"My dad used to say to me, 'Try to keep a cool head and a warm heart'. At least I think it was my dad. I don't really remember him." Gravy worked i...
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Jun 30, 2010
Guillermo
rated it: 
Maybe I should read Ian Rankin's short novella, A Cool Head, five times for good luck. One should know that's not entirely impossible either - a book spanning only 107 pages of large print shouldn't take more than an hour, depending on distractions and your speed.
The story starts off with Gravy, a thirty-something OCD guy, working at the graveyard when a BMW drives awkwardly up to him. From out of the car steps out a friend of Gravy's, a man called Benjy. Benjy's got a bag in one han More...
The story starts off with Gravy, a thirty-something OCD guy, working at the graveyard when a BMW drives awkwardly up to him. From out of the car steps out a friend of Gravy's, a man called Benjy. Benjy's got a bag in one han More...
Sep 14, 2009
Eric
rated it: 
Another post-Rebus book from Ian Rankin. This time, it's part of the "BBC Quick Reads" series. Shorter books that won't take that much time to read.
A Cool Head was a hair over 100 pages, large print; I started and finished it over lunch. Indeed a quick read.
The plot was the aftermath of a robbery gone bad, and the serendipitous crossed paths of the people involved. As typically complex as most of Rankin's crime setups. No spoilers here, so I won't belabor the pl More...
A Cool Head was a hair over 100 pages, large print; I started and finished it over lunch. Indeed a quick read.
The plot was the aftermath of a robbery gone bad, and the serendipitous crossed paths of the people involved. As typically complex as most of Rankin's crime setups. No spoilers here, so I won't belabor the pl More...
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Jul 28, 2011
Jane
rated it: 
I have never read an Ian Rankin book and so thought I'd start with a smaller book of his as crime is not my usual genre.
I thought for a quick read this was actually not bad. It jumped around the place with characters due to its limited pages but it did not effect how it was too read. You even were able to get a feeling for the characters which is no small feat in so few pages, although there probably were a few to many in hindsight. I did worry throughout about the well-being of the character n More...
I thought for a quick read this was actually not bad. It jumped around the place with characters due to its limited pages but it did not effect how it was too read. You even were able to get a feeling for the characters which is no small feat in so few pages, although there probably were a few to many in hindsight. I did worry throughout about the well-being of the character n More...
May 11, 2009
Sister_ray
rated it:
"Quick Reads are bite-sized books [...:] for people who want a short, fast-paced read. They are designed to be read and enjoyed by avid readers and by people who never had or who have lost the reading habit."
This means that the sentences are short and simple without complex constructions and endless sub-clauses, which becomes quite obvious after a while. Still, this Edinburgh crime story is less simple than it seems: Apart from Gravy, a first-person-narrator with learning d More...
This means that the sentences are short and simple without complex constructions and endless sub-clauses, which becomes quite obvious after a while. Still, this Edinburgh crime story is less simple than it seems: Apart from Gravy, a first-person-narrator with learning d More...
Mar 14, 2011
Lisa
rated it:
This was only a quick read, and normally I can read them in a day, but this one I found really hard going. I have never got on with Ian Rankin's novels, despite loving the TV series Rebus. I just can't get into his style of writing.
This book was very disjointed and I found myself forgetting who was related to who and how, and it got very confusing. The end of the book was very disappointing too and just seemed to end.
Very disappointed. I don't think I'll read his books again. I have More...
This book was very disjointed and I found myself forgetting who was related to who and how, and it got very confusing. The end of the book was very disappointing too and just seemed to end.
Very disappointed. I don't think I'll read his books again. I have More...
Sep 05, 2011
Anne
rated it:
"Quick Reads are bite-sized books [...:] for people who want a short, fast-paced read. They are designed to be read and enjoyed by avid readers and by people who never had or who have lost the reading habit."
Well, forget it...this is not the way to get people back into reading. Even the ending leaves a gap - there is nothing endearing about anything in this book including the characters and plot. It's too bad as Ian Rankin can be a blistering good read.
Well, forget it...this is not the way to get people back into reading. Even the ending leaves a gap - there is nothing endearing about anything in this book including the characters and plot. It's too bad as Ian Rankin can be a blistering good read.
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Nov 19, 2011
Vicki
rated it:
A Cool Head is a Quick Reads and, at just over 100 pages long, is a short sharp crime story. Ian Rankin has managed to develop the key characters enough that you have a feel for them. There is no room for major twists in the story line and I found it surprisingly refreshing to read a plot that was both simple and interesting.
Dec 18, 2011
Francesco
rated it:
Disappointing.....this is the first book by Rankin that I have read and maybe it was a mistake to start with a "short' story. many people told how good his books are and now I am a little bit worried about taking up one of his "full" books.
Dec 14, 2010
Alex
rated it:
As good as you'd expect from Ian Rankin. Although it's set in Edinburgh, it doesn't suffer from not being a Rebus novella. A great little read.
Aug 05, 2011
If I hadn't read other 'Quick Reads', I've have thought the length of the book was the reason that the plot and characters hardly developed, but Val McDermid did so much more in the same space. Enjoyed it, but not earth shattering!
Jul 06, 2010
Mary Alice
rated it:
Super fun quick read, I inhaled it Saturday afternoon. Like all the Rebus books, makes you want to read another immediately.
Sep 06, 2011
Bev
rated it:
A quick (107 pages) story, very entertaining and designed to include non-addicted readers in the "Quick Reads" series.
Mar 03, 2011
Ken
rated it:
Marketed as a "quick read" and it certainly was. Still, a good read. Rankin is a master at plot and storytelling.
Oct 18, 2010
Silvia
rated it:
An average book, nothing special. The different perspectives are interesting.
Sep 24, 2010
Fiona
rated it:
Meh. Not bad. It is what is says on the tin: a Quick Read, seems to be a series of shorter books intended to encourage people to pick up a book. As such it doesn't have the depth of most Rankin novels, but it is an easy read. I did enjoy the clin d'oeil a Celine Dion, that was quite clever.
Oct 06, 2011
Steve
rated it:
Gravy, the graveyard worker gets himself caught up in a murder cover-up, a pretty girl and gang of money-grabbing dudes with a lot to hide. Cleverly written.
Oct 09, 2011
Jake
rated it:
The book equivalent of an ITV Drama. Good though. An definitely a quick read, I finished it in an hour.
Feb 10, 2012
Feb 09, 2012
