Saints of the Shadow Bible (A Rebus Novel) - Softcover

Rankin, Ian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1409129489 ISBN 13: 9781409129486

Publisher: Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd ), 2014

Synopsis

Rebus is back on the force, albeit with a demotion and a chip on his shoulder. A 30-year-old case is being reopened, and rebus's team from back then is suspected of foul play. With malcolm fox as the investigating officer are the past and present about to collide in a shocking and murderous fashion? and does rebus have anything to hide? his colleagues back then called themselves 'the saints', and swore a bond on something called 'the shadow bible'. But times have changed and the crimes of the past may not stay hidden much longer, especially with a referendum on scottish independence just around the corner. Who are the saints and who the sinners? and can the one ever become the other?

About this title

About the Author

Ian Rankin is the internationally bestselling author of the Inspector Rebus and Detective Malcolm Fox novels, as well as a string of standalone thrillers. His books have been translated into 36 languages and are bestsellers on several continents. Ian is the recipient of four CWA DAGGER AWARDS and in 2004, won America's celebrated EDGAR AWARD. He is also the recipient of honorary degrees from the universities of Abertay, St Andrews, Hull and Edinburgh and received the OBE for services to literature, opting to receive the prize in his home city of Edinburgh, where he lives with his partner and two sons. www.ianrankin.net

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Rankin took the gutsy step in Standing in Another Man’s Grave (2013) of bringing back his much-loved maverick hero, John Rebus, and setting him opposite Malcolm Fox, internal-affairs cop, hero of The Complaints and The Impossible Dead (both 2011), and, seemingly, Rebus’ polar opposite. That experiment was a resounding success, so, naturally, Rankin ups the ante still further. This time the formerly retired Rebus, now back on the force but at a lesser rank, and Fox, facing the dissolution of his IA unit and the prospect of becoming a real detective again, find themselves working together, taking advantage of a new Scottish law allowing the reprosecution of old crimes by digging into a 30-year-old murder. Ah, but there’s a wrinkle. Rebus was a rookie at the time of the murder, the newbie in a squad of take-no-prisoners detectives who called themselves the Saints, and it looks like the new investigation may implicate the Saints, or at least some of them, in a cover-up or worse. Rebus investigating his buddies and, by extension, himself? Echoing the similar situation in which New Orleans detective Remy McSwain finds himself in Jim McBride’s 1986 film The Big Easy, Rankin’s narrative forces Rebus to come to terms with a shocking truth about himself: he’s a cop first and a maverick second, a truth seeker before a rule breaker. That’s a tough blow for the cantankerous Rebus to absorb, equaled only by the fact that he winds up respecting—even, for God’s sake, liking—the hardworking Fox. Longtime fans of the series will savor every nuance in the subtle interplay between characters here, but Rankin doesn’t forget the thriller plot, either, corkscrewing the narrative into a surprising and satisfying conclusion. Hats off to a writer who can keep a long-running series fresh by upsetting our expectations and rummaging ever deeper into the rag-and-bone shop of his characters’ hearts. --Bill Ott

About this edition

• Publisher: Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
• Publication date: 2014
• ISBN 10: 1409129489
• ISBN 13: 9781409129486
• Binding: Paperback