Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Orion Books (2017)
Description
For John Rebus, 40 years may have passed, but the death of beautiful, promiscuous Maria Turquand still preys on his mind. She was murdered in her hotel room on the night a famous rock star and his entourage were staying there, and Maria's killer has never been found. Meanwhile, the dark heart of Edinburgh remains up for grabs. A young pretender, Darryl Christie, may have staked his claim, but a vicious attack leaves him weakened and vulnerable, and an inquiry into a major money laundering scheme threatens his position. Has old-time crime boss Big Ger Cafferty really given up the ghost, or is he biding his time until Edinburgh is once more ripe for the picking?
User reviews
LibraryThing member SamSattler
Rather Be the Devil, it should be noted, is the twenty-first novel in Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus series - and a whole lot has happened to John Rebus since he was introduced in 1987’s Knots and Crosses. Rebus is no longer the mentally fragile young detective of those early days who struggled
Rebus cannot picture himself as a pensioner, and fortunately for him, some of his ex-colleagues with the Scotland Police themselves find it impossible to see him that way. This is especially the case with those for whom Rebus was a one-time mentor and for others who remember him as the effective crime-solver he was in his prime. And that explains how Rebus gets his hands on the files of a cold case murder that is destined to remain forever unsolved unless someone like him takes it on. When I say that the heavy drinking, chain-smoking John Rebus has now been limited to half-pints of low-alcohol beer and zero cigarettes, it will be easy for long-term fans of the series to forecast that the angry ex-detective is about to make someone pay for that old murder.
The case involves the 1978 murder of a promiscuous young woman in the hotel room in which she awaited the arrival of her latest lover. Also in the hotel at the time of the murder were seventies rock star Bruce Collier, Collier’s band, and all the hangers-on usually associated with an event like that one. As it turned out, there were so many people with potential access to the death scene and the victim that no one could be charged with the murder. Now, all these years later, the investigation leads Rebus into the world of international finance and banking – and right back to two local mobsters with whom he is well acquainted: his longtime nemesis “Big Ger” Cafferty and the younger thug who is trying to take over Cafferty’s criminal empire.
John Rebus may be more than a bit creaky these days, but he know his turf well and he is willing to bend whatever rule necessary to help him catch a killer, including impersonating a police officer. There are those with the Scotland Police who wish they had seen the last of him on the day he turned in his badge, but even they sometimes grudgingly ask his help. Rebus has contacts, he has snitches, and most importantly, he is just about the only cop that “Big Ger” Cafferty will speak with – both on and off the record.
Although it’s chief character has not physically aged very well, the same cannot be said for the series itself. With good reason, readers are always ready to snatch up the next Inspector Rebus novel, and Rather Be the Devil will leave them anxiously anticipating whatever Rankin has planned next.
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with life as much as he did with the Scotland Police crime cases assigned to him. Instead, because of Rankin’s wise decision to allow Rebus to age almost in real time as the novels appear, Rebus is now an ex-cop struggling with the boredom of retirement and suffering the physical ailments of a lifetime of bad habits. The man has COPD and suspects that there could be something even more seriously wrong with his lungs than that. Rebus cannot picture himself as a pensioner, and fortunately for him, some of his ex-colleagues with the Scotland Police themselves find it impossible to see him that way. This is especially the case with those for whom Rebus was a one-time mentor and for others who remember him as the effective crime-solver he was in his prime. And that explains how Rebus gets his hands on the files of a cold case murder that is destined to remain forever unsolved unless someone like him takes it on. When I say that the heavy drinking, chain-smoking John Rebus has now been limited to half-pints of low-alcohol beer and zero cigarettes, it will be easy for long-term fans of the series to forecast that the angry ex-detective is about to make someone pay for that old murder.
The case involves the 1978 murder of a promiscuous young woman in the hotel room in which she awaited the arrival of her latest lover. Also in the hotel at the time of the murder were seventies rock star Bruce Collier, Collier’s band, and all the hangers-on usually associated with an event like that one. As it turned out, there were so many people with potential access to the death scene and the victim that no one could be charged with the murder. Now, all these years later, the investigation leads Rebus into the world of international finance and banking – and right back to two local mobsters with whom he is well acquainted: his longtime nemesis “Big Ger” Cafferty and the younger thug who is trying to take over Cafferty’s criminal empire.
John Rebus may be more than a bit creaky these days, but he know his turf well and he is willing to bend whatever rule necessary to help him catch a killer, including impersonating a police officer. There are those with the Scotland Police who wish they had seen the last of him on the day he turned in his badge, but even they sometimes grudgingly ask his help. Rebus has contacts, he has snitches, and most importantly, he is just about the only cop that “Big Ger” Cafferty will speak with – both on and off the record.
Although it’s chief character has not physically aged very well, the same cannot be said for the series itself. With good reason, readers are always ready to snatch up the next Inspector Rebus novel, and Rather Be the Devil will leave them anxiously anticipating whatever Rankin has planned next.
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LibraryThing member -Eva-
Rebus gets hung up on a cold case that turns out to be related to Fox and Clarke's latest case, and, not surprisingly, to "Big Ger" Cafferty who has his fingers in all the pies and is thinking of making a comeback in a big way. This is another great installment in a great police procedural series
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with an interesting locale, witty characters, and solid plot-lines. Rebus health condition raises the stakes enormously and the tension between Fox and Clarke - because of Rebus and because of Fox's promotion - adds a lot of pressure to the characters, which isn't nice for them, but adds a lot for the reader. Highly recommend this series - it's one where I will go back and reread passages out loud to myself just because it's written so cleverly and the dialogues are so realistic. Very happy Rankin decided not to stop writing about Rebus and I am thoroughly enjoying how he's incorporated Fox into the Rebus storyline; they balance each other perfectly. Show Less
LibraryThing member RowingRabbit
I can't imagine not reading this series. Rankin's consistency is amazing. Rebus is "retired" now & facing a health scare but as long as Big Ger is around, Rebus feels duty bound to be his shadow. The plot is a mix of past & present cases that he picks away at with DI Clarke & Malcolm Fox. It's not
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the best of the bunch (that would be 2013's "Saints of the Shadow Bible", IMHO) but always enjoyable & a treat to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member pgchuis
The whole gang is here: Rebus, Fox, Siobhan, Big Ger Cafferty, Darryl Christie. There is a cold case from 1978 which interests Rebus, and attacks, an abduction and a murder in the present. Rebus's unhealthy lifestyle is finally catching up with him, although he is, as usual, not allowing the fact
Fun as ever, with lots of twists and turns.
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that he is no longer a police officer to stand in his way.Fun as ever, with lots of twists and turns.
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LibraryThing member sleahey
Rebus isn't letting his retirement slow him down much, especially since his former co-workers seem to need his help. While looking into a cold case murder he discovers possible ties to a recent assault on a local gangster. In the background is his pervasive worry while he waits for test results for
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a shadow on his lung. Show Less
LibraryThing member Beamis12
For John Rebus, retirement is only a word, a minor technicality, something to get around. This something he is very good at, using whatever means necessary. Despite his health, which at present is presenting a problem, he never fails to be enticed when a past unsolved case is brought to his
I agave read this series for years, a series that is slow paced, need to settle yourself in, but full of the atmosphere of Edinburgh, criminal underworld and all. Always excerpts of music are scattered throughout as Rebus is a big time music lover. The characters are so well developed and the cases always interesting. This one though had me a little confused at the beginning, really did so many of the characters have to have names starting with C? Sorted itself out the longer I read but for me it was noticeable. I love this series though, so could not rate it any lower. So John, hope to see you soon, hope you feel better and good luck staying off the cigs.
ARC from Netgalley.
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attention. When the criminal bosses come out to play in present day, all nets are off. He is on a trail and with the aid of his friends Clarke and Fox, he is determined to pursue and get answers, especially when it is Big Geri involved. I agave read this series for years, a series that is slow paced, need to settle yourself in, but full of the atmosphere of Edinburgh, criminal underworld and all. Always excerpts of music are scattered throughout as Rebus is a big time music lover. The characters are so well developed and the cases always interesting. This one though had me a little confused at the beginning, really did so many of the characters have to have names starting with C? Sorted itself out the longer I read but for me it was noticeable. I love this series though, so could not rate it any lower. So John, hope to see you soon, hope you feel better and good luck staying off the cigs.
ARC from Netgalley.
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LibraryThing member the.ken.petersen
Ian Rankin is not the first author to retire his police detective and then face the need to reinstate him. He is, however, the most successful of the genre, that I have come across. Rebus' situation is not realistic, but it is believable, within the tight world which Mr Rankin depicts. Someone,
This tale finds our erstwhile policeman trawling through an old case which had slipped through his fingers when he was employed. A combination of the loyalty which he has accrued with ex-colleagues and his natural guile, get him the paperwork and we're off. Needless to say, this cold case bumps into a live investigation and Rebus' unique talents come to the fore.
Rankin is very good at providing back story, and dealing with the passing of time. In this book, Rebus is trying (again) to give up cigarettes and alcohol. He has an added impetus because an x-ray has revealed a shadow on his lung. Inevitably, Rebus is going to die on the job, and I am not going to break the tension by telling anyone who has yet to read this book, whether this is the final chapter, or whether Rebus lives to fight again. All the old adversaries are here; Cafferty, Daryl Christie and even Craw Shand ( a minor character from earlier times) and yet, we are still surprised.
I could tell you that this is an excellent crime tale but, I wouldn't be giving you any additional information; the name Ian Rankin, on the cover, guarantees that.
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rather more clever than myself, oncesaid that the art of good fiction was to place real characters into surreal places. I think that this is true and that Ian Rankin is one of the great masters.This tale finds our erstwhile policeman trawling through an old case which had slipped through his fingers when he was employed. A combination of the loyalty which he has accrued with ex-colleagues and his natural guile, get him the paperwork and we're off. Needless to say, this cold case bumps into a live investigation and Rebus' unique talents come to the fore.
Rankin is very good at providing back story, and dealing with the passing of time. In this book, Rebus is trying (again) to give up cigarettes and alcohol. He has an added impetus because an x-ray has revealed a shadow on his lung. Inevitably, Rebus is going to die on the job, and I am not going to break the tension by telling anyone who has yet to read this book, whether this is the final chapter, or whether Rebus lives to fight again. All the old adversaries are here; Cafferty, Daryl Christie and even Craw Shand ( a minor character from earlier times) and yet, we are still surprised.
I could tell you that this is an excellent crime tale but, I wouldn't be giving you any additional information; the name Ian Rankin, on the cover, guarantees that.
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LibraryThing member maneekuhi
I'm tired of the Three Amigos, they've become boring. Actually I was never really crazy about them. No, not Rebus, Clarke, Fox , not that threesome - I mean Big Ger, Christie and Joe Stark. They're old, worn-out, and the recent Rebus books that focus on them are the same. It feels like author
As for the story.....? A confusing mess. There's an old murder, never did keep all those characters straight, I suggest readers keep a note card, one of the Amigos gets beaten up, there's a Russian, someone is missing - abducted but not kidnapped - someone is killed, there's an old rock star, someone runs naked through the streets, a missing key, Jude is back, remember Jude (yuk)?, there's a black spot, business cards, but not police ID's, two hammers, a saber sharpened for a beheading. As for the recap where everything gets explained at the end? Well, I finished the book only minutes ago and I'm not really clear on the fate of the mastermind behind the kidnapping, scratch that - the abduction, but I guess that's just one more detail..
I love this series. I've read all of it. I never rated any of the books below a 4. I'm sad and a bit annoyed with this one.
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Rankin is just going through the motions here, using the formula, mixing a few familiar ingredients, and cranking out another version of a familiar story. Gotta meet that deadline, gotta pay all those bills. No, thanks. I'll skip the next book that has any mention of them.. And that other threesome wasn't really spectacular in this book either. I never cared for Malcolm Fox, and Clarke seems to have regressed to her early days when she just did whatever Rebus suggested. Feels like she turned off her brain in this one. Which just leaves Rebus. Thank God for Rebus. But with a dog? Are you kidding me !?As for the story.....? A confusing mess. There's an old murder, never did keep all those characters straight, I suggest readers keep a note card, one of the Amigos gets beaten up, there's a Russian, someone is missing - abducted but not kidnapped - someone is killed, there's an old rock star, someone runs naked through the streets, a missing key, Jude is back, remember Jude (yuk)?, there's a black spot, business cards, but not police ID's, two hammers, a saber sharpened for a beheading. As for the recap where everything gets explained at the end? Well, I finished the book only minutes ago and I'm not really clear on the fate of the mastermind behind the kidnapping, scratch that - the abduction, but I guess that's just one more detail..
I love this series. I've read all of it. I never rated any of the books below a 4. I'm sad and a bit annoyed with this one.
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LibraryThing member EdGoldberg
As Detective Inspector John Rebus, retired, talks to his medical examiner girlfriend, Deborah Quant, over dinner in the Caledonian Hotel restaurant, he recalls the murder there, over thirty years ago, of a young woman, Maria Turquand. The killer was never caught. With nothing but time on his hands,
The day after Rebus chats with police officer, Robert Chatham, who years previously spearheaded a review of the case when new evidence was introduced, said Officer Chatham’s dead body was found washed up on shore, Rebus surmises it has something to do with his cold case.
How this cold case can be made to intersect with Clarke’s new assault and battery case perpetrated against known gangster Darryl Christie, only an experienced mystery writer such as Rankin can achieve.
Rather Be the Devil reunites Rebus with his co-workers, Clarke and Malcolm Fox. In addition, he meets up with his ‘friendly enemies’, Christie and Big Ger Cafferty. I haven’t read any of Rankin’s previous novels, so I was unfamiliar with the history of Rebus and his cohorts. While such knowledge wasn’t necessary to enjoy the book, it would have been nice. In addition, one arc of the story deals with issues surrounding Rebus’ health, which again, I had no familiarity.
The first 50 or so pages of Rather Be the Devil were a little slow, until the story got going. Then it was a reasonably fast read. The characters were well fleshed out, although I kept getting them confused with each other (Christie/Cafferty). The plot was interesting. Apparently Rebus never played by the rules, which he certainly does not in this episode.
While Rather Be the Devil was an enjoyable and satisfying read, I don’t know that I’d run out and start from the first book in the series (this is #21) or even line up to read the next in the series, if/when that is published. I think I’m more of a Peter Robinson/Inspector Banks fan.
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Rebus decides to investigate the case, imploring his former coworker, Siobhan Clarke to bring him the cold case files.The day after Rebus chats with police officer, Robert Chatham, who years previously spearheaded a review of the case when new evidence was introduced, said Officer Chatham’s dead body was found washed up on shore, Rebus surmises it has something to do with his cold case.
How this cold case can be made to intersect with Clarke’s new assault and battery case perpetrated against known gangster Darryl Christie, only an experienced mystery writer such as Rankin can achieve.
Rather Be the Devil reunites Rebus with his co-workers, Clarke and Malcolm Fox. In addition, he meets up with his ‘friendly enemies’, Christie and Big Ger Cafferty. I haven’t read any of Rankin’s previous novels, so I was unfamiliar with the history of Rebus and his cohorts. While such knowledge wasn’t necessary to enjoy the book, it would have been nice. In addition, one arc of the story deals with issues surrounding Rebus’ health, which again, I had no familiarity.
The first 50 or so pages of Rather Be the Devil were a little slow, until the story got going. Then it was a reasonably fast read. The characters were well fleshed out, although I kept getting them confused with each other (Christie/Cafferty). The plot was interesting. Apparently Rebus never played by the rules, which he certainly does not in this episode.
While Rather Be the Devil was an enjoyable and satisfying read, I don’t know that I’d run out and start from the first book in the series (this is #21) or even line up to read the next in the series, if/when that is published. I think I’m more of a Peter Robinson/Inspector Banks fan.
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LibraryThing member pw0327
Rebus started out as a curiosity, as I was just in Scotland when I first started reading these mysteries, but now he has become an old friend. I feel a need to check up on him and see how he is doing. He had become an old nosy retiree, forcibly retired from the force. He didn't go willingly either.
Evidently, so did Ranking, which is why his writing has become better, it gave him more to write about. I kind of got a feeling that he'd written himself into a corner. No fears, he found a way to get the old boy out and about.
Rebus now has a paramour that is more than his foil, and his cohorts from the old days: Clarke and Fox have become more visible characters, so it isn't just Rebus' brooding that is carrying the weight of the novel. And then there is the character of Bir Ger Rafferty, a soulmate/antagonist for Rebus, a worthy foe in a game of cat and mouse.
It almost didn't matter what the crime is, in this case a murder of a society wife who was murdered under mysterious circumstances years ago in a hotel where a rock band was staying, and an attempted attack on one of the villains that had put Rafferty out of business.
Indeed, the typical Rankin formula, and believe me when I say that it is a great formula, because Rankin had my attention every step of the way, even though I know his style.
As I said before, it isn't the mystery it self that matters, it is the characters, how they have grown, and how Rankin manages to weave the characters into each others story line that is of greater interest.
The man delivers, once again.
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It makes me worry about his mental state. Evidently, so did Ranking, which is why his writing has become better, it gave him more to write about. I kind of got a feeling that he'd written himself into a corner. No fears, he found a way to get the old boy out and about.
Rebus now has a paramour that is more than his foil, and his cohorts from the old days: Clarke and Fox have become more visible characters, so it isn't just Rebus' brooding that is carrying the weight of the novel. And then there is the character of Bir Ger Rafferty, a soulmate/antagonist for Rebus, a worthy foe in a game of cat and mouse.
It almost didn't matter what the crime is, in this case a murder of a society wife who was murdered under mysterious circumstances years ago in a hotel where a rock band was staying, and an attempted attack on one of the villains that had put Rafferty out of business.
Indeed, the typical Rankin formula, and believe me when I say that it is a great formula, because Rankin had my attention every step of the way, even though I know his style.
As I said before, it isn't the mystery it self that matters, it is the characters, how they have grown, and how Rankin manages to weave the characters into each others story line that is of greater interest.
The man delivers, once again.
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LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
John Rebus is proving to be one of the most durable of fictional crime fighters. Now retired not just from Lothian and Borders police but also from the cold case team that he had joined after leaving the mainstream force, he has a lot of time on his hands. He also has plenty on his mind since, as
Meanwhile his former would-be adversary turned grudging friend, Detective Inspector Malcolm Fox, previously local head of the Professional Standards Division, has been transferred to the elite Police Scotland Crime Squad based at Gartcosh near Glasgow. Siobhan Clarke, long time work partner of Rebus (and fleetingly romantic partner of Fox) is still in Edinburgh, slightly resentful of the opportunity afforded Fox, and concerned about Rebus’s health.
Fox is commissioned to investigate Edinburgh ‘businessman’ Darryl Christie, another former adversary of Rebus, Fox and Clarke, who is suspected of involvement in organised money laundering through the electronic gambling machines in his chain of betting shops. Meanwhile, a suspected associate of Christie, financial adviser Anthony Brough, grandson of the former owner of Brough’s private bank, has gone missing. Nearly forty years earlier Brough’s father had been a suspect in a murder scandal that ensnared much of Edinburgh’s top society. And then, back in the present, Christie is found severely beaten up in his own garden.
What follows in an intricately woven story that shifts between the past and present as Rebus and Co struggle to unravel a financial morass mired against a background of underworld alliances and gang conflicts. Of course, Rebus’s sworn enemy, Maurice Gerald Cafferty is there to muddy the waters with his own brand of Mephistophelean woe, too.
Rankin always offers robust and plausible plots, which benefit from the use of genuine locations. This time around, though, I felt that the principal charades lacked their customary solidity. There was a coarseness about Rebus in this book that had been absent, or more deeply hidden in previous volumes in the series. Clarke, too, lacks some of her edge, though who could blame her for lacking some of her brio after years of bailing Rebus out of the mire. Even with these slight cavils, this is still an entertaining and enjoyable book, and I am confident that the series could sustain several more volumes yet.
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the novel opens, he is waiting for the results of a biopsy taken after doctors discovered a shadow on his lung. As a consequence of this he has given up smoking, rendering him even more thrawn than ever. Meanwhile his former would-be adversary turned grudging friend, Detective Inspector Malcolm Fox, previously local head of the Professional Standards Division, has been transferred to the elite Police Scotland Crime Squad based at Gartcosh near Glasgow. Siobhan Clarke, long time work partner of Rebus (and fleetingly romantic partner of Fox) is still in Edinburgh, slightly resentful of the opportunity afforded Fox, and concerned about Rebus’s health.
Fox is commissioned to investigate Edinburgh ‘businessman’ Darryl Christie, another former adversary of Rebus, Fox and Clarke, who is suspected of involvement in organised money laundering through the electronic gambling machines in his chain of betting shops. Meanwhile, a suspected associate of Christie, financial adviser Anthony Brough, grandson of the former owner of Brough’s private bank, has gone missing. Nearly forty years earlier Brough’s father had been a suspect in a murder scandal that ensnared much of Edinburgh’s top society. And then, back in the present, Christie is found severely beaten up in his own garden.
What follows in an intricately woven story that shifts between the past and present as Rebus and Co struggle to unravel a financial morass mired against a background of underworld alliances and gang conflicts. Of course, Rebus’s sworn enemy, Maurice Gerald Cafferty is there to muddy the waters with his own brand of Mephistophelean woe, too.
Rankin always offers robust and plausible plots, which benefit from the use of genuine locations. This time around, though, I felt that the principal charades lacked their customary solidity. There was a coarseness about Rebus in this book that had been absent, or more deeply hidden in previous volumes in the series. Clarke, too, lacks some of her edge, though who could blame her for lacking some of her brio after years of bailing Rebus out of the mire. Even with these slight cavils, this is still an entertaining and enjoyable book, and I am confident that the series could sustain several more volumes yet.
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LibraryThing member smik
This novel, #21 in the Rebus series, brings together John Rebus, Malcolm Fox, and Siobhan Clarke, and old arch-enemy Big Ger Cafferty. Rebus retired back in EXIT MUSIC, but he has knowledge that is invaluable to the police. Fox and Rebus, once rivals, have now decided that they can work together if
Rebus has never forgotten the unsolved murder of Maria Turquand forty years before, the main suspects in the murder are all still alive, and it is a case that Rebus would love to solve.
Rebus is not in the best of health, has even given up smoking, and is drinking light beer, encouraged by his current girl friend who also conducts police autopsies.
The past meets the present when a young gangster modelling himself on Big Ger Cafferty is mugged in his driveway, and then when a banker is abducted.
I found the plots a bit twisted and convoluted, hence the slightly lower rating, but still a good read.
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need be. Rebus of course does not have a police badge but is not above using Fox's business card if it furthers his cause.Rebus has never forgotten the unsolved murder of Maria Turquand forty years before, the main suspects in the murder are all still alive, and it is a case that Rebus would love to solve.
Rebus is not in the best of health, has even given up smoking, and is drinking light beer, encouraged by his current girl friend who also conducts police autopsies.
The past meets the present when a young gangster modelling himself on Big Ger Cafferty is mugged in his driveway, and then when a banker is abducted.
I found the plots a bit twisted and convoluted, hence the slightly lower rating, but still a good read.
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LibraryThing member Ma_Washigeri
Bit messy although some good stuff in there - found it a bit hard to follow.....
LibraryThing member scot2
I love Rebus books. I loved this one too even though it was not quite up to Rankin's usual standard.
LibraryThing member GeoffHabiger
This latest book in the long-running Inspector Rebus series is a great book that for me was hitting on all cylinders. All of the usual characters are back - John Rebus, Siobhan Clark, Malcom Fox, Darryl Christie, and Big Ger Cafferty. All of the characters are at their best, with Malcom finally
What starts out as two seemingly unrelated cases - an attack on Darryl Christie that sends him to hospital, and a cold case of a murder in 1978 - quickly become a tangle of suspects and motives with actions in the past apparently having impact on modern events. John Rebus (now fully retired and trying to improve his health - the man has given up smoking!) is his usually "charming" best as he bullies and cajoles his way onto the current case. When another former detective is pulled from the Firth dead the cases suddenly become more serious.
There are many things I love about Rankin's work, and the interplay among the characters is one of them. The relationships between Siobhan and Malcom is different than the one between Siobhan and Rebus or Malcom and Rebus, and the interplay between the different characters is real and brings them fully to life. Rebus' relationship (certainly I wouldn't call it a friendship) with Big Ger is quite complex with a lot of subtle nuances that really brings out the best (or worst) in both men. My only quibble (to bring down a half star) is that some of the story points did not seem to be fully resolved. They are minor elements - little side parts to the story - that we not answered here and that may be because Rankin is waiting for book #22 to resolve them, however that just left me feeling a little unsatisfied.
If you have never read one of Rankin's Rebus novels, then I suggest you start with one of his earlier works, as a lot has gone on between all the major players that might be lost if you pick up Rather Be the Devil first. However, if you have read all of Rankin's other books, then this is definitely one to pick up if you haven't already. I look forward to the next Rebus novel.
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coming into his own (even after two solo novels featuring Inspector Fox, I never felt comfortable with his character, but now I think Malcom is fitting in nicely into Rebus's world). What starts out as two seemingly unrelated cases - an attack on Darryl Christie that sends him to hospital, and a cold case of a murder in 1978 - quickly become a tangle of suspects and motives with actions in the past apparently having impact on modern events. John Rebus (now fully retired and trying to improve his health - the man has given up smoking!) is his usually "charming" best as he bullies and cajoles his way onto the current case. When another former detective is pulled from the Firth dead the cases suddenly become more serious.
There are many things I love about Rankin's work, and the interplay among the characters is one of them. The relationships between Siobhan and Malcom is different than the one between Siobhan and Rebus or Malcom and Rebus, and the interplay between the different characters is real and brings them fully to life. Rebus' relationship (certainly I wouldn't call it a friendship) with Big Ger is quite complex with a lot of subtle nuances that really brings out the best (or worst) in both men. My only quibble (to bring down a half star) is that some of the story points did not seem to be fully resolved. They are minor elements - little side parts to the story - that we not answered here and that may be because Rankin is waiting for book #22 to resolve them, however that just left me feeling a little unsatisfied.
If you have never read one of Rankin's Rebus novels, then I suggest you start with one of his earlier works, as a lot has gone on between all the major players that might be lost if you pick up Rather Be the Devil first. However, if you have read all of Rankin's other books, then this is definitely one to pick up if you haven't already. I look forward to the next Rebus novel.
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LibraryThing member Carol420
Another visit with one of my favorite characters in one of my favorite cites...Edinburgh. Our Rebus is getting old and starting to slow down and take heath issues more seriously. One of the things that he also takes seriously is unsolved murders...especially those that he was connected with years
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ago but was taken off of before he could solve them. Some reviewers described Rebus as "the old war horse"...that may be truer than we think but it's good to see that he's not quite ready to hang up his saddle and be put out to pasture. Looking forward to more of Rebus. Show Less
LibraryThing member gmmartz
Rebus isn’t exactly sitting still in retirement, is he? Ian Rankin’s great Scottish detective is still detecting, even though he’s been put to pasture. Fortunately for him, he has several contacts still on the force who are more than happy to avail themselves of his unique qualities.
‘Rather be the Devil’ begins with a very cold case being reopened that Rebus had been involved in long before. He expertly inserts himself into the investigation and before you know it, there’s a murder of an ex-cop he’d interviewed and various other parties scatter to the winds.
Rankin’s writing and dialogue are first rate, as usual. I found the plot, though, fairly confusing with much needed clarification happening at the conclusion. I also thought it was unlikely that a retired detective would be allowed almost free reign inside an ongoing investigation like this. Other than that, solid work led to a good result, with a bonus of Big Ger Cafferty making an appearance that sets up well for yet another novel in this fine series.
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‘Rather be the Devil’ begins with a very cold case being reopened that Rebus had been involved in long before. He expertly inserts himself into the investigation and before you know it, there’s a murder of an ex-cop he’d interviewed and various other parties scatter to the winds.
Rankin’s writing and dialogue are first rate, as usual. I found the plot, though, fairly confusing with much needed clarification happening at the conclusion. I also thought it was unlikely that a retired detective would be allowed almost free reign inside an ongoing investigation like this. Other than that, solid work led to a good result, with a bonus of Big Ger Cafferty making an appearance that sets up well for yet another novel in this fine series.
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LibraryThing member gypsysmom
John Rebus confronts his mortality in this book but then decides to forget about it by trying to solve homicides (even though he is most definitely retired). There is even his old nemesis, Gerald Cafferty, to check out. Rebus and Cafferty are old age pensioners now but they are certainly not taking
Rebus has a girlfriend these days. Deborah Quant is a pathologist so Rebus likes to enliven their dates by telling her about past cases. At dinner at the Caledonian Hotel Rebus tells the story of an unsolved murder that happened in one of the hotel rooms forty years before. Maria Turquand was married to a banker but had a string of lovers and she was in the habit of meeting them in a hotel room at the Caledonian. Someone strangled her in that room and the killer was never found. Telling the story to Deborah revives Rebus' interest in the case and he starts delving into the old files. He learns that it was re-examined about 8 years previously but nothing definitive was discovered. Rebus goes to talk to the detective who did the re-examination anyway. Robert Chatham is retired from the police force now but he works as a bouncer at nightclubs across Edinburgh. He doesn't tell Rebus anything that he didn't know but the very next day Chatham's body is discovered and he appears to have been murdered. Of course, Rebus immediately thinks his death is due to Rebus looking at the Turquand murder and he is determined to find Chatham's killer.
Meanwhile Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox are involved in the investigation of an assault on Edinburgh's new crime boss, Darryl Christie. Christie has his fingers in all kinds of pies so there could be any number of people who hold a grudge against him. Maybe even Gerald Cafferty who isn't the type to step down gracefully. Since Rebus has a special rapport with Cafferty he is tasked by Siobhan to check out Cafferty's story.
To further complicate the story there is a missing financier who seems to have worked with Darryl Christie in laundering money from criminal activities. Has he also been assaulted or killed?
So many investigations but in the end they all tie together in one big tangled web.
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life easy.Rebus has a girlfriend these days. Deborah Quant is a pathologist so Rebus likes to enliven their dates by telling her about past cases. At dinner at the Caledonian Hotel Rebus tells the story of an unsolved murder that happened in one of the hotel rooms forty years before. Maria Turquand was married to a banker but had a string of lovers and she was in the habit of meeting them in a hotel room at the Caledonian. Someone strangled her in that room and the killer was never found. Telling the story to Deborah revives Rebus' interest in the case and he starts delving into the old files. He learns that it was re-examined about 8 years previously but nothing definitive was discovered. Rebus goes to talk to the detective who did the re-examination anyway. Robert Chatham is retired from the police force now but he works as a bouncer at nightclubs across Edinburgh. He doesn't tell Rebus anything that he didn't know but the very next day Chatham's body is discovered and he appears to have been murdered. Of course, Rebus immediately thinks his death is due to Rebus looking at the Turquand murder and he is determined to find Chatham's killer.
Meanwhile Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox are involved in the investigation of an assault on Edinburgh's new crime boss, Darryl Christie. Christie has his fingers in all kinds of pies so there could be any number of people who hold a grudge against him. Maybe even Gerald Cafferty who isn't the type to step down gracefully. Since Rebus has a special rapport with Cafferty he is tasked by Siobhan to check out Cafferty's story.
To further complicate the story there is a missing financier who seems to have worked with Darryl Christie in laundering money from criminal activities. Has he also been assaulted or killed?
So many investigations but in the end they all tie together in one big tangled web.
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LibraryThing member Romonko
Rebus is officially retired, but don't put him out to pasture yet. He's still got the sharpest mind in Edinburgh. in this book we see Rebus in the middle of a gangster war in his city. Yes Big Ger Cafferty is not sitting with his slippers on and his feet up either. Big Ger risks a lot to get back
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on top, but not as much as Rebus risks. Rebus risks his easy retirement, his life and his status in his city with his efforts to try to track down a thirty-year old cold case. As is usual with Rankin's books, Siobhan and Malcom Fox are investigating a much more recent death, and possible a huge money laundering scheme, but as the investigations progress, the two investigations seem to get more and more connected. I found the book lagged a bit in spots, and the "ah-ha" moments weren't as frequent as they usually are in these books, so that's why I've given it 4 stars instead of my usual 5 stars. The best news is that Rebus is not down and out yet, and we have other books to look forward to in this stellar series and more head-on confrontations with Big Ger. Show Less
LibraryThing member malcrf
A solid Rebus, a page-turning police procedural with strong characterisations and punchy prose.
LibraryThing member hcnewton
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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Clarke nodded towards the figure striding across the foyer. She waved, and Rebus noticed her. He offered a curt nod and signaled with his hand that there'd be a phone call later. Then he was out of the automatic doors and gone.
'What was all
'I think it means trouble for someone,' Clarke answered. 'Been a while since I saw him with that look in his eyes...'
WHAT'S RATHER BE THE DEVIL ABOUT?
Darryl Christie is savagely beaten in front of his own house and Clarke jumps onto the case. He didn't see his attacker/attackers, and there were no witnesses. Cafferty's name has to be on the suspect list, and as luck would have it—John Rebus calls at that moment for a small favor. As much as Clarke would love to go up against Cafferty, everyone knows that Rebus would get better results. So she trades favors with him.
Malcolm Fox is soon assigned to the Christie case, too—and then something else happens that requires their attention. Clarke, Fox, and Rebus find themselves in the middle of a messy tangle of crimes that are decades old, in progress, brutal and old school, or high-tech and almost hard to fully grasp.
REBUS
He's dealing with COPD, carrying an inhaler, not smoking (and is handling that about as well as you can expect), and not drinking. Well...okay, not drinking that much. He's trying to be the good retired man that he's supposed to be. But sometimes walking the dog and trying to be healthy just isn't enough...so when he starts telling Deborah Quant an interesting story about a murder that happened in the hotel above the restaurant they were dining in*, he can't keep his curiosity in check and has to see if he can finally close the case. If only for his own amusement.
* because where can they go where he doesn't know an interesting story about a murder committed on or near the premises? And, who but Quant would listen?
And then once this turns into an opportunity to lock horns with Cafferty again? And maybe help his friends/protégés take Christie down before he can become as strong as Cafferty was? Well, this certainly beats counting flowers on the wall.
I really love the fact that so much of this book depends on Rebus needing something to do to keep his mind occupied. As nice as it would be for him to find peace with his dog and Quant—and maybe enjoying time as a grandfather, that's just not Rebus. This kind of thing is so much better for him.
Works out well for we readers, too.
SIOBHAN CLARKE
I really think she got the short-end (again). She's a better police detective than Rebus or Fox, and while it's believable that the brass will overlook her to give Fox the promotion, it's regrettable that Rankin does almost the same.
Rebus and Fox get up to all sorts antics, hiding a lot of it from her—at least until they're done with them—so she won't stop them. She doesn't play things wholly by the book, but compared to Rebus (as always) and (increasingly) Fox, she's a model officer.
Still, when she's going toe-to-toe with Christie or his family, or his henchmen? She's fantastic. I just got wish we got more of her. Maybe Rankin figures we know all we need to know about her, and we're still trying to figure Malcolm out?
MALCOLM FOX
After what happened to him in the last book, he's given a nice promotion to the Major Crimes Division of Police Scotland. A promotion he takes, but knows he doesn't deserve, while Clarke does. Clarke knows it, too (and is having a hard time not resenting him getting it). His superiors are hoping the situation with Christie will put them in a situation where they can take him down—and more importantly, a couple of his allies with him, so he's sent back to Edinburgh to be their man on the ground. He does all he can to keep Clarke involved, which helps their relationship a degree.
It turns out that Christie has a tie to Fox's sister, Jude, and is working that for all it's worth. Between that and his willingness to involve Rebus far and above what he should be, Fox is coloring outside the lines that used to define him so clearly. Which is good for this case, but is that really going to serve him long-term?
BIG GER
If you can't keep a good man down, how do you explain Morris Gerald Cafferty?
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT RATHER BE THE DEVIL?
I loved the way the cold case resolved. I enjoyed just about everything about the Christie beating story (including what Fox was really there to take care of) and how that took care of itself. And generally, I just really liked being in this world again.
At this point, all I have are smallish gripes (as expressed above) and general expressions of satisfaction and enjoyment. I wish I had some deeper thoughts to offer, but I really don't. I just like these books and am impressed with the ways that Rankin has found to keep Rebus active. Now if he can just keep him alive...
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Clarke nodded towards the figure striding across the foyer. She waved, and Rebus noticed her. He offered a curt nod and signaled with his hand that there'd be a phone call later. Then he was out of the automatic doors and gone.
'What was all
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that about' Fox asked.'I think it means trouble for someone,' Clarke answered. 'Been a while since I saw him with that look in his eyes...'
WHAT'S RATHER BE THE DEVIL ABOUT?
Darryl Christie is savagely beaten in front of his own house and Clarke jumps onto the case. He didn't see his attacker/attackers, and there were no witnesses. Cafferty's name has to be on the suspect list, and as luck would have it—John Rebus calls at that moment for a small favor. As much as Clarke would love to go up against Cafferty, everyone knows that Rebus would get better results. So she trades favors with him.
Malcolm Fox is soon assigned to the Christie case, too—and then something else happens that requires their attention. Clarke, Fox, and Rebus find themselves in the middle of a messy tangle of crimes that are decades old, in progress, brutal and old school, or high-tech and almost hard to fully grasp.
REBUS
He's dealing with COPD, carrying an inhaler, not smoking (and is handling that about as well as you can expect), and not drinking. Well...okay, not drinking that much. He's trying to be the good retired man that he's supposed to be. But sometimes walking the dog and trying to be healthy just isn't enough...so when he starts telling Deborah Quant an interesting story about a murder that happened in the hotel above the restaurant they were dining in*, he can't keep his curiosity in check and has to see if he can finally close the case. If only for his own amusement.
* because where can they go where he doesn't know an interesting story about a murder committed on or near the premises? And, who but Quant would listen?
And then once this turns into an opportunity to lock horns with Cafferty again? And maybe help his friends/protégés take Christie down before he can become as strong as Cafferty was? Well, this certainly beats counting flowers on the wall.
I really love the fact that so much of this book depends on Rebus needing something to do to keep his mind occupied. As nice as it would be for him to find peace with his dog and Quant—and maybe enjoying time as a grandfather, that's just not Rebus. This kind of thing is so much better for him.
Works out well for we readers, too.
SIOBHAN CLARKE
I really think she got the short-end (again). She's a better police detective than Rebus or Fox, and while it's believable that the brass will overlook her to give Fox the promotion, it's regrettable that Rankin does almost the same.
Rebus and Fox get up to all sorts antics, hiding a lot of it from her—at least until they're done with them—so she won't stop them. She doesn't play things wholly by the book, but compared to Rebus (as always) and (increasingly) Fox, she's a model officer.
Still, when she's going toe-to-toe with Christie or his family, or his henchmen? She's fantastic. I just got wish we got more of her. Maybe Rankin figures we know all we need to know about her, and we're still trying to figure Malcolm out?
MALCOLM FOX
After what happened to him in the last book, he's given a nice promotion to the Major Crimes Division of Police Scotland. A promotion he takes, but knows he doesn't deserve, while Clarke does. Clarke knows it, too (and is having a hard time not resenting him getting it). His superiors are hoping the situation with Christie will put them in a situation where they can take him down—and more importantly, a couple of his allies with him, so he's sent back to Edinburgh to be their man on the ground. He does all he can to keep Clarke involved, which helps their relationship a degree.
It turns out that Christie has a tie to Fox's sister, Jude, and is working that for all it's worth. Between that and his willingness to involve Rebus far and above what he should be, Fox is coloring outside the lines that used to define him so clearly. Which is good for this case, but is that really going to serve him long-term?
BIG GER
If you can't keep a good man down, how do you explain Morris Gerald Cafferty?
SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT RATHER BE THE DEVIL?
I loved the way the cold case resolved. I enjoyed just about everything about the Christie beating story (including what Fox was really there to take care of) and how that took care of itself. And generally, I just really liked being in this world again.
At this point, all I have are smallish gripes (as expressed above) and general expressions of satisfaction and enjoyment. I wish I had some deeper thoughts to offer, but I really don't. I just like these books and am impressed with the ways that Rankin has found to keep Rebus active. Now if he can just keep him alive...
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LibraryThing member Ma_Washigeri
Bit messy although some good stuff in there - found it a bit hard to follow.....
LibraryThing member DrLed
Synopsis: Rebus has completely retired - sort of. He is still giving Clark and Fox the benefit of his wisdom and insight. He's also gotten COPD and maybe lung cancer. Christi gets beat up, there's a Russian looking for his money, and Cafferty is looking around for something to do. What brings
Review: Pretty good, but a bit draggy and overly convoluted.
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everything to a head is that a former policeman is murdered. It's all related to laundered money.Review: Pretty good, but a bit draggy and overly convoluted.
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LibraryThing member runner56
For an avid crime reader one of the greatest fictional characters to have emerged in almost 30 years is undoubtedly John Rebus. In so many ways he is the archetypal detective. He plays the game of cops and robbers under his rules and is not adverse to a little underhand dealing if it means a
Rather be the Devil sees a retired JR doing what he does best, refusing to give into the inevitable pull of retirement, having been assigned to a cold case; the murder of Maria Turquand some 40 years previously. All the familiar characters are there; old time crime boss Big Ger Cafferty and the attractive career driven DI Siobhan Clarke. She has never doubted the great analytical and solving ability of our hero but has grave misgivings over his methodology, manners and approach to bringing a killer to justice. Clarke meantime is involved in solving a vicious attack on a young crime pretender Darryl Christie who appears to be at the heart of a money laundering scheme....soon to come to the attention of Cafferty.
It is however the characters, language and humour of modern day Edinburgh that is the real winner rather than the plot and storyline, from the past and present, which at times is a little confusing. There is also an inevitability and concern about the fate of John Rebus and the questioning of Rankin's writing in an attempt to discern how our great detective might finally make an exit...."He'd had a coughing fit in the toilet five minutes back, hawking gobbets into the sink then running the tap, rinsing away the evidence before dabbing sweat from his brow while thinking that next time maybe he'd remember to bring his inhaler. His face in the mirror told its own story, with little to indicate that the ending would be happy."
The interplay between Rebus and the characters and suspects he meets during the course of his investigation is always a joy and a pleasure to behold showcasing the crisp and delightful writing skills of Mr Rankin....."Thought you'd been put out to pasture? I'm here for a bit of a graze, Rebus replied"........"Tea or coffee? Then, to Fox specifically: And how do you take it? Without Saliva, preferably."........."You snatched some of my business cards, Fox said eventually. Of course I did- sometimes people need to think they're talking to a cop. But they're not, John, and impersonating a police officer is an offence. I know guys who spent their whole lives on the force doing not much more than impersonating cops."
Rather be the Devil once again proves that even in retirement there is still great mileage and stories to be had from the pen of Ian Rankin and the stubborn inquiring mind of John Rebus. It will be a sad day when our great detective finally brings to an end his long and colourful career a time of great lament and perhaps in Scotland a day of national mourning!
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successful outcome to the criminal case. A divorced loner he has always lived a solitary existence at his flat in Arden Street Marchmont, surrounded by his memories and a vast LP collection (no modern cd's here) overpopulated by Bob Dylan, Jethro Tull, John Martyn and Van Morrison....to name but a few. Since the publication of Knots and Crosses in 1987 the personification and emergence of John Rebus as a "reality" rather than a writers creation has become blurred and for most Rankin fans he is a living breathing legend.Rather be the Devil sees a retired JR doing what he does best, refusing to give into the inevitable pull of retirement, having been assigned to a cold case; the murder of Maria Turquand some 40 years previously. All the familiar characters are there; old time crime boss Big Ger Cafferty and the attractive career driven DI Siobhan Clarke. She has never doubted the great analytical and solving ability of our hero but has grave misgivings over his methodology, manners and approach to bringing a killer to justice. Clarke meantime is involved in solving a vicious attack on a young crime pretender Darryl Christie who appears to be at the heart of a money laundering scheme....soon to come to the attention of Cafferty.
It is however the characters, language and humour of modern day Edinburgh that is the real winner rather than the plot and storyline, from the past and present, which at times is a little confusing. There is also an inevitability and concern about the fate of John Rebus and the questioning of Rankin's writing in an attempt to discern how our great detective might finally make an exit...."He'd had a coughing fit in the toilet five minutes back, hawking gobbets into the sink then running the tap, rinsing away the evidence before dabbing sweat from his brow while thinking that next time maybe he'd remember to bring his inhaler. His face in the mirror told its own story, with little to indicate that the ending would be happy."
The interplay between Rebus and the characters and suspects he meets during the course of his investigation is always a joy and a pleasure to behold showcasing the crisp and delightful writing skills of Mr Rankin....."Thought you'd been put out to pasture? I'm here for a bit of a graze, Rebus replied"........"Tea or coffee? Then, to Fox specifically: And how do you take it? Without Saliva, preferably."........."You snatched some of my business cards, Fox said eventually. Of course I did- sometimes people need to think they're talking to a cop. But they're not, John, and impersonating a police officer is an offence. I know guys who spent their whole lives on the force doing not much more than impersonating cops."
Rather be the Devil once again proves that even in retirement there is still great mileage and stories to be had from the pen of Ian Rankin and the stubborn inquiring mind of John Rebus. It will be a sad day when our great detective finally brings to an end his long and colourful career a time of great lament and perhaps in Scotland a day of national mourning!
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LibraryThing member -Eva-
Rebus gets hung up on a cold case that turns out to be related to Fox and Clarke's latest case, and, not surprisingly, to "Big Ger" Cafferty who has his fingers in all the pies and is thinking of making a comeback in a big way. This is another great installment in a great police procedural series
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with an interesting locale, witty characters, and solid plot-lines. Rebus health condition raises the stakes enormously and the tension between Fox and Clarke - because of Rebus and because of Fox's promotion - adds a lot of pressure to the characters, which isn't nice for them, but adds a lot for the reader. Highly recommend this series - it's one where I will go back and reread passages out loud to myself just because it's written so cleverly and the dialogues are so realistic. Very happy Rankin decided not to stop writing about Rebus and I am thoroughly enjoying how he's incorporated Fox into the Rebus storyline; they balance each other perfectly Show Less
Awards
McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year (Longlist — 2017)
Theakstons Old Peculier Prize (Longlist — 2018)
Boston Globe Best Book (2017)
The Observer Book of the Year (Crime — 2016)
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
7.72 inches
ISBN
9781409159421
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