Series
Publication
Orion (2009), Edition: First Edition, 381 pages
Original publication date
2009
Collections
Genres
Awards
Spinetingler Award (Nominee — 2010)
Description
Nobody likes The Complaints--they're the cops who investigate other cops. It's a department known within the force as "The Dark Side," and it's where Malcolm Fox works. His new case: investigate a cop named Jamie Breck. As Fox takes on the job, he learns that there's more to Breck than anyone thinks--dangerous knowledge, especially when a vicious murder takes place far too close to home.
User reviews
LibraryThing member austcrimefiction
There is life after Rebus, even if it comes in a package of polar opposites. Rebus was an old school cop - murder squad, Malcolm Fox works for the cops who investigate other cops. Rebus was more than prepared to ignore rules, stretch boundaries and stomp rather resoundingly all over team work. Fox
But, however you characterise the people in any book by Ian Rankin, he really knows how to write a character that holds your attention, albeit in this case, a character that is considerably more subdued, controlled, underplayed than Rebus ever could be. In a strange way I couldn't get Siobhan out of my mind whenever Fox made an appearance - there seemed to be something in common about those two.
Given that this new series centres around the Complaints department, obviously Fox and his colleagues are going to be investigating a cop, although their current investigation carries some baggage from a recent case involving a long-time member. In a twist, a young officer colleague of Heaton's comes under suspicion when there's some evidence he could be involved in an online child pornography group. In a further twist, that young officer - Jamie Breck - is the officer who calls Fox to tell him that his sister's boyfriend has been murdered. Fox and his sister have had their difficulties in the past, not just because the now dead boyfriend used to beat her up on a semi-regular basis, there's always been a bit of conflict there. None of which is helped by their father aging and getting increasingly frail.
There's a lot of connections in the case that Fox is investigating. There's a feeling of swirling activity around him, Breck, his sister, and into the group originally investigating the online child pornography case. Within those connections and co-incidences there's going to be some conflict of interest complications and of course Fox gets himself into deep water, only digging himself out as he starts to get to the bottom of all of the connections. Which is complicated even more by the fact that he and Breck find common ground, friendship if you like.
THE COMPLAINTS is a different book from anything in the Rebus series partially because the nature of the investigation is different, and partially because Fox isn't Rebus. The investigation - the getting to the bottom of who's crooked, who's just unfortunate and who's flat out stupid, the idea that cops are investigating cops gives that aspect of the book a different feeling. It's quite feasible that some readers may find it a little flatter than what they are used to - possibly because there's less of that feeling of justice being seen to be done, and more a feeling of housework - necessary but definitely not high profile or glamorous. Beside that the character of Fox is more subdued than Rebus... less dangerous, definitely less edgy. He's a solid man, doing a nasty job that somebody has to do. He takes it seriously, he believes his job is about doing what's right and doing it well.
A great story is normally pretty well guaranteed in any book written by Rankin, but THE COMPLAINTS gives us a new scenario, a different approach and a different overall feel. Which is a very good thing.
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looks for just that sort of behaviour. Rebus was an unreformed grumpy drunk, Fox is a more carefully controlled man with a broken marriage, his drinking under control. They are both solitary men, although with Rebus there was something satisfied about his aloneness, Fox's comes with a real sense of regret.But, however you characterise the people in any book by Ian Rankin, he really knows how to write a character that holds your attention, albeit in this case, a character that is considerably more subdued, controlled, underplayed than Rebus ever could be. In a strange way I couldn't get Siobhan out of my mind whenever Fox made an appearance - there seemed to be something in common about those two.
Given that this new series centres around the Complaints department, obviously Fox and his colleagues are going to be investigating a cop, although their current investigation carries some baggage from a recent case involving a long-time member. In a twist, a young officer colleague of Heaton's comes under suspicion when there's some evidence he could be involved in an online child pornography group. In a further twist, that young officer - Jamie Breck - is the officer who calls Fox to tell him that his sister's boyfriend has been murdered. Fox and his sister have had their difficulties in the past, not just because the now dead boyfriend used to beat her up on a semi-regular basis, there's always been a bit of conflict there. None of which is helped by their father aging and getting increasingly frail.
There's a lot of connections in the case that Fox is investigating. There's a feeling of swirling activity around him, Breck, his sister, and into the group originally investigating the online child pornography case. Within those connections and co-incidences there's going to be some conflict of interest complications and of course Fox gets himself into deep water, only digging himself out as he starts to get to the bottom of all of the connections. Which is complicated even more by the fact that he and Breck find common ground, friendship if you like.
THE COMPLAINTS is a different book from anything in the Rebus series partially because the nature of the investigation is different, and partially because Fox isn't Rebus. The investigation - the getting to the bottom of who's crooked, who's just unfortunate and who's flat out stupid, the idea that cops are investigating cops gives that aspect of the book a different feeling. It's quite feasible that some readers may find it a little flatter than what they are used to - possibly because there's less of that feeling of justice being seen to be done, and more a feeling of housework - necessary but definitely not high profile or glamorous. Beside that the character of Fox is more subdued than Rebus... less dangerous, definitely less edgy. He's a solid man, doing a nasty job that somebody has to do. He takes it seriously, he believes his job is about doing what's right and doing it well.
A great story is normally pretty well guaranteed in any book written by Rankin, but THE COMPLAINTS gives us a new scenario, a different approach and a different overall feel. Which is a very good thing.
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LibraryThing member Carol420
[The Complaints] by Ian Rankin
Book 1 in the Malcolm Fox series
4 ★’s
From The Book:
Nobody likes The Complaints--they're the cops who investigate other cops. It's a department known within the force as "The Dark Side," and it's where Malcolm Fox works. He's a serious man with a father in a
Then the reluctant Fox is given a new case. There's a cop named Jamie Breck, and he's dirty. The problem is, no one can prove it. As Fox takes on the job, he learns that there's more to Breck than anyone thinks--dangerous knowledge, especially when a vicious murder takes place far too close to home.
My Thoughts:
Rebus has retired and Ian Rankin has provided us a suitable replacement…Malcolm Fox. Is he Rebus?…no. Does he share the same values as Rebus?...absolutely. Fox is a reformed drinker, and much like Rebus, in that he is honest and fights for the rights of the innocent. As the book opens we find that “The Complaints” as Fox's department is known, is investigating corruption within their ranks…other cops…that’s what the Complaints Dept. does. He and his colleagues are not particularly well liked as you can imagine.
Fox is asked to help investigate an officer, Jamie Breck who has been implicated as a pedophile. The problem is that Jamie Breck has found himself part of an investigation has begun in the death of Fox's sister’s boyfriend. Fox is asked to get close to Breck to find out as much as he can. What Fox does discover is that there isn't much evidence to support the accusations and he actually begins to like and trust Breck. That doesn’t mean there is nothing to uncover. What he does discover may bring down some high and mighty people that cannot allow…and will stop at nothing to keep their secrets from coming to light.
Ian Rankin has a well earned reputation of being the master of complex plots and characters and [The Complaints] has proven to be no exception. The book is a little too long and at times seems to go in directions that seem unnecessary to the storyline…hence the 4 stars….but overall If you do not compare Malcolm Fox to previous characters or the plot to previous novels...you will really enjoy the book.
Book 1 in the Malcolm Fox series
4 ★’s
From The Book:
Nobody likes The Complaints--they're the cops who investigate other cops. It's a department known within the force as "The Dark Side," and it's where Malcolm Fox works. He's a serious man with a father in a
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nursing home and a sister who persists in an abusive relationship, frustrating problems about which he cannot seem to do anything. Then the reluctant Fox is given a new case. There's a cop named Jamie Breck, and he's dirty. The problem is, no one can prove it. As Fox takes on the job, he learns that there's more to Breck than anyone thinks--dangerous knowledge, especially when a vicious murder takes place far too close to home.
My Thoughts:
Rebus has retired and Ian Rankin has provided us a suitable replacement…Malcolm Fox. Is he Rebus?…no. Does he share the same values as Rebus?...absolutely. Fox is a reformed drinker, and much like Rebus, in that he is honest and fights for the rights of the innocent. As the book opens we find that “The Complaints” as Fox's department is known, is investigating corruption within their ranks…other cops…that’s what the Complaints Dept. does. He and his colleagues are not particularly well liked as you can imagine.
Fox is asked to help investigate an officer, Jamie Breck who has been implicated as a pedophile. The problem is that Jamie Breck has found himself part of an investigation has begun in the death of Fox's sister’s boyfriend. Fox is asked to get close to Breck to find out as much as he can. What Fox does discover is that there isn't much evidence to support the accusations and he actually begins to like and trust Breck. That doesn’t mean there is nothing to uncover. What he does discover may bring down some high and mighty people that cannot allow…and will stop at nothing to keep their secrets from coming to light.
Ian Rankin has a well earned reputation of being the master of complex plots and characters and [The Complaints] has proven to be no exception. The book is a little too long and at times seems to go in directions that seem unnecessary to the storyline…hence the 4 stars….but overall If you do not compare Malcolm Fox to previous characters or the plot to previous novels...you will really enjoy the book.
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LibraryThing member the.ken.petersen
Rankin, effortlessly, accomplishes several difficult tasks here. Firstly, he moves away from his great hero, Rebus, and starts a new detective series. This could so easily have been Rebus mark II, but despite certain character traits in common with, I suspect, both Rebus and Rankin (in particular,
As one would expect from a Rankin book, the tension builds from the early pages and refuses to ease until the very end. This is an excellent read and, another of the skilful attributes of the work, is that it does not feel like a first novel from a series. Fox soon becomes an old friend and we never play the rather tedious getting to know you routine that is so familiar in many works introducing a new character.
So, when is the next 'Complaints' book coming out? Get on with it man!
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the stubborn refusal to bow to authority), our new hero, Malcolm Fox is a very different kettle of fish.As one would expect from a Rankin book, the tension builds from the early pages and refuses to ease until the very end. This is an excellent read and, another of the skilful attributes of the work, is that it does not feel like a first novel from a series. Fox soon becomes an old friend and we never play the rather tedious getting to know you routine that is so familiar in many works introducing a new character.
So, when is the next 'Complaints' book coming out? Get on with it man!
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LibraryThing member kylenapoli
Ranking is a master of pacing. Despite this not being a 'thriller,' it ticks along like a Swiss watch and was impossible to put down until I finished it (at 3am, naturally).
LibraryThing member lisa.oldham
The first non Rebus Rankin book I've read. I Thoroughly enjoyed this crime novel particularly because whilst the solution wasn't deus ex machina, I had failed to spot it - which for me is the mark of a crime/murder that stands out.
LibraryThing member Cecilturtle
Clever and complex, this novel draws the reader in an increasingly complicated web of lies and deceit. This is always a dangerous road to take: it can lead the reader to confusion and disbelief, but Rankin does a great job at stringing the reader along, revealing clues and plots in a coherent and
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linear fashion. The ending is a little stretched (a flaw of the genre?), but all leading up to it is attention-grabbing and entertaining. Show Less
LibraryThing member edwardsgt
A new Rankin book is always welcome. especially when it is a police story set in Edinburgh and as well written as this one. The story concerns Malcolm Fox, a DI in the Professional Standards Unit (PSU) of Borders & Lothian Police who is asked to investigate a DS Jamie Breck. As always, nothing is
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quite as it seems and when Fox finds out his sister's common-law husband has been murdered, he becomes distracted and potentially compromised. As always the Edinburgh locations are authentic, in this case the action takes place in February 2009, during the height of disruption caused by the construction of Edinburgh's new tram system, of which I'd been unaware until reading this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member yosbooks
Well written story about corrupt cops and those who investigate them.
LibraryThing member MaryInChgo
Another great Rankin work. I especially liked how role playing games were brought into the story
LibraryThing member malcrf
A real return to form, great character, compelling read, excellent
LibraryThing member davidpwhelan
One of the best mysteries I've read. Ian Rankin tells a great story, the plot moving so quickly and cleverly that you can hardly put the book down.
LibraryThing member picardyrose
I needed to read a little more slowly to keep track of who was dirty-dealing whom.
LibraryThing member miyurose
The Complaints is the first book in Rankin’s first series since the end of his Inspector Rebus series in 2007. Malcolm Fox is not like John Rebus; he’s a bit more low-key, and working outside the lines doesn’t come naturally to him. His job in Scotland’s version of Internal Affairs requires
After he closes a case against one particularly egregious offender, he’s asked to work with another division on a child pornography case. The suspect is another cop, but from the start things don’t feel quite right to Fox. After Fox’s sister’s boyfriend is murdered, he finds himself on the wrong side of the blue line, and his suspect is his only ally.
I enjoyed the twists and turns in this book. There’s an atmosphere of economic woe that contributes more gloom than the weather. Besides Jamie Breck, we don’t really get to know Fox’s colleagues well; we become much more familiar with his family. That Fox is someone who tries to clean up the system is not surprising — he’s a caretaker in all areas of his life. I’m looking forward to spending more time with Rankin’s newest protagonist.
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that he seek out the cops that step too far over that line.After he closes a case against one particularly egregious offender, he’s asked to work with another division on a child pornography case. The suspect is another cop, but from the start things don’t feel quite right to Fox. After Fox’s sister’s boyfriend is murdered, he finds himself on the wrong side of the blue line, and his suspect is his only ally.
I enjoyed the twists and turns in this book. There’s an atmosphere of economic woe that contributes more gloom than the weather. Besides Jamie Breck, we don’t really get to know Fox’s colleagues well; we become much more familiar with his family. That Fox is someone who tries to clean up the system is not surprising — he’s a caretaker in all areas of his life. I’m looking forward to spending more time with Rankin’s newest protagonist.
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LibraryThing member dihiba
I was disappointed in The Complaints - found it very confusing and by the last 100 pages I just didn't care anymore - but I did stick it out. Fox is not very well developed, which is understandable as it is Rankin's first book in this series. I will try the second one. Partly disappointed because I
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attended a Rankin reading where he read from the book which had just been published. Show Less
LibraryThing member smik
Malcolm Fox, Foxy, works in the Dark Side of the Complaints and Conduct section of Edinburgh's Lothian and Borders Police HQ. Their job is to keep the cops honest - investigate grievances about cops, hints of corruption, smells of backhanders. Foxy and his colleagues are not popular, as you can
So there's always someone out for revenge, and if you work for the Dark Side you have to be extra careful to keep your nose clean.
On Monday Fox is asked by another section, this time Child Protection, to begin an investigation into Jamie Breck, a policeman working in the same station as Heaton. His boss is ok with him doing some low key investigation.
On the same day he hears that his sister Jude has been beaten up yet again by her boyfriend. This time she has a broken arm. Jude's boyfriend Vince appears to have disappeared.
The further Inspector Fox gets drawn into Vince's disappearance and into investigating Jamie Breck, the more he finds that things aren't what they seem, and he gets drawn further into a complex web that challenges not only his personal safety but also his career.
THE COMPLAINTS has all the hallmarks of the beginning of a series. There was a lot of speculation about what Rankin would find to do when he retired John Rebus. And so he produced Mark Mackenzie in DOORS OPEN. That didn't feel like the beginning of a series like THE COMPLAINTS does. In this novel Rankin spends a lot of time giving the reader background to Fox and his colleagues, establishing the parameters by which the Dark Side operates.
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imagine, and they've just had a result. They've had Glen Heaton under surveillance for months. It's Friday and now Heaton is under suspension, and the paperwork has gone to the Procurator Fiscal for prosecution.So there's always someone out for revenge, and if you work for the Dark Side you have to be extra careful to keep your nose clean.
On Monday Fox is asked by another section, this time Child Protection, to begin an investigation into Jamie Breck, a policeman working in the same station as Heaton. His boss is ok with him doing some low key investigation.
On the same day he hears that his sister Jude has been beaten up yet again by her boyfriend. This time she has a broken arm. Jude's boyfriend Vince appears to have disappeared.
The further Inspector Fox gets drawn into Vince's disappearance and into investigating Jamie Breck, the more he finds that things aren't what they seem, and he gets drawn further into a complex web that challenges not only his personal safety but also his career.
THE COMPLAINTS has all the hallmarks of the beginning of a series. There was a lot of speculation about what Rankin would find to do when he retired John Rebus. And so he produced Mark Mackenzie in DOORS OPEN. That didn't feel like the beginning of a series like THE COMPLAINTS does. In this novel Rankin spends a lot of time giving the reader background to Fox and his colleagues, establishing the parameters by which the Dark Side operates.
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LibraryThing member gypsysmom
Now that Rebus has retired we have to make do with other Edinburgh cops of Ian Rankin's fertile imagination. Malcolm Fox (Foxy) is an inspector in The Complaints, the branch of the police which investigates other cops. As we all know from watching TV nobody likes these police officers who are
Malcolm Fox has just been instrumental in getting a homicide cop suspended from duty (albeit with full pay) and, since he is at loose ends, his boss asks him to help CEOP, the child protection unit, with a matter that involves another cop from the same division. Jamie Breck has purchased a membership in an online child pornography ring and it looks like he might have lots of child pornography to distribute. Before Foxy can arrange a meeting with Breck he is called by his younger sister, Jude. Her boyfriend, who used to physically abuse her and has recently broken her arm, has been murdered. One of the cops investigating the murder is Jamie Breck. Jamie's superior, who hates Fox because of the suspended cop incident, thinks Fox has killed the boyfriend or, at the very least, he sees this as a good way to make Fox's life uncomfortable. Jamie soon gets to know and like Fox and soon the two of them are investigating the murder together. This causes both of them to be put under suspension. Fox begins to suspect that someone is trying to put both of them out of commission. Of course, this means they must pursue their investigation despite orders to the contrary.
Missing and dead real estate developers, sexy casino owners, sleazy gangsters and a female cop all come into the picture. I got a little confused with all the players but it did all come together in the end with a denouement worthy of a movie. Hmm, I don't think any of Rankin's books have been made into films except for a TV series of a few of the Rebus books. Maybe this would be a good one to try!
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generally seen as meddling and removed from the realities of real police work.Malcolm Fox has just been instrumental in getting a homicide cop suspended from duty (albeit with full pay) and, since he is at loose ends, his boss asks him to help CEOP, the child protection unit, with a matter that involves another cop from the same division. Jamie Breck has purchased a membership in an online child pornography ring and it looks like he might have lots of child pornography to distribute. Before Foxy can arrange a meeting with Breck he is called by his younger sister, Jude. Her boyfriend, who used to physically abuse her and has recently broken her arm, has been murdered. One of the cops investigating the murder is Jamie Breck. Jamie's superior, who hates Fox because of the suspended cop incident, thinks Fox has killed the boyfriend or, at the very least, he sees this as a good way to make Fox's life uncomfortable. Jamie soon gets to know and like Fox and soon the two of them are investigating the murder together. This causes both of them to be put under suspension. Fox begins to suspect that someone is trying to put both of them out of commission. Of course, this means they must pursue their investigation despite orders to the contrary.
Missing and dead real estate developers, sexy casino owners, sleazy gangsters and a female cop all come into the picture. I got a little confused with all the players but it did all come together in the end with a denouement worthy of a movie. Hmm, I don't think any of Rankin's books have been made into films except for a TV series of a few of the Rebus books. Maybe this would be a good one to try!
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LibraryThing member Tom_D
I liked this story and I liked the two main characters, Fox and Breck. Fox is not Rebus and I think that is a good thing, a different character and a different look at crime.
LibraryThing member willmurdoch
Good Edinburgh locale but the characters do not live up to the Rebus series standards. I couldn't care much about the new protagonist and the lack of a partner relationship was disappointing too. Save your time and read all the Rebus novels before you take up this one.
LibraryThing member maneekuhi
This is the first in Rankin's new series. I found it too long and unnecessarily complex. Too many double crosses. Malcolm Fox is an Internal Affairs guy - he feels bland compared to Rebus.
LibraryThing member -Eva-
Malcolm Fox works in the Professional Standards Unit of the Complaints and Conducts Department and investigates, nay, spies on other cops for a living. Needless to say, Fox is not a popular guy, which he can live with, but when his family is attacked, he has to do something about it. It's
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inevitable that Fox will be compared to Rebus, the question is: how well does he hold up? Fairly well, I'd say. He's not as funny since he doesn't have the same irreverence, but Fox is quite interesting in his own rights. A bit "slow but steady, and only occasionally to be feared" which turns out to be when his reputation and his family is in danger. A twist on Rebus without the alcohol and the dark mind and who thinks before he acts could be an apt description - what they have in common is their sense of justice, although Fox will go the official route and Rebus take things into his own hands. The story gets a little convoluted at the end, but all in all it's an intriguing mystery and Rankin's talent for writing great dialogue shines on as ever. Show Less
LibraryThing member Heidi2706
I loved the Rebus series, but this new series had passed me by until I read that Rankin's next book would feature both Rebus and Malcolm Fox and wanted to make sure I had all the backstory - and I'm glad I went looking for this.
I was glad to find that Malcolm Fox is a different kind of cop and
The Complaints was a fast-paced thriller with lots of twists and I really enjoyed it - I'm looking forward to more Malcolm Fox books, and I can't wait to find out what Rebus thinks of him.
I was glad to find that Malcolm Fox is a different kind of cop and
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character to Rebus - he's prepared to break the rules and go behind his boss' back when he needs to, but in general is more likely to play by the rules unless he has no choice and he or the people he care about are threatened. I also liked the relationships with the rest of his team and the way that Jamie's character was developed from being the bad guy to a trusted ally, although until the end I still wasn't completely convinced that he could be trusted.The Complaints was a fast-paced thriller with lots of twists and I really enjoyed it - I'm looking forward to more Malcolm Fox books, and I can't wait to find out what Rebus thinks of him.
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LibraryThing member nmele
Just a very entertaining read, both similar to and very different from the John Rebus novels. I would write more, but I need to go find the second novel in this series.
LibraryThing member riverwillow
Brilliant introduction to a new series written by Ian Rankin, the main protagonist Malcolm Fox, is the antithesis of most of modern genre crime detectives, especially Rankin’s own Rebus. Yes he’s divorced, but he doesn’t seem too tortured by it, he doesn’t drink and works as a DI in the
Great character development and pacing made this a book that I couldn’t put down so I read the book in one sitting. I’m extremely grateful that I’ve got both sequels waiting to be read as I want to read more about Fox and his team.
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Complaints and Conduct Department or ‘The Complaints’ and has just successfully wrapped up a case against a corrupt DI, he does have some problems, he has an elderly father living in a residential home and a sister in bad relationship. Fox’s world is about to change, his sister’s partner is murdered and this, alongside his new investigation, into Jamie Breck, take him to places that he never expected to go and expose just how far he will go to get his man.Great character development and pacing made this a book that I couldn’t put down so I read the book in one sitting. I’m extremely grateful that I’ve got both sequels waiting to be read as I want to read more about Fox and his team.
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LibraryThing member Eileen47
This helped me recover from the end of the John Rebus series. I can't get enough of this stuff.
LibraryThing member DowntownLibrarian
Highly recommended to all you skeptical John Rebus fans (and I am one).
Media reviews
Ian Rankin is very good. But one question dances in front of me every time I open his latest novel: Is he that much better than everyone else? His sales, reviews, honours and reputation suggest that he is. Can it be possible? This year's novel, The Complaints, is set in Edinburgh, as usual, but has
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a new character, who looks a fair bet for a series. He shares much with John Rebus, who lived in real time and so retired after about 18 novels. Like Rebus, Malcolm Fox is divorced, depressed, decent and devoted to alcohol..... If the point of crime fiction is to make you think while entertaining you – and I believe it is – then Ian Rankin definitely does it better than most. Show Less
The Complaints is the second Ian Rankin novel since John Rebus retired in Exit Music, and readers who are still suffering from Rebus deprivation are likely to be heartened by the arrival of a cop who shows every sign of being as eminently suitable as his successor. The two men have little in common
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except integrity and a dogged determination to get the job done. Inspector Malcolm Fox is teetotal in a hard-drinking world, a cop who wears unfashionable braces without embarrassment because they are the most effective way of holding up his trousers, who is described by a boss as "a bear of a man", slow but steady, and only occasionally to be feared....Fox is so fully realised and interesting a character, his job in "the complaints" so fraught with fascinating possibilities, that we can surely hope to meet him again. And somewhere in Edinburgh is John Rebus, retired, but for Ian Rankin readers very much alive Show Less
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
0752889524 / 9780752889528
Physical description
400 p.; 6.02 inches
Pages
400