{"id":6268,"date":"2016-12-12T10:43:34","date_gmt":"2016-12-12T15:43:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/?p=6268"},"modified":"2024-01-30T19:52:29","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T00:52:29","slug":"the-impossible-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/6268","title":{"rendered":"The Impossible Dead"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Impossible Dead<\/a><\/em> (2011) Ian Rankin<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The second Malcolm Fox book finds the Complaints in Kirckaldy investigating officers who worked an officer was just convicted and who during that officers trial couldn’t seem to remember any details regarding the incidents that led to the conviction.<\/p>\n

Paul Carter was the reason they\u2019d come to Fife. Carter held the rank of detective constable and had been a cop for fifteen years. He was thirty-eight years old and came from a family of cops\u2014 both his father and an uncle had served in Fife Constabulary. The uncle, Alan Carter, had actually made the original complaint against his nephew. It involved a drug addict, sexual favors, and turning a blind eye. Two other women then came forward to say that Paul Carter had arrested them for drunken behavior, but offered to drop any charges if they would be \u201caccommodating.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I’m still not quite certain how I feel about Malcolm Fox.<\/p>\n

He thought back to his time on the force prior to the Complaints. He had been diligent and scrupulous, never a shirker. He had put in the hours, been commended for his error-free paperwork and ability to lead a team: no egos and no heroes. He hadn\u2019t been unhappy. He had learned much and kept out of trouble. If a problem arose, he either dealt with it or ensured it was moved elsewhere. <\/p>\n

Ideally suited to Complaints and Conduct<\/em>, his reviews eventually started concluding. But was that altogether a good thing, or was it CID\u2019s way of telling him he didn\u2019t fit in there? <\/p>\n

Too scrupulous. <\/p>\n

Too willing to sidestep problems.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Though those aren’t the reason I remain unsure of Fox, they do describe his personality. Even if he is occasionally clever.<\/p>\n

Fox kept his face a blank. \u201cWhat made you think to ask the attendant if he\u2019d seen anything suspicious?\u201d <\/p>\n

Jamieson gave a twitch of the mouth. \u201cMaybe a hunch. Hunches have got me where I am today.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re a regular Quasimodo,\u201d Fox agreed.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Perhaps it’s because I’m never quite certain whether he should be doing some of the things he does. He’s supposed to be above reproach, being in the Complaints, but I’m never quite sure if he is, in fact, above reproach.<\/p>\n

But I do like having a cop who has to follow all the rules, and his consideration of some of the rules they do have to follow and where that is leading them.<\/p>\n

And I do enjoy Ian Rankin’s writing.<\/p>\n

(S)o (he) ended up in first gear, doing five miles an hour. The climb continued. According to the satnav, he was nowhere, had passed his destination.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I hadn’t realized there were places in Scotland where GPS was just as lost as in WV.<\/p>\n

Shout out to Planet Money<\/a> for causing me to know Adam Smith!<\/p>\n

Naysmith seemed to be the one with the local knowledge.
\n\u201cLinoleum,\u201d he\u2019d said. \u201cUsed to be what Kirkcaldy was famous for. And Adam Smith.\u201d
\n\u201cWho did he play for?\u201d Kaye had asked.
\n\u201cHe was an economist.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I was stupidly happy to have known that.
\nRating: 7\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n

Published by Reagan Arthur Books<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Impossible Dead (2011) Ian Rankin The second Malcolm Fox book finds the Complaints in Kirckaldy investigating officers who worked an officer was just convicted and who during that officers trial couldn’t seem to remember any details regarding the incidents that led to the conviction. Paul Carter was the reason they\u2019d come to Fife. Carter […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[30,8,42],"tags":[121,744],"class_list":["post-6268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-british","category-mystery","category-police","tag-ian-rankin","tag-scottish"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/piQkW-1D6","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":22500,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/22500","url_meta":{"origin":6268,"position":0},"title":"The Rise: A Short Story","author":"Michelle","date":"October 31, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The Rise: A Short Story (2023) Ian Rankin I keep moving a reread of the Inspector Rebus series up my TBR pile, but never quite actually start rereading. Possibly because the first book is one of my least favorites, and partially because the stories tend to be somewhat dark. This\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Rise: A Short Story","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/The-Rise-A-Short-Story.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2856,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/2856","url_meta":{"origin":6268,"position":1},"title":"Exit Music","author":"Michelle","date":"March 11, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Exit Music (2007) Ian Rankin I'd put off reading Exit Music, the last Rebus book, for several months. Because it is the last Rebus book, and I wasn't ready for it yet. Rebus, of course, ends his story the way he began it: stubborn, contrary, and in trouble. A Russian\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "8\/10"","block_context":{"text":"8\/10","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/8-10"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Exit-Music.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2569,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/2569","url_meta":{"origin":6268,"position":2},"title":"Dark Entries","author":"Michelle","date":"October 3, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Dark Entries (2009) Ian Rankin, Werther Dell'Edera I have a conflicted relationship with John Constantine stories. I love the idea of who Constantine is, but for some reason the stories always fall short of my expectations in some manner. But when I saw that Ian Rankin--whose John Rebus mysteries I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "British"","block_context":{"text":"British","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/british"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/dark-entries.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2466,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/2466","url_meta":{"origin":6268,"position":3},"title":"Dead Souls","author":"Michelle","date":"August 6, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Dead Souls (1999) Ian Rankin Inspector Rebus is not having an easy time of it. Pedophiles on trial and perhaps released back into the community. A serial killer shipped back to Edinburgh after he is released from prison in the United States, a missing person's case to which he is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "British"","block_context":{"text":"British","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/british"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/08\/Dead-Soul.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2332,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/2332","url_meta":{"origin":6268,"position":4},"title":"The Black Book","author":"Michelle","date":"April 12, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"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\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "British"","block_context":{"text":"British","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/british"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/04\/Black-Book.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2546,"url":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/2546","url_meta":{"origin":6268,"position":5},"title":"A Question of Blood","author":"Michelle","date":"September 29, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"A Question of Blood (2003) Ian Rankin Once again, Rebus is in trouble. A thug who was bothering Siobhan has turned up dead, and Rebus has made himself a prime suspect. Because Rebus is partially out of commission with badly scalded hands, Siobhan ends up driving him around when he's\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "British"","block_context":{"text":"British","link":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/archives\/category\/british"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/09\/Question-Blood.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6268"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6268\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/klishis.com\/reading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}