Who Is This Inspector Rebus?
Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin
Although I had not read his work before Resurrection Men, it did not take me long to become a Ian Rankin fan. There were clues along the way that there were more John Rebus tales out there, but imagine my delight when I found out that there were more than a dozen other titles.
That is how good a writer Ian Rankin is. Most novelists deep within a series would never take the time to set up their characters so that new readers can wade in to the story at any time. I apparently have been living in a dark cave somewhere because I had no idea how wildly successful the series had become.
Scotland, Law Enforcement and Music
Rankin does a superb job in his setting throughout cities in Scotland. Unlike the travelogue style used by Robert Ludlum, each city's attributes and ambience are described in the context of the story. The varying police ranks, likely to be unfamiliar too American audiences are also detailed in depth, as well as liberally used throughout the dialogue.
One other nice touch Rankin brings is the manner in which his characters communicate through music. No less than three characters express their feelings, moods and interests by referring to a song lyric or playing a specific recording. The idea seems ripped straight out of High Fidelity, but works well here. Rankin, the author, clearly has a passion for music and is able to express that passion as communication.
The familiar is also present in Resurrection Men. The story is a standard police procedural with a few twists. Readers will still find common elements such as the good veteran cop who bends too many rules, an old murder and plenty of undercover rousts and digging for clues.
The Plot In Exactly One Hundred Words
John Rebus is undercover to find crooked cops, but only Rebus and a senior administrator know that. Instead, an incident where Rebus throws a cup of coffee at his direct superior, lands him in a remedial program designed to reinvigorate cops gone astray. At Scotland Police College, Inspector Rebus must get close to his suspects while guarding his own secret and helping solve an old murder that may uncover part of his own hidden past.. Rebus also struggles to help Siobhan, his protégé and a great sexual tension foil, successfully solve her own case, which is colliding with his own.
What Works Well
The main characters, not just Rebus, but all of his continuing series characters, are exceptionally well written with only a few exceptions. There is enough action in Resurrection Men to keep a thriller fan happy, and enough solid police work to keep the detective fan happy. The various switchbacks and red herrings Rankin tosses into the stew make a tasty mystery that will leave readers constantly guessing.
What Doesn't Work As Well
Rankin does a fine job in deftly skirting many elements of the genre's formula, but slips a bit with his cardboard characterizations of the police psychologist and the friendly crook. That is the gripe I have with Resurrection Men, which seems to build up steam slowly and requires a bit of patience in the opening. Finally, although I was able to quickly sort out the various recurring characters, I often suspected that there was an in-gag or mention of previous occurrences that only serial readers would understand.
The Bottom Line, Dog Earred Pages and All
Despite the number of preceding volumes, new Rankin readers can easily begin their Rebus adventures starting with Resurrection Men. The mark of a strong series is the ability of any single story to stand on its own, and Ian Rankin delivers a fine mystery that is well written with outstanding characters and settings.
Five Things To Remember From This Review
1. There are multiple Inspector Rebus novels, but you can start here with no problem.
2. Don't know much about Scotland? You will.
3. Don't know much about police rank in Scotland? Ditto.
4. Give the story time. I found it a bit slow at first, but engrossing once the characters hooked me.
5. The remedial training for veteran police officers was a new and enjoyable twist for me.
