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Exit Music (Inspector Rebus #17)

4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 · rating details · 4,866 ratings · 381 reviews

It's late autumn in Edinburgh and late autumn in the career of Detective Inspector John Rebus. As he tries to tie up some loose ends before retirement, a murder case intrudes. A dissident Russian poet has been found dead in what looks like a mugging gone wrong. By apparent coincidence a high-level delegation of Russian businessmen is in town, keen to bring business to Scot...more

Paperback, 400 pages

Published 2007 by Orion

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Sep 29, 2008 Rasmus rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone.

I had extremely high expectations prior to reading this book. After all, this is the culmination of a long and amazing series. Perhaps, I would say, the best series of crime novels since Chandler. Maybe even better. This was the last one. DI John Rebus's last days before retirement.

It was with a mix of dread and hope, that I picked it up and started reading. I wanted things to end well for Rebus, but I knew it wasn't going to be all rosy and happy either. It just wouldn't be Rebus, if that had b...more

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Apr 21, 2008 Jon Mountjoy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, I've read all of the Rebus series. I suspect this is the final book, given the title. I don't often read the genre, but I've grown to love the warty, very human Rebus. He fights the world, and himself. I suppose I started reading these books because Rebus is set in Edinburgh, where I live. It adds a wonderful dimension when the story takes place in streets and pubs that you know (and I've just learned about a bodysnatching lookout tower from the book). So, you'll enjoy this book if you've...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Bettie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: published-2007, winter-20112012, edinburgh, britain-scotland, mystery-thriller, series, fraudio, tbr-busting-2012

Another TBR busting venture. I have not got around to this one before because, basically, I didn't want to own up that the Rebus oeuvre is wound up in this.

Denial. A Parcel of Rogues

Anyway here we have Rebus battling against his arch enemy McCafferty at a time when Litvienko is in hospital in London and Russian Envoys are scattered around the various staterooms of Edinburgh hotels.

3* - Knots and Crosses (1987)
4* - Tooth and Nail (1991)
3* - Hide and Seek (1991)
3* - Strip Jack (1992)
4* - A...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Bookmarks Magazine added it · review of another edition

This nostalgic farewell for the aging, rebellious, and popular Rebus raised an all-consuming question for critics: is this really the end to the beloved detective, or will he return? The cliffhanger ending, as well as the general belief that Rankin would never give up his adored character, suggests that Rebus could make a comeback. "Exit Music does leave the door open for more Rebus stories as well as a series featuring Siobhan, who has become more of a presence in each novel," notes the South F

...more

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Jan 03, 2009 Pris robichaud rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As We Say Goodbye, Let Me Wish You Grace and Danger, November 18, 2007

"I never knew the road that carried me along
Crazy sidewalk, concealed by pretty song
You want my life from me
I'll give you two
You'll be no strife for me
As we say goodbye
Let me wish you as you fly.

Grace and danger
Sweet grace
No danger
Sweet grace
No danger
Grace and danger."
John Martyn

John Rebus hooked me into his life with his love of music and his style, and that is how he ends his career, style with 'Exit Music'-ho...more

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Nov 23, 2008 Judy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What did I learn from this book? Easy. Don't come into a series on the 16th and final book. Why, you may ask? Because apparently the primary characters in the book have a long and complex history of which I was ignorant. And the author did little to bring a novice reader up to speed. I was urged to read this book by a long-time reader of Ian Rankin, who, apparently, also read them in order. Anyway, the book takes place in Scotland in 2006 as Detective Inspector John Rebus is facing imminent mand...more

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Jun 15, 2013 Susan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: detective-inspector-john-rebus-myst, 2013-audio-book-challenge, 2013-books-in-a-series-reading-chal, 2013-finishing-the-series-reading-c, 2013-in-the-middle-reading-challeng, 2013-mystery-crime-reading-challeng, 2013-read-52-books-in-52-weeks, 2013-reading-challenge-addict, 2013-sequel-reading-challenge, 2013-seriously-series-reading-chall

Exit Music by Ian Rankin is the 19th book of the Inspector Rebus series set in modern-day Edinburgh. It’s November 2006, the final week before John Rebus retires. He’s going over “cold” (unsolved) cases with Siobhan Clarke, hoping she will keep on them, as they expect she will be promoted into his position after his retirement. They are called out to a murder scene: a popular Russian poet has been found dead outside a parking garage.

At first the crime looks like a mugging gone wrong. As they int...more Exit Music by Ian Rankin is the 19th book of the Inspector Rebus series set in modern-day Edinburgh. It’s November 2006, the final week before John Rebus retires. He’s going over “cold” (unsolved) cases with Siobhan Clarke, hoping she will keep on them, as they expect she will be promoted into his position after his retirement. They are called out to a murder scene: a popular Russian poet has been found dead outside a parking garage.

At first the crime looks like a mugging gone wrong. As they interview the people who found the body and called the police, and investigate the victim’s recent activities, they begin to discover ties to the underworld and to government officials. They view a video of the parking garage and get a translation from a taped recording of the poet’s last live performance. The poet had dissident views –did Russian officials consider him a risk? High-ranking government officers and business leaders are wining and dining Russian politicians – why? Is the poet’s death related to a political discussion taping project? Last but not least, Rebus’ nemesis “Big Ger” Cafferty is involved with the Russians in a business deal.

Rebus’ temper gets him suspended, and Siobhan is put in charge of the investigation. She adds Todd Goodyear to her team, an officer from another branch who is eager to try Criminal Investigation Division (CID) work. Todd’s grandfather was convicted based on Rebus’ testimony, and Todd’s brother is probably dealing drugs, but Todd has chosen a different path. It’s easier for Siobhan to bring a new short-term recruit along in her investigation “for training”, than to choose between 2 team members vying for promotion.

The case gets more complex, Rebus working covertly now that he’s suspended. Management accused Rebus of making a big complex case out of simple one, and after they discover new evidence, the original case does seem to be simple. However there are still all the suspicious links they were investigating…what do they all mean, if not related to the poet’s death? And who has “Big Ger” under surveillance (besides Rebus)? Rebus is framed for attacking “Big Ger”, his known enemy. Officers from another agency do not seem to care about getting to the truth. A recording studio with valuable evidence is torched.

Eventually all the loose ends of the case are solved, including a surprise plot twist or two. Siobhan holds a retirement drinks/dinner event tailor-made for Rebus’ preferences, including an iPod retirement gift preloaded with his favorites: “exit music”. Big Ger flatlines – Rebus attempts to resuscitate – and the book ends. Did Cafferty survive?

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Rebus series, love the mutual respect and friendly banter between John Rebus and Siobhan Clarke. I especially enjoy listening to the audio version, to hear the brogue. I hate to see the series end. But wait…there is a new book with John Rebus- hurrah! Standing in Another Man’s Grave(less)

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Aug 26, 2012 Nick rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

With mixed feelings, I started John Rebus' last case before retirement. Would he be killed off? That would not really fit with the realism that is such a strength of the series. Would he wimpier out a tired and disillusioned grumpy old man? That would not be a fitting end to such a great detective and a powerful character.

So I plunged in, even though I have not read all the other cases. (To be honest, whenever I looked at Rebus books in the shops I could never be sure if this was one I had read...more

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Jul 28, 2012 Stanley Hopcroft rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked this book as I have most of the rest of the series (probably only excepting 'Knots and Crosses' and the wolfman one) for most of the reasons I liked the others

- the conflict between Rebus and Authority (usually political leaders, police bosses or the rich)

- that Rebus doesn't tire of naming the dead (remembering the victims)

- because of their franknes in dealing with an age of hedonism and moral equivocation.

The books present groups of people who want the truth brought to light: Rebus a...more I liked this book as I have most of the rest of the series (probably only excepting 'Knots and Crosses' and the wolfman one) for most of the reasons I liked the others

- the conflict between Rebus and Authority (usually political leaders, police bosses or the rich)

- that Rebus doesn't tire of naming the dead (remembering the victims)

- because of their franknes in dealing with an age of hedonism and moral equivocation.

The books present groups of people who want the truth brought to light: Rebus and the odd interested policeman (Siobhan, Jack Morton, the Farmer), the pathologists, Father Conor, the families of the victims in some cases; and those who want their deeds concealed by darkness, or who fail to care, or who profit from the crime in some way.

In some ways the simpler group are those who profit from crime. When Rebus sees Cafferty the criminal standing behind Hutton the property developer, with a knife, while Hutton enjoys himself by kicking Rebus, Rebus is grateful that the avowed criminal rather than the concealed one will strike the blow. Cafferty and Rebus are almost dual representations of the other in that they care for nothing but their own desires and both have outlived their relationships. They differ in that Rebus retains some human feelings and feels some shame (see Dead Souls).

I can't imagine Rebus exists for a moment outside of Rankins mind, any more than Phillip Marlowe did, but in pages notable by their absence of anything remotely resembling glory, Rebus is a man like those who waded through the surf at Normandy waiting to die.

If you like, this is a book about society that is coming apart at the seams: the banker with the junky step daughter giving blow jobs at partys, the witness of the murder who can't keep away from the girl at the crime scene, the bankers enjoying the DVD of the web cam of the party and being filmed doing so by the criminal turned property developer. What keeps it together is those like Rebus who for no articulated reason apart from disdain at the privileged and their protectors or their love for the job or because there is nothing else in their heads, simply do what they should.

Like most of the books the plot is complicated and enmeshed. One can only catch the scent of the guilty with more than usual sensitivity to how people think or by doing what the hero does in coming to a dead end and going backward. Like the reader, the hero gets sucked in and eventually has to start again.(less)

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Jul 18, 2012 Barbara Green rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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...more

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Mar 02, 2012 Ian Mapp rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Rebus 20 and the end of rebus as a copper and the end of a series for me that started back on Alex's third birthday and forms 5% of the total number of books that I have read over the last 7 years.

There has been a lot of television activity from Rankin over the last year, talking about the end of the series and how the he will deal with rebus's end in real time at the end of his career. There were references to Holmes and Moriaty and the killing off of the main character for that does not materi...more

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Feb 17, 2012 Ruth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

C2007: Lots of red herrings and opportunities and whilst I thought all the way through that I knew who it was, I was sadly wrong. But I was right in a way!! For my tastes, it was a tad too long. About two thirds of the way in, I was beginning to get very frustrated with all the possibilities and then the “frame” came which the blurb had already told us about and for which I had been waiting for the first two thirds of the book. One of my pet peeves. As intimated in the title, music weaves throug...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Nicholas Whyte rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1831948...

So I reach the last of the Rebus novels, which starts a few days before our hero is due to retire, with a dissident Russian poet found battered to death late one Edinburgh night in November 2006, followed soon after by the murder of his sound engineer friend. Rebus's impending retirement echoes the impending end to the hegemony of the Scottish Labour Party, with the SNP and possible independence looming in the wings, and the investigation takes him to inve...more

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Aug 03, 2011 Moray Barclay rated it 4 of 5 stars

The plot is marginally flaky. In the the hands of most authors this would matter, but with Ian Rankin it is irrelevent. The journey he describes is fascinating and links Scottish and international realpolitik with old-fashioned villainary; every character is completely credible, and the street wisdom and telepathy between Rebus and Siobahn is uplifting and at times quite joyful.

Rankin has wide interests. His analysis of Scottish politics is as enlightening as anything a broadsheet journalist wo...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Claire added it

The last Rebus? I so hope not - he is one of the greatest creations in all of British detective fiction. It's typical Rebus to get (over)involved in a murder case that looks to be turning into an international conspiracy a mere three days before his retirement... But, as always, with Rankin's novels, things are most definately not what they seem, as Rebus gets himself suspended (leaving Siobhan in charge), and finds himself the suspect in an assault, all of which forces him onto an inexorable co...more

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Jul 01, 2011 James Thane rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the seventeenth and allegedly last book in Ian Rankin's excellent series featuring Edinburgh Inspector John Rebus. Rebus was already nearly sixty years old before his creator was stunned to discover that sixty was the mandatory retirement age for detectives in Scotland. Accordingly, this book finds Rebus in the autumn of the year and of his career as well.

Rebus has ten days do go when Alexander Todorov, a Russian poet, is brutally murdered after a reading. To all appearances Todorov was...more This is the seventeenth and allegedly last book in Ian Rankin's excellent series featuring Edinburgh Inspector John Rebus. Rebus was already nearly sixty years old before his creator was stunned to discover that sixty was the mandatory retirement age for detectives in Scotland. Accordingly, this book finds Rebus in the autumn of the year and of his career as well.

Rebus has ten days do go when Alexander Todorov, a Russian poet, is brutally murdered after a reading. To all appearances Todorov was the victim of a run-of-the-mill mugging, but Rebus and his long-time understudy, Siobhan Clarke, discover a number of anomalies that make them wonder if the case is really as simple as it appears.

Todorov's murder coincides with the visit of a group of Russian businessmen who are looking to make large investments in Scotland. Naturally, the local politicos, bankers and other bigwigs fear that the killing might unsettle the Russians and discourage their interest, and inevitably the Powers-That-Be want the case buttoned up and swept under the carpet.

Those who have followed this series know full well that John Rebus is not a man who usually follows orders with which he does not agree. And so instead of going quietly into that good night, Rebus presses the investigation full-bore, alienating large numbers of Very Important People in the process, including his own superiors. This too, is hardly unheard of for Rebus, and when a second murder occurs, Rebus is certain that the case is more complicated that it appears on the surface. The case then takes a particularly interesting turn with the appearance of Rebus's long-time nemesis, Big Ger Cafferty.

This is a very good book with a complex and interesting plot, in what has been an outstanding series. And it's more than a little bittersweet, watching Rebus count down the days to his retirement while he wonders if he can possibly close his last case before he is put out to pasture. I saw Ian Rankin at an event a few months ago, and as any of his fans will imagine, there were a lot of people in the audience pleading with him to somehow bring the character back. Rankin seemed as reluctant to let go of Rebus as his fans were, and so I'm hoping that this will not really be the last book in the series. But if it should be, Exit Music is an excellent valediction for one of the truly great characters in detective fiction.
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May 22, 2011 KarenC rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to KarenC by: Series

Shelves: better_than_tv, bookmarks, murder_mystery, police

With the focus on Rebus's retirement it was hard not to feel a bit sad as the plot of this novel moved along. May not have been Rankin's best in the series, but it kept my attention and involvement in the story. I've liked the few Rebus books I've read, so have the chance to return to the first in the series and read straight through. By the time I return to this one I'll re-read it with some regret, knowing that all good detectives retire. Ranking, through Rebus & his colleagues, has taken...more

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Apr 24, 2011 John rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I bought this some little while ago and decided to keep it to read as my reward for finishing my nonfiction book Denying Science (coming your way this fall, plug plug); of course, Denying Science proved to be one of those rare books that took me far longer to polish off than anticipated, so, as you can imagine, by the time I allowed myself to reach Exit Music down from the shelf, I was trembling like a junkie in need of a fix. But it was worth the wait . . .

This is the book that sees Rebus's ex...more

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Apr 21, 2011 Tmc222 Carl rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Exit Music is the last of Ian Rankin's "Inspector Rebus" series, set in Edinburgh. Rebus appears in seventeen novels in all, beginning with Knots and Crosses, first published in 1987. I read a couple of novels at random from the series, and became intrigued by this intersection of hard-boiled crime fiction and Scotland's culture, now called "tartan noir" (after James Ellroy used the term in a blurb for one of the Rebus novels.) Even though there are earlier novels (and even a tv series, "Taggert...more Exit Music is the last of Ian Rankin's "Inspector Rebus" series, set in Edinburgh. Rebus appears in seventeen novels in all, beginning with Knots and Crosses, first published in 1987. I read a couple of novels at random from the series, and became intrigued by this intersection of hard-boiled crime fiction and Scotland's culture, now called "tartan noir" (after James Ellroy used the term in a blurb for one of the Rebus novels.) Even though there are earlier novels (and even a tv series, "Taggert") in the "tartan noir" category, Rankin is considered influential, and not just because one of his novels provided the name. As in other good noir, Rankin's Edinburgh is almost a character itself from the first novel on; the old city sits, mostly empty but intact, under the present-day streets, and Rankin makes good use of it.

I decided to read the entire series from the beginning, so I got to watch Rebus develop as a character, as well as Rankin's development as a novelist. Knots and Crosses was very good, but awkward in spots; Exit Music is much more skillfully-written. In the last novel, Rebus hasn't lost his edge: he gets himself suspended only a couple of days before he retires by insulting an important person who has come to the Chief Constable to ask a favor, and then the Chief Constable himself, and that's just the start. But he's also matured, both as a person and as a character. In Exit Music, he stands back to let Siobhan Clarke, who became a sort of protege over the course of the years/novels, lead the investigation. But an outsider coming in observes that Rebus still dominates the group, even from the sidelines, and the suspension just means meeting at the pub instead of the office, which suits Rebus just fine. Siobhan serves as a model of the new type of cop, politically correct and better educated, a foil to Rebus, the old-style cop whose priority was getting results.

I don't like to say goodbye to favorite characters that have lasted for an entire series; it's not that often that I don't tire of a series before it's over, so when I'm there at the end, I'm not ready to let go. While I didn't want this novel to be the end of Rebus, his goodbye worked well. I could even accept (and more important, forgive) that last little cliffhanger at the very end.

If I miss Rebus too much, I've found that Rankin has also written a number of short stories about him over the years. I've already ordered the first collection... :-)(less)

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May 10, 2010 D. Eric rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

From James E. Tenuto's review on Amazon.com:

Ian Rankin has crafted one of the best mystery series ever written. While many novelists fade after half a dozen books, in "Exit Music" Rankin has kept the character of John Rebus as fresh, human, and complex in the seventeeth novel in this series as he was when he first appeared in "Knots and Crosses."

The sense of inevitability, frustration, and a man out of sorts is palpable. Rebus, ten days away from mandatory retirement, tries to tie up a career's...more

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Jan 05, 2010 Gaby rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: detective-and-mystery, thriller

Nearing retirement, Detective Inspector John Rebus is savoring his last days and readying himself for the change. Edinburgh may become a different place once he loses the protection of his shield; old enemies and hurts have threatened to resurface. Rebus starts to prepare, ties up loose ends, and plans how to fill his days.

Then ten days until Rebus's retirement, Rebus and Detective Sargent Siobhan Clarke suddenly land a brutal murder case. The victim is a dissident Russian poet. Though it looks...more

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Aug 29, 2009 Barbra rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It has taken me a while to work my way through the whole Rebus series but here's the last one. I will really miss Rebus and have thoroughly enjoyed the series. What a wonderful character Rankin has created - he will be sadly missed.

Back Cover Blurb:
It's late autumn in Edinburgh and late autumn in the career of Detective Inspector John Rebus. As he tries to tie up some loose ends before retirement, a murder case intrudes. A dissident Russian poet has been found dead in what looks like a mugging g...more

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Jan 10, 2009 Tim Niland rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009-reads

Well, this is apparently the last hurrah for Rankin's great detective John Rebus. After sixteen novels, Rebus is set to retire. When the body of an expatriate Russian poet is found in Edinburgh, the police brass want the case closed as a simple robbery gone wrong so not to agitate potential Russian investors. Rebus, however, smells a rat, and can't let it go as retirement draws near. Soon, he's at odds with the police headquarters, Russian diplomats and his old nemesis "Big Ger" Cafferty. I'll m...more

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Jul 28, 2011 Richard Katz added it

John Rebus is perhaps my favorite fictional detective. A dark and brooding Scotsman, a dry alcoholic. Not unlike Dave Robicheaux of James Lee Burke novels only more solitary. So why do we like these somewhat bitter iconoclasts? This novel - the very last in a series of 18 novels gives some of the author's insight into that. I won't give that away. As always, author Rankin draws you into a criminal investigation that is rich in characters, incredibly well plotted, and filled with evocative, dark...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Stuart rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-mystery

So now I’ve finished what may be the last Rebus story. I’ll just have to go back and start at the beginning of the series again. It’s not as if I remember all the details! But as for this one: “There’s a lot less to this case than meets the eye.” So say several members of the cast of this story. Without wanting to spoil it for you, this turns out to be true, which is strange. Generally, a case builds up into something complicated. This time it built up and collapsed into something very simple. P...more

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Mar 06, 2013 Monica rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: british, crime-and-or-evil, reread

It's November 2006. Edinburgh DSI John Rebus is ten days away from retirement, tidying up loose ends. A dissident Russian poet is beaten to death in a back alley. Is it an ethnic hate crime, a political assassination, something personal or just a mugging gone wrong?

It's the full on Celtic Tiger boom - a group of Russian oligarchs is in town to negotiate major real estate deals with the cooperation of Scottish politicians and bankers. Is there a connection?

Rebus catches the case, fully aware tha...more

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Dec 24, 2011 Tess Mertens-Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is my first Inspector Rebus book, but I hear it is the last in the series (sigh). I must read the others. I spent some time in Edinburgh, so I recall the places they spoke of. A beautiful city!
Detective Inspector John Rebus is retiring and tries to tie up some loose end. There is a murder of a Russian poet that seems to be a mugging gone wrong. By apparent coincidence a high-level delegation of Russian businessmen is in town, keen to bring business to Scotland. The politicians and bankers w...more

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Feb 24, 2009 Rod rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the last in a series of novels featuring an Inspector Rebus. I have seen two television adaptations of novels in this series and both were amazingly flat. I assumed this was the fault of the screen play. Having read this novel I suspect the films followed the books on which they were based very closely.

The plot is involved, but most of its convolutions are in the ‘red herring’ category and not more interesting for that. The inspector himself has a problem with authority – far from origin...more

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Jan 27, 2010 Ronald Roseborough rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is #17, and possibly the final, in the police procedural series featuring Detective Inspector Jon Rebus and his partner Detective Sergeant Siobhan Clarke. The crime initially involves the murder of a Russian expatriate poet, who has taken up residence in Edinburgh, Scotland. The investigation expands to include another related murder and an attack on a local crime boss, Big Ger Cafferty. Street criminals as well as high standing financial and government leaders are equal suspects in this fa...more

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Sep 13, 2012 Jill rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery

Have we seen the last of John Rebus, that curmudgeon of the Edinburgh police force? He is a week from retirement when a famous Russian poet is found beaten to death outside a parking garage. Never one to worry about the fact that there are few clues, Rebus forges ahead with his investigation, stepping on toes and breaking the rules. As in most book of this series, there is a plethora of characters who may have some connection with this murder. But trying to tie it together, Rebus gets off track...more

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About Ian Rankin

AKA Jack Harvey.

Born in the Kingdom of Fife in 1960, Ian Rankin graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982, and then spent three years writing novels when he was supposed to be working towards a PhD in Scottish Literature. His first Rebus novel was published in 1987, and the Rebus books are now translated into twenty-two languages and are bestsellers on several continents.

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“It seemed to him a very Edinburgh thing. Welcoming, but not very.” — 8 people liked it

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Exit Music (Inspector Rebus #17)

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