Strip Jack

This is the 4th book in Ian Rankin's series about Detective Inspector John Rebus, set in Edinburgh and is the best so far. I read series in order, so character development makes sense: book 1 is Knots and Crosses, 2 is Hide and Seek and 3 is Tooth and Nail. This book inspired me to keep on reading late at night, which is high praise from me. Rebus solves complicated crimes and debates about where his relationship with Dr. Patience Aitken is going. Stolen rare books, Gregor Jack who is a respected MP caught in a brothel, two murdered women and an intriguing group of childhood friends all grown up who are still friends and enjoy wild secret parties together. These elements combine to create a book I highly recommend.

This is my first Ian Rankin novel. Although I find the TV version of Rebus (BBC) interesting and stylish, the episodes are very moody, dark and gristly. I was a little worried that the book would be the same way, however, it was excellent, witty and complicated! The reader took a little getting used to, but I got into it and enjoyed it.I am giving it 4 stars instead of five because I thought the ending was good, but not great.Another reviewer refers to the "new, mellower" Rebus, so maybe the earlier works are violent. I can only say that I will keep on reading Rankin!

As Ian Rankin's series progresses, Detective Inspector John Rebus is becoming more and more likable. This time he's trying to solve the murder of a local MP's wife. He comes up against the usual brick walls put up by superior officers on the way to solving the case, but in this book for the first time, he seems to have made a friend in the force in young DS Brian Holmes.I'm finding the Insector John Rebus books even more enjoyable since the newer, mellow John Rebus has been developed.A wonderful British police procedural full of wit and glint-in-the-eye humour.

Ian Rankin once again proves that he is amongst the best, if not the best writer of Crime Fiction in the world. Strip Jack has all the twists and turns that make Ian Rankin's books unputdownable. The plot, MP wife's suspicious disappearance and subsequent murder, moves along really well. The numerous sub-plots, unlike in some stories, actually help the book to move along rather than detract from the main story. As usual all the plot lines are integral to the story. All in all an excellent addition to the Rebus series, if you like good British Detective fiction (and who doesn't, it is the best after all) this is a must for your library.

I cannot believe that the reader from Chicago found this book so Bad. I however enjoyed it hugely. This was the first Inspector Rebus novel I read, and I'm looking forward to read a lot more. With out spoiling the novel, its about a MP who is caught in a brothel whos wife is murdered. If you like novels with twists and turns and masses of tension and touches of humour then you will love this book.