Exit Music

Having been following Rebus and team from the beginning it is difficult to believe it is all over. Rankin has done a great job in Exit Music and deserves a round of applause for keeping the conclusion low key, but intriguing.

We must wonder if Siobhan will feature in future Rankin novels. If so, it is difficult to imagine Rebus not reappearing in some form. I personally hope that Rankin will draw a veil on the characters and move onto a different theme.

It has been a brilliant ride. Thanks Ian for the memories.

A good conclusion (0/0 people found this helpful)

In recent years I've read the full Rebus saga and this is a great final novel. The way ther series is concluded is done well - although the epilogue rather spoils a great book (hence only four stars) - an unnecessary final twist to a book that warranted a low key retirement party.

Whilst the early Rebus stories had superb plots, it was the character development and interaction that become more engrossing than individual storylines as the series unfolded. The plot in this novel isnt the best but the characters are great and this is what makes the Rebus novels well worth reading.

Recommended

The last waltz? (0/0 people found this helpful)

Nineteenth century England has Holmes, Little England Marple; Oxford has Morse and Nottingham has Resnick. And Edinburgh indisputably has Rebus. Ian Rankin's troubled, smart-alec, introspective creation is a fantastic, complex character, an unhappy, flawed yet genuinely good man forever struggling helplessly to hold back the tide of human evil. John Rebus can truly be called a great detective, and this can truly be called a fitting end to a classic series. Rankin juggles a labyrinthine plot and the complex relationships between his leading characters with the consummate ease of a master - he's got so good at this, you feel he could do it in his sleep. Despite the complexities of the storyline, the reader at no time feels confused or bewildered - a tribute to the writer's skill.
Investigating the violent death of a dissident Russian poet, Rebus and sidekick Siobhan Clarke encounter the usual eclectic array of characters including dodgy bankers, shady oligarchs, violent drug dealers and slimy Scottish parliamentarians. We are treated to Rebus, never one to shy away from clashes with authority or adversaries, becoming increasingly demob-happy as the clock ticks inevitably towards his dreaded retirement (sad to think we will never hear another High Heidyin squealing, "You're off the case, Rebus!") and to him once again crossing swords with his bete noir and alter ego Big Ger Cafferty.
Though not the absolute best or darkest of the series - it lacks the truly soul-freezing bleakness of The Hanging Garden or Dead Souls - this is genuinely fine swansong for the great man. But is it really the last we will see of him? Does a DI Clarke series beckon, or will Rankin turn his prodigious energies and talents to something completely new? I can't wait to find out.

Wow, what a way to go! (0/0 people found this helpful)

I've read all the Rebus books and am sorry to see him go. He's such a complex, yet flawed character. Recent books have made more of his interactions with DS Siobhan Clarke and this has added to the human side of the stories. There's an added enjoyment for those of us who know Edinburgh and all the locations mentioned: I parked in the car park, that's at the centre of the story, the day after I read the passage about the murder, which added a frisson to my evening out!

This final book in the Rebus series was a real page turner, especially the last few chapters where one was kept one guessing to the very end. Here's hoping there will be a DI Clarke series.

I have been a fan of the Rebus series for years (1/1 people found this helpful)

So I was quite excited to come into possession of an advance readers copy of this book a few weeks ago. I have to keep mum as to how this happened but it is kind of cool to get to read it before the general public! I won't give anything away other than to say this is a fitting end to the series, and another great read. The story starts out with the death of a Russian poet who at first appears to have been the victim of a mugging. However after a little digging there is more here than meets the eye. Rebus soon fears he may have dug a little too deep. Its sad to see the career of Inspector Rebus come to an end, but what a ride! Along with Tino Georgiou's wonderful 'The Fates' this is the best novel of the year so far. I really can't imagine any fan being disappointed with it.

Ian Rankin

Reader Reviews:

The saga is over, or ----- (0/0 people found this helpful)

A good conclusion (0/0 people found this helpful)

The last waltz? (0/0 people found this helpful)

Wow, what a way to go! (0/0 people found this helpful)

I have been a fan of the Rebus series for years (1/1 people found this helpful)

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