Saints of the Shadow Bible and Strip Jack, Ian Rankin
(3.5)
My friend let me borrow the first book in this review. A
few pages in, I realized it was actually the 19th book (yes, 19th)
in the Inspector Rebus series by Mr. Rankin. Since I had apparently missed so
much of the Inspector’s story, I decided to also read an earlier book in the
series (due to availability, I went with #4). I’ll start by noting that both
books are good detective stories with engaging characters and reasonable plots
– not to easy to detect and not too convoluted. The later work is smoother and
more interesting, with a better writing flow. It is unique in that it is the
second book in which Mr. Rankin has integrated the Internal Affairs hero
(Malcolm Fox) from his other book series. An interesting conceit that works
very well – a hard drinking, bends the rules detective paired with a teetotaling,
erudite IA agent who is paid to follow the rules. Both are likable characters that
end up working well together. Though I had to make some assumptions and guesses
(why is Rebus no longer an Inspector? What has become of his private life? Was
his boss his mentee?), ‘Saints…’ can be read as a stand-alone book and is quite
good. Overall I would recommend the Rebus series, though as with all prolific
detective stories, they will likely be formulaic. I don’t plan to dip too far
back in the series, but I will read a few of the recent ones and definitely pick
up the shorter Malcolm Fox series and give it a try!
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