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417th out of 3,368 books
—
7,797 voters
Hide and Seek (Inspector Rebus #2)
by
Ian Rankin
At night the summer sky stays light over Edinburgh. But in a shadowy, crumbling housing development, a junkie lies dead of an overdose, his bruised body surrounded by signs of Satanic worship. John Rebus could call the death and accident--but won't. Instead, he tracks down a violent-tempered young woman who knew the dead boy and heard him cry out his terrifyng last words:
...more
Mass Market Paperback, 224 pages
Published
December 15th 1997
by St. Martin's Paperbacks
(first published 1990)
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The second in the Rebus series and from 1990. It has all the elements of a great detective, including DI Rebus, who seems to have all the stereotypical characteristics of the Scandinavian loner detectives (semi-alcoholic, divorced, does not play by the rule book etc etc). Yet there's something missing from making it a Great Story. Passion - whether in life, love life, or - gosh - actually in investigating? Guts (yes - definitely. I'd have kicked Tracy to pay back for what she did in the book)? S...more
"Hide & Seek" starts off at the usual lazy and easy going pace. We pick up the developments in the life of Inspector John Rebus from where he left us in "Knots & Crosses". Well, he has got a promotion from detective sergeant to start with. We get introduced to his sidekick, John's "shoe-leather" as he says. Inspector Rebus is still too well-read, quotes from the Romantic Poets and prefers to listen to jazz.
The book starts with the homicide of a junkie in the Edinburgh underbelly of Pilmu...more
The book starts with the homicide of a junkie in the Edinburgh underbelly of Pilmu...more
Well Rebus is at it again, but this time as a full detective inspector. And what can I say about Ian Rankin’s second novel in the Rebus series except - I’m hooked. The subject matter is right up my alley as Rankin loves to delve into the very seedy side of Edinburgh’s society.
It starts with an apparent junkie’s overdose, but the candles, the way the body appears laid out, and a pentagram drawn on the wall leads Rebus to other conclusions - murder. And in classic (can I call Rebus classic after o...more
It starts with an apparent junkie’s overdose, but the candles, the way the body appears laid out, and a pentagram drawn on the wall leads Rebus to other conclusions - murder. And in classic (can I call Rebus classic after o...more
In this, the second Inspector Rebus novel, John Rebus (still alive after drifting into darkness upon being shot at the end of the last one), finds a dead teenager in a poor Edinburgh housing development. A junkie and squatter, his death could be ruled an overdose and forgotten, but Rebus suspects something else, unsure what – a deliberate poisoning, a Satanic sacrifice, a thrill kill. Pressured from above at the same time to step back from police work and focus on a new anti-drug campaign involv...more
*no spoilers*
It has actually been a couple years since I read the first installment of Rebus from Rankin "Knots and Crosses", but I enjoyed this one more. It's probably similar in many series of books, the writer, and thus the characters, only get stronger and more defined. The first book, I felt was a tad bit arbitrary with certain revelations and clues. Whereas I feel this book just flowed much better, the characters, links more plausible and smart. You don't feel any real "deus ex machina" he...more
It has actually been a couple years since I read the first installment of Rebus from Rankin "Knots and Crosses", but I enjoyed this one more. It's probably similar in many series of books, the writer, and thus the characters, only get stronger and more defined. The first book, I felt was a tad bit arbitrary with certain revelations and clues. Whereas I feel this book just flowed much better, the characters, links more plausible and smart. You don't feel any real "deus ex machina" he...more
We are three years after the events of "Knots and Crosses" and Rebus has made it to the rank of Inspector. He's still the iconoclast though, the copper who goes his own way and has his own methods of investigating crimes.
The crime here may not be a crime at all or at least it seems so at first. A young drug addict is dead after shooting up with heroin. An accidental overdose is the preliminary finding, but then the toxicology shows that the heroin he injected was laced with rat poison. Somebody...more
The crime here may not be a crime at all or at least it seems so at first. A young drug addict is dead after shooting up with heroin. An accidental overdose is the preliminary finding, but then the toxicology shows that the heroin he injected was laced with rat poison. Somebody...more
This series is dark and edgy- one of the few mystery series set in contemporary times (besides P.D. James' works which I absolutely love) that I enjoy. Inspector Rebus is your typical semi-alcoholic, "doesn't-play-by the rules" type of detective, but does not come across as a cliche. The mysteries are interesting, if dark, and not terribly predictable. Hide and Seek is one of the earliest in the series and although short, is a good intro to the series and the characters.
Once again, we visit the dark streets of Edinburgh with Rankin's second effort in his Rebus series. Are the streets dark because of the murkiness of human nature, or is it because Edinburgh council are scrimping on proper street lighting?
Jokes aside, this feels like a continuation of Rankin's debut novel, and feels as though it were written at the same time. I'm aware that Rebus improves (or mellows even) as the series progresses, but this reads more like a debut novel than the debut novel knots...more
Jokes aside, this feels like a continuation of Rankin's debut novel, and feels as though it were written at the same time. I'm aware that Rebus improves (or mellows even) as the series progresses, but this reads more like a debut novel than the debut novel knots...more
Decent detective story with good atmosphere, an enigmatic detective, and a good noir-ish tale that unspools with good pacing. The interactions of the characters reflect their relative positions in society, from the internal hierarchy of the police to the informal proscriptions of the street. Especially in the dialogue, the reader sees characters at odds with each other, uncomfortable with one another, or who dislike the other. Too often in mystery books the dialogue and character interaction is...more
Apr 22, 2012
Stuart
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
crime-mystery,
scottish
The second Rebus novel. Compare it to the second A D Scott novel which I just read – there is no doubt that this is much superior. I have always read the Rebus stories in random sequence and collected this one second hand. It depicts an earlier Rebus, making references to his failed SAS career, which I don’t remember reading about before (he can punch through glass!). And the style is simpler than the later stories, not necessarily a bad thing. His musical tastes seemed different, too, with more...more
I have read about a half-dozen Rankin stories, all in the Inspector Rebus series, and now am filling in the books in order. This is the second in the series and while it has a few rough edges is an excellent story.
The story starts as a routine death of a squatter in an abandoned building, which appears to be a drug overdose. As the story unwinds it ends being much more, dragging some new acquaintances of Rebus into the soup. We get to meet Holmes future wife Nell in the story and she plays an i...more
The story starts as a routine death of a squatter in an abandoned building, which appears to be a drug overdose. As the story unwinds it ends being much more, dragging some new acquaintances of Rebus into the soup. We get to meet Holmes future wife Nell in the story and she plays an i...more
This book, the second installment in the Inspector Rebus series, is much much better than the original Rebus story. It has much more complexity and layering to the plot, more interesting twists and turns, and more interesting characters. Still, there is no subtlety here. There are no innuendoes, no implications, no allusions, no poetic imagery. This is blunt, straightforward, WYSIWYG writing.....until you get to the very very end, which I found quite interesting and kinda thought provoking. Rank...more
The second book of Inspector Rebus by Ian Rankin, one of my favorite Scottish writers, was first published in 1990-1991. Comparing with the House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz in 2011, this book is much more attracting, except Anthony's hero is Sherlock Holmes.
I can still remember that day when I met Ian Rankin in person and asked for his autograph for his newly-released book - Standing in Another's Man's Grave. He told me that I was his first Chinese fan and drew a picture of "knots and crosses"...more
I can still remember that day when I met Ian Rankin in person and asked for his autograph for his newly-released book - Standing in Another's Man's Grave. He told me that I was his first Chinese fan and drew a picture of "knots and crosses"...more
I have a big complaint about Ian Rankin’s early Rebus novels, and it is a complaint that continues to taint my enjoyment of the series. D.I. John Rebus is too erudite. He’s impossibly well read, he knows and loves fine wine, and he’s a big jazz fan; he’s way too cultured to be a D.I..
So for that reason alone I find it impossible to enter the “really liking” territory with these books.
Yet I can’t really attack Rankin for his early decisions because the guy diffuses the bomb in his forwards to Kn...more
So for that reason alone I find it impossible to enter the “really liking” territory with these books.
Yet I can’t really attack Rankin for his early decisions because the guy diffuses the bomb in his forwards to Kn...more
Mar 17, 2013
Charlotte (Buried in Books)
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
crime
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Heard a great interview on NPR's "Fresh Air" with Ian Rankin a couple of months back, when his new novel The Complaints, came out. Rankin's "guy" is John Rebus, a police detective in Edinburgh. I couldn't get Knots and Crosses, his first Rebus novel, for my Nook, so I got this one (the second), and picked up the hardcopy of the first for my flights to UK next week.
John Rebus is a Detective Sergeant in Edinburgh in the first novel, and the case gets him promoted to Detective Inspector for this o...more
John Rebus is a Detective Sergeant in Edinburgh in the first novel, and the case gets him promoted to Detective Inspector for this o...more
This is the second of the Rebus novels and is definitely more accomplished than the first. The writing is more in line with the later novels and the storyline isn't a simple. However I was not very satisfied with the way things came together in the end. It was all too bitty for me and not as streamlined as in the later books. Also the one-liners aren't as prevalent. But this only goes to show that over time Ian Rankin has been able to develop his writing skills and the Rebus character.
Also this...more
Also this...more
I became a fan of Ian Rankin after listening to the audiobook of "Blood Hunt". So I was excited to read his detective series featuring DI John Rebus. Surprisingly, I was a tad let-down at the end. I didn't like Rebus as a person or as a detective, and a desire to figure out the mystery at the heart of the story is the only reason I kept going to the end. There too I felt let-down as the ending was somewhat anti-climactic. It all felt very unsatisfactory at the end, as if there was no "end", no a...more
So here are some of the things that can ruin a mystery, to my way of thinking: a too obvious resolution, a too convoluted resolution, clunky writing in all its guises, and, worst of all, mystery employed in the service of romance.
(And if I'm feeling snarky, I might add James Patterson's name on the cover.)
Ian Rankin successfully avoids all of these pitfalls. His Rebus series thus far does not reach the literary heights of a Tana French or Denise Mina but they are well-written and he's clearly...more
(And if I'm feeling snarky, I might add James Patterson's name on the cover.)
Ian Rankin successfully avoids all of these pitfalls. His Rebus series thus far does not reach the literary heights of a Tana French or Denise Mina but they are well-written and he's clearly...more
The second book in the Inspector Rebus series by Ian Rankin. Rebus' character is so well developed - one cannot help by like this opinionated, headstrong detective in the mould of Inspector Morse only a bit more hardboiled.
The plot relates to the death of a homeless junkie -seemingly a clear case of overdose. Rebus is not convinced, however, and goes about investigating it leading him into the murky world of drugs, the occult and gay prostitution. A very good read indeed, but for the ending whi...more
The plot relates to the death of a homeless junkie -seemingly a clear case of overdose. Rebus is not convinced, however, and goes about investigating it leading him into the murky world of drugs, the occult and gay prostitution. A very good read indeed, but for the ending whi...more
This was an enjoyable read, certainly much more so than Rankin’s first Rebus novel which in retrospect seems far less polished. The characters, institutional cultures, cynicism and depravity were mostly (though not always) convincing. The narrative pulled you nicely through and there was no point at which I didn’t care what the outcome would be. Although there were surprises in the story Rankin didn’t pull too many rabbits out of hats to tie up loose ends in the way that other detective novelist...more
Now that Rebus is no longer a one-note man with a buried secret, his character opens up considerably. He still suffers from under-development, remaining for the time being a walking check-list of character traits from other books, but it's starting to become more organic, with signs that the author is beginning to see a difference between his lead and others. Edinburgh is better used here too, as its grubbier outskirts are tentatively explored. Suddenly, the series starts to look interesting. Th...more
Great mystery. Rebus is a rough around the edges, flawed man with a probing mind and great instinct. In this mystery his instinct tells him something is not quite right with the overdose death of a junkie and his probing leads to the very top of Edinburgh's elite. Although Ian Rankin is a bit heavy handed in his allusion to Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde in this book, practically hitting readers over the head with the reference, one can forgive his exuberance - the new money in Edinburgh during the 80s...more
HIDE AND SEEK (Pol Proc-John Rebus-Scotland-Cont) - G
Rankin, Ian - 2nd in series
From Fantastic Fiction: A junkie lies dead in an Edinburgh squat and he's just another dead addict. Nobody but Detective Inspector John Rebus, prowling the streets of the city in search of somthing so evil he can almost taste it, confronting the darkness within himself as well as without, gives a damn. Rebus digs deeper into the death which looks more and more like murder. There is something savage and seductive at l...more
Rankin, Ian - 2nd in series
From Fantastic Fiction: A junkie lies dead in an Edinburgh squat and he's just another dead addict. Nobody but Detective Inspector John Rebus, prowling the streets of the city in search of somthing so evil he can almost taste it, confronting the darkness within himself as well as without, gives a damn. Rebus digs deeper into the death which looks more and more like murder. There is something savage and seductive at l...more
Inspector Rebus is a fascinating subject for the American reader. We learn about Edinburgh as a Scottish city; the police tactics and operations of the Northern British constabulary; and some of the geography and scenery of Scotland. The settings can be opulent at times and grimy and crime-ridden at others.
The plot develops at a leisurely pace, but it John Rebus - his intellect, temperament, and less-than-stellar background - who gives these stories their dynamics and interest.
I read the Kindle...more
The plot develops at a leisurely pace, but it John Rebus - his intellect, temperament, and less-than-stellar background - who gives these stories their dynamics and interest.
I read the Kindle...more
Hide and Seek was an average mystery, no better than thousands churned out every year. John Rebus's hard-boiledness, misanthropy, whatever, was most often just unpleasant: there are much better books in this series. I found myself forgetting the characters as I read, couldn't keep track of who was who, had to turn back to earlier chapters to refresh my memory.
Skip Hide and Seek unless you are such a fan you must read every Rebus book.
Skip Hide and Seek unless you are such a fan you must read every Rebus book.
Better than the first one by some way, it still didn't quite work for me.
Perhaps this was because my edition features a new intro by IR in which he seems a bit lukewarm about it himself - nothing inspires confidence than a writer prefacing his book by saying he hadn't quite got his main character right yet, and implying that this particular book is unsubtle then drawing your attention to the very unsubtlety he bemoans so that it grates whenever it crops up. Perhaps this intro would have been be...more
Perhaps this was because my edition features a new intro by IR in which he seems a bit lukewarm about it himself - nothing inspires confidence than a writer prefacing his book by saying he hadn't quite got his main character right yet, and implying that this particular book is unsubtle then drawing your attention to the very unsubtlety he bemoans so that it grates whenever it crops up. Perhaps this intro would have been be...more
"Hide and Seek expanded one of the themes from Knots and Crosses - Rebus' relationship with his non-policeman brother - for a complex web of pairs of police/non-police brothers whose relationships cross the boundary of legality. It's also the most political of the first three novels, in that Rebus' investigation into the lonely death of a drug addict takes him into the highest echelons of Edinburgh society (there is a scene featuring the Temptation of John Rebus by the devils of social status)....more
Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus stands apart from his modern detective peers for being sort of an anachronism. Where John Sandford's Lucas Davenport and James Patterson's Alex Cross have sort of morphed into action heroes (and for the record, I love Sandford but hate Patterson), Rebus is defiantly old school. His cases turn not on car chases and pyrotechnics but on good ol' fasioned police work and shoeleather. Hide and Seek centers on a dead junkie, some mysterious photographs, and a private club...more
I Enjoyed Rankin's first Rebus novel enough that I was excited to read #2 and it did not disappoint. I actually liked this one even better than the first. It flowed well and the plot was engaging. The character of Rebus is quite likable and human and his efforts to support the young Tracy and find the reason and the culprits behind the death of the young junkie helped us see the kindness and sense of compassion underneath the hard-boiled exterior of Rebus. Also enjoyed meeting and getting to kno...more
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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.
Ian Rankin has be...more
More about Ian Rankin...
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.
Ian Rankin has be...more
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Feb 14, 2013 01:55pm
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