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A review by kahn_johnson
Tooth and Nail by Ian Rankin
3.0
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.
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.