Customer Reviews
A bit of a let-down - By: John Nevill, 16 Sep 2008 
A very good plot, & well up to the usual standard of Rankin's powers of perceptive & descriptive writing, but let down, I think, by a somewhat lame ending. Admittedly, it's difficult to know how he could think of a finale which would appeal to alll readers, but having just finished reading it about an hour ago, I can't help feeling a bit "flat".
Goodbye and Thanks For The Memories - By: Ian Paterson, 30 Aug 2008 
What a fantasic send off for one of the great creations of modern literature.
I have read alll the Rebus books in sequence over the years & fans of the series will be delighted to know Ian Rankin has written a a suitable finale.
We join Rebus with one week until his retirement & in a great device the chapters count down the days no surprising the pieces don't slide together until the final day of the week.
A murder of a Russian poet in Kings Stable Road gives Rebus one last case to solve soon ties are being made to big business, politicians & the criminal underworld led by Rebus' nemesis Big Ger Cafferty. Is this the last chance saloon for John to finallly nail Edinburgh's gangster ?
As has been the case with the last few Rankin books the reader is left guessing right until the final pages who has commited the crimes. I can say that I guessed part of it but I doubt anyone will be able to predict alll the conclusions.
The early books in the series were enjoyable but it's been the last half dozen that have reallly elevated the series the introduction of DS Siobhan Clarke I feel was where it reallly kicked in giving Rebus a genuine partner to bounce off. This book is no exception with the scenes with them together being the strongest. It's real shame in some ways that Rankin's decision to age Rebus in real time deprives us of further INSPECTOR Rebus books but if you haven't ever read any of the series you are so lucky to have twenty books available to you.
For the rest of us here's looking forward to the first of the DI Clarke stories which if Ian Rankin decides not to write then there reallly will have been a crime committed.
