Dark doings
Ian
Rankin’s book The Hanging Garden is one of his
Inspector Rebus novels. You might have seen the Rebus TV series
starring John Hannah?
In this book Rebus investigates two crimes - a war
crime and some gangster in-fighting. Both complex, both in their
way intriguing and somehow inter-related.
Rebus is a miserable bugger. Wedded to his job.
Broken marriage. Recovering alcoholic. He’s a loner but
of course a loner with the insight to resolve these puzzling crimes,
even prevent them.
It’s set in the grimy underworld of Edinburgh
and the grey setting perfectly matches Rebus’s mood.
I haven’t read an Ian Rankin novel before.
He intersperses his prose with song titles which is a bit off-putting
at first. Is it part of the text or a suggested accompanying playlist?
Maybe they are what Ian was listening to as he wrote.
Overall, I enjoyed the read. He sets a mean pace
and I was carried along with the plot.
Worth picking up if you like crime fiction.
Cellobella
To read more of Cellobella's book reviews, check
out her blog at Red
Sultana.
