The Black Book

The Black Book (1993) Ian Rankin

The fifth Inspector John Rebus book starts with Rebus being kicked out by Patience, he has been placed on a task force he doesn’t think will succeed, his brother Michael reappears in his life, and Brian Holmes being attacked and found unconscious. Trying to discover what could have lead to the attack on Holmes, Rebus discovers his Black Book, which leads him look into a long dead case that Brian may or may not have been looking into.

Rebus remains independent, and for his trouble he’s disdained by much of his department, especially those in charge who would like him to be a pain in the ass somewhere else. He doesn’t want to be part of the joint task force, which he thinks is a waste of time, and spending time on a cold case isn’t helping any.

And of course there’s Edinburgh, who is a character in her own right in this series.

It’s been about half a year since I last read a Rebus book, but was able to fall right into the characters and the story. So even if you had not read any previous books in the story, you should be able to start here without difficulty.
Rating: 7/10

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