Watchman

Ian Rankin is such a great writer and it is refreshing to read a novel which shows him in the early stages of the writing process. A great book, and a departure from his Rebus series, but you can feel that he was heading in that direction.

Reviewed by AJ Cooper for Reader Views (5/08) Miles Flint, the innocuous and quirky spy, always traveled around with the idea that someone was out to get him. His co-workers thought his behavior was a bit silly and somewhat unorthodox, always checking for bombs or planted bugs everywhere he went. His hobby of choice is the study of bugs, more specifically beetles. He is married and has a son away at school. Miles and his wife spend more time away from each other; when they are together things really do not seem to work anymore. Can their marriage survive the anguish ahead? His responsibility as a spy is to watch and listen and report back on these observations without taking any action or being observed. This all changes when Miles stops by work to inquire on a recent bombing and to make some calls. There is some activity on the phones, one of which is a person of interest setting up a meeting at a local hotel. Miles decides to go to the meeting place and observe first-hand. Everything was going smoothly until Miles is distracted by a beautiful woman and loses the man he is watching. He must now report this blunder to his boss and hope that nothing happens. Miles must now face the investigation and the repercussion of his actions. Who can he really trust or turn to? His wife does not know of his actual duties and his son doesn't either. He is forced to face the troubles ahead because of his rookie mistake. Many things happen and Miles is forced to travel to other countries to discover who is behind these crazy and deadly events. He is led down routes he thought he would never have to take and work with people he did not know he could trust. I really enjoyed the outcome of this book. The excitement of getting to the end of "Watchman" kept me on the edge. I was eager to turn the page to find out how Miles would come through, not only in his secret life, but also if he would be able to make things right with his wife. I would recommend this book to anyone that has an interest in intrigue and who wants a small glimpse into what may or may not happen in the world of spies. "Watchman" also shows how human nature and our own views can have a big impact on the outcome and perception of others.

Ian Rankin at his best. The Rebus storoes could be read all week without becoming mundane he truly is a great writer. If you like that genre look at a new Author called Conrad Jones and his novel Soft Target its fantastic. The best thriller I have read !!

Some reviews liken this to Len Deighton, but Rankin was clearly much more inspired by the ambivalent, grey-ish men of Le Carre and Greene. In fact the first part of the book, where a series of intelligence operations go suspiciously wrong and MI6 seems plagued by a mole, is pure Smiley's People and feels derivative. But then the writer Rebus fans will know starts to emerge from the pages and as Miles Flint, the central hardly-man, gets sent to Ireland to be disposed of, the book grows into something more original. It's always interesting to look back at a writer's early works, and Rankin is one who has consistantly grown and developed rather than a flash and burn writer peaking young. Watchman shows signs of all that is good in Rankin and at least the elements that are derivative are drawn from sources of the calibre of Greene and Le Carre. It's a sign of Rankin's youth at the time of writing that he allowed himself to make Flint's cuckolding so much like Smiley, and the big boss so much like control at the end of his days, but it doesn't diminish the pure thriller pleasure to be had. I also think it shows that Rankin himself knew Rebus to be a more original creation and chose to develop that series instead of going more deeply into spook central.

Ian Rankin first wrote this book in 1988, and it is re-released in 2003 with a new introduction by the author. This was his second novel, and it was novel of the times. A novel about the British Secret Service, a Spy or Watcher Service as called in the MI5 Surveillance Service.Miles Flint, a cynical, worldly-wise spy has spent twenty years in his trade. He is a professional voyeur who becomes a more ruthless activist during this novel. He is married to Sheila, whom he met while in college, and they have a son, Jack, who is off to the University of Scotland. Miles and Sheila's marriage was born in love but the lust has dissapated. They have become stranges who meet in the night. Jack has a good relationship with both mom and dad, but not at the same time. Miles is proud of his son but not much mention is made of the years that they all spent together.The action is fast paced in this book. Miles is part of the Latchkey group- surveilling an Arab with the codename, Latchkey. Someone was setting bombs all over London, and Latchkey was the prime suspect-it all goes bad when the suspect kills an Israeli official while Miles misses the clues. The Office is not happy with Miles and he is moved to a new job "Harvest". During this time, Miles understands that something is not quite "cricket". He fears a mole has infiltrated his section, and he proceeds methodically to find this person. As Miles develops his action plan and reads the files of all of those involved in the section, he understands that at the same time "they" are doing the same. No one is above suspicisionMiles goes home early one day and as he turns the corner he sees a man leaving his gate. The man has a fmailiar walk and Miles recognizes him as a colleague, Peter. He goes into his home and finds small clues that arise his suspicions that Sheila is having an affair. Miles deftly confronts his colleague , who admits to seeing Sheila, but only to talk. Miles leaves his wife and holes up in the watcher house- an empty home that is used for watching the group across the street. This turns sour and Miles decides to go home. He and Sheila unite and decide to start their marriage anew. Just as these decisions are made the phone rings.Miles is asked to go to Northern Ireland to accompany a group of soldiers while an arrest is made. This new job is a demotion and Miles knows that he must be careful and silent. The trip turns out to provide the clues and the answers Miles is looking for. He connects with a man in Northern Ireland who is also looking for answers and together they return to London. Their worlds are turned upside down. The action is fierce and brilliant. The MI5 Section and the Watchaman Section will never be the same.Ian Rankin's second book is fast paced, cutting quickly from one scene to the other. It wasn't until the middle of the book that I could put all he characters together. The characters were well developed and sometimes funny. A good book, not Ian Rankins greatest book, but