Even dogs in the wild; Could
do better than this. -- The Associates
Rankin’s latest novel, Even Dogs in the Wild,
begins with a little music, a deadly Hit gone wrong, and DI
Malcom Fox (The Complaints; The Impossible Dead)
feeling like he’s one too many at his current posting.
He’s traveling to various villages to fill empty posts,
and still suffering the occasional door in the face as a result
of working for the Professional Standards. Today, he’s
losing his desk at St. Leonard to the Scottish Campus Crime,
a unit that works organized crime and counterterrorism. Wait.
Gangsters in Edinburgh?!
Malcom and Siobhan have grown close, but not romantically.
Between Malcom, Rebus and Siobhan, Siobhan is the voice of
reason, even when she’s being loud about it. DCI James
Page has made Siobhan second on the Minton enquiry. Lord Minton,
known for prosecuting Scotland’s high profile criminals,
is murdered in his home. A threatening note is found in his
wallet.
John Rebus isn’t taking retirement well. It’s
a strange relief when an old gangster named Cafferty locks
himself in his house and will only speak to Rebus. They have
a history. It’s an odd dance between these two –
professional dislikes soften by mutual respect for surviving.
Someone took a shot at Cafferty, and it turns out he received
the same note as Minton.
Rebus, Siobhan, and Fox are working different cases, but,
technically, they are back together. The trio work to solve
their current cases, as well as the mystery of the lucky lad
connected to the deadly Hit gone wrong. Rebus is tenuous in
his case, and when he finds the son of that lucky lad, Rebus
discovers a song and a dark, hidden truth.
Scottish actor and narrator James Macpherson transports listeners
to Edinburgh and brings Rankin’s characters to life
as only he can. In this narration, life in Edinburgh moves
from dark and seedy to words of comfort and hope. It’s
an intense storyline where Rebus and Fox loom large, but for
me, Siobhan rises above them all.
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Resurrection
Men #13 [book]
[audio]
Question of Blood #14 [book]
[audio]
Naming of the Dead #16 [audio]
[book]
Exit Music #17 [audio]
Saints of the Shadow Bible #19 [audio]
Standing in Another Man's Grave #20 [audio]
The Beat Goes On [audio]
(short stories)
Impossible Dead [book]
(Malcom Fox #2)
Rather Be the Devil #21 [audio]
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