The creators of popular fictional detectives have always been faced with a taxing dilemma. Do they allow their characters to age in (or at least close to) real time, or do they leave them in an eternal prime, letting neither age weary them nor the years condemn. Prime examples of the latter approach might be Chief Inspector Wexford, who has been solving crimes in Ruth Rendell's novesl for nigh on fifty years, or Commander Adam Dalgleish, the former poet who investigated numerous murders in the pages of the recently deceased P D James's books.Colin Dexter veered towards the former approach with Chief Inspector Morse, and prior to his eventual death in 'The Remorseful Day' he went through a diabetes-led decline in health chronicled in 'Death is Now My Neighbour' and 'The Wench is Dead'. Morse did, however, leap fully formed from Dexter's brow, already exhibiting a querulous middle age and bearing the rank of Chief Inspector in his first outing in 'Service of All the Dead'.Ian Rankin showed greater verisimilitude with his creation, the 'thrawn' Inspector John Rebus, and in the seventeen novels that featured Rebus up to 'Exit Music' he aged in real time, grappling to accommodate new technology and the comings and goings of his colleagues. Rebus has, however, gone through various changes. I seem to recall that in one of the earliest novels in the canon (was it 'Hide and Seek' or 'Tooth and Nail') he was a jazz aficionado and a bit of a wine snob. Thereafter Rebus's prickly personality became clearer in Rankin's mind and crystallised into the character that has become one of the most popular of British fictional detectives. The Rebus books are all well-crafted, blending the almost schizophrenic nature of Edinburgh itself (with an all too thin patina of grace and elegance covering a seamy subculture of crime, grime and sordidness never far below the surface) with tautly plotted stories and a policeman who seldom runs away from confronting his own demons, though that particular internal conflict is seldom resolved.As 'Exit Music' opens, Rebus is nearing retirement, with only another ten days to go before he hands in his warrant card and leaves the force. True to form, and contrary to what might have been expected, he is not slowing down or easing himself out of the saddle gently. On the contrary, he is as agitated and haunted as ever, depressed because, despite his fiercest efforts over the last two decades, he knows that he has not succeeded in taking down local crime boss Maurice Gerald Cafferty who, as 'Big Ger' has run the city, holding the reins on organised crime all across the Scottish capital. On a freezing night in December 2006 a young woman and a rich banker out with his wife simultaneously come across a still bleeding body on the pavement of a back street now far from the glamorous heart of the city, just outside a multi-storey carpark. The police are called and the corpse is taken away for forensic investigation, where he is identified as that of Alexander Todorov, a celebrated Russian poet, who has made a name for himself on the back of his dissident views, which he is seldom slow to share with anyone who would listen. Is it a coincidence that the city is currently playing host to a visit of Russian dignitaries and leading business investors, many of whom had been publicly vilified by Todorov. It is clear that a number of high-raking business and commercial transactions are at a delicate stage, and politicians and bigwigs are eaer to stifle any public speculation about the murder, and to ascribe it to a 'mugging gone wrong'.It is clear that the investigation should be handled by someone well-versed in tact, diplomacy and sensitivity. As luck would have it, the case is assigned to Rebus, so it is only a matter of time before sensitivities are outraged, and the 'high heid yins' are baying for his removal.This is Rankin and Rebus at their best. The plot is involved with the whole range of Rebus's behemoths running riot. He clashes with politicians from Holyrood and Westminster, local councillors and the Lord Provost, senior politicians and also the highest hierarchy of bankers - one of the principal organisations that comes under Rebus's scrutiny is 'First Albannach Bank' (FAB), which bears ore than a little similarity to the Royal Bank of Scotland before its hubristic fall into ignominy following the international economic crisis of 2008. In the meantime Rebus is still pursuing his personal quest against Big Ger.Marvellously crafted, and authoritatively written, this proved a worthy swan song for Rebus from his career on the force.
Anyone who follows my book reviews is probably already aware that I am a big fan of Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus series. Mysteries are my favorite genre and the Rebus series is really one of the best, in my opinion. Rankin can always be counted on to give us believable characters and situations and always there is in the background the wonderfully funky and historic city of Edinburgh, a smallish town in a smallish country where everybody and everything seems intertwined. And always in the middle of it all is Rebus, a cop who hates being hamstrung by rules, but a cop, who at his core is a very moral man. That's what drives him crazy.What keeps him sane is the music. Rock music. It is the background noise of his life. It tells the story of his alienation, his lost loves, his broken marriage, the daughter who has drifted away, the dead friends, the ghosts of cases without a "result." Those ghosts haunt him at night as he sits in his favorite chair in his living room, a tumbler of malt in his hand, and music from his vast collection of CDs streaming from his audio system. But now the music that John Rebus is hearing is Exit Music. He is one week away from retirement from his long inglorious career with Borders and Lothian Police. He's trying to interest his partner DS Siobhan Clarke in his collection of "no results" so that she will carry on with them when he is gone. He's also shadowing his great nemesis "Big Ger" Cafferty in hope of finally finding something that will put him away for good. He had been able to send Cafferty to prison a couple of times in his career, but never for long enough. Now he's out and, to all appearances, a legitimate businessman. Rebus doesn't believe it.Then, right in the middle of his last week and his wrapping up of loose ends, a dissident Russian poet who is in Edinburgh gets himself murdered. At first it seems like a simple mugging, but as Rebus and Clarke dig deeper, things get more complicated. Things get even more complicated with a second murder of a man who had been recording the poet's appearances at book stores and other venues. Are the two murders related?Finally, just after he has had a late night meeting with John Rebus, "Big Ger" Cafferty is brutally attacked and left for dead. Initial evidence points to Rebus as the attacker. Will he be able to finish out his last week with CID without being arrested for assault with grievous bodily harm, or even murder?Rebus is now nearing 60, but is just as irascible as ever. He can't even get through his last week on the job without being suspended. Of course, when did a minor impediment like a suspension ever stop John Rebus? He goes on with his investigation as if nothing had happened.This is the 17th and final entry in the Rebus series. I guess we knew it had to end sometime, and it's probably best that Rankin puts his detective out to pasture before he begins to repeat himself. He's probably heartily fed up with the old boy after all these years and ready to move on to other things.Still, I will miss him and I shouldn't be surprised to find myself wondering how Rebus is coping with retirement. Somehow I suspect it would not be a pretty thing to watch.
What do You think about Exit Music (2015)?
Rebus retires. This book is based on the last two weeks before Rebus's retirement. The Russian businessmen are in town trying to win business deals with Scotland. A dissident Russian poet is found murdered and Rebus and Siobhan come into picture.Soon the audio recordist who had a penchant to record things in public and who recorded the last book reading of the Russian poet is also found dead.Siobhan leads the investigation with Rebus as a team member. Rebus ends up rubbing everybody the wrong way. Rebus gets himself suspended, but this does not deter him from pursuing the truth.The book is all about how he solves his last case before he retires. A fitting end to a glorious career.
—Sundarraj Kaushik
I was quite frankly disappointed with this book. I understand now that there will be another in the Rebus series but, at the time of publication it was considered to be the last . Now let me say I have, from the beginning, been an Ian Rankin fan which I guess could have contributed to my high level of anticipation. And when I opened the book it drew me in pretty quickly and we 'were off' as they say. The only problem for me it, like its heroe, it began to run out of steam. I wom't delineate the story for you but suffice it to say Rebus is days away from retirement. He's tired and curmudgeonly - no change there - and his intention is to go through his unsolved cases with his sidekick DS Clarke when a Russian poet is found murdered? Clarke is put in charge of the case and Rebus orchestrates from the sidelines. To be fair the story is complex and I didn't guess the denouement so in that it was successful but I was beginning not to care. I consider Rankin to be a master of the genre. I simply feel he's taken this particular character as far as he can. Perhaps he's got sucked into the success? I ask myself if I had read this book without prior knowledge of the others in the series what would I have thought? To be honest I would have been more enthusiastic but as it is I am disappointed!
—Barbara Green
I am a fan of Rebus and Ian Rankin, but this is not his best novel. Rebus is on the point of retiring, when a Russian dissident is murdered. Rebus and Siobhan Clarke believe the killing is political and the victims links with the Russian diaspora in Edinburgh and their links to local politicians come under scrutiny. The ending was a little contrived and I thought not very credible. Rebus is wary of the consequences of his retirement as is Clarke who anticipates promotion. The city plays it's usual starring role and Rankin displays his knowledge of contemporary music. A good read but not outstanding.
—Margaret Barnes
