Revisiting Rebus's early years.

Only 3 stars cuz I didn't buy the ending. Determine the killer because of some speaking expressions... It's way too weak.

During the introduction to this edition of Ian Rankin's third Rebus novel, the author explains how he was living in London at the time he was putting the story together – giving him the idea of our hero detective having to pound the streets of a different city for a change.
Which was probably a better idea in Rankin's head, because what we end up with is three stories in one, with no clear sense of which is the main plot.
First up, we have a 'straightforward' murder mystery with a serial killer.
Then we have a man out of place, washed up on a not-so-foreign shore, a stranger in a familiar land.
Then we have, for added fun and colour, some of Rebus' personal life thrown in. As if he didn't have enough going on, his ex-wife and daughter now live in the city he has been sent to. So he deals with that as well.
He's in for a busy week.
On the murder front, Rankin again shows his mettle, creating a killer that is both complex and hard to track down – both for him and the reader. Red herrings abound, and there may have been a small cheer when I twigged I'd solved it a few pages before Rebus did.
But the good work on the killer front gets lost in the froth and spittle of England's capital.
As well as one too many street names getting mentioned, the institutional racism Rebus' faces either needs bringing more t0 the fore for greater impact or needed parking to the side and being revisited in a tale where it was the main issue.
When tangled up with the personal matters, which also get dragged into the main investigation, the whole thing starts to feel like a ball of wool. Fuzzy, tangled, and the only reason to keep going is you know the end is there somewhere.
And it's worth pushing through. Because from this messy, baggy mid-section Rankin suddenly snaps into action and brings everything together in a sharp, smart conclusion.
Did we need the car chase? No, probably not, but the adrenalin rush was worth it.
Not Rankin's or Rebus' finest hour, but enough goodwill has been built up – even this early on – that you can forgive a small stumble.

3.5 stars

My assault on this series' backlist continues. Lordie, can this really be 25 years old?

It's a shame I'm giving up on the Rebus series in perpetuity for its sheer unbridled mediocrity, because to its credit, it has been improving. Knots and Crosses was perhaps the most generic police procedural of all time, and Hide and Seek was a thematically tight story with bizarre homophobia and terrible plotting.

Tooth and Nail is just...medicore. It's a standard stock crime novel, except Rankin's best ability as a writer- setting atmospheres- elevates it above that slightly. The plot is nothing special; in fact, some elements feel wholesale lifted straight out of Red Dragon and The Silence of the Lambs, right down to the ridiciously offensive portrayal of gender identity.

Rebus being in hostile territory is a fairly decent hook, but quickly disintegrates as the only real antagonism he faces is from a singular one-dimensional arsehole while everybody else is perfectly reasonable to him. Well, apart from when his "Watson" DC George Flight gets into random arguments with him for no other reason than to prologue the book with contrived conflicts.

I found the answer to the murder mystery wholly unsatisfying and borderline moronic; the whole thing felt less like a genuinely earned twist and more the author just taking the piss by making the mystery impossible to solve. The killer's stock "abused as a child" background seems built entirely around a stupid gimmick rather than anything resembling character depth.

There are, at least, a few scant redeeming moments. A character introduced in the climax manages to be by far the most interesting and funny and I wish he had been in it more, and again Rankin's ability to build bleak cityscapes is fantastic. Also Rebus actually, y'know, solves the mystery himself instead of sitting around with his thumb up his crack until someone elsee just tells him the resolution like in the first two books.

I can't say I particularly enjoyed the first three Rebus books, which is a shame because I've met the author in real life and he was a lovely bloke. Anyway. 4/10

‘Tooth and Nail’ by Ian Rankin is number three in the Edinburgh’s Inspector John Rebus series of mysteries. I wish all mysteries could have endings like this book! Loved it! Keystone Kops would have optioned the rights to vid it.

Rebus has been asked to go to London. He is representing Lothian and Borders Police, or as John's boss put it, ""No fuck ups, John."" Rebus has unexpectedly become a reputed expert on serial murderers although he truly feels mystified by why anyone would think that, especially the London police, and especially since the cases that apparently this new reputation is based on wasn't that in his opinion. Yet, here he is.

A killer is killing middle-aged women in a monstrous fashion involving biting and knives. Early days, but already four bodies with the recognized modus operandi have turned up. The press are going bonkers, already calling the murderer "the Wolfman." The only Englishman showing him any respect, faint as it is, is Detective Inspector George Flight.

Rebus finds time to visit his ex-wife Rhona in her new London flat to see his daughter, Samantha. Both women look terrifically good and happy he morosely notices. He also meets Samantha's lout of a boyfriend who he hates on sight.

FYTP.

This novel is fast-paced and a very exciting mystery! But there are graphic scenes, so sensitive readers beware. The series is very popular and in my opinion, has aged well despite it's age (book one is [b:Knots and Crosses|634407|Knots and Crosses (Inspector Rebus, #1)|Ian Rankin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1388781809l/634407._SY75_.jpg|3127921], published in 1987). Highly recommended.

This book was gorier than I was expected and I was about to drop it. There wasn't a lot of gore. It was the thought of the gore and the evil that got to me. However, I couldn't drop the book. The writing kept me going. Rankin is a good writer - no doubt about that, and I wanted to read about Rebus and how he coped with life. There really was a lot more of that than of the murders themselves. I guess reading this just after reading some Shetland mysteries from Ann Cleeves was a contrast that felt uncomfortable at first. Maybe it deserves a 4-star ranking, but I gave it 3, which is not really bad at all.

Spoiler

The ending was a bit of a surprise. I almost didn't believe it and thought Rebus would be in real trouble now. Definitely a wild and crazy ending worthy of some action movie. Suddenly, I couldn't put the book down and read it through to the end. As I said, Rankin knows how to write. :) Still, a tiny part of me thought the ending was a bit over the top and that decided the 3-stars for me.