Book Review: A Question of Blood

Reviewed By: Cheryl - RAM

A Question of Blood     Amazon US PB Amazon UK PB Amazon UK HC Amazon Canada PB
Ian Rankin
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural
Series: John Rebus # 15

Inspector Rebus is in trouble with his superiors again. A small-time criminal who has taken to stalking Rebus' colleague Siobhan Clarke dies in a fire under mysterious circumstances. Rebus has burned or scalded both hands. While this situation is being investigated, Siobhan and Rebus help another offices look into a situation that appears, at first, and superficially, like one or the other commonplace tragedy Loner shoots up school. Or maybe Ex-soldier commits murder-suicide.

Of course, in a Rankin novel, the situation is not going to be so straightforward as to be summarized in three or four words. Additional complications arise in both investigations. The story also follows Rebus' and Siobhan's lives outside the murder investigation, bare and bleak as they are. Other interesting and realistic characters move in and out of the narrative. I did have one very tiny nitpick at times, it felt like I was being instructed as to what a goth was, when I felt that was common knowledge. But that is a very minor detail. Overall, this is another excellent and gripping Inspector Rebus novel. Sometimes, I have found that the atmosphere of the Rebus novels is simply too bleak and depressing for my taste, but in this case, I thought that the more lonely and empty aspects of Rebus' life, and the limited lives of many of the characters did not overwhelm the reader, although they were present and believable.

Cheryl - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Cheryl - RAM

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