Rebus and others. The investigation of the previous case was poorly done and some of those who worked on it, including Rebus may have broken the law.
Rankin does a superb job of creating plausible complexity in both the book's plot and characters. If you are a Rebus fan, you will probably very much enjoy the book. While it can be as a standalone, there is a ton of backstory that would be missing and, although you might not have to read all 21 Rebus books, you just might enjoy doing so.
Over and Out
The current case involves a car that is found with a dead body in it. The body proves to have been dead around ten years, although the car and body may have been placed in their current location fairly recently. Rebus, his onetime partner DI Clarke, and Malcolm Fox, with whom Rebus worked with and against previously, become embroiled in the case which has its origin in an unsolved, case previously worked by Rebus and others. The investigation of the previous case was poorly done and some of those who worked on it, including Rebus may have broken the law.
Rankin does a superb job of creating plausible complexity in both the book's plot and characters. If you are a Rebus fan, you will probably very much enjoy the book. While it can be as a standalone, there is a ton of backstory that would be missing and, although you might not have to read all 21 Rebus books, you just might enjoy doing so.
Over and Out
November 12, 2018
The latest John Rebus novel by Ian Rankin is simply delicious.
A car is found with a skeleton in it. The skeleton of a young man who went missing several years early. Problem is, the car wasn't there when the police searched the area.
Now the case is being reopened, with Siobhan Clarke and Malcom Fox involved, whilst Rebus flits around the edges making a hairy arsed nuisance of himself. Add a couple of bent coppers and someone stalking Siobhan, and you have a classic, gritty, Ian Rankin novel.
Often as time goes by, a series starts to get stale. There is nothing stale about "In a House of Lies". It is as fresh and chewy as a good novel can get.
Well written, well balanced and a sheer delight from the first page to the last.
A car is found with a skeleton in it. The skeleton of a young man who went missing several years early. Problem is, the car wasn't there when the police searched the area.
Now the case is being reopened, with Siobhan Clarke and Malcom Fox involved, whilst Rebus flits around the edges making a hairy arsed nuisance of himself. Add a couple of bent coppers and someone stalking Siobhan, and you have a classic, gritty, Ian Rankin novel.
Often as time goes by, a series starts to get stale. There is nothing stale about "In a House of Lies". It is as fresh and chewy as a good novel can get.
Well written, well balanced and a sheer delight from the first page to the last.
November 3, 2018
Now the looong wait for #23....review to follow.
February 14, 2020
His lawyer was waiting at the steps, ready for battle, his freshly shaved face roseate and gleaming. Rebus didn’t know him, but he knew the type – tailored like a shop-window mannequin and spritzed all over by an aerosol called privilege…
In a House of Lies opens with four eleven year old youths jostling each other in a wood outside Edinburgh. One slips and falls into a gully, finds a car dumped there, hidden by branches. The boot is opened to reveal a body. DNA ties the vehicle and body to that of a man reported missing in 2006, though neither have been in the wood that long. DI Siobhan Clarke is seconded to the MIT investigating the murder, and is in regular touch with her mentor, John Rebus, now seventy and retired, confronting health issues arising from aging and risky lifestyle choices. Meanwhile, Malcolm Fox examines the archives of the badly-handled investigation for the Misper, back in 2006, when the often drunk John Rebus was on the team.
The back story here is that DI Clarke is being hounded with anonymous phone calls and graffiti, linked to the murder of a teenage girl by her boyfriend. She was exonerated in an enquiry of leaking information to the press, so who is behind it all?
Reporters could be a pain in the arse, but they were immensely useful conduits. It saddened him that so much these days happened online, with every keyboard warrior suddenly a ‘commentator’ or ‘pundit’ or ‘news-gatherer’. There was a lack of quality control...the public probably reckoned they were better informed than ever. They were, but not always by the truth. Then again, had it been so different is Rebus’s heyday?
What an absorbing read, separating truth from lies. Drugs. Rival businessmen with smooth attorneys. Police on the take. Cyber bullying. Tasty villains - one behind bars, the other taking over his territory.
Cafferty ran a hand over his shaven head. It was shaped like a bowling ball, with folds of fat at the nape of the neck. Nicks and bits of scar tissue evidence of the knocks he’d taken, all the way back to childhood. In gangs in his early teens, working his way up, learning and staying lucky and toughening his hide. There were probably points in his life where he could have turned to left or right, but he hadn’t taken them. He’d vanquished his rivals, done some time, and now sat in his penthouse, alone and probably still dissatisfied…
Aside from a finely-tuned plot, rapier-wit and characters, Ian Rankin is the master of atmospheric descriptions.
The alley wasn’t quite a dead end. A high fence separated it from piece of waste ground at the back of a disused warehouse, the alley itself a dumping ground for discarded TVs and mattresses, at least one of which had been set alight at some point in the recent past. There were two large container bins, obviously belonging to the shop, although one of them, its lid missing, had become the home to a trolley from a distant supermarket…
And Rebus tries to come to terms with the internet and social media.
It had been hard enough in the past to read people, but these days you had to push your way through so much that was fake and misleading. Modern policing fell into that trap, heading straight for technology – computers and CCTV – to replace old skills and the occasional inspired guess or piece of intuition.
It is easy to draw a parallel between Rebus and DI Siobhan Clarke, with trans-Atlantic pairing of Bosch and Renee Ballard, former detectives and their protégé, cold cases, retirement - both characters successfully transitioning from page to TV screen. But for me the power of the written word still wins hands down.
In a House of Lies opens with four eleven year old youths jostling each other in a wood outside Edinburgh. One slips and falls into a gully, finds a car dumped there, hidden by branches. The boot is opened to reveal a body. DNA ties the vehicle and body to that of a man reported missing in 2006, though neither have been in the wood that long. DI Siobhan Clarke is seconded to the MIT investigating the murder, and is in regular touch with her mentor, John Rebus, now seventy and retired, confronting health issues arising from aging and risky lifestyle choices. Meanwhile, Malcolm Fox examines the archives of the badly-handled investigation for the Misper, back in 2006, when the often drunk John Rebus was on the team.
The back story here is that DI Clarke is being hounded with anonymous phone calls and graffiti, linked to the murder of a teenage girl by her boyfriend. She was exonerated in an enquiry of leaking information to the press, so who is behind it all?
Reporters could be a pain in the arse, but they were immensely useful conduits. It saddened him that so much these days happened online, with every keyboard warrior suddenly a ‘commentator’ or ‘pundit’ or ‘news-gatherer’. There was a lack of quality control...the public probably reckoned they were better informed than ever. They were, but not always by the truth. Then again, had it been so different is Rebus’s heyday?
What an absorbing read, separating truth from lies. Drugs. Rival businessmen with smooth attorneys. Police on the take. Cyber bullying. Tasty villains - one behind bars, the other taking over his territory.
Cafferty ran a hand over his shaven head. It was shaped like a bowling ball, with folds of fat at the nape of the neck. Nicks and bits of scar tissue evidence of the knocks he’d taken, all the way back to childhood. In gangs in his early teens, working his way up, learning and staying lucky and toughening his hide. There were probably points in his life where he could have turned to left or right, but he hadn’t taken them. He’d vanquished his rivals, done some time, and now sat in his penthouse, alone and probably still dissatisfied…
Aside from a finely-tuned plot, rapier-wit and characters, Ian Rankin is the master of atmospheric descriptions.
The alley wasn’t quite a dead end. A high fence separated it from piece of waste ground at the back of a disused warehouse, the alley itself a dumping ground for discarded TVs and mattresses, at least one of which had been set alight at some point in the recent past. There were two large container bins, obviously belonging to the shop, although one of them, its lid missing, had become the home to a trolley from a distant supermarket…
And Rebus tries to come to terms with the internet and social media.
It had been hard enough in the past to read people, but these days you had to push your way through so much that was fake and misleading. Modern policing fell into that trap, heading straight for technology – computers and CCTV – to replace old skills and the occasional inspired guess or piece of intuition.
It is easy to draw a parallel between Rebus and DI Siobhan Clarke, with trans-Atlantic pairing of Bosch and Renee Ballard, former detectives and their protégé, cold cases, retirement - both characters successfully transitioning from page to TV screen. But for me the power of the written word still wins hands down.
September 23, 2018
Rebus may have been told that he is in a “managed decline,” but I’m delighted to say that Ian Rankin certainly isn’t. In A House Of Lies is excellent.
When long-dead body is discovered in an abandoned car Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox are part of the MIT investigating. Rebus, now well retired from the force, was part of the original investigation and becomes involved in this, too – not always to the delight of the team. It’s classic Rankin: complex, well structured and nuanced, with his three central characters especially being extremely well drawn.
There’s a lot of good crime fiction being written at the moment, but for me, this shows why Ian Rankin still stands out from the rest and remains among among the very best writers in the genre. He generates an excellent and wholly unforced atmosphere, sense of place and feel of police work and his characters, plot and dialogue are all completely convincing to me. That long, shadowy, complex relationship between Rebus and Big Ger Cafferty is still a brilliant feature and Rankin is doing an excellent job of widening the central focus of the books to include Clarke and Fox. Most of all, In A House Of Lies is completely compelling; I was hooked and sorry to reach the end.
Probably all that really need be said is that this is a very fine Ian Rankin novel. The man is still at the peak of his form and I can recommend this very warmly indeed.
(My thanks to Orion for an ARC via NetGalley.)
When long-dead body is discovered in an abandoned car Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox are part of the MIT investigating. Rebus, now well retired from the force, was part of the original investigation and becomes involved in this, too – not always to the delight of the team. It’s classic Rankin: complex, well structured and nuanced, with his three central characters especially being extremely well drawn.
There’s a lot of good crime fiction being written at the moment, but for me, this shows why Ian Rankin still stands out from the rest and remains among among the very best writers in the genre. He generates an excellent and wholly unforced atmosphere, sense of place and feel of police work and his characters, plot and dialogue are all completely convincing to me. That long, shadowy, complex relationship between Rebus and Big Ger Cafferty is still a brilliant feature and Rankin is doing an excellent job of widening the central focus of the books to include Clarke and Fox. Most of all, In A House Of Lies is completely compelling; I was hooked and sorry to reach the end.
Probably all that really need be said is that this is a very fine Ian Rankin novel. The man is still at the peak of his form and I can recommend this very warmly indeed.
(My thanks to Orion for an ARC via NetGalley.)
September 20, 2018
Well there's nothing stopping Rebus is there?
Coming back on the scene for a cold case and getting into some really troubling lies.
Set in Edinburgh, it's familiar territory as far as the city goes, but there's nothing familiar about what Rebus finds in this novel.
Tip: Venture yee not into Poretoun woods near the city. Oh they're fictional thank goodness. Just as well.
Loved the warmth and humour of the novel that only Rebus/Rankin can give. I've been on a 'wacky race' around Edinburgh a few times with this writer but this one had me chuckling as well as gasping in fear. ;)
Coming back on the scene for a cold case and getting into some really troubling lies.
Set in Edinburgh, it's familiar territory as far as the city goes, but there's nothing familiar about what Rebus finds in this novel.
Tip: Venture yee not into Poretoun woods near the city. Oh they're fictional thank goodness. Just as well.
Loved the warmth and humour of the novel that only Rebus/Rankin can give. I've been on a 'wacky race' around Edinburgh a few times with this writer but this one had me chuckling as well as gasping in fear. ;)
October 23, 2022
English version below
*********************
Ich bin seit vielen Jahren ein Fan von Rankins Inspector Rebus. Daher bin ich mit freudiger Erwartung an diesen Roman herangegangen.
In einem versteckten Wagen wird eine seit Jahren vermisste Leiche eines Privatdetektivs gefunden. Siobhan Clarke wird der Ermittlergruppe zugeteilt, die den Fall untersucht.
Rebus ist schon geraume Zeit in Rente, taucht aber immer wieder auf und mischt sich in die Ermittlungen ein.
Der Kriminalfall ist nicht außergewöhnlich, aber durchaus ausreichend, um einen Krimi interessant zu gestalten. Rankin hat es aber diesmal ein bisschen zu sehr mit der Realitätsnähe übertrieben. Er beschreibt minutiös jedes Detail der Ermittlungen, wodurch sich die Lektüre für mich sehr ermüdend gestaltete. Die große Vielzahl an Charakteren machte es auch nicht leichter bei der Stange zu bleiben.
Wenig realitätsnah war dahingegen, wie Rebus als verrenteter Polizist nahezu mühelos in entscheidende Momente der Ermittlung eingreifen konnte.
Durch die im Roman stattfindenden internen Ermittlungen erfahren wir als Leser auch einiges über Rebus’ Machenschaften als er noch im aktiven Dienst war. Ich für meinen Teil wollte das aber gar nicht wissen, weil ich Rebus trotz seiner Ecken und Kanten immer mochte.
Meiner Meinung nach sollte Ian Rankin Rebus seine wohlverdiente Rente geniessen lassen und sich in Zukunft anderen Projekten zuwenden.
-------------------
I've been a fan of Rankin's Inspector Rebus for many years. So I approached this novel with great anticipation.
A private detective who has been missing for years is found murdered in a hidden car. Siobhan Clarke is assigned to the team investigating the case.
Rebus has been retired for some time, but keeps popping up and meddling in the investigation.
The criminal case is not exceptional, but quite sufficient to make a thriller interesting. But this time Rankin has overdone it a bit too much with the realism. He meticulously describes every detail of the investigation, which made reading very tiring for me. The large variety of characters didn't make it any easier to stick with it either.
On the other hand, the way Rebus, as a retired police officer, was able to intervene almost effortlessly at crucial moments in the investigation was not very realistic.
Through the internal investigations taking place in the novel, we as readers also learn a lot about Rebus' machinations when he was still on active duty. Personally, I didn't want to know because I've always liked Rebus, despite his rough edges.
I think Ian Rankin should let Rebus enjoy his well-deserved retirement and move on to other projects in the future.
*********************
Ich bin seit vielen Jahren ein Fan von Rankins Inspector Rebus. Daher bin ich mit freudiger Erwartung an diesen Roman herangegangen.
In einem versteckten Wagen wird eine seit Jahren vermisste Leiche eines Privatdetektivs gefunden. Siobhan Clarke wird der Ermittlergruppe zugeteilt, die den Fall untersucht.
Rebus ist schon geraume Zeit in Rente, taucht aber immer wieder auf und mischt sich in die Ermittlungen ein.
Der Kriminalfall ist nicht außergewöhnlich, aber durchaus ausreichend, um einen Krimi interessant zu gestalten. Rankin hat es aber diesmal ein bisschen zu sehr mit der Realitätsnähe übertrieben. Er beschreibt minutiös jedes Detail der Ermittlungen, wodurch sich die Lektüre für mich sehr ermüdend gestaltete. Die große Vielzahl an Charakteren machte es auch nicht leichter bei der Stange zu bleiben.
Wenig realitätsnah war dahingegen, wie Rebus als verrenteter Polizist nahezu mühelos in entscheidende Momente der Ermittlung eingreifen konnte.
Durch die im Roman stattfindenden internen Ermittlungen erfahren wir als Leser auch einiges über Rebus’ Machenschaften als er noch im aktiven Dienst war. Ich für meinen Teil wollte das aber gar nicht wissen, weil ich Rebus trotz seiner Ecken und Kanten immer mochte.
Meiner Meinung nach sollte Ian Rankin Rebus seine wohlverdiente Rente geniessen lassen und sich in Zukunft anderen Projekten zuwenden.
-------------------
I've been a fan of Rankin's Inspector Rebus for many years. So I approached this novel with great anticipation.
A private detective who has been missing for years is found murdered in a hidden car. Siobhan Clarke is assigned to the team investigating the case.
Rebus has been retired for some time, but keeps popping up and meddling in the investigation.
The criminal case is not exceptional, but quite sufficient to make a thriller interesting. But this time Rankin has overdone it a bit too much with the realism. He meticulously describes every detail of the investigation, which made reading very tiring for me. The large variety of characters didn't make it any easier to stick with it either.
On the other hand, the way Rebus, as a retired police officer, was able to intervene almost effortlessly at crucial moments in the investigation was not very realistic.
Through the internal investigations taking place in the novel, we as readers also learn a lot about Rebus' machinations when he was still on active duty. Personally, I didn't want to know because I've always liked Rebus, despite his rough edges.
I think Ian Rankin should let Rebus enjoy his well-deserved retirement and move on to other projects in the future.
August 20, 2019
Δαιδαλώδες και πολύπλοκο,το 22ο βιβλίο με τον Ρέμπους κονταροχτυπιέται στα ίσια με τους Καταρράκτες,που μέχρι τώρα ήταν για μένα το καλύτερο της σειράς.Φοξ,Κλαρκ,Ρέμπους,Κρίστι και Μπιγκ Τζερ,στα πολύ πολύ καλά τους.Σκιές,υποψίες,ψέματα,επικίνδυνες ισορροπίες,συνθέτουν μια ιστορία που θέτει τους πάντες προ των ευθυνών τους,αλλά ταυτόχρονα τους εφοδιάζει με τις λεπτομέρειες που χρειάζονται για να συνεχίσουν τη δράση τους λίγο ακόμα.Ακούγεται περίεργο,ε?Με τον Ρέμπους πρωταγωνιστή,τίποτα δεν είναι περίεργο!5⭐
November 14, 2018
In A House of Lies, Ian Rankin's retired police detective is brought back for another novel.
An abandoned vehicle is found hidden in the woods and inside of the trunk is the decomposed body of a male, handcuffed at the ankles.
It is believed the body may be that of a man missing for over a decade and from a case where the mother of the missing man has accused police of covering up and botching the case of her missing son.
Because of the accusations of police cover-up, Malcolm Fox is brought in to review the original investigation conducted by then Detective Rebus and other characters known from previous Rankin novels.
A parallel thread involves a murder investigation conducted by Siobhan Clarke that ended in a conviction based on solid and credible evidence, that she now has doubts over. Clarke asks retired John Rebus, now with failing health of his own, to look over her murder investigation and both cases take center stage, with Rebus also interjecting his skills into the found body case, among accusations of his own misconduct during the earlier missing person investigation.
Soon, familiar characters start appearing, including Rebus' longtime foe, Big Ger Cafferty.
Rankin's novel includes a blending of policing from the past and present, which includes a contrast of how investigations were conducted in the past, to how they are conducted in the present. Like Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole novels, Rankin is not afraid to "age" his star character and creates plots that have interwoven lessons of morality and real-life. Rankin also creates plots that realistically unfold and are actually mysteries and does not rely upon body counts to propel his tales forward, unlike the so many serial killer tales being published today.
An abandoned vehicle is found hidden in the woods and inside of the trunk is the decomposed body of a male, handcuffed at the ankles.
It is believed the body may be that of a man missing for over a decade and from a case where the mother of the missing man has accused police of covering up and botching the case of her missing son.
Because of the accusations of police cover-up, Malcolm Fox is brought in to review the original investigation conducted by then Detective Rebus and other characters known from previous Rankin novels.
A parallel thread involves a murder investigation conducted by Siobhan Clarke that ended in a conviction based on solid and credible evidence, that she now has doubts over. Clarke asks retired John Rebus, now with failing health of his own, to look over her murder investigation and both cases take center stage, with Rebus also interjecting his skills into the found body case, among accusations of his own misconduct during the earlier missing person investigation.
Soon, familiar characters start appearing, including Rebus' longtime foe, Big Ger Cafferty.
Rankin's novel includes a blending of policing from the past and present, which includes a contrast of how investigations were conducted in the past, to how they are conducted in the present. Like Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole novels, Rankin is not afraid to "age" his star character and creates plots that have interwoven lessons of morality and real-life. Rankin also creates plots that realistically unfold and are actually mysteries and does not rely upon body counts to propel his tales forward, unlike the so many serial killer tales being published today.
July 25, 2019
His best yet,but I´ve been saying that for the last dozen. Great author, great characters,tight clockwork plotting.Rebus is wonderfully unique,one of the two "living" detectives in long running series who never dissapoint and constantly raise the bar (the other one´s Bosch).Hope we have Rebus for a long, long time. Hats off, Mr. Rankin.
September 21, 2018
In a House of Lies is, of course, the latest book about John Rebus, sometime DI with Lothian and Borders Police. That will be enough for most people to just decide to read - it would (was) be enough for me. But as this series evolves, Rankin continues to develop his characters and to address new challenges and there is a fair bit here to analyse, so please indulge me.
Rebus is now retired and in declining health. Ill with COPD (the two flights of stairs to his flat becoming "a definite issue"), he has given up smoking - couldn't get too grips with vaping, too tech - and is largely off the booze (the Oxford Bar hardly features, and we even witness Rebus visiting a pub... for a coffee).
Lothian and Borders Police has gone, too, swallowed up into Police Scotland, a unitary force run from the glossy "crime campus" at Gartcosh, miles from Edinburgh. Instead of local detectives investigating murders, a mobile squad - MIT ("Major Incident Team") is parachuted in as required with experienced cops like Siobhan Clarke squeezed out. It's not hard to see Rankin's frustration with this situation ("This was the way things were now, thanks to the changes at Police Scotland - local CID reduced to a secondary role..." "Police Scotland's process of centralisation meant a lot of local information-gathering either didn't happen or went ignored") especially since in recent books he's had to devote a lot of ingenuity not only to making Rebus's presence, but even that of Clarke, the other real regular from the old days, plausible, even before getting the story itself moving.
In a House of Lies achieves the former by making one of Rebus's old cases relevant again when a missing person is found long dead. Rebus can therefore be brought in to elucidate the botched enquiry from 2006 and as a bonus, Malcolm Fox gets to give the original case papers a once-over. Clarke is attached to the enquiry for her local knowledge. In terms of plausibility I think this is one of the better set-ups of recent books (Rebus doesn't have to keep trying to blag his way into the enquiry room) even if it does mean repeating what feels like a bit of a running theme: Rebus in the sights of Complaints for past failings and potentially taking the rap for the corrupt and lazy - even though (as we know well) he may always have been unconventional, but was never corrupt or lazy.
It's perhaps in keeping with this somewhat backward-looking and even elegiac mood that a recurring theme here is memory and its trickiness. Clarke stores names on her phone, in case she forgets them. Rebus accuses her and her generation of having short memories, and having "forgotten how to store information". He wonders about the point of "dusting off people's memories" from the earlier enquiry, and how soon they will forget the body found in the woods. Amidst all this loss of memory, despite the vague promise that soon it will all be "kept in the Cloud, whatever that is", it's not surprisingly Rebus - and his old nemesis Cafferty - who know what's what even if "it was hard [for Rebus] to remember the person he'd been, new to the city and new to the job" (a bit of a sly joke there, perhaps, given the way that Rankin has reinvented and reinterpreted Rebus over the course of this series).
But this series is far from becoming a showcase for grumpy old men (whether characters or author). There is a considerable freshness to In a House of Lies whether it's the greater sense of equality between Clarke, Rebus and Fox (in previous books, there has been a hierarchy which has dotted about a bit with one or the other of the three on top at different times depending who is investigating who, whether Rebus is in or out of the police and where Clarke is in her career), Rebus (finally!) taking more care of his health or - oddly - Cafferty, who clearly has Plans (and is considerably more adroit with the tech than Rebus, as Rankin makes clear when describing his infosec measures)
The story itself is pacy, twisty and substantial. Apart from the body that comes to light, Clarke is being threatened, giving her an early excuse to bring in Rebus with a relatively self-contained task. I thought for a while that was going to be Rebus's main role in the story, with the focus on her. That might not be before time (personally I'd love a series of Siobhan Clarke novels with Rebus backgrounded) but perhaps Rankin knows his audience too well for this. At any rate, Rebus gets plenty to do here, and on the main case, though perhaps he doesn't quite own the stage as in the past.
I only had a couple of reservations. First, in a couple of places the portrayal of secondary women characters seemed a bit perfunctory, with a main feature being how much make-up they wore - either too much, or little or none because "she really didn't need it" (of course, it may be she just didn't bother with it, or was in a bit of a hurry that morning...)
And there's reference to Cafferty's investment in a low budget British film in the mid 2000s having produced a profit. No way was there a profit - that investment would have been for tax purposes, designed to produce a loss. However, perhaps that's not a lapse by Rankin and Cafferty knew this all along - or the producer would have received an unwelcome surprise of some sort - and is spinning a line for Rebus.
OK, maybe I'm being a bit picky here. Overall, for me, this is one of the best, if not the best, Rebus story since Rankin brought the character back after Exit Music. It has a complex, satisfying story, plenty of atmosphere and lots for my favourite three detectives to do, with, apparently, plenty of life still in the series.
Rebus is now retired and in declining health. Ill with COPD (the two flights of stairs to his flat becoming "a definite issue"), he has given up smoking - couldn't get too grips with vaping, too tech - and is largely off the booze (the Oxford Bar hardly features, and we even witness Rebus visiting a pub... for a coffee).
Lothian and Borders Police has gone, too, swallowed up into Police Scotland, a unitary force run from the glossy "crime campus" at Gartcosh, miles from Edinburgh. Instead of local detectives investigating murders, a mobile squad - MIT ("Major Incident Team") is parachuted in as required with experienced cops like Siobhan Clarke squeezed out. It's not hard to see Rankin's frustration with this situation ("This was the way things were now, thanks to the changes at Police Scotland - local CID reduced to a secondary role..." "Police Scotland's process of centralisation meant a lot of local information-gathering either didn't happen or went ignored") especially since in recent books he's had to devote a lot of ingenuity not only to making Rebus's presence, but even that of Clarke, the other real regular from the old days, plausible, even before getting the story itself moving.
In a House of Lies achieves the former by making one of Rebus's old cases relevant again when a missing person is found long dead. Rebus can therefore be brought in to elucidate the botched enquiry from 2006 and as a bonus, Malcolm Fox gets to give the original case papers a once-over. Clarke is attached to the enquiry for her local knowledge. In terms of plausibility I think this is one of the better set-ups of recent books (Rebus doesn't have to keep trying to blag his way into the enquiry room) even if it does mean repeating what feels like a bit of a running theme: Rebus in the sights of Complaints for past failings and potentially taking the rap for the corrupt and lazy - even though (as we know well) he may always have been unconventional, but was never corrupt or lazy.
It's perhaps in keeping with this somewhat backward-looking and even elegiac mood that a recurring theme here is memory and its trickiness. Clarke stores names on her phone, in case she forgets them. Rebus accuses her and her generation of having short memories, and having "forgotten how to store information". He wonders about the point of "dusting off people's memories" from the earlier enquiry, and how soon they will forget the body found in the woods. Amidst all this loss of memory, despite the vague promise that soon it will all be "kept in the Cloud, whatever that is", it's not surprisingly Rebus - and his old nemesis Cafferty - who know what's what even if "it was hard [for Rebus] to remember the person he'd been, new to the city and new to the job" (a bit of a sly joke there, perhaps, given the way that Rankin has reinvented and reinterpreted Rebus over the course of this series).
But this series is far from becoming a showcase for grumpy old men (whether characters or author). There is a considerable freshness to In a House of Lies whether it's the greater sense of equality between Clarke, Rebus and Fox (in previous books, there has been a hierarchy which has dotted about a bit with one or the other of the three on top at different times depending who is investigating who, whether Rebus is in or out of the police and where Clarke is in her career), Rebus (finally!) taking more care of his health or - oddly - Cafferty, who clearly has Plans (and is considerably more adroit with the tech than Rebus, as Rankin makes clear when describing his infosec measures)
The story itself is pacy, twisty and substantial. Apart from the body that comes to light, Clarke is being threatened, giving her an early excuse to bring in Rebus with a relatively self-contained task. I thought for a while that was going to be Rebus's main role in the story, with the focus on her. That might not be before time (personally I'd love a series of Siobhan Clarke novels with Rebus backgrounded) but perhaps Rankin knows his audience too well for this. At any rate, Rebus gets plenty to do here, and on the main case, though perhaps he doesn't quite own the stage as in the past.
I only had a couple of reservations. First, in a couple of places the portrayal of secondary women characters seemed a bit perfunctory, with a main feature being how much make-up they wore - either too much, or little or none because "she really didn't need it" (of course, it may be she just didn't bother with it, or was in a bit of a hurry that morning...)
And there's reference to Cafferty's investment in a low budget British film in the mid 2000s having produced a profit. No way was there a profit - that investment would have been for tax purposes, designed to produce a loss. However, perhaps that's not a lapse by Rankin and Cafferty knew this all along - or the producer would have received an unwelcome surprise of some sort - and is spinning a line for Rebus.
OK, maybe I'm being a bit picky here. Overall, for me, this is one of the best, if not the best, Rebus story since Rankin brought the character back after Exit Music. It has a complex, satisfying story, plenty of atmosphere and lots for my favourite three detectives to do, with, apparently, plenty of life still in the series.
March 16, 2019
The DI John Rebus series is quite mature and familiar now that it is well over 20 entries long. Ian Rankin has done an excellent job of revitalizing the series recently by raising the profile of DI Siobhan Clarke (whom we have seen grown and develop from a uniformed officer to a seasoned criminal investigator under Rebus’ tutelage) and introducing Malcolm Fox (a former “Internal Affairs” Officer who initially tried to investigate and prosecute Rebus for his past misdeeds but in the last few books has worked with him to solve crimes).
“In a House of Lies” is the latest Rankin mystery. Rebus has been retired for several years now so DI Clarke is the primary investigator of a case which revolves around the discovery of a car with a desiccated body with handcuffed ankles in the boot (trunk). The case involves Sir Adrian Brand, a prominent real estate developer, and Jackie Ness, a producer of low-quality, cheap movies who have feuded for years. When the body turns out to be identified as an openly gay private investigator who had disappeared after meeting with Ness and had been dating the son of an Edinburgh cop, the corrupt mistakes of the missing person investigation conducted by Rebus and his contemporaries are brought to the fore. This attracts Fox’s boss, who sends him back to Edinburgh to review the old files.
However, this being Rankin of course there’s more plot threads. This time that involves an open and shut case of a teenaged high school dropout who was convicted last year of murdering his Queen Bee girlfriend but Clarke is convinced by the boy’s uncle to take another look in hopes of getting the uncle to help her take down some corrupt Internal Affairs cops who had targeted her before. She passes the case on to Rebus (something to keep him occupied instead of interfering with her investigation of his old missing person case which turned into her dead body in the trunk case) and the reader gets to enjoy Rebus’s unique methods of unraveling the motives and secrets of a murderer. The truth about what happened is both surprising and heart-breaking, raising the question of whether it is always better for the truth to come out.
In a House of Lies” is another excellent John Rebus mystery, even though it also stars DI Clarke and Malcolm Fox. The British police procedural aspects are very familiar but the mysteries (both of which get resolved in the end) and the complications of Rebus’ problematic past make this book an enjoyable and compelling read.
OVERALL RATING: 4.5 STARS.
“In a House of Lies” is the latest Rankin mystery. Rebus has been retired for several years now so DI Clarke is the primary investigator of a case which revolves around the discovery of a car with a desiccated body with handcuffed ankles in the boot (trunk). The case involves Sir Adrian Brand, a prominent real estate developer, and Jackie Ness, a producer of low-quality, cheap movies who have feuded for years. When the body turns out to be identified as an openly gay private investigator who had disappeared after meeting with Ness and had been dating the son of an Edinburgh cop, the corrupt mistakes of the missing person investigation conducted by Rebus and his contemporaries are brought to the fore. This attracts Fox’s boss, who sends him back to Edinburgh to review the old files.
However, this being Rankin of course there’s more plot threads. This time that involves an open and shut case of a teenaged high school dropout who was convicted last year of murdering his Queen Bee girlfriend but Clarke is convinced by the boy’s uncle to take another look in hopes of getting the uncle to help her take down some corrupt Internal Affairs cops who had targeted her before. She passes the case on to Rebus (something to keep him occupied instead of interfering with her investigation of his old missing person case which turned into her dead body in the trunk case) and the reader gets to enjoy Rebus’s unique methods of unraveling the motives and secrets of a murderer. The truth about what happened is both surprising and heart-breaking, raising the question of whether it is always better for the truth to come out.
In a House of Lies” is another excellent John Rebus mystery, even though it also stars DI Clarke and Malcolm Fox. The British police procedural aspects are very familiar but the mysteries (both of which get resolved in the end) and the complications of Rebus’ problematic past make this book an enjoyable and compelling read.
OVERALL RATING: 4.5 STARS.
December 31, 2018
A crime read treat!
A slow start but really heated up as Rebus orchestrates in the background. A dead body missing for some years is found in a rusty burnt out car, the ACU: Police Scotland’s Anti-Corruption Unit is still on the tail of Siobhan Clarke, dirty cops are in full bloom and then there's Rebus lending a hand. A skeleton in situ and skeletons in the closet make for an interesting read.
Catching the threads and pulling them together is a challenge and in the end our man Rebus stitches them all up.
A NetGalley ARC
A slow start but really heated up as Rebus orchestrates in the background. A dead body missing for some years is found in a rusty burnt out car, the ACU: Police Scotland’s Anti-Corruption Unit is still on the tail of Siobhan Clarke, dirty cops are in full bloom and then there's Rebus lending a hand. A skeleton in situ and skeletons in the closet make for an interesting read.
Catching the threads and pulling them together is a challenge and in the end our man Rebus stitches them all up.
A NetGalley ARC
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