"Não há mistério nenhum."Acreditem quer não é assim que começa este thriller misterioso que se desenrola na cidade de Edimburgo. Preparem-se porque "Uma Questão de Sangue" é surpreendente até à última página."Sangue espalhado pelo chão e pelas paredes. Sangue por todo o lado. Sangue com histórias por contar."O Caso Port-Edgar tem inicio numa Terça-feira e termina após nove longos dias. Uma escola é o palco de um massacre. Um psicopata faz três vitimas e, em seguida, suicida-se. Um total de três mortos, o que nos deixa um sobrevivente.O nome do assassino é-nos revelado logo no primeiro parágrafo do livro. Então onde reside o mistério? perguntam-me vocês. É por isso que "Uma Questão de Sangue" é tão especial. É um romance sobre a amizade, a traição, a família e o passado onde nos vemos envolvidos na procura pelos motivos de um acto atroz e, aparentemente, inexplicável. Esta é uma história sobre um inspector chamado John Rebus. Este elemento das forças policiais, ao lado da sua colega e, acima de tudo, amiga, Siobhan Clarke, esforça-se para aplacar o medo real e asfixiante da sociedade pelos actos criminosos. Portanto, como devem imaginar, ambos contribuem para o bem-estar dos cidadãos da Escócia, ao contrário dos jornalistas. E não me julguem! As minhas conclusões baseiam-se no relato das personagens deste enredo fascinante, ao qual imediatamente me afeiçoei. O sentimento pela nobre - será? - profissão de jornalista é comum nesta obra. Mas dizem eles, um da espécie pelo menos, que são o quarto poder. Mas quem lhes dá credibilidade?Bobby Hogan, o responsável por esta investigação, pede ajuda ao nosso herói para encontrar respostas para o trágico acontecimento. Rebus, incapacitado fisicamente, arrasta consigo Siobhan para desempenhar as tarefas mais redundantes como conduzir, abrir uma porta ou acender um cigarro. Afinal de contas, o homem não pode usar as suas mãos. Pelo menos é esta a explicação que dá à sua chefe, Gill Templer, que o mantém constantemente debaixo de olho e não o deixa escapar às tão necessárias, segundo ela pensa, repreensões.A determinada altura "Rebus teve um pensamento terrível: os loucos tinham-se apoderado do asilo, os verdadeiros funcionários eram agora seus prisioneiros, daí o semblante vivo e corado de Billy. Ou isso, ou então andou a mexer no armário dos medicamentos." Bem, a mim a segunda hipótese pareceu-me a mais plausível e julgo que irão concordar comigo durante a vossa experiência de leitura. E não é só o Billy que aparenta estar sob o efeito de estupefacientes. O humor deliciosamente contagiante das várias personagens torna-as igualmente suspeitas! Divertidas, sim, mas suspeitas de qualquer forma!Os dois investigadores vêem o seu trabalho dificultado pelos repetitivos confrontos com um membro do parlamento escocês que foi detido numa rusga habitual a um antro de prostituição, com um duo infernal que trabalha para o exército e com um parasita que trabalha como jornalista e insiste obter informações em primeira mão."Ele não achava que fosse um vilão, mas também sabia que provavelmente não era um dos bonzinhos." Para mim, esta é a frase que melhor descreve John Rebus, ao mesmo tempo que nos oferece uma ante-visão da qualidade de todo o enredo. Ian Rankin criou um herói de carne e osso, um inspector com uma personalidade real e comportamento e atitudes verdadeiros. Com todos os seus defeitos e virtudes Rebus é um ser humano como todos nós. Longe de ser perfeito, o inspector esconde os seus segredos mais obscuros. Não o fazemos todos?A normalidade desta narrativa, uma condição aparentemente simples de conferir ao enredo, proporciona-nos uma linha de investigação e mistério que poderiam, sem dúvida alguma, desenrolar-se no mundo real. Se ficarem com vontade de ler este thriller impressionantemente bem escrito pelo escritor escocês Ian Rankin, não me culpem. Usando as palavras do autor, proferidas por uma das suas magnificamente bem delineadas personagens "só vos posso pedir desculpa e usar em minha defesa o facto de ser de carne e osso."
Just got a pile of these on sale, in what will doubtlessly be a futile quest to scratch the Cornwell/Kellerman/James itch (P.D. James wrote BAD JANE AUSTEN FANFIC. Not getting over that, never ever) or at least serve as methadone til the next French/Cain books. I'll have to read more books in this series to be sure, but sadly, am not too impressed so far. Rebus, with his drinking problem, disrespect for authority, and wisecracking, is clearly Marlowe in Black Watch, although he's modernized to the extent of having a female boss and partner, a cell phone, and an odd love for terrible modern pop. But he's still cut on the Marlovingian pattern, which is both a strength and weakness -- Marlowe is a pretty great character, after all, a kind of archetype at this point, but he's also a rather annoying asshole, who tends to know too much and withhold it from everyone else, including the reader.The other notable feature of this series is Rankin's determination to dynamite the Ye Bonnie Banks and Braes cliches by showing modern Scots in modern Edinburgh, which provides most of the colour detail in the book -- such as Rebus' washing out of SAS, the powerful petty criminals Peacock Johnson and Martin Fairstone, and an odd touching moment keyed to The Wind in the Willows (I for one didn't realize Kenneth Grahame was scottish). The opening shooting at a Scottish school seems based on the horrific Dunblane massacre, and other real crimes such as the Lockerbie bombing and the Chinook disaster which killed 29 RAF on the Mull of Kintyre are woven into the plot. Thankfully, this isn't done in the infamous "ripped from the headlines" manner of US crime dramas, but is a lot more subtle (well, that's hardly a compliment).I'm a little puzzled at all the praise these books for being literary and well-written because to me they seem like novelized film scripts. There's no description of the scenery or what people look like, characterization is shown almost completely through dialogue, and the characters themselves almost never think about what's happening to them -- which is all more like Hammett than Chandler. But even Hammett had moments like the dream of poisonous snakes and the famous anecdote about falling beams, moments which weren't just brutally in service of ruthless pacing driving on the unstoppable plot. I'm intrigued enough to read at least another two or three books in the series, but not sure if Rebus is worth the effort. Perhaps I just picked the wrong book (entirely at random) to start off with (yes yes I know, but the very early books apparently aren't that great, and I just went with an entry that had good reviews and sounded interesting).ETA: Hah! http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/artic...Occasionally, Rankin's famous friends and his imaginary ones converge. Such as the time when he agreed to write into his novel a real person who had donated a large sum at a charity auction for the privilege. The man, whose name was Peacock Johnson, duly turned up in A Question of Blood – but when Rankin tried to make contact again he had disappeared. A bit of Rebus-style investigation revealed that Peacock Johnson is the alter ego of the bass player of Belle and Sebastian, and that he had subsequently written his own novel in which Rankin turns up as a character who has written about Peacock in a book. "I came across as a bit of a wimp," Rankin complains. "But it was good. It was also, in current parlance, a mindfuck. You think, 'Hang on, if he's not real, and I am real, maybe he's real and I'm not real...'" (Independent)
What do You think about A Question Of Blood (2005)?
This book picks up right after "Resurrection Men" and the secondary story line in which Martin Fairstone is dead and Rebus is a prime suspect, ties back to that book. The main story line is about a vet who walks into a private school and guns down two students and wounds a third one before killing himself. The main question is why and the pursuit of that leads to a multi layered mystery which manages to weave both story lines into a smashing conclusion.I really liked this story for several reasons. Rankin managed to weave these two seemingly unrelated paths into one with a deft hand, we get to find out some interesting things about Rebus' past and family, and his partner Siobhan continues to grow as a character. In addition to all that, Rankin gives readers who like to figure out what is going on enough clues to do but not too soon in the story, but also does not give everything away. That is not easy to do in a mystery.This series is becoming a favorite of mine and I just wish it was easier to find ebooks of the earlier novels in the series. Hopefully the publisher will correct that.
—Stephanie
Ian Rankin is the number one best-selling mystery writer in the United Kingdom for good reason; he tells a great story. In this number fourteen of the John Rebus series, John is called into action when a loner guns down two teenagers in a school and then takes his own life. A subplot involves John's burned hands on the same night a man who was harassing his co-detective and friend, Siobhan Clarke, burned to death. He attempts to solve both cases knowing that his career hangs in the balance. The title comes from the splatter of blood that was left on the walls. When reconstruction tests are completed, they prove the order of deaths don't agree with the testimony of a live victim. The relationship between John and Siobhan is one of the main attractions of the novels as we watch John take her under his wing and teach her everything he has learned in his long career. Rankin knows Edinburg and portrays the city with all its warts on the face that outsiders know as a quaint, historical town in southern Scotland.
—Bonnie
A Question of Blood, is a crime fiction, written by the British (Scottish) author Ian Rankin, best known for his John Rebus series. A Question of Blood is the sixteenth book featuring Detective Inspector John Rebus. The story takes place in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland.John Rebus is in trouble, Martin Fairstone, a petty criminal, is dead, his house was burnt, and the last person to be seen with him was Rebus. Rebus already had a scuffle with him as Fairstone was assaulting his colleague, Detective Constable Siobhan Clarke. Another evidence against Rebus was that his hand was burnt and Rebus's claim was that he had scalded his hand. What made people think that he could have committed the murder is his background and personality. He smokes and drinks too much and keeps a lot of secrets to himself. Nobody knows anything much about him. He had separated from his wife years ago and his daughter was living in England. Since he was totally detached, people always had a suspicion that he may turn out doing something drastic any time.Lee Herdman, an ex SAS (Special Air Services) personnel, walked into a school, brandishing a pistol. There were four casualties. Three dead, one injured. Anthony Jarvies, the son of a lawyer, Derek Renshaw, the son of Rebus' cousin and James Bell (injured, not dead), the son of a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP), Jack Bell and the last one at whom he pulled the trigger was himself. He was also dead. There was no mystery in this, the only question remaining was “Why?”. Why did a retired personnel have to go on a shooting rampage and then kill himself? Revenge? Was he hired by someone else to take revenge? The question “Why?” led to so many other questions.Although, as per police procedures, Rebus is not allowed to investigate since a relative is involved, however, this was also one of the many other unknown things about Rebus. So, Rebus was to investigate this case and win a personal battle, by finding the reason why his nephew was killed and punishing the other people behind it and at the same time, he had to clear him off his charges, regarding the Martin Fairstone case.This is a good book, good language, good character description and it did live up to its tags, that is “crime”, “mystery” and “thriller”. But I also felt that this book was a little too dragging with its sub plot being too boring. The way some characters were closed out was also very poor. But for these, it is a good book and I give this is a rating of 4/5.
—Anirudh Parthasarathy
