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Type of bind: Mass Market Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780312966652
ISBN number: 0312966652
Label: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 320
Printing Date: September 15, 1998
Publishing house: St. Martin's Paperbacks
Sale Popularity Level: 86522
Studio: St. Martin's Paperbacks
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Product Description:
In the dark days and biting windstorms of an Edinburgh winter, two drop-out kids dive off the towering Forth Road Bridge. A civic office is spattered by a grisly gun-blast. Two suicides and a murder that just don't add up, unless John Rebus can crunch the numbers. Following a trail that snakes through stark alleys and sad bars, shredded files and lacerated lives, Rebus finds himself up against an airtight, murderous conglomerate on the make in every arena of power. It's leeching the life and soul out of his city and, if it can, him too...
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Rated by buyers 
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The daughter of Edinburgh's Lord Provost is missing; a car chase of two possible kidnappers ends with the supposed perps' suicide; then another suicide occurs, seemingly unconnected. No crime there, and yet there are puzzling unexplained details, which Rebus can't get off his mind. These details, and the discovery of the missing daughter, lead to the unwinding of a Machiavellian scheme in which high-ranking businessmen and politicians are joined, for the supposed good of Scotland. To Rebus, "None of it's worth a single human life."
This is one of Rankin's best. Intricacy does not get in the way of clarity, and the evolving turmoil of Rebus' private life parallels his solving of this larger crime, which eventually leads to the revitalization of one of his most important relationships. His implacable pursuit of justice might seem self-righteous in a less flawed human being, but his battle with the drink ("It's the drink makes me maudlin. It's only the drink."), his tendency to put off his dental work (great dentists' chair episode), his devotion to the Rolling Stones ("What a shambles the band was, yet sometimes they could get it so exactly right that it hurt."), his sensitivity masked by a morbid sense of humor, his tendency to be brutally honest even when this is not desirable, make him a most appealing character.
The weather of Edinburgh has a leading role; after reading several Rankin books, its volatility is as real to you as Rebus himself. Rankin's writing can be direct, even lyrically serious, and then suddenly morph into a gruesome simile, as in this description of a pub: "It had a burgundy linoleum floor and matching colored walls, and was like staring into somebody's throat."
Knowledge of the previous books (this is the 7th in the Rebus series) would not be necessary to enjoy this read, but would add to your appreciation of the characters.
Rated by buyers -
I recommend every book by this author. Whenever I start an Inspector Rebus, I don't want to put it down.
Rated by buyers 
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LET IT BLEED is a prime example of Ian Rankin's Rebus, bucking the system in order to pursue the pure essence of justice, consequences be damned. Far from a Galahad, Rebus is a deeply flawed man, tough on family and any who try to get too near, entirely too dependent on alcohol to quell the feeling of rage and hurt he feels.
The gradual shift from a search for a solution to some mysterious suicides to finding a way to punish those who seem to be beyond punishment is classic Rankin. Rebus's response to the class system seems much more than a plot device; it becomes a vital link to understanding Rebus a bit better. His rage, when directed at injustice is a fearsome weapon, but it also becomes evident how important his life as policeman is to his continued existence. Rankin continues to combine an excellent procedural with a truly interesting and believable figure. LET IT BLEED is an excellent example of when Rankin is firing on all cylinders.
Rated by buyers -
More than the seven books before it, this one builds from a tiny thread until it creates a magnificent tapestry. Starting with a car chase, after two supposed kidnappers, in which "Fart" Lauderdale is taken out of the picture, and replace by Rebus' old flame Gill Templer; to the end, where "Wee Weed" Flower gets his just desserts, the action just builds and builds.
Though he loses Patience, in more than one way, he gains a better and stronger relationship with his daughter Sammy, who has come back to Edinburgh to do social work with prisoners and ex-cons.
I won't tell you the story because that's why you read the book in the very first place, and I would only spoil some of the more surprising parts. But, all you favorite characters and neighborhoods are in it, or their facsimilies.
I do have two complaints: 1) John is getting to the point where he needs to go into AA, and after the accident he now has more burns, brakes and bruises than Luke Davenport, 2) Ian has to learn to write better dialogue in the american vernacular if he is going to include one as a character. I know Rankin, FYTP.
Slainte.
Rated by buyers -
despite the order being placed so near to Christmas and the projected delivery date being in the new year, I received this item in plenty of time to gift wrap it for Christmas.
Very good service indeed!
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