Bleeding Hearts

Oh, the blessings of being an author with too much time on his hands. I can just picture Ian Rankin sitting in the house (farm? cottage?) he and his wife bought in rural Dordogne, having whizzed through the manuscript for yet another increasingly well-written John Rebus novel and - having left behind all other employment across the British Channel and neither inclined to carpentry nor gardening - feeling his mind growing restless, in need of occupation. Now, wouldn't you have started looking for another outlet for your creative energy had you been in his spot?

The result of the aforementioned process, which Rankin describes in the foreword to a 2000 compilation uniting all three volumes, were a series of thrillers he wrote under the pseudonym Jack Harvey: Jack for his newborn son, Harvey for his wife's maiden name.

After a good, albeit a bit uneven beginning with "Witch Hunt" - the story of a female assassin hunted by agents of the British and the French governments - things really shift into high gear with the second Jack Harvey novel, "Bleeding Hearts." Unusual is, already, its protagonist: another assassin, but this time a large part of the story is told from his perspective, and the presumed "bad guy's" first person narrative magnetically draws you in, until you end up rooting for *him* - the cool, slick, smart, presumably rather goodlooking operator - and not for the ex-cop-turned-P.I. who's been on his heels for years, and compared to whom even a classic noir gumshoe would almost look like an epitome of innocence (besides being a good deal slimmer). What is more, the story's enigmatic anti-hero suffers from a birth defect both supremely ironic and potentially fatal in his line of work: hemophilia ...

Mike Weston's nickname in professional circles on both sides of the law is "Demolition Man," for the small set of explosives he plants near the site of each job in lieu of a calling card. After a few jobs have gone anything but smoothly (or so rumor has it), he needs a good, clean hit to restore his reputation. Just that seems to be handed to him with the assassination of a reporter about to embark on a story involving a religious cult with the peaceful-sounding name "Disciples of Love." And initially everything goes as planned: the target is where she is supposed to be exactly at the time she is supposed to be there, and he nails her with a shot into the heart; another calling card of his.

But then things start to happen that he hasn't been planning for, and in his view there's only one explanation - he's been set up. So while normally he would leave the place of his hit as quickly and silently as possible, now he has to retrace the job to its origins, find out who was behind it and who wants him out of the way. Assisted by Belinda, the daughter of his trusted, reclusive Yorkshire gun supplier, he soon finds himself on the trace of a group of ruthless people who actually do make our Mike look well-neigh moral in comparison, as well as an international conspiracy not only involving the "Disciples of Love" but also, in the novel's conclusion, drawing on a lesser-known factual tidbit from the Iran-Contra affair.

We learn little about Mike's motivation and moral code over the course of the novel. He does reveal that, not having found much pleasure in more ordinary occupations, he gradually slid into his current profession through the fascination with guns and his prowess as a shooter that his father had first awakened in him; and he presents us with all professional killers' age-old adage: "I knew I wouldn't be working for the Salvation Army. But then I wasn't killing any nuns and priests, either. It was only after a few hits that I decided anyone was fair game. It isn't up to the executioner to pronounce guilt or innocence. He just makes sure the instruments are humane." Outside a few insights into his psyche like this, however, Mike's focus is more on the "who," "what," "where" and "how" of a job, not the "why" - the latter only becomes a question when his own life is at stake. But this is all just as well. Rankin walks a tight rope in keeping Mike's inner workings largely concealed from the reader, and he walks it convincingly; much more so than if he had tried to overtly humanize Mike Weston.

Along their chase, Mike and Belinda encounter a number of unique and likewise deliciously drawn characters; to name but one, Mike's friend Spike Jackson, as gun-crazy redneck as you'll ever encounter them but at the same time, their only true ally. Add to that Rankin's superb instinct for locales, language and dialogue, and you have one heck of a ride; a high-powered chase from London to Yorkshire, Scotland and all across the United States, ending with a shootout near Olympic National Park in Washington State that could have been choreographed by the likes of Sam Peckinpah and Brian De Palma.

Although I'm happy enough for Rankin's success with Inspector Rebus and wouldn't want any story featuring Edinburgh's finest (and most hard-drinking) D.I. missing from my bookcases, in a way I regret that Rankin had to shelve Jack Harvey after only three books; and of all of them, "Bleeding Hearts" is by far my favorite. In the foreword to the above-mentioned compilation, Rankin concedes that in creating Mike Weston he may inadvertently have either "been paying homage" to one of his own favorite novels, Martin Amis's "Money," or "trying to write that seductive narrative voice of [the other novel's protagonist's] John Self's out of [his] system." Whatever it was, it certainly had me hooked. And Mr. Rankin, in the unlikely event that you should ever resurrect Jack Harvey (or write a non-Rebus novel under your own name), I promise I'll read that one, too - with pleasure.

Bleeding Hearts (2/3 people found this helpful)

I have read every Rebus story and all of Rankins Jack Harvey novels and I am a big fan. I am very glad that I never read this first as I may have been put off Ian Rankin for life.The plot is weak the characters unbelievable and I feel that he is writing about things that he does not know a lot about.Other Jack Harvey stories have been very good,I suppose its difficult to be great all of the time.

Brilliant - loved it (4/4 people found this helpful)

Okay it is different to the Rebus novels but a brilliant read all the same. Hoffer was great, over bearing and so critical of just about everything yet he bought a certain amount of humour to this already great read. Do not be put off by some of the reviews, this happens everytime an author has a change of style or breaks away from an already familiar track. I think I prefer this change and thoroughly enjoyed the book. Totally deserving of 5 stars. Will certainly be reading much more by this author.

This is just a bad book. Read the Rebus novels instead. (4/4 people found this helpful)

This is a gratuitously violent, unevenly plotted book with poor character development and an almost maniacal fixation on guns and weapons (make, model, and year).

The novels by the same author that feature Inspector Rebus are great. This is such a disappointment.

Thriller from start to finish (1/1 people found this helpful)

Having listened to the audio tape of Witch Hunt (which was brilliant), I half expected to find that this Jack Harvey audio tape would not be quite as good, WRONG !!!

The first person action from the perspective of a hit man is simply great. The story twists and turns from the UK to America, with seemingly endless mini sub plots, which gradually tie together just like an old fashioned whodunit. But don't just expect a whodunit, but rather an action packed story that keeps you on the edge throughout the tale.

If, like me, you enjoy the Rebus novels, then you will like this Jack Harvey novel, even if it's slightly different. In fact, I am beginning to think these Jack Harvey tapes are even better than the Rebus tales.

Ian Rankin

Reader Reviews:

"Some snipers go for the head. Not me. I go for the heart." (12/12 people found this helpful)

Bleeding Hearts (2/3 people found this helpful)

Brilliant - loved it (4/4 people found this helpful)

This is just a bad book. Read the Rebus novels instead. (4/4 people found this helpful)

Thriller from start to finish (1/1 people found this helpful)

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