Rating: 
Summary: A good choice for the Edgar!
Review: Another fine piece of work from Ian Rankin, one a handful of writers who's newest and latest I usually buy sight unseen. At this point in his career, I'm convinced that this chap isn't capable of writing a bad book. One of the great ironies here is that as a side effect of his job, the John Rebus character has become so wonderfully flawed that it's amazing he still has a job! You almost want the man to go ahead and retire so that he can stop drinking, relax and finally have a normal life. Hopefully, that will not happen anytime soon, at least not until some of his rebelliousness has worn off on DS Siobhan Clarke, who appears to be groomed as his protege. But, as others have pointed out, the later Rebus novels are on the long side, with frequent stretches of dead-end procedural work, as well as dull, slice-of-life tedium usually reserved for mainstream literature. And while the secondary characters are all very well done, there are now so many of them that even the author felt a need to list them in the beginning of the book. On the other hand, Resurrection Men contains more plot twists and surprises than usual, and overall, in my opinion, this is was a very good choice for the Edgar.
Rating:
Summary: A good choice for the Edgar!
Review: Another fine piece of work from Ian Rankin, one a handful of writers who's newest and latest I usually buy sight unseen. At this point in his career, I'm convinced that this chap isn't capable of writing a bad book. One of the great ironies here is that as a side effect of his job, the John Rebus character has become so wonderfully flawed that it's amazing he still has a job! You almost want the man to go ahead and retire so that he can stop drinking, relax and finally have a normal life. Hopefully, that will not happen anytime soon, at least not until some of his rebelliousness has worn off on DS Siobhan Clarke, who appears to be groomed as his protege. But, as others have pointed out, the later Rebus novels are on the long side, with frequent stretches of dead-end procedural work, as well as dull, slice-of-life tedium usually reserved for mainstream literature. And while the secondary characters are all very well done, there are now so many of them that even the author felt a need to list them in the beginning of the book. On the other hand, Resurrection Men contains more plot twists and surprises than usual, and overall, in my opinion, this is was a very good choice for the Edgar.
Rating: 
Summary: Well, 13 obviously isn't unlucky for Rankin....
Review: Detective Inspector Rebus has crossed the line. Never one for authority, this time he has gone too far. During a dispute over how to handle the investigation into the death of Edinburgh art dealer Edward Marber, Rebus throws a mug of coffee over the Chief Super, and is immediately suspended. He then faces his Last Chance Saloon, as he is sent back to Police College for punishment, to learn the foreign (to Rebus, at least) arts of discipline and respect for authority. He is placed with four other of the force's more unorthodox members, and as a training exercise they are given an unsolved case - the murder of Edinburgh low-life Rico Lomax - to have a deeper look at. However, it soon becomes apparent to Rebus that something incredibly fishy is going on, something that has to do with the real reason their superiors have asked them to investigate this case... Meanwhile, back in Edinburgh, Rebus' protégé DS Siobhan Clark is left to deal with the killing of the art dealer, and feels herself being thrown into uncertainty when the name of notorious gangster - and Rebus's nemesis - Morris Gerald Cafferty, recently released from prison, turns up. Is she ready to follow in Rebus's footsteps, and is she capable of contending with the possible new complexities of an already puzzling case? This, Rankin's 13th Rebus novel, is one of his very best. It boasts a brilliantly thick plot, true to previous form, more great characters, a tense yet blunt writing style, and of course Edinburgh, which continues to breath and pulse like a menacing giant. John Rebus is on absolutely wonderful form yet again in a complex, engrossing, and incredibly strong book, and DS Clarke is marvellous, becoming more and more like her boss every day. It is clear that Rankin is priming her to step into Rebus' shoes upon his retirement, which is surely not far away. And when Rankin does retire him to a more background role, reader's need not worry, as Clarke is an ideal replacement. I would recommend this book, indeed to entire series, the best currently being produced in Britain, to anyone who is a fan of brilliant crime novels. In the UK Rankin is a writing phenomena, sales of his books alone account for approximately 10% of the ENTIRE British crime market. And quite deservedly so. He's a brilliant crime writer whose talents eclipse those of even such greats as Michael Connelly (in my opinion), and Resurrection Men can only further cement his growing readership in the US. If there's any justice, Resurrection Men, this 13th in the rebus series, will be a best-seller all over America.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Great character development, brilliant plot developments, twisty endings, realistic settings. 435 pages holds your interest all the way through, this book follows after The Falls, the development of the supporting/background characters continues in believable and interesting fashion. The complexity of the plots that sometimes run parallel then may fold in on themselves, then unfold, is fascinating. A great detective story, fantastic writing. If you are in the mood to read two, read The Falls first and then this; however you can read this one on its own and be very pleased.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring !!
Review: I didnt like the novel at all. I can not believe that this novel received Edgar award. Story is boring and slow paced. *SPOILERS - BEGIN* There are bunch of sub-plots and at the end all of them, rather hastly, put together to provide a so called twist which didnt impress me at all. *SPOILERS - END*
Only character i liked was DS Sibhan Clarke who is a novice female detective trying to make her name in a male dominating profession. I dont think i will try Ian Rankin novel again.
Rating:
Summary: a dark, lively police procedural
Review: Inspector Rebus, the hero of this long running series, has been sent to a "police college" for rehab after an incident of insubordination. With four other detectives, he's assigned to work an old unsolved murder - ostensibly to relearn the value of teammwork. Meanwhile back in Edinburgh, Rebus' partner and friend Sibohan is working on a high profile investigation of her own. Of course, all is not as it seems...
John Rebus is a brooding, driven cop who relieves stress by listening to rock n roll and of course drinking. I think he's a close spiritual Scottish cousin to Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, and I recommend Rankin to all Connelly fans. Rebus family life, his ability to trust, and his personal relationships are all affected by his job , yet he does it anyway. He's one of those fictional homicide cops who "speak for the dead", like Bosch or Frank Pembleton. All fans of police novels with atmosphere should like this series. An interesting subplot involves Sibohan, who worries she may be headed down the same road as Rebus. I highly recommend RESURRECTION MEN and this series.
Rating:
Summary: Coppers skating on thin ice
Review: John Rebus, Detective Inspector in the Edinburgh CID, is only nominally one of the good guys. He's not bent -- not on the take, anyway -- but he's crossed the line many times in his career, and not always in the pursuit of subjective justice. He's been sent back to the police academy for professional rehabilitation after a tea-mug throwing incident, and is put in with a small group of other questionable coppers trying to keep their jobs by undergoing "resurrection." Only (of course) there's a lot more to it than that. When the "Wild Bunch" are given an old murder case to investigate as a team-building exercise, it's one Rebus was involved with in a way he'd rather no one else knew about. But he's really there as a mole at the behest of the higher-ups, who suspect some of his colleagues of involvement in another drug-murder case. And Siobhan Clarke, newly promoted to Detective Sergeant and Rebus's sort-of protege, has her own case to manage. Then all three murders begin to come together. This one was recommended to me as one of the best in the series of more than a dozen, and while Rankin does a good job of filling in some of the many characters' shared background for the reader's benefit, it's obvious one needs to go back to the beginning and read them all in order to really get Rebus's measure. The style is as gritty as the back side of Edinburgh itself, the characters are believable as real people -- not a stereotype among them -- and the plot itself is well drawn, with nothing given away and no trick ending, but with lots of well-crafted suspense. An excellent read.
Rating:
Summary: Edgar Winning Police Procedural
Review: Police corruption is a subject all South Floridiansare familiar. In the early 1980s a vast police drug rip-off collapsed when three dead drug guards were fished from the Miami River. Cops had forced them to jump into the river while they swiped the coke, never bothering to ascertain who could swim. Scotland's Detective Inspector John Rebus is sent undercover to infiltrate a gang of rogue cops. All are assigned to a retraining program for police, where their assignment may uncover Rebus's own culpability in a crime. Slowly, fearfully Rebus connects the dots between the areas latest murder, an imposing crime boss, and an unsolved cold case. This book won an Edgar in spite of its dense regionalism. It is however a carefully plotted tale of mystery and pursuit by a policeman whose own haunting guilt fails to dissuade him from his duty.
Rating:
Summary: No nonsense police work!
Review: Rankin has a great sense of characterization. Now add to it what they say his "Razor sharp dialogue delivery", a plot mingled with superb crime writing and thoroughly believable responses from the characters. This time it's Rebus(The acclaimed creation of Rankin) who gets into the soup, and all those who wanted to take a look in the head of the good'ol tough cop will have plenty to read on. Rankin instead of focussing on the psyche of a serial-killer or a peadophile takes his chance on Rebus and deliver the goods. Story : Cop(Rebus) gets dentention and has his last chance to show improvement or to get kicked out of the police force. Sent to a kind of behavior school to get his screws right. Given an old case to handle with other detended cops and show teamwork.
The CATCH is the other cops(called wildbunch) are suspected of blotting their copies and Rebus has to find out the blots, however the case they(Rebus and co.) are given is an unnoticed blot of Rebus' career. So, who ends up as the guilty party - Rebus or the Wildbunch.
Rating:
Summary: One of the finest series in mystery fiction
Review: RESURRECTION MEN by Ian Rankin (Little, Brown, $19.95)
Ian Rankin's series about the Scottish detective, John Rebus, has been one of the most popular series written over the last decade. It has brought a legion of fans and great riches to Ian. He now calls J.K. Rowling and Alexander McCall Smith his neighbors. What has brought him to this high level is the consistent excellence of his very long, very complex and all absorbing books.
After an incident of insubordination, Rebus is sent to "school" with other problem detectives to rehabilitate them and resurrect their image. Hence, the term Resurrection Men referring to the group of detectives Rebus is grouped with. As an exercise, they are given an old and cold murder to solve. It concerns the bludgeoning death of a drug dealer. At the same time, Siobhan Clark, Rebus' old partner and friend, is working on a case of an art dealer's murder. In both cases the interpersonal relationships of the victims to those around them become the keys to the cases. Surprisingly, the two cases begin to overlap as do the two investigations.
This is the first Rankin book I have not read at publication. The reason I stopped reading the books is the fact that they are long and slow reads demanding so much time from the reader. More importantly, they are depressing works that are so similar to each other. I just can't get over the feeling that Ian Rankin is writing the same book again and again. He has his own formulaic style. This one is no exception. There are so many characters introduced that a list of characters at the front of the book proves to be a major necessity. This can become especially daunting to a first time reader of the Rebus series. It all takes some getting used to. In fact, the story doesn't really start clicking until well over one hundred pages. Once everything is in place, however, the book flows beautifully and quite seamlessly becomes all encompassing including superbly rendered characterizations and the striking immediacy of the locale. Pacing is still a problem for me in these books but their true excellence cannot be denied.
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