Krishna
This is my first book by this author and therefore the first book in the series featuring Rebus. I did not know what to make of it until well into the story. Finally, I decided that I like it for the local colour, the good descriptions including the police politics and the devil may care attitude of the central detective Rebus.
This is part of the Inspector Rebus series that Ian Rankin is famous for. This is my first book by the author.
The story starts with the boyfriend in a missing girl case, David Costello, being interviewed by Rebus. The girl in question is Ms Philippa Balfour. Her rich parents had given her an expensive flat, to which David was a frequent visitor before her disappearance. Philippa, “Flip” to her friends, had gone missing for two days.
The boyfriend seems genuinely miserable, and realizes that suspicion is bound to fall on him, especially since they had a serious row just a few days before. But is his sympathy an act? Rebus wonders.
The story is mixed with office politics and both are interestingly told. You learn of the misjudgement by Rebus and he being chewed out by Gill who is now his boss but was his partner earlier. The interesting characters are also described in the interrogations by Rebus and his partner Siobhan. For instance a very technical (nerdy) retired professor who was the an earlier acquaintance of Rebus; he was his coroner earlier but a possible witness in the current investigation. He is given to flowery language and comes across as pompous.
There is Gill Templar, who was a peer of Rebus and an ex girlfriend to boot but was now promoted to be his boss and there is this awkward relationship where Rebus has to be reminded that Ginny is now superior to him.
The nice thing about Rankin is that he mixes the mystery with other personally interesting details of the cop life. The cop politics, the promotion of peers so they become superiors; the mistakes made by even the best – Rebus – and the fact that he got chewed up for it; his disagreement about who was promoted to fill the vacant job – all of it ring true and add some layers to an already interesting story.
While Siobhan, a partner of Rebus, looks into getting in touch with an email internet gamer who seemed to be in contact with Philippa and goes investigating online games as the person Quizmaster refuses to identify himself (or herself, maybe?)
Rebus is sent to The Falls to investigate a doll found there – a small girl in a coffin – to see if there is a possible connection to Philippa’s disappearance. He meets Philippa’s mother Holly, who seems to disregard his advice in not talking to the media about the doll found.
However, Jenny, a person who found several of these items takes him to the Falls to investigate. The story moves slowly, with people making very little progress. But the atmosphere – genuine Scottish environments – reduce the boredom that would be created.
Meanwhile Siobhan follows clues of the quizmaster with the help of a colleague. They solve the first two clues.
Meanwhile Rebus is on the hunt to collect the coffins. Yeah, I know. Thoroughly slowburn. However, the personal side of people – Ewlyn who Rebus requested as an assistant fully devastated by her own disastrous performance in front of the press that she refuses to believe that she is any good in investigations; the Scots in all characters coming out – tea and lots and lots of drinks even on ordinary days; the budding interest between Rebus and Jenna…. Just to name a few. This and the office politics keeps the story going even though nothing much seems to happen!
They keep going on, collecting toy coffins left earlier, finding that the one with the latest case does not match the others and wondering if they should stop connecting them, and so on. Yes, a very slow burn.
Not much happens except a deep view of the lives of the policemen and the slow methodical process of sleuthing, which is probably closer to reality than the high adrenaline stories of James Bond, Jack Reacher and their ilk.
Meanwhile, Grant who is helping Siobahn in solving riddles, forces himself and tries to force kiss her, which she resists and is absolutely devastated that Rebus watched the scene!
They finally take the whole issue of the quiz to Gill.
Meanwhile, the place of the fourth clue turns out (coincidentally?) the place where Flip’s body was discovered by a hiker and the police got Flip’s father to positively identify the body as the daughter’s.
When they realize that Flip was first rendered unconscious and then murdered through strangulation, suspicion falls on David, and then a doctor friend of Flips. Both of them are questioned. (Yes, still slow burning!)
Siobhan meanwhile keeps after the Quizmaster.
The story finally moves a bit faster. Steve Holly, the sneaky reporter seems to have learnt everything about the investigation. Crawley is furious and reads the riot act to the group. Realizing that Ellen Wylie is the one who probably revealed the secrets in frustration, Rebus falls on the sword and is temporarily relieved of his duty for his pains – to the shock of Siobhan, Gill and Ellen herself.
Meanwhile, Siobahn’s team has cracked one of the accounts and that belonged to a friend of Flip – one who had cause for a grudge. A very intelligent medical student studying to be a coroner, named Claire.
She clams up in her interrogation immediately after realizing that the police have made the connection to her computer – for the game – and demands a lawyer.
The sleuths sleuth on. Jean goes to visit Claire’s house and sees accidentally that Claire has a flaring temper!
Meanwhile they learn that there was an illicit affair between Flip’s father’s business partner Marr and Flip – which is awkward because she is his goddaughter!
The story ends in a satisfying climax. The murderers are revealed – yes there is more than one and the final exposure is a nice little twist in the story. Of course I am not going to give away any spoilers!
In both cases there is a person who meets them alone when the fact that they are with a killer is revealed. In both cases this person who is trapped is rescued on time, in one case with a lot of injuries sustained.
But well ended – which is why this is a famous series, I guess.
I still say that this is a slow burning mystery and at the end, it ends satisfactorily.
6/10
== Krishna