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Inspector Rebus #6
Mortal Causes
Underneath the cobbled streets of Edinburgh's old Town are medieval stone cellars where a man could scream and never be heard. In mortal Causes, the tortured body of a young man is found hanging from a butcher's hook in one of these underground rooms. The tattoo on his wrist and a cryptic inscription scratched in the dirt suggest to Inspector John Rebus that this was an execution, but what man or men carried it out?
278 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
About the author
Ian Rankin
296 books6,013 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 531 reviews
March 4, 2022
What do you call a haircut in an asylum? A lunatic fringe.
It’s August and Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe is in full flow. It’s the largest arts festival in the world, so the city is brimming with people. Amongst the mayhem, or rather ‘below’ it, a gruesome murder has taken place. In the depths of the city sits a hidden street, long ago closed off and at each end and built over by subsequent generations. This hidden warren is now a tourist attraction but it’s temporarily closed due to some ongoing building work. Teenagers have found their way in though and have discovered a body. It’s been ‘six-packed’ (bullets through the ankles, knees and elbows) before a final killing shot was delivered. Does this suggest the involvement of a sectarian group? Could the IRA be implicated here? Rebus is soon on the scene and before long he’s joined by officers from the Scottish Crime Squad and Special Branch; it’s clear that there are concerns at a very high level.
This mid-series book was penned in the nineties. It’s not the best in the series, it’s convoluted and confusing at times, but in my view any book featuring Scotland’s finest flatfoot is worth catching. Legendary villain ‘Big Ger’ Cafferty makes an appearance (sufficient in itself to enrich any story), there’s rivalry and suspicion amongst the various police teams involved and there are, of course, many classic one-liners from Rebus himself.
Rankin will go on to write better stories, but compared to most crime fiction this book stands up very well. It’s rich in atmosphere and language and the Scottishness of it is completely enticing – it makes me want to jump on a ‘plane and experience, again, the very special character of this wonderful city. Thank goodness Rankin has just released another Rebus novel, the world would be a poorer place without the next adventure to look forward to.
It’s August and Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe is in full flow. It’s the largest arts festival in the world, so the city is brimming with people. Amongst the mayhem, or rather ‘below’ it, a gruesome murder has taken place. In the depths of the city sits a hidden street, long ago closed off and at each end and built over by subsequent generations. This hidden warren is now a tourist attraction but it’s temporarily closed due to some ongoing building work. Teenagers have found their way in though and have discovered a body. It’s been ‘six-packed’ (bullets through the ankles, knees and elbows) before a final killing shot was delivered. Does this suggest the involvement of a sectarian group? Could the IRA be implicated here? Rebus is soon on the scene and before long he’s joined by officers from the Scottish Crime Squad and Special Branch; it’s clear that there are concerns at a very high level.
This mid-series book was penned in the nineties. It’s not the best in the series, it’s convoluted and confusing at times, but in my view any book featuring Scotland’s finest flatfoot is worth catching. Legendary villain ‘Big Ger’ Cafferty makes an appearance (sufficient in itself to enrich any story), there’s rivalry and suspicion amongst the various police teams involved and there are, of course, many classic one-liners from Rebus himself.
Rankin will go on to write better stories, but compared to most crime fiction this book stands up very well. It’s rich in atmosphere and language and the Scottishness of it is completely enticing – it makes me want to jump on a ‘plane and experience, again, the very special character of this wonderful city. Thank goodness Rankin has just released another Rebus novel, the world would be a poorer place without the next adventure to look forward to.
June 30, 2019
Always solid. Always good. Always characterfull. I love my Rebus!
December 4, 2015
This is number 6 in the Rebus series and it is a good solid read. I admit I skimmed some of the detail about Scottish and Irish religion and politics but that did not spoil the story for me. Rebus is in a good place in this one and even seems to be enjoying his relationship with Patience some of the time. This will not last I am sure. They are patently not suited to each other! There's quite a lot of blood and gore and a good deal of police procedure which I enjoy. Altogether a fast, easy read and very enjoyable!
August 25, 2019
This is a good, well written book, but I didn’t fully understand the religious and political aspects of the plot. There were very many references made to things I could have googled had I cared enough to learn.
April 12, 2018
Good story, brings back some of the news from my youth. When all the news was about the IRA and various factions fighting.
To get back to the story, obviously set in Scotland but based on arms dealing and supply to IRA. Rebus, certainly seems to get beaten up more than usual in this one.
To get back to the story, obviously set in Scotland but based on arms dealing and supply to IRA. Rebus, certainly seems to get beaten up more than usual in this one.
November 4, 2017
Mortal Causes by Ian Rankin.
#6 Inspector Rebus.
Billy Cunningham is found beneath the streets of Edinburgh in a quarter of Mary King's Close. An area that was currently being renovated with plaster about to prove it. He had been slowly and methodically tortured beyond human endurance before a shot rang out that finally put an end to his suffering.
Inspector Rebus learns the identity of this latest victim as the only son of Big Ger Cafferty...a ruthless killer that Rebus had sent up to the big house a while back. Big Ger Cafferty was only the beginning of Rebus's troubles. Those soon to be uncovered troubles would do more than lead Rebus on the chase of his life; it would come close to leading him to his death.
Once again Ian Rankin brings Inspector Rebus to the forefront of the intense crime/mystery that cannot be reviled. The last third of this story cannot be put down. Most highly recommended.
#6 Inspector Rebus.
Billy Cunningham is found beneath the streets of Edinburgh in a quarter of Mary King's Close. An area that was currently being renovated with plaster about to prove it. He had been slowly and methodically tortured beyond human endurance before a shot rang out that finally put an end to his suffering.
Inspector Rebus learns the identity of this latest victim as the only son of Big Ger Cafferty...a ruthless killer that Rebus had sent up to the big house a while back. Big Ger Cafferty was only the beginning of Rebus's troubles. Those soon to be uncovered troubles would do more than lead Rebus on the chase of his life; it would come close to leading him to his death.
Once again Ian Rankin brings Inspector Rebus to the forefront of the intense crime/mystery that cannot be reviled. The last third of this story cannot be put down. Most highly recommended.
November 20, 2021
3.5 stars
Originally published 1994
I'm gradually filling in the series & finally reading some of the early ones I missed. Along with enjoying a good story, it's been interesting to follow the evolution of Rankin's style. On to the next one....
Originally published 1994
I'm gradually filling in the series & finally reading some of the early ones I missed. Along with enjoying a good story, it's been interesting to follow the evolution of Rankin's style. On to the next one....
September 28, 2023
Esta novela ha estado bien, interesante, entretenida según se avanza en la serie los libros son mejores y los personajes van ganando en profundidad. Me gusta mucho Rebus me parece un personaje muy completo y muy complejo.
Respecto a la trama es bastante compleja, tanto que varias veces me he perdido sobre si algún personaje era católico, protestante, unionista o qué.....por eso es la puntuación baja.
Respecto a la trama es bastante compleja, tanto que varias veces me he perdido sobre si algún personaje era católico, protestante, unionista o qué.....por eso es la puntuación baja.
March 7, 2022
Just what a Rebus thriller usually is. A page turner set to explore the nooks and crannies of Edinburgh.
April 26, 2016
If you want a clearly written and gritty mystery, you can't go far wrong with the Inspector Rebus series by Ian Rankin. The books are short and intense and, as an American, the police work in Scotland is interesting. This particular book takes place during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and involves terrorism and organized crime. Very enjoyable and I will definitely continue with this series.
November 4, 2016
John Rebus must be my all time favourite detective, and these earlier books are brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed this and would certainly recommend to all police procedural lovers out there.
April 14, 2018
5/10
If you don’t enjoy the narration of an audiobook you’ve only yourself to blame. They let you have a 5 minute preview before you purchase it so really who’s fault is it? Mine and only mine.
The story wasn’t anything special and it touched upon a topic which didn’t interest me and I didn’t know much of the history of it, due to said lack of interest, so that was a double whammy. I guess when the odds are stacked against something it’s just not meant to be.
I like the series and love Edinburgh. But some series are meant to be read and some are meant to be read to you. This is one which is meant to be read. I didn’t like the narrator and found it hard to follow at times. The story irked me due to the political/religion aspect to it but things were lost long before that. I’ll only be reading this series going forwards.
If you don’t enjoy the narration of an audiobook you’ve only yourself to blame. They let you have a 5 minute preview before you purchase it so really who’s fault is it? Mine and only mine.
The story wasn’t anything special and it touched upon a topic which didn’t interest me and I didn’t know much of the history of it, due to said lack of interest, so that was a double whammy. I guess when the odds are stacked against something it’s just not meant to be.
I like the series and love Edinburgh. But some series are meant to be read and some are meant to be read to you. This is one which is meant to be read. I didn’t like the narrator and found it hard to follow at times. The story irked me due to the political/religion aspect to it but things were lost long before that. I’ll only be reading this series going forwards.
September 19, 2021
Another enjoyable read. Gallows humor, Big Ger Cafferty makes an appearance. The story is set during the Edinburgh Festival and is built around sectarian violence. Imported from Northern Ireland to Scotland. The Catholic versus the Protestant.
A young man is found brutally tortured and murdered beneath the High Street of Edinburgh in St Marys Close an underground complex of houses, shops and streets. Rebus investigation leads him to the Gar-B estate a slum area of Edinburgh.
The Special Branch becomes involved as guns may be being smuggled. More murders, a country and western bar, links to the past, a gangland boss after revenge and Rebus even had time to meet a Glen Close wannabe who causes him problems.
I think Rankin maybe could have left out the crazy admirer. The sectarian troubles was a good theme and the continuing complex relationship with Cafferty is a head scratcher.
Interesting that Mortal is a Scottish euphemism for drunkenness and better explains the title.
A young man is found brutally tortured and murdered beneath the High Street of Edinburgh in St Marys Close an underground complex of houses, shops and streets. Rebus investigation leads him to the Gar-B estate a slum area of Edinburgh.
The Special Branch becomes involved as guns may be being smuggled. More murders, a country and western bar, links to the past, a gangland boss after revenge and Rebus even had time to meet a Glen Close wannabe who causes him problems.
I think Rankin maybe could have left out the crazy admirer. The sectarian troubles was a good theme and the continuing complex relationship with Cafferty is a head scratcher.
Interesting that Mortal is a Scottish euphemism for drunkenness and better explains the title.
May 10, 2018
Bloody excellent, Rankin never fails to please. Another gripping, vicious case for Rebus as it dawns on him that he’s not just dealing with one brutal killing, but facing the possibility of a terrorist group that intends to rain blood on Edinburgh. Hard hitting, fast paced and with a narrative that twists all over the place, crime fiction at it’s best.
April 13, 2020
Inspector Rebus mystery No. 6: A corpse hanging from a butcher's hook under the cobbled streets of Edinburgh kicks of this mystery, when Rebus suspects that this was more than murder... it was an execution! Rebus undertakes a complex trek through the world of Sectarianism during the Edinburgh Festival! 5 out of 12
December 22, 2020
3,5 / 5
İskoç ve İrlanda tarihi hakkında pek bir bilgim olmadığı için bazı konuların detaylarını anlamakta, takip etmekte zorlandım. Ama yine de güzel ve akıcı bir kurguydu.
İskoç ve İrlanda tarihi hakkında pek bir bilgim olmadığı için bazı konuların detaylarını anlamakta, takip etmekte zorlandım. Ama yine de güzel ve akıcı bir kurguydu.
March 9, 2011
Reading Rebus novels in whatever order I find them is not doing Rankin's work any favour, but at least I've put off reading the final book until I've got to the others. The fact that some Rebus novels are brilliant while others are simply okay is emphasised by my scattershot approach. Mortal Causes is not one of the stronger Rebus mysteries.
Sectarian violence as the backdrop makes for an interesting through line but it feels that Rankin did not do as much as he could have to construct the novel. Twist characters are not developed enough beforehand for their twists to have much weight or shock value, and some key characters have such walk-on roles that when they become important later on I had trouble remembering who they were.
On the home front, Rebus gets caught up with a psychotic bit on the side that goes nowhere. In fact, Rebus' interpersonal relations with everyone on a private level are undercooked. Patience, his girlfriend, gets short shrift and, this being an early book, Siobhan isn't a character so much as she is a name. The part where she tells Rebus that who she sees a play with is none of his business really jarred.
Mortal Causes is ultimately functional Rebus, but written with too light a touch for what Rankin normally aims for: we get an idea of crimes and of society, but not of character - and Rebus without Rebus is not Rebus at all.
Sectarian violence as the backdrop makes for an interesting through line but it feels that Rankin did not do as much as he could have to construct the novel. Twist characters are not developed enough beforehand for their twists to have much weight or shock value, and some key characters have such walk-on roles that when they become important later on I had trouble remembering who they were.
On the home front, Rebus gets caught up with a psychotic bit on the side that goes nowhere. In fact, Rebus' interpersonal relations with everyone on a private level are undercooked. Patience, his girlfriend, gets short shrift and, this being an early book, Siobhan isn't a character so much as she is a name. The part where she tells Rebus that who she sees a play with is none of his business really jarred.
Mortal Causes is ultimately functional Rebus, but written with too light a touch for what Rankin normally aims for: we get an idea of crimes and of society, but not of character - and Rebus without Rebus is not Rebus at all.
November 30, 2019
iyi maceralardan biriydi. yine bilmediğim tonla şey öğrendim. iskoçya'da ve irlanda'da hâlâ bu kadar güçlü bir katolik-protestan çatışması olduğunu bilmiyordum mesela. ftp, fuck the pope demekmiş ve protestanlar arasında çok yaygınmış. neyse dinleri insanlar üzerinde kullanmaktan bıkmayan savaş seviciler çok fakir bir gettodaki protestan gençleri işleyince her şey nasıl boka sarıyor görüyoruz. işid'e katılmak gibi görülebilir aslında. para, güç... bir tek kadınlar yok. ve tabii ki bu radikalleşmiş çetede bir ruh hastası var, iplerini elinde tutanların bile öngöremeyeceği şeyler yapan.
işin içinde kimler kimler yok ki... kirli polisler, amerikan zenginleri, hem ira'ya hem iskoçlara silah satanlar (aaa ne tanıdık). neyse rebus'umuz bolca dayak yiyerek kan revan içinde çözüyor olayı ama iç savaş kapıda.
işin içinde kimler kimler yok ki... kirli polisler, amerikan zenginleri, hem ira'ya hem iskoçlara silah satanlar (aaa ne tanıdık). neyse rebus'umuz bolca dayak yiyerek kan revan içinde çözüyor olayı ama iç savaş kapıda.
August 3, 2013
Loved the opening of this book, creepy and disturbing. Having just visited the now subterranean Mary King Close, I couldn't think of a better site for a gruesome murder. Appreciated Rebus' work with the Special Branch in this one; gave him yet another group of officers to antagonize. Hope I see Abernethy in a later book as found the relationship between him and Rebus interesting and would like to see more of it. Very good plot in this book although a bit convoluted at times especially with all the acronyms. Although I appreciated seeing Big Ger Cafferty back again, the way he was brought in was a bit contrived. Liked the Fatal Attraction twist with the more than a little bit psychotic prosecutor. Overall another excellent story by Ian Rankin.
February 23, 2016
Excellent crime novel on many levels.
A young man is found murdered in Mary King's Close. He turns out to have major criminal connections which will cause a headache for John Rebus in more ways than one.
One of the major threads of the story involves extremist nationalists wanting an independent Scotland. Even though the book is set in the early 1990s, this has resonance with the Scottish referendum, and with the current Brexit discussions.
Excellent book. Highly recommended.
A young man is found murdered in Mary King's Close. He turns out to have major criminal connections which will cause a headache for John Rebus in more ways than one.
One of the major threads of the story involves extremist nationalists wanting an independent Scotland. Even though the book is set in the early 1990s, this has resonance with the Scottish referendum, and with the current Brexit discussions.
Excellent book. Highly recommended.
March 28, 2015
The 6th book in the Inspector Rebus series of books by Ian Rankin. I hadn't read any Ian Rankins books for sometime and decided to delve back into them and if I am honest I was a little disappointed with this one. I am a fan of Rebus and Ian Rankin in particular but this story failed to grip me. It is well written and the strong characters are all there but not quite enough for me.
August 3, 2011
Excellent. Rankin is the best British crime writer ever.
February 25, 2016
It’s Edinburgh Festival time and a body is found in a relatively unknown area of the city; an abandoned street under the current street. It’s hung in the old butcher shop; with a six pack (a bullet in each joint) but this one has an extra in the head. Kneecapping (with just two shots) is an old IRA (green and catholic) thing and a six shot is a Loyalist (orange and protestant) punishment for traitors. But the victim is just a kid. Even here in Scotland, the football teams split along sectarian lines and colours. The word ‘nemo’ is written in the dust.
Rebus is called in as he used to serve in Belfast but he’s never seen a seven shot one before. He’s sent to the Scottish office of London special branch as a liaison and he’s almost certain they don’t want him there. But he loves being between offices where neither superior officer knows where he is. The priest he talks to occasionally asks him to check out the community centre in the housing estate GarB. It started as a church project but has split along sectarian lines and the church can’t shut it down. Davey Soutar, shirtless with coat, is their erstwhile Loyalist leader - and they don’t like cops on the estate. Polis, as they call them.
When the dead kid, Billy, turns out to be a both a member of this club and a by blow of the biggest standover man in the area, Big Ger Cafferty, Rebus’ life gains two followers who report and ‘encourage him’ with their fists when Big Ger doesn’t think he’s working hard enough. Until he has time to break out of prison and then he’ll probably beat up Rebus on his own.
***
The Sword and Shield group from book 1 is back. Billy has a homemade tattoo of SaS on his arm and two flat-mates who work in the computer business. The next victim is an undercover cop, the body left in yet another basement under repair. A coincidence?
Marie Henderson, the local journalist, has gone independent and has a big story with an American writer but she and Rebus swap some information.
The trail stretches to the US and to Ireland with their area being a conduit for arms and money laundered through local businesses like Big Ger’s salmon farm.
Meanwhile Rebus has got himself involved with a woman who is a little highly strung and Patience is losing hers.
There is a LOT of local slang and more than a few English quirks. Confusing for some readers.
***
Somehow, Rebus works it all out and keeps running until he looks like the proverbial punching bag. Patience will patch him up.
4 stars
Rebus is called in as he used to serve in Belfast but he’s never seen a seven shot one before. He’s sent to the Scottish office of London special branch as a liaison and he’s almost certain they don’t want him there. But he loves being between offices where neither superior officer knows where he is. The priest he talks to occasionally asks him to check out the community centre in the housing estate GarB. It started as a church project but has split along sectarian lines and the church can’t shut it down. Davey Soutar, shirtless with coat, is their erstwhile Loyalist leader - and they don’t like cops on the estate. Polis, as they call them.
When the dead kid, Billy, turns out to be a both a member of this club and a by blow of the biggest standover man in the area, Big Ger Cafferty, Rebus’ life gains two followers who report and ‘encourage him’ with their fists when Big Ger doesn’t think he’s working hard enough. Until he has time to break out of prison and then he’ll probably beat up Rebus on his own.
***
The Sword and Shield group from book 1 is back. Billy has a homemade tattoo of SaS on his arm and two flat-mates who work in the computer business. The next victim is an undercover cop, the body left in yet another basement under repair. A coincidence?
Marie Henderson, the local journalist, has gone independent and has a big story with an American writer but she and Rebus swap some information.
The trail stretches to the US and to Ireland with their area being a conduit for arms and money laundered through local businesses like Big Ger’s salmon farm.
Meanwhile Rebus has got himself involved with a woman who is a little highly strung and Patience is losing hers.
There is a LOT of local slang and more than a few English quirks. Confusing for some readers.
***
Somehow, Rebus works it all out and keeps running until he looks like the proverbial punching bag. Patience will patch him up.
4 stars
October 25, 2009
I think there are 18 books in Rankin's Inspector John Rebus series. This is the one I read first. The series takes place in Edinburgh--which is cold, rainy, dark and dour for much of the year, with a nice stiff wind blowing in from the North Sea in the winter. It's a very old city, with the oldest part having been built on top of ruins from centuries past. (which you can go down to and visit) And Edinburgh's got its very own Scottish castle on a hill, and a mini-mountain right in town called Arthur's Seat. And a great number of tiny pubs....
So Edinburgh is most definitely a character in the books. Rebus is honest, vengeful, obsessive, lonely, full of smart remarks, disrespectful to power and authority, oppositional, gallant, very funny, an alcoholic, and a champion of the powerless against those who prey on them.
This particular book in the series has him traveling to Northern Ireland to solve a case. In other books he goes to London (and realizes the English police can't always understand his heavy accent), the Shetlands, Jura (a forbidding island where I think George Orwell wrote 1984) and other places that after reading about you might want to visit. Unfortunately without Rebus as a guide to clue you in to the "real" story...
So Edinburgh is most definitely a character in the books. Rebus is honest, vengeful, obsessive, lonely, full of smart remarks, disrespectful to power and authority, oppositional, gallant, very funny, an alcoholic, and a champion of the powerless against those who prey on them.
This particular book in the series has him traveling to Northern Ireland to solve a case. In other books he goes to London (and realizes the English police can't always understand his heavy accent), the Shetlands, Jura (a forbidding island where I think George Orwell wrote 1984) and other places that after reading about you might want to visit. Unfortunately without Rebus as a guide to clue you in to the "real" story...
April 12, 2011
Its been a while since the last Rebus Mystery and I have no idea why I took so long. Damn good
A body is found during the Edinburgh fringe festival. Rebus notes that the injuries point to a
paramilitary group. Rebus is loaned to the special police crew investigating terrorism. Rebus uses
this to his advantage and spends most of his time investigating the murder on his own.
His investigation leads him to an criminal he put away previously, a group out of the Gar-B
housing projects a bar owner and a couple of computer technicians.
The books starts out slow and picks up. I really enjoy how Rankin starts us out with nothing, a body
in a basement and through to the final resolution. The book feels real. Rebus is a older cop prone to have a drink, he does seem to have become a punching bag in this installment.
While I had trouble keeping track of some of the characters, a couple of the culprits we only see
once or twice. Part of the charm of this book is Edinburgh. I suspect that if I actually kept track
of the locations if I ever get to Scotland I could probably make out as a local.
A funny note, there is a scene where they are talking about "new" computers and one of the
characters asks if it has a 486. I had to check when the book was published, 1994. My how times
have changed
A body is found during the Edinburgh fringe festival. Rebus notes that the injuries point to a
paramilitary group. Rebus is loaned to the special police crew investigating terrorism. Rebus uses
this to his advantage and spends most of his time investigating the murder on his own.
His investigation leads him to an criminal he put away previously, a group out of the Gar-B
housing projects a bar owner and a couple of computer technicians.
The books starts out slow and picks up. I really enjoy how Rankin starts us out with nothing, a body
in a basement and through to the final resolution. The book feels real. Rebus is a older cop prone to have a drink, he does seem to have become a punching bag in this installment.
While I had trouble keeping track of some of the characters, a couple of the culprits we only see
once or twice. Part of the charm of this book is Edinburgh. I suspect that if I actually kept track
of the locations if I ever get to Scotland I could probably make out as a local.
A funny note, there is a scene where they are talking about "new" computers and one of the
characters asks if it has a 486. I had to check when the book was published, 1994. My how times
have changed
November 4, 2015
For fans of Inspector Rebus, #6 in the series has Rebus, still stringing along his girlfriend Dr Patience, in the middle of a Scottish/Ulster gun running operation. Rebus gets up close with the locals in a rough housing project and also tangles with his most dangerous adversary, crime boss Big Ger Cafferty.
Perhaps in my top 3 Rankin books so far. Not overly long and it is well paced. Edinburgh stars again, can't remember if there was an obligatory Rolling Stones shout out.
Perhaps in my top 3 Rankin books so far. Not overly long and it is well paced. Edinburgh stars again, can't remember if there was an obligatory Rolling Stones shout out.
August 10, 2008
Just gritty enough to make me feel dangerous for reading it but not so much that I needed to shower afterwards.
July 28, 2011
It's been quite a long time since I read a Rebus novel and I really enjoyed getting to know the character again. I was surprised by how familiar I was with the supporting cast. I think this is the sixth book in the series and the cast has grown quite large but all the characters seemed well developed.
The most interesting part of the book for me was the continuing relationship between Rebus and the local gangster Big Ger Cafferty. They have a understanding of mutual respect and obviously see parts of themselves in each other but still repeatedly come into conflict. It will be interesting to see how this develops through the rest of the series.There is also a subplot about a female lawyer becoming a little obsessed with Rebus and causing trouble for him in his personal life. This provides a little relief from the darker parts of the story.
This book is quite a lot darker than I remember the others in the series being. There are several graphic murders and the sense of danger is very high. The paramilitary angle of the story really raises the stakes and gives the book a different feel to others in the series. Rebus also gets into quite a few fights which he almost never wins.
The only real criticism I have is that there are a lot of characters and with all the twists and turns in the story I sometimes felt a bit lost. By the end of the book though I had a good grasp on things and everything wrapped up in a very satisfying way.
Time to read the next one.
The most interesting part of the book for me was the continuing relationship between Rebus and the local gangster Big Ger Cafferty. They have a understanding of mutual respect and obviously see parts of themselves in each other but still repeatedly come into conflict. It will be interesting to see how this develops through the rest of the series.There is also a subplot about a female lawyer becoming a little obsessed with Rebus and causing trouble for him in his personal life. This provides a little relief from the darker parts of the story.
This book is quite a lot darker than I remember the others in the series being. There are several graphic murders and the sense of danger is very high. The paramilitary angle of the story really raises the stakes and gives the book a different feel to others in the series. Rebus also gets into quite a few fights which he almost never wins.
The only real criticism I have is that there are a lot of characters and with all the twists and turns in the story I sometimes felt a bit lost. By the end of the book though I had a good grasp on things and everything wrapped up in a very satisfying way.
Time to read the next one.
April 28, 2011
Ian Rankin is one of my favorite authors. His John Rebus series, set in Edinburgh, features a main character as dark as the Scottish landscape. Things are even darker than usual in Mortal Causes, which is set during the late summer Edinburgh festival. Usually, the worst the police have to worry about are pickpockets and the Can Gang, but this year the festival is under threat from terrorist groups with ties to the Irish and Scots separatists. Rebus and colleagues deal with this threat and the murders that may or may not be tied to it as the plot unfolds.
This book is one published about halfway through the series and Rebus is in a stable relationship for a change. However, as he's fighting off the terrorists and other malcontents, he's also faced with a woman who is so obsessed with him she risks breaking the law to get his attention. This is probably the weakest link in the plot, as the relationship between her and Rebus doesn't add much to the otherwise well developed story.
As is mostly the case in detective novels, everything comes out even in the end. The Scottish summer will soon turn into fall when real darkness descends upon a land so far north.
Overall, Mortal Causes is a satisfying read.
This book is one published about halfway through the series and Rebus is in a stable relationship for a change. However, as he's fighting off the terrorists and other malcontents, he's also faced with a woman who is so obsessed with him she risks breaking the law to get his attention. This is probably the weakest link in the plot, as the relationship between her and Rebus doesn't add much to the otherwise well developed story.
As is mostly the case in detective novels, everything comes out even in the end. The Scottish summer will soon turn into fall when real darkness descends upon a land so far north.
Overall, Mortal Causes is a satisfying read.
January 8, 2012
Just to get you into the mood of the book, the first scene in Mortal Causes is of a man being tortured to death. His body is found not long later in one of Edinburgh's underground streets, that was closed for building work. Inspector Rebus is soon on the case, but then the Scottish Crime Squad and also Special Branch from London are taking an interest. Is it connected to the bomb threats that have been coming in frequently recently? With the Edinburgh festival in full swing, there's even more pressure for quick results...[return][return]This is Ian Rankin's 6th Rebus novel, and like the others it is excellently written and a great read. Although you always want to know what happened and who was involved, you want to know more what Rebus is going to do (including what trouble he lands himself in!), and how he's going to find out what happened. This is a little different from many of his other books, as he spends quite a lot of time away from St. Leonards station, working from police headquarters at Fettes (where he is seconded to), so DS Holmes and Siobhan Clarke only make relatively brief appearances, which is a shame. Despite this, the book is at least as enjoyable as other Rebus novels.
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