Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 823.914
EAN num: 9780312958787
ISBN number: 0312958781
Label: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 293
Printing Date: May 15, 1996
Publishing house: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Sale Popularity Level: 143328
Studio: St. Martin's Paperbacks
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Product Description:
Sent to London to help catch a vicious serial killer, Inspector John Rebus teams up with a beautiful psychologist to piece together a portrait of a depraved psychopath bent on painting the town red-with blood...
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Rated by buyers 
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In the genre of murder/thriller/detective works, I read quite a few authors. Most of them have a detective team/person that they write about for most of their stories. I further break that down into American/British/Other nationalities as I like to look at other cultures other than mine here in the U.S. I have settled down with Peter Robinson, PD James, and Ian Rankin as the British authors of choice. I'm sure that there are more out there, and would love to hear from anyone that reads another that I should include into my reading habit.
Tooth and Nail (formerly called Wolfman) is the third book in the detective, John Rebus series. It is not a great story nor is it very exciting - although there are moments. But instead, it seems that Rankin concerned himself with the further development of Rebus - a little less dark in this book - and those surrounding him. The detective work was not really a focus nor was the serial killer. I enjoyed this work, but as I sit down to write the review, I cannot say why exactly. It was rather formulaic and the killer rather poorly developed. The verbal sparring was adequate, but not at top of his game. That said, I really couldn't put the book down. The John Rebus character has me hooked. He is somewhat similar to Alan Banks of the Peter Robinson series, but there is a darker side that showed up in the very first two novels. In this book, you could feel that darker side, but it only threatened to show.
Rebus is called from Edinburgh to London to help with a serial killer that has stymied the local coppers. While there is some animosity amongst the troops for bringing in an outsider, the development of this part of the plot is lacking. Rebus meets up with his divorced wife and his teenage daughter, and we learn a little about them, but they are incidental to the story.
The story is short (275 pages) and although it continues the saga of John Rebus, I am always skeptical when they change the title of a book and re-publish it. No doubt this is not one of Rankin's better attempts. However, if you have read the previous two books and are hooked on this series, you will want to read this one just to keep in the loop. If you haven't read Rankin, do not start with this one.
Rated by buyers 
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Edinburgh Detective Chief Inspector John Rebus finds himself posted to London to aid the local authorities who are investigating the work of a serial killer, known as the Wolfman, who seems to be one step ahead of the coppers. Once in London, Rebus learns he has ben brought to the big city because he is supposed to be some sort of expert on mass murderers.
Rebus' intrinsic antiauthoritarianism and his intuitive investigative style puts his career in jeopardy as he pairs with George Flight, a by the book detective, who has to cover for his Scottish counterpart at every turn of the plot. The collaboration between these investigators provides much of the tension as they struggle to bring a killer to justice. At the same time Rebus is forced to come to grips with middle-aged and a body that has lost a bit of the edge that he enjoyed as a young SAS paratrooper. His daughter Samantha, now 16, lives in London with his ex-wife and he is appalled with her current boyfriend, a slightly older and testosterone burdened motorcycle courier.
Ian Rankin is one of the real masters of the mystery genre. Series characters require real work and a deft touch to keep them fresh and interesting. John Rebus, like Harry Bosch and Travis McGee, manages to grow in each novel in a way that is respectful to the past works and yet revealing in some new way.
Tooth and Nail is more than a good read. It is a tale of policemen under the microscope of publicity when murders most foul terrorize a big city.
Rated by buyers 
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Tooth and Nail finds Rebus helping out the London police hunt down the serial killer, Wolfman. The novel is filled with a lot of local London color, including a car chase down St. Martin's Lane and around Nelson's Column. I enjoyed this book immensely until the last 40 pages, where killer is caught based on an unsubstantiated "hunch".
Being from NYC I found Rebus's take on fast London city life very amusing. Several pages are devoted to Rebus contemplating the utter inhumanity of the Tube! In fact, the only positive comments come from Rebus's would-be partner, George Flight, although Rebus mocks his attitude: "London is bigger, better, rougher, tougher and more important than anywhere else." It's funny that we would want other people to think our city is rough and tough, because that implies that we are as well, when we are actually victims. Fortunately, from the novel I learned a new way to cope: just chant FYTP.
Rankin is a master at capturing the reader's attention. Clues and blue herrings fly like nobody's business. Just keep in mind that this is crime fiction not mystery, that is, don't expect the clues to pan out. The dialog is amazingly realistic, witty, and edgy. Ultimately, Rebus's humanity (he describes himself as having "more ambition than talent") and musings on the human condition are the reason why I find this novel, and Rankin's others, so compelling.
Rated by buyers -
This is Rankin at his best. Buy it, enjoy the thriller and then buy the subsequent one. It seems that once you've started reading Rebus, you just can't get enough!
Rated by buyers -
I'm baaaaaack!
After reading the very first Rebus novel (Knots and Crosses), I knew I'd continue to read the rest of Ian Rankin's excellent crime fiction stories.
This is actually the third novel in the Inspector Rebus series, and author Ian Rankin's prose continues to astound me. He masterfully weaves a tapestry of plot, character, and location throughout nearly every page (Example from the prologue: `She drives home the knife. The moment, she knows from past experience, is a very intimate one. Her hand is gripped around the knife's cool handle and the thrust takes the blade into the throat up to the hilt until her hand meets the throat itself. Flesh upon flesh. Jacket first, or woollen jersey, cotton shirt or T-shirt, then flesh. Now rent. The knife is writhing, like an animal sniffing. Warm blood covering hilt and hand. (The other hand covers the mouth, stifling screams.) The moment is complete. A meeting. Touching. The body hot, gaping, warm with blood. Seething inside, as insides become outsides. Boiling. The moment is coming to an end all too soon.')
But this time we're no longer in Edinburgh. No? No. Inspector Rebus is sent to London (Oh the pain!) to try and help catch a serial killer whom the local coppers can't pin down. They've nick-named the murderer "The Wolfman", because he bites the victims on the stomach after he kills them. But why send Rebus? Well, in Knots and Crosses, he helped find another serial killer in Edinburgh, and so George Flight (a local London CID guy) requested Scotland's "expert". Rebus sees himself as anything BUT an expert on such things, but reluctantly goes to England's capital to do what he can.
Come to find out, he can do quite a bit; including getting into lots of trouble. He falls for a beautiful psychologist named Liza Frazer (who might have connections with the killer!), disappears for hours or days on end, drinks like a fish, and goes on television and announces that they've caught the killer (even when he knows they haven't). But Rebus' mind works a bit differently than most folks. He can worm his way into a killer's mind as the case unfolds. And we again see how Rebus' past comes to the forefront and aids him in capturing the villain.
The great thing about Rebus is that he's so f#$%ed up that the reader can identify with all of his vices and character flaws. He's no superhuman, and he knows it. But what he does have is a nose for killers, and this bodes poorly for them. Because once Rebus is on your trail, you'll never get away.
Now, it's on to the subsequent in the series!
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