Resurrection Men (Hardback)

Publisher and industry reviews

Jacket review

The maverick Edinburgh-based Inspector Rebus has been exiled for 'retraining' to the Scottish Police College after throwing a mug of tea at DCS Gill Templer during the investigation of the murder of an art dealer. Rebus and a group of other troublesome officers are given an old murder to work on in the hope that this will teach them the value of co-operation - although some in the team have secrets connected to the crime. But Rebus is suddenly pulled off the case to help the Scottish Crime Squad nail the big time gangster, M G Cafferty. Meanwhile, Rebus's Edinburgh colleagues discover a link between Cafferty and the murdered art dealer. Ian Rankin is one of the best crime writers in the world and his huge army of readers will thoroughly enjoy this totally gripping 13th Rebus novel.

UK Kirkus review

Ian Rankin is a very canny writer. Having brilliantly mined Scotland as a locale for some of the most hard-hitting and idiomatic crime fiction ever produced, Rankin was clearly aware that something new was needed (in plotting terms at least) to keep his dour Inspector Rebus at the top of the tree. And, in much the same way that Rankin sidelined Rebus alcoholism and chaotic private life when it was in danger of becoming a monumental clich?, he has come up with a truly innovative plot for Resurrection Men. Rebus has lost his temper during an enquiry into the savage murder of an Edinburgh art dealer, and his superior, DCS Gill Templer, has despatched him to purdah: the Scottish Police College located near a village in central Scotland. 'Retraining' for Rebus actually means that his career is on the line. At the college he encounters several similarly bolshy officers, and this motley group is given an old unsolved case to work on. The agenda is to force this 'wild bunch' to work on co-operation rather than confrontation, but the group is nurturing some very dark secrets and some officers have no limits when it comes to protecting themselves. This murky brew is made even murkier when the Scottish Crime Squad asks Rebus to become dangerously involved with the east coasts number one hoodlum, 'Big Ger' Cafferty. All of this is orchestrated by Rankin with his customary aplomb, and its quickly apparent that this is the best Rebus book in years. If the innovative central plot were not enough, Rankin is even confident enough to incorporate a subplot involving Rebuss newly promoted colleague Siobhan Clarke. This is wonderful stuff. (Kirkus UK)