Exit Music

Well, if it was, then it is a fine and fitting end. Although the cliffhanger tells us that we aren't going to be seeing that much less of Rebus. Rankin used the self imposed limitation of the last ten days of Rebus official career very well. The action is taut and well plotted and the descriptions of people, places, and things are spot-on. By now, Rebus is like an old friend who drops in for a short visit every year or so. You are always glad to see him, you get nostalgic over the good times you have had together, you are shocked by how old they have gotten, which reminds you of how old you are getting, you get annoyed by the same things they have always done, and you are sad whenever they have to leave. In this case, there is a finality to the departure, yet you are not sure if that finality is terminal. It is somewhat confusing. I thought the awkwardness depicted between Rebus and Clarke is well written and realistic. It is very tricky to describe the interaction between people who have known, liked, and hated each other for a long time, especially when a landmark is approaching in their relationship. The crimes being solved in this case was interesting but I thought some of the turns were a little too pat. That didn't stop me from enjoying the book, nor does it stop me from jonesing for more Rebus and Clarke.

Almost exactly two decades ago Ian Rankin's first Rebus novel, Knots and Crosses, began with the sentence, "The girl screamed once, only the once." Twenty years later and Rankin has used the same sentence to begin the last, as it did the first, of the Rebus books. DI John Rebus is retiring in November of 2006 and he and his erstwhile protégé, DS Siobhan Clarke, are working on clearing up Rebus' old cases, when a dissident Russian Poet is murdered in an apparent mugging right after he left an Edinburgh bar in which local crook and longtime Rebus nemesis Morris Gerald Cafferty had been drinking. Meanwhile Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko is dying in a London hospital, poisoned by person or persons unknown. Are the cases related? The poet was murdered during a time when the Edinburgh big wigs are hosting a group of potentially very large Russian investors and the brass wants this case wrapped up as quietly and delicately as possible. Then somebody attacks `Big Ger' Cafferty and the blame lands squarely on Rebus. Think he's gonna back off? Not a chance. Rebus and Clarke chase down leads that eventually take them to the Scottish Parliament and we all know how much politicians like to be investigated. And if you've read or learned anything at all about John Rebus, you know he does not take too well to authority and after being told for the umpteenth time to back off, Rebus remarks to himself, "It's not the underworld you need to worry about, it's the overworld." I have been reading Rebus right from the start and I find it hard to believe it's all over. Yes, he's retired, but Michael Connelly's brilliant character Detective Hyronamous Bosch retired, came back as a PI and we sure as all get out hope Mr. Rankin finds more for Rebus to do, because we're addicted. This book is as good as all the others and all the others have been great. Reviewed by Vesta Irene

First Sentence: The girl screamed once, only the once, but it was enough. DI John Rebus is one week from retirement. What begins as the murder of a Russian poet becomes much more complex. Does it involve the Russians meeting with Edinburgh real estate agents and bankers? How does it link with a second murder? What is the connection to Rebus' nemeses Ger Cafferty? When Rebus gets suspended, it's up to DS Siobhan Clark to work on the inside while Rebus keeps investigating from the outside. I put off reading this book because I was concerned as to how Rankin would close out Rebus' career. I need not have worried. This is quintessential Rebus who has given up almost everything in his life for his job. The case seemed to start off as a simple killing, but layers build upon layers and twists upon turns. Rankin has done such a fine job creating Rebus, he is very real. I don't always like him, but you know that is intentional. Rankin hasn't glamorized Edinburgh, as many authors do, but presents it as a city of people and problems as is any city, and he makes that city alive to us. For me, the ending was perfect and just the right touch. I'm anxious to see what Rankin does next, but I do sincerely hope Rebus reappears from time-to-time. Bravo, Mr. Rankin.

As usual, it's a great whodunit... I really liked the story, particularly Rebus and his upcoming retirement and the way that it affects his relationships with those around him. Rankin always manages to keep you interested and playing along with Rebus and Clarke trying to determine if you can figure it out before they do. Unfortunately, he doesn't introduce us to a character that helps explain the central murder until the last chapters which makes it anyone's guess as to how it happened up until the point he's explaining it. I always think that that's a bit of a cop-out. He also leaves a couple of key loose-ends VERY loose at the end and opens the door for follow-up tomes, even with Rebus retiring. Will Rankin's focus shift to Clarke? What happens to the questionable young cop? And Big Ger? Will he, won't he... Guess we'll have to wait.

Ian Rankin was born in the Kingdom of Fife in 1960. His list of books is now into the thirties and this book is number seventeen in his enormously popular Rebus series. He lives with his wife and two sons in Edinburgh. I have not read very many of Ian Rankin's novels, Inspector Rebus or otherwise. What I can say is that the two or three of his most recent novels that I have read have been extremely enjoyable. Exit Music set in Edinburgh is like a breath of fresh air after being fed a diet of American thrillers set in the smog filled streets of New York or San Francisco. The book opens with DI Rebus winding down and attempting to tie up any loose ends before his impending retirement, but then a murder takes place and retirement for Rebus seems just that little bit further away. The murder appears at first sight be a mugging gone wrong and involves the death of a Russian poet. The death coincides with the visit of a delegation of Russian businessmen. The politicians who run Edinburgh want the case cleaned up as quickly and quietly as possible. Rebus is not about to take his finger off the pulse just yet and the more he digs, the more convinced he becomes that this is not a random attack and this seems to be confirmed when a second killing takes place. This case is turning ugly and complicated. Why did it have to happen a few days before his retirement. That is the question Rebus keeps asking himself . . . ?