Falls

Publisher and industry reviews

UK Kirkus review

This 12th Inspector Rebus novel is one of the most substantial - and one of the most accomplished. The complexity of the plotting here affords subtle pleasures that perfectly complement the customary grittiness, and the scene-setting is as sure-footed as ever. Of course, the acclaim garnered by Rankin's Edinburgh-set crime novels has set high standards for the author to maintain. How does he keep his laconic copper John Rebus from merely repeating the tics and tricks of earlier books? Thankfully, Rankin's commitment to Rebus is clearly as strong as ever, and this is the most striking novel in quite a while, with the detective's private life cannily sidelined in order to focus on a highly involving (and topical) plot. A student has vanished in Edinburgh, and the pressure is on Rebus to track her down, particularly as she is the daughter of a family of moneyed bankers. Of course, this is more than just an instance of a spoilt rich girl shrugging off family responsibilities, and a carved wooden doll in a coffin found in her home village leads Rebus to the Internet role-playing game that she was involved in. And when DC Siobhan Clarke, one of Rebus's most valued team members, tackles the Virtual Quizmaster, Rebus has to save her from the same fate as the missing girl. All the fingerprints of Rankin's best work are evident in this tight and beguiling thriller. A considerable plus is the welcome development of Siobhan Clarke as a powerfully realized character in Rankin's arsenal - we are quite as concerned with her dangerous situation as we are with Rebus's bushel of problems, and the tension is maintained whichever character is centre stage. (Kirkus UK)