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Inspector Rebus #3
Uñas y dientes (John Rebus)
CUANDO TODO ESTÁ EN SU CONTRA, EL INSPECTOR REBUS ES EL MEJOR. Londres tiene una larga y tenebrosa tradición de asesinos en serie. El último en añadirse a la lista es uno de los más el Hombre Lobo, que muerde y destroza a sus víctimas. Una de las medidas que adopta Scotland Yard para atraparlo es reclutar al inspector escocés John Rebus, por su experiencia enfrentándose a psicópatas. Nada le apetece menos a Rebus que abandonar Edimburgo para cazar a un perturbado, pero ya está acostumbrado a los trabajos desagradables. "Una integración perfecta de la ambientación, la trama, los personajes y un tema que nunca falta en Ian la dimensión moral". P. D. JAMES
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
1198 people are currently reading
3870 people want to read
About the author
Ian Rankin
424 books6,547 followersAKA 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; the Rebus books are now translated into 22 languages and are bestsellers on several continents.
Ian Rankin has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow. He is also a past winner of the Chandler-Fulbright Award, and he received two Dagger Awards for the year's best short story and the Gold Dagger for Fiction. Ian Rankin is also the recipient of honorary degrees from the universities of Abertay, St Andrews, and Edinburgh.
A contributor to BBC2's Newsnight Review, he also presented his own TV series, Ian Rankin's Evil Thoughts, on Channel 4 in 2002. He recently received the OBE for services to literature, and opted to receive the prize in his home city of Edinburgh, where he lives with his partner and two sons.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/ianrankin
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; the Rebus books are now translated into 22 languages and are bestsellers on several continents.
Ian Rankin has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow. He is also a past winner of the Chandler-Fulbright Award, and he received two Dagger Awards for the year's best short story and the Gold Dagger for Fiction. Ian Rankin is also the recipient of honorary degrees from the universities of Abertay, St Andrews, and Edinburgh.
A contributor to BBC2's Newsnight Review, he also presented his own TV series, Ian Rankin's Evil Thoughts, on Channel 4 in 2002. He recently received the OBE for services to literature, and opted to receive the prize in his home city of Edinburgh, where he lives with his partner and two sons.
http://us.macmillan.com/author/ianrankin
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,047 reviews
March 1, 2025
So, my favourite Scottish sleuth has been called down to London to help track down a serial killer. There’s a couple of mysteries here:
1. Who is killing women in the capital – stabbing them and leaving bite marks on the body?
2. Why has Rebus been asked to go down south and help? Ok, he’d played a part in arresting a multiple murderer back in his own patch, but it wasn’t really the work of a serial killer.
It’s really interesting to see Rebus out of his comfort zone, mixing with cockney coppers who seem to resent his presence and stumbling around a city he has no real knowledge of. Throw in the fact that his ex-wife and daughter now live in London (the daughter with a boyfriend Rebus detests on sight) and you have a delicious concoction that you just know will be hilariously entertaining. The comedy, of course, comes in the bone-dry form. Snide comments and hurtful one-liners abound. And the meeting with the daughter’s boyfriend is a classic of it’s ilk. Great stuff.
There aren’t too many characters here but probably a few too many coincidences – well, how else do you make a mystery work when you have a city of ten million people and just a couple of hundred pages to work with? But, as always, the beauty here is in the banter and the observation of our hero in action. It’s brilliantly done.
In the end we witness a madcap scenario as the chase concludes – it’s the one thing the author doesn’t always get right, how to finish off his stories – and Rebus is off back to Auld Reekie to track down a few more criminals back in his home city.
I’m loving these early books in the series. It really is all about the main character and his inability to be civil to more than ten percent of the population. The humour and the tension Rankin is able to portray is second to none. Yes, he catches the bad people, but that’s a secondary factor in these books. Rankin really is a master of his craft.
1. Who is killing women in the capital – stabbing them and leaving bite marks on the body?
2. Why has Rebus been asked to go down south and help? Ok, he’d played a part in arresting a multiple murderer back in his own patch, but it wasn’t really the work of a serial killer.
It’s really interesting to see Rebus out of his comfort zone, mixing with cockney coppers who seem to resent his presence and stumbling around a city he has no real knowledge of. Throw in the fact that his ex-wife and daughter now live in London (the daughter with a boyfriend Rebus detests on sight) and you have a delicious concoction that you just know will be hilariously entertaining. The comedy, of course, comes in the bone-dry form. Snide comments and hurtful one-liners abound. And the meeting with the daughter’s boyfriend is a classic of it’s ilk. Great stuff.
There aren’t too many characters here but probably a few too many coincidences – well, how else do you make a mystery work when you have a city of ten million people and just a couple of hundred pages to work with? But, as always, the beauty here is in the banter and the observation of our hero in action. It’s brilliantly done.
In the end we witness a madcap scenario as the chase concludes – it’s the one thing the author doesn’t always get right, how to finish off his stories – and Rebus is off back to Auld Reekie to track down a few more criminals back in his home city.
I’m loving these early books in the series. It really is all about the main character and his inability to be civil to more than ten percent of the population. The humour and the tension Rankin is able to portray is second to none. Yes, he catches the bad people, but that’s a secondary factor in these books. Rankin really is a master of his craft.
January 3, 2025
Only my second Rebus book but the more Ian Rankin books I read, the better I like him.
This one was a bit of brain tease— and in the best of ways. I had convinced myself I knew the identity of the current murderer on the loose in London (where Rebus has landed, slightly unceremoniously due to being both resented and nearly appreciated by his English hosts).
And while the last chapter or two were a bit of a letdown (a pretty easy apprehension of the bad guy by the good guys), I really enjoyed this book.
An extra half star because I’m so happy to know there are lots more Rebus installments to come.
(Reviewed 9/26/21)
This one was a bit of brain tease— and in the best of ways. I had convinced myself I knew the identity of the current murderer on the loose in London (where Rebus has landed, slightly unceremoniously due to being both resented and nearly appreciated by his English hosts).
And while the last chapter or two were a bit of a letdown (a pretty easy apprehension of the bad guy by the good guys), I really enjoyed this book.
An extra half star because I’m so happy to know there are lots more Rebus installments to come.
(Reviewed 9/26/21)
January 9, 2022
On balance, I find more to nitpick at with the Rebus books than I do to praise.
I don't actually mind that the main character is hard to like. His flaws make him more realistic, and I do get so tired of those leads whose weaknesses ultimately are either insignificant or so obviously tailored specifically for redemption. Rebus' flaws are significant and impactive. Unfortunately they are also eminently stock: failed marriage, awkward fatherhood, unsuccessful substance avoidance, authority issues, lone wolf, skirt chaser, career dissatisfaction, etc etc. There has been, in the reading, some eye rolling.
I have bigger issues with the finer details, though. In Tooth and Nail, the inspector is sent on loan to consult on a serial murder case in London. Annoyingly, we are never really told a believable reason why. The thought that London cannot scrounge up its own murder inspector is ludicrous.
The murders themselves are intriguing enough on the surface, but the unfolding of the motive is clumsily done. It ends up feeling like a made-to-order mystery template, one which is occasionally engaging enough to make the disappointments far more noticeable.
I loved the bits where Rebus credits the huge team of people who put in hours on murder investigations. Despite this, though, he uses very little of their contribution in solving the case. All of that work ends up being nearly useless, but Rebus' “hunch” (a contrived, huge leap of a hunch) ends up making the whole team extraneous. (Meh).
Rebus' (or perhaps Rankin's) treatment of women as either 'Ugly and Adversarial' or 'so beautiful that their obvious intelligence is eclipsed by the hem of their skirt' is – yup – still irritating. The blind spots created by this shining beauty are so predictable that the representation of masculinity becomes, if not childish than at least adolescent.
I want to describe this all as just “so very arrrrg”, or as the result of Rankin's personal challenge to fit as many procedural tropes as he could into one story. I want to be angry at it, or maybe tired of it.
But
I like Rankin's skill, all the same. I actually like this book (marginally) more than the first two, and I feel like maybe three things are happening here: Rebus is settling into himself; Rankin is settling into Rebus and has reached the point where his character's voice is becoming its own entity and less a collection of isms; and I am settling into all of these things and am actually a bit curious as to how it might all continue to evolve.
March 11, 2019
Third book in the series and I’m still enjoying it. Rebus is in London helping to catch a serial killer. It’s never really explained why he’s been requested to help, but I didn’t care. We got to see Rhona, his ex, and Samantha, his daughter. Unrealistically, Rebus finds his way around London with no problem. I still liked the book.
Rankin does a great job developing a relationship between Rebus and Inspector George Flight: tentative at first and then growing respect and to friendship in the end. I liked Flight and how his anxiety would turn to anger, only to calm down and accept Rebus’s ideas. And I loved the judge in the back seat of the Jaguar.
I will definitely will be reading the next book.
Rankin does a great job developing a relationship between Rebus and Inspector George Flight: tentative at first and then growing respect and to friendship in the end. I liked Flight and how his anxiety would turn to anger, only to calm down and accept Rebus’s ideas. And I loved the judge in the back seat of the Jaguar.
I will definitely will be reading the next book.
August 10, 2019
i love my Scotsman Rebus, always a good relaxing read!
June 5, 2015
Number 3 in the Rebus series and I enjoyed it very much. Rebus is in London and is quite out of his comfort zone, but still manages to be his normal bend all the rules self. And of course he has the final flash of inspiration which catches the killer. I had absolutely zero idea of who the killer was going to be. I didn't even know the gender of the person we were looking for and yet when I found out who it was I thought "Oh yes . Of course!" The mark of a good thriller writer I think. I will most certainly continue with this series.
January 9, 2022
I'm pleased I've read this book, but it does get a bit silly at times especially with the car chase at the end through some well-known tourist sights of London.
Some things are hard to believe.
Rebus is irresistible to Canadian female students.
Would an ex-SAS man really get mugged by a kid on a skateboard even on the Churchill estate?
The book is very well written though and there's some funny one liners. I will read another one of these Rebus books just to get a better balanced view.
Some things are hard to believe.
Rebus is irresistible to Canadian female students.
Would an ex-SAS man really get mugged by a kid on a skateboard even on the Churchill estate?
The book is very well written though and there's some funny one liners. I will read another one of these Rebus books just to get a better balanced view.
December 15, 2022
“Murderers don’t just appear … they’re created. To create a serial killer takes time.”
Inspector John Rebus is surprised to find himself, at the behest of somebody who imagined him to be an expert in the investigation of serial killers, seconded to London to assist the local Scotland Yard constabulary in bringing a gruesome murderer to heel. A profile put together by an attractive young female (of course) psychologist adds a soupçon of romance to the mixture and TOOTH & NAIL, a workmanlike and enjoyable police procedural is off to the races.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say the character of John Rebus in TOOTH & NAIL is derivative. But it certainly doesn’t plow any new ground that hasn’t been turned over, seeded, fertilized and harvested by many, many authors many, many times before. Rebus is flawed to a fault (LOL) – a failed marriage; a loving father who can’t seem to find the time and the ability to be the father he wants to be; a lone wolf detective with a disdain for his colleagues and serious issues with authority and the protocols that a police officer must deal with; a weakness for a pretty face and the opposite sex that certainly approaches misogyny; an enjoyment of alcohol that borders on abuse, dissatisfaction with his career … well, you get the idea. You won’t be the first to see similarities to such well known literary characters as Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch or Peter Robinson’s Inspector Banks.
All of that said, I’ll confess that I still thoroughly enjoyed TOOTH & NAIL and would rank it as the best in the Inspector Rebus series thus far. I’m definitely a fan and will be looking for a copy of STRIP JACK, the next entry in a series that has obviously been successful for many years.
Paul Weiss
Inspector John Rebus is surprised to find himself, at the behest of somebody who imagined him to be an expert in the investigation of serial killers, seconded to London to assist the local Scotland Yard constabulary in bringing a gruesome murderer to heel. A profile put together by an attractive young female (of course) psychologist adds a soupçon of romance to the mixture and TOOTH & NAIL, a workmanlike and enjoyable police procedural is off to the races.
I wouldn’t go so far as to say the character of John Rebus in TOOTH & NAIL is derivative. But it certainly doesn’t plow any new ground that hasn’t been turned over, seeded, fertilized and harvested by many, many authors many, many times before. Rebus is flawed to a fault (LOL) – a failed marriage; a loving father who can’t seem to find the time and the ability to be the father he wants to be; a lone wolf detective with a disdain for his colleagues and serious issues with authority and the protocols that a police officer must deal with; a weakness for a pretty face and the opposite sex that certainly approaches misogyny; an enjoyment of alcohol that borders on abuse, dissatisfaction with his career … well, you get the idea. You won’t be the first to see similarities to such well known literary characters as Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch or Peter Robinson’s Inspector Banks.
All of that said, I’ll confess that I still thoroughly enjoyed TOOTH & NAIL and would rank it as the best in the Inspector Rebus series thus far. I’m definitely a fan and will be looking for a copy of STRIP JACK, the next entry in a series that has obviously been successful for many years.
Paul Weiss
June 9, 2012
Of all the fictional coppers I read about on a regular basis, Detective John Rebus is the least likeable. Granted, I've only just finished the third book in the series (I am reading them in order), so he may become more likeable as I progress, but right now there is nothing I like about this character.
I connect on a shockingly deep level (could it be love?) with Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander, feeling a kinship with the sullen Ystad detective that I've felt with few fictional characters in my life, and I enjoy the fictional company of both Martin Beck and Lennart Kollberg in Sjöwall and Wahlöö's police procedurals. But I find Rebus to be an insufferable prick.
Why do I loathe Rebus so much? At first I thought it must be because he was like me (that's always the place my self-critical brain first takes me when I meet or read someone I don't like), but it took very little soul searching to see that he's really nothing like me at all (apart from being in his forties by book #3 in the series).
No. I don't like him because he is arrogant without cause. I don't like him because he is a manipulative bastard when it comes to the people in his life. I don't like him because he is hypocritically self-righteous. I don't like him because he puts anyone and everyone in danger without thinking about the dangers so long as his goal of "catching the criminal fast" is fulfilled. I don't like him because of his wishy washy religious beliefs and his selfishness and his opinions about evil and bad teeth and mindless book collection and his self-righteousness (didn't I mention that already?).
Yet for all Rebus' dislikeability and the uncanny levels of luck he has when it comes to solving the crimes he's investigating, I find Ian Rankin's compelling. I get the sense that Rankin wants us to dislike Rebus. His detective is supposed to be a difficult man to like, a problematic protagonist who flies in the face of the classic police "hero." More than that, though, Rankin's an inviting writer. He knows pace. He knows how to build suspense. He knows mystery, and he keeps me wanting more from page to page and book to book.
I badly want to see a film version of Rebus. I'm guessing he'll be a much more likeable guy on-screen. I wonder if that will make me like the books more or less? I am curious to find out.
Oh yeah, Tooth and Nail's mystery was dumb. But fun.*
*did you like my Rankinesque fragment?
I connect on a shockingly deep level (could it be love?) with Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander, feeling a kinship with the sullen Ystad detective that I've felt with few fictional characters in my life, and I enjoy the fictional company of both Martin Beck and Lennart Kollberg in Sjöwall and Wahlöö's police procedurals. But I find Rebus to be an insufferable prick.
Why do I loathe Rebus so much? At first I thought it must be because he was like me (that's always the place my self-critical brain first takes me when I meet or read someone I don't like), but it took very little soul searching to see that he's really nothing like me at all (apart from being in his forties by book #3 in the series).
No. I don't like him because he is arrogant without cause. I don't like him because he is a manipulative bastard when it comes to the people in his life. I don't like him because he is hypocritically self-righteous. I don't like him because he puts anyone and everyone in danger without thinking about the dangers so long as his goal of "catching the criminal fast" is fulfilled. I don't like him because of his wishy washy religious beliefs and his selfishness and his opinions about evil and bad teeth and mindless book collection and his self-righteousness (didn't I mention that already?).
Yet for all Rebus' dislikeability and the uncanny levels of luck he has when it comes to solving the crimes he's investigating, I find Ian Rankin's compelling. I get the sense that Rankin wants us to dislike Rebus. His detective is supposed to be a difficult man to like, a problematic protagonist who flies in the face of the classic police "hero." More than that, though, Rankin's an inviting writer. He knows pace. He knows how to build suspense. He knows mystery, and he keeps me wanting more from page to page and book to book.
I badly want to see a film version of Rebus. I'm guessing he'll be a much more likeable guy on-screen. I wonder if that will make me like the books more or less? I am curious to find out.
Oh yeah, Tooth and Nail's mystery was dumb. But fun.*
*did you like my Rankinesque fragment?
February 26, 2021
3.5 stars
My assault on this series' backlist continues. Lordie, can this really be 25 years old?
My assault on this series' backlist continues. Lordie, can this really be 25 years old?
June 28, 2017
This early entry in the Rebus series is not the best nor the worst of the books....it has its strong points such as the continuing unpleasant attitude of the detective which the author just keeps building upon as the series progresses. The weak point is the motive/identity ot the serial killer who Rebus has been seconded to London to help capture. It is one of those "pick the least likely suspect" and you have solved the case which has become a rather lame plot device in modern police procedurals and it surprised me that Rankin would choose it.
I have read many of the books in this series and have enjoyed them immensely but this one falls a little short of what one usually expects from this best selling author. If you read it and don't like it, give the series another chance since most of the books are very well done. This was just early days.
I have read many of the books in this series and have enjoyed them immensely but this one falls a little short of what one usually expects from this best selling author. If you read it and don't like it, give the series another chance since most of the books are very well done. This was just early days.
May 5, 2025
Wohlwollende vier Sterne für diesen Inspektor Rebus-Krimi, der mich gut unterhalten hat und vor allem ziemlich ansprechend geschrieben ist. Die Figuren sind authentisch dargestellt und ihre Gedankengänge sehr gefällig zu Papier gebracht. Für mich war es Erstkontakt mit Ian Rankin. Die ersten beiden Bände wären nicht so gut wie dieser dritte Band, sagte mein Lieblings-Booktuber. Daher stieg ich an dieser Stelle in die Serie ein.
Untypisch ist wohl, dass dieser Band nicht in Schottland spielt, sondern in London. Ein Schotte soll also der englischen Polizei helfen, einen Serienkiller zu fassen. Die Spannung zwischen Norden und Süden bringt Rankin sehr gut rüber. Stellenweise war es sogar recht humorvoll.
Etwas antiquiert wirkt aber der Kriminalfall als solches. Vielleicht liegt es auch daran, dass der Roman schon über 30 Jahr alt ist. Da sind wir Thrillerleser in Sachen Massenmörder doch schon anderes gewohnt. Rankin baut die Ermittlungen gut auf, bringt psychologische Elemente ins Spiel und überführt dann die gesuchte Person mittels eines weit hergeholtem sprachlichen Erkennungsmerkmals. Und plötzlich kommt es zu einem rasanten Finale mit Verfolgungsjagd. Der Krimi als solches ist allenfalls drei Sterne wert. Die Personen, die Unterhaltung und die Sprache machen das aber halbwegs wett. Ich werde die Serie weiterlesen.
Untypisch ist wohl, dass dieser Band nicht in Schottland spielt, sondern in London. Ein Schotte soll also der englischen Polizei helfen, einen Serienkiller zu fassen. Die Spannung zwischen Norden und Süden bringt Rankin sehr gut rüber. Stellenweise war es sogar recht humorvoll.
Etwas antiquiert wirkt aber der Kriminalfall als solches. Vielleicht liegt es auch daran, dass der Roman schon über 30 Jahr alt ist. Da sind wir Thrillerleser in Sachen Massenmörder doch schon anderes gewohnt. Rankin baut die Ermittlungen gut auf, bringt psychologische Elemente ins Spiel und überführt dann die gesuchte Person mittels eines weit hergeholtem sprachlichen Erkennungsmerkmals. Und plötzlich kommt es zu einem rasanten Finale mit Verfolgungsjagd. Der Krimi als solches ist allenfalls drei Sterne wert. Die Personen, die Unterhaltung und die Sprache machen das aber halbwegs wett. Ich werde die Serie weiterlesen.
January 10, 2024
Tooth and Nail by Ian Rankin is book 3 in the Inspector Rebus mystery series. Sent to Scotland Yard as an expert in serial killers, Inspector John Rebus becomes involved in the hunt fot The Wolfman. It is a while since I read the first books in the series and found I enjoyed this one more. I like that Rebus does not see himself as the expert that is claimed and prefers to leave the accolades to others. His methods are rather strange but seem to work out in the end. An interesting mystery although rather odd.
August 9, 2021
My first ever Inspector John Rebus novel. Number 3 in the series and also called The Wolfman. Rebus is drafted down to London from Edinburgh to assist Detective Flight in a serial killer case. Someone is killing women by stabbing them in the throat and deviantly stabbing them as well as biting their stomachs. Rebus arrives by train just as another murder takes place.
Lots of gritty action, procedural descriptions and colorful humor as well as racism against the Scotsman. The subplot with his ex wife and daughter Samantha with her unsavory boyfriend Kenny was not necessary. The oblique mention of Hard Times by Dickens was amusing. The romance with Lisa a bit far fetched as the final chase scene around trafalgar Square and the National gallery.
When lawyers go bad! Or stark raving bonkers. Nice play on words with the name Chambers. A few red herrings but overall a satisfying read.
Lots of gritty action, procedural descriptions and colorful humor as well as racism against the Scotsman. The subplot with his ex wife and daughter Samantha with her unsavory boyfriend Kenny was not necessary. The oblique mention of Hard Times by Dickens was amusing. The romance with Lisa a bit far fetched as the final chase scene around trafalgar Square and the National gallery.
When lawyers go bad! Or stark raving bonkers. Nice play on words with the name Chambers. A few red herrings but overall a satisfying read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 30, 2020
‘Tooth and Nail’ by Ian Rankin is number three in the Edinburgh’s Inspector John Rebus series of mysteries. I wish all mysteries could have endings like this book! Loved it! Keystone Kops would have optioned the rights to vid it.
Rebus has been asked to go to London. He is representing Lothian and Borders Police, or as John's boss put it, ""No fuck ups, John."" Rebus has unexpectedly become a reputed expert on serial murderers although he truly feels mystified by why anyone would think that, especially the London police, and especially since the cases that apparently this new reputation is based on wasn't that in his opinion. Yet, here he is.
A killer is killing middle-aged women in a monstrous fashion involving biting and knives. Early days, but already four bodies with the recognized modus operandi have turned up. The press are going bonkers, already calling the murderer "the Wolfman." The only Englishman showing him any respect, faint as it is, is Detective Inspector George Flight.
Rebus finds time to visit his ex-wife Rhona in her new London flat to see his daughter, Samantha. Both women look terrifically good and happy he morosely notices. He also meets Samantha's lout of a boyfriend who he hates on sight.
FYTP.
This novel is fast-paced and a very exciting mystery! But there are graphic scenes, so sensitive readers beware. The series is very popular and in my opinion, has aged well despite it's age (book one is Knots and Crosses, published in 1987). Highly recommended.
Rebus has been asked to go to London. He is representing Lothian and Borders Police, or as John's boss put it, ""No fuck ups, John."" Rebus has unexpectedly become a reputed expert on serial murderers although he truly feels mystified by why anyone would think that, especially the London police, and especially since the cases that apparently this new reputation is based on wasn't that in his opinion. Yet, here he is.
A killer is killing middle-aged women in a monstrous fashion involving biting and knives. Early days, but already four bodies with the recognized modus operandi have turned up. The press are going bonkers, already calling the murderer "the Wolfman." The only Englishman showing him any respect, faint as it is, is Detective Inspector George Flight.
Rebus finds time to visit his ex-wife Rhona in her new London flat to see his daughter, Samantha. Both women look terrifically good and happy he morosely notices. He also meets Samantha's lout of a boyfriend who he hates on sight.
FYTP.
This novel is fast-paced and a very exciting mystery! But there are graphic scenes, so sensitive readers beware. The series is very popular and in my opinion, has aged well despite it's age (book one is Knots and Crosses, published in 1987). Highly recommended.
July 7, 2013
SPOILERS
I wanted to read several crime novels that were considered accurate for the genre, as being the child of a police officer, I often find it hard to suspend disbelief when reading a crime novel when I find inaccuracies.
Ian Rankin's Tooth And Nail was highly recommended to me by a friend who loves crime novels, so I forked out the $17 required to purchase this in paperback.
I would like a refund. I didn't think the main character did much, if anything, in the way of solving the crime, instead spending most of his time drinking tea, shagging a beautiful woman who for some reason instantly wants the overweight older protagonist, and dealing with his dysfunctional ex and his child. Then, he instantly solves the murders by realizing the bad guy used TWO WORDS in a manner that made him certain that this person was the killer. Really? I'm all for intuitive leaps, but I feel this plot was grasping at straws. The cliches were thick in this one, and as it's an older book, it feels quite dated as well.
I wanted to read several crime novels that were considered accurate for the genre, as being the child of a police officer, I often find it hard to suspend disbelief when reading a crime novel when I find inaccuracies.
Ian Rankin's Tooth And Nail was highly recommended to me by a friend who loves crime novels, so I forked out the $17 required to purchase this in paperback.
I would like a refund. I didn't think the main character did much, if anything, in the way of solving the crime, instead spending most of his time drinking tea, shagging a beautiful woman who for some reason instantly wants the overweight older protagonist, and dealing with his dysfunctional ex and his child. Then, he instantly solves the murders by realizing the bad guy used TWO WORDS in a manner that made him certain that this person was the killer. Really? I'm all for intuitive leaps, but I feel this plot was grasping at straws. The cliches were thick in this one, and as it's an older book, it feels quite dated as well.
January 30, 2019
This is one of the earlier books in the Rebus series I had missed. I found it rather interesting to go back in time to when Rebus was in his 40's, assigned to a serial-killer case in London and thus able to at least visit his ex-wife and daughter living there in a fairly questionable neighborhood.
Rebus is not universally welcomed by the London police force. I was not familiar with the slang utilized in identifying a Scot as "Jock" so I had to read a bit about that. Rebus was referred to in this manner and within the context it most certainly was not friendly.
However these Londoners may have viewed his presence in London, he shows them just how to catch a serial killer.
I usually avoid books that detail serial killers, and that may be why I had skipped over this one. Yes, that part of the story is gruesome and graphic but presents enough of a mystery that it becomes more interesting than revolting.
Library Loan - Thank you, library!
Rebus is not universally welcomed by the London police force. I was not familiar with the slang utilized in identifying a Scot as "Jock" so I had to read a bit about that. Rebus was referred to in this manner and within the context it most certainly was not friendly.
However these Londoners may have viewed his presence in London, he shows them just how to catch a serial killer.
I usually avoid books that detail serial killers, and that may be why I had skipped over this one. Yes, that part of the story is gruesome and graphic but presents enough of a mystery that it becomes more interesting than revolting.
Library Loan - Thank you, library!
June 29, 2019
böyle serilerin ilk kitapları genelde en iyisi oluyor. yine de dedektif john rebus iyi bir seri. kurtadam mahlaslı katilin çocukluğu ve ona yansıması biraz klişe.
bu macerada iskoçya'dan londra'ya gitmesi ve karşılaştığı ırkçılık özellikle iyi aktarılmış. insanlık şu kabile mantığından bir kurtulsa çok şey değişecek de... zor.
* serinin ilk 4 kitabı hakkında agos kirk'e yazdım. http://tembelveyazar.blogspot.com/201...
bu macerada iskoçya'dan londra'ya gitmesi ve karşılaştığı ırkçılık özellikle iyi aktarılmış. insanlık şu kabile mantığından bir kurtulsa çok şey değişecek de... zor.
* serinin ilk 4 kitabı hakkında agos kirk'e yazdım. http://tembelveyazar.blogspot.com/201...
March 13, 2020
Gayet güzel bir polisiyeydi. Annemle John Rebus hakkında anlaşamıyoruz, karakteri pek sevmiyor. Ben farklı düşünüyorum, vakaları kendini okutuyor ve daha gerçekçi geliyor. Annemi bilmem ama ben seriye kesinlikle devam edeceğim.
March 9, 2018
Tooth & Nail by Ian Rankin.
This is the 3rd in the Inspector Rebus series and my 14th. I decided to hunt down Rebus's beginnings in his sleuthing career.
Rebus has been called into London for his expertise in serial murderers. It seems murders have occurred in which each victim has been bitten. Hence the press has labeled him The Wolfman. George flight is the head of the investigation and is not happy about Rebus being assigned to his case. Flight shows his true colors by taking credit for any clues Rebus informs him of as his own.
But...let's not underestimate Rebus. His retaliation has him coming ouit on top no matter what the odds.
The climatic ending had me panting! There's no keeping up with Rebus even as just the reader. so well written I was running behind Rebus all the way-and what a way it was!!!
Brilliantly narrated/performed by Samuel Gillies who had just the perfect Scottish lilt to his voice without throwing me off track.
This is the 3rd in the Inspector Rebus series and my 14th. I decided to hunt down Rebus's beginnings in his sleuthing career.
Rebus has been called into London for his expertise in serial murderers. It seems murders have occurred in which each victim has been bitten. Hence the press has labeled him The Wolfman. George flight is the head of the investigation and is not happy about Rebus being assigned to his case. Flight shows his true colors by taking credit for any clues Rebus informs him of as his own.
But...let's not underestimate Rebus. His retaliation has him coming ouit on top no matter what the odds.
The climatic ending had me panting! There's no keeping up with Rebus even as just the reader. so well written I was running behind Rebus all the way-and what a way it was!!!
Brilliantly narrated/performed by Samuel Gillies who had just the perfect Scottish lilt to his voice without throwing me off track.
December 31, 2016
This must be one of the silliest books I've ever read. The plot is rambling; the denoument is melodramatic and farcical; the central character, Inspector Rebus, comes over as a bit thick in his conversations with the young female psychology student who, predictably enough, ends up in bed with him; and the characterisation of the villain, a serial killer who leaves bite marks in his victims, is like something out of a pantomime.
March 25, 2022
Definitely the best one of the three I’ve read so far.
September 10, 2018
Just into his third book of a police procedural series, Ian Rankin decides to write a comedy!
DI Rebus from Edinburgh is unbelievably called upon for help by the London police because of his supposed expertise on serial killers. This allows Rankin to make fun of both Londoners and the Scots even about such a sensitive topic as racism: “Of course, there wasn’t nearly so much racism in Scotland. There was no need; the Scots had bigotry instead.”
Despite being an extra in the great metropolis, Rebus improbably manages to be at the centre of things; giving impromptu press briefings, being on the front pages, throwing off suggestions, inducting a profiler, making sense of strange bite marks etc. As far as I can make out, no aspect of the plot or the characters, including the serial killer, is to be taken seriously.
This is a great and funny read.
DI Rebus from Edinburgh is unbelievably called upon for help by the London police because of his supposed expertise on serial killers. This allows Rankin to make fun of both Londoners and the Scots even about such a sensitive topic as racism: “Of course, there wasn’t nearly so much racism in Scotland. There was no need; the Scots had bigotry instead.”
Despite being an extra in the great metropolis, Rebus improbably manages to be at the centre of things; giving impromptu press briefings, being on the front pages, throwing off suggestions, inducting a profiler, making sense of strange bite marks etc. As far as I can make out, no aspect of the plot or the characters, including the serial killer, is to be taken seriously.
This is a great and funny read.
May 19, 2013
"Fish out of water" Rebus. Loved it. Rebus is on loan to London to help solve a serial murder case. Somehow he's now got the rep as a serial killer expert and has been called in to solve this series of heinous, brutal murders. His interactions with the London police and resentment of their "hick from the sticks" attitude towards him is classic Rebus as is his awkward concern regarding his daughter and her new "Beau" and the suspicions he has that this boy in her life is trouble. The mystery was good; well-crafted and hard to figure out. The car chase scene at the end gave good entertainment value. Having the story set in London was a nice twist as I know that city well but I look forward to #4 when Rebus is back in his own stomping grounds in Edinburgh. A really enjoyable series so far.
June 23, 2022
As an expert on serial killers Rebus is seconded to London to help the Met with a baffling case they have been unable to crack. Women are being murdered in a ritualistic and sadistic fashion - knife up the jacksie anyone? There are few clues and seemingly no pattern to the random murders.
Of course the coppers on the ground resent the "expert" being helicoptered in, as it looks like they cannot cope with crime on their own patch.
Couple that with Rebus' concerns about the man his 16 year old daughter is seeing and a mysterious Professor who claims to be able to help profile the murderer and there is a lot to chew on.
An enjoyable thriller.
Of course the coppers on the ground resent the "expert" being helicoptered in, as it looks like they cannot cope with crime on their own patch.
Couple that with Rebus' concerns about the man his 16 year old daughter is seeing and a mysterious Professor who claims to be able to help profile the murderer and there is a lot to chew on.
An enjoyable thriller.
April 24, 2016
The third book in the Inspector Rebus series sees the wonderfully sardonic, truculent and, at times, antagonistic DI John Rebus uprooted from his home turf and mixing it amongst 'the big boys' of Scotland Yard. Originally published in 1992 as Wolfman, Ian Rankin used this third book primarily to explore his own feelings about London during his time spent residing in the capital and the device works well as chippy Rebus is down south and on more of a back foot than ever before.
The presence of DI John Rebus is requested by Scotland Yard for his supposed knowledge of the modus operandi of serial killers after London has fallen prey to the savage murderer whom the press have dubbed 'Wolfman' This provides plenty of amusement for his superior in Edinburgh as the serial killer who Rebus put behind bars had a very personal motive and a grudge aimed squarely at the detective. Feeling like a fraud as he travels south his welcome is hostile and the sarcasm that the London cops reserve for him is on another level. The sneers and smart remarks are thinly veiled and Rebus is fighting to sink or swim and reliant on his wits alone. When Rebus arrives in the aftermath of the fourth murder and sees the brutality of the perpetrator at close quarters and the chilling bite mark on the stomach that is a feature of the murders he feels out of his depth and envisages a swift return home. Scotland Yard is muddling along with the day to day work of the investigation but with nobody in the office willing to put their neck on the line and suggest an idea which could potentially backfire, Rebus finally begins to think that with his fresh attitude he could make a breakthrough. After all, Rebus knows that you make your own luck in the subtle art of crime fighting!
Rebus is as eager as ever to rely on a hunch and his willingness to snatch at red herrings and clutch a straws makes the man altogether more human. The introduction of Lisa Fraser as a psychologist offering a profile of the Wolfman seems a great opportunity for Rebus to gain a better insight into the perpetrator and offers an altogether more romantic indulgence... But whether Lisa and his fellow Scotland Yard colleagues can be taken as face value is another question entirely and Rebus has to watch his back as his enemies are never far away.
Throughout Tooth and Nail Ian Rankin makes time for Rebus to muse on his thoughts about the city, where the wealthy and the poor live "almost cheek by jowl". No contacts or knowledge of the way the police operate in London puts Rebus at a true disadvantage and he grows tired of being told the city is home to the "cream of the crop' and the best in the business. Tooth and Nail also allows Rebus to catch up with daughter Sammy and his former wife Rhona and needless to say provides an opportunity for him to interfere in their lives! Sammy is now a blossoming young woman with a motorbike courier boyfriend in tow and Rebus does his own checking up on the youth who has enamoured his daughter, taking him to the notorious Churchill estate and making for a humorous diversion in a gritty storyline.
Interestingly this third entry also marks the introduction of Scottish words into the Rebus books and as London struggles with his thick accent and occasional Scottish slang, he finds himself similarly confounded by the Cockney rhyming slang! Tooth and Nail also marks the first usage of the FYTP acronym which seems to sum up Rebus in a nutshell.. As ever Rebus makes an endlessly fascinating character to explore and Tooth and Nail also marks a real high point in the fluidity of Rankin's prose and this humorous and addictive series jumps right off the page to its readers.
If you haven't already encountered DI John Rebus it is never too late to do so and with each novel in the series bringing a clearer appreciation of the man there is no doubt that these early novels are essential for a hardened fan. I thought that this was the first in the series which combined a brilliant forensic knowledge with the rigorous psychological detail which is so pivotal in identifying any serial killer. A brilliant testimony to the London of the late 1980's and an eye opener to the workings of the Old Bailey and the heart of justice in the city. I would warmly welcome DI John Rebus back down south again but in the meantime I am happy to follow him back to Edinburgh for book four of the series!
The presence of DI John Rebus is requested by Scotland Yard for his supposed knowledge of the modus operandi of serial killers after London has fallen prey to the savage murderer whom the press have dubbed 'Wolfman' This provides plenty of amusement for his superior in Edinburgh as the serial killer who Rebus put behind bars had a very personal motive and a grudge aimed squarely at the detective. Feeling like a fraud as he travels south his welcome is hostile and the sarcasm that the London cops reserve for him is on another level. The sneers and smart remarks are thinly veiled and Rebus is fighting to sink or swim and reliant on his wits alone. When Rebus arrives in the aftermath of the fourth murder and sees the brutality of the perpetrator at close quarters and the chilling bite mark on the stomach that is a feature of the murders he feels out of his depth and envisages a swift return home. Scotland Yard is muddling along with the day to day work of the investigation but with nobody in the office willing to put their neck on the line and suggest an idea which could potentially backfire, Rebus finally begins to think that with his fresh attitude he could make a breakthrough. After all, Rebus knows that you make your own luck in the subtle art of crime fighting!
Rebus is as eager as ever to rely on a hunch and his willingness to snatch at red herrings and clutch a straws makes the man altogether more human. The introduction of Lisa Fraser as a psychologist offering a profile of the Wolfman seems a great opportunity for Rebus to gain a better insight into the perpetrator and offers an altogether more romantic indulgence... But whether Lisa and his fellow Scotland Yard colleagues can be taken as face value is another question entirely and Rebus has to watch his back as his enemies are never far away.
Throughout Tooth and Nail Ian Rankin makes time for Rebus to muse on his thoughts about the city, where the wealthy and the poor live "almost cheek by jowl". No contacts or knowledge of the way the police operate in London puts Rebus at a true disadvantage and he grows tired of being told the city is home to the "cream of the crop' and the best in the business. Tooth and Nail also allows Rebus to catch up with daughter Sammy and his former wife Rhona and needless to say provides an opportunity for him to interfere in their lives! Sammy is now a blossoming young woman with a motorbike courier boyfriend in tow and Rebus does his own checking up on the youth who has enamoured his daughter, taking him to the notorious Churchill estate and making for a humorous diversion in a gritty storyline.
Interestingly this third entry also marks the introduction of Scottish words into the Rebus books and as London struggles with his thick accent and occasional Scottish slang, he finds himself similarly confounded by the Cockney rhyming slang! Tooth and Nail also marks the first usage of the FYTP acronym which seems to sum up Rebus in a nutshell.. As ever Rebus makes an endlessly fascinating character to explore and Tooth and Nail also marks a real high point in the fluidity of Rankin's prose and this humorous and addictive series jumps right off the page to its readers.
If you haven't already encountered DI John Rebus it is never too late to do so and with each novel in the series bringing a clearer appreciation of the man there is no doubt that these early novels are essential for a hardened fan. I thought that this was the first in the series which combined a brilliant forensic knowledge with the rigorous psychological detail which is so pivotal in identifying any serial killer. A brilliant testimony to the London of the late 1980's and an eye opener to the workings of the Old Bailey and the heart of justice in the city. I would warmly welcome DI John Rebus back down south again but in the meantime I am happy to follow him back to Edinburgh for book four of the series!
April 27, 2018
As a lover of British crime thrillers, I try to read all the big names. I would like to be able to say I have read most of the big ones, yet the reality is that I have read nowhere near as many as I would like to be able to claim. I’ve been trying to amend that, and my journey into Ian Rankin is an example of me trying to better myself when it comes to one of my favourite genres.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been meaning to pick up an Inspector Rebus book. It is such a well-known name – from the television series all the way through to references being made in other crime fiction (points towards Stuart MacBride) – with the books catching my attention on many occasions. Despite how often a Rebus book would grab my attention in book stores, I held off on buying for one important reason – I’ve been trying to read crime series in order. It’s fine to jump in here and there, but so much better if you follow the development of the characters throughout. Thus, I waited until I was able to get my hands on the first Rebus book. It turns out getting my hands on the first Rebus book came about through me getting my hands on the first nine plus an unrelated Ian Rankin book through a boxset – needless to say, I was set and more than willing to dive in.
With so much behind my desire to read the books, and having heard so many great things, I went in with quite high expectations. Unfortunately, I wasn’t crazy about the first book, Knots and Crosses. It was an okay read, but it did not blow my mind in the way I had been hoping it would. Nevertheless, it did leave me interested in finding out more. Thus, as I own a fair few of the books, I decided to dive straight into the second book. I may not have loved Knots and Crosses but there was enough to leave me with the belief Hide and Seek would be more enjoyable. It was more enjoyable, but I wasn’t crazy about it. The first book was a rounded up three-star rating, whereas the second book was a solid three-star rating. With book three, I was hoping for a four-star read but I wasn’t holding out hope.
It turns out my enjoyment of Tooth and Nail sits somewhere between the first two books. It was closer to my enjoyment of the second book, but it was still only a three-star rating. By this point, I’ve concluded Rebus is not for me. It’s unfortunate, but such seems to be the case. They are decent reads, but they are not the kind of books I will obsessively read. I’ll be continuing the series because I own more of the books, but I doubt I will go beyond that. That being said, it’s likely a small part of me will continue to hold out hope in regard to my view changing.
I realised with book two what it is that makes it so difficult for me to enjoy these books – I’m not crazy about Rebus. The crime aspect is interesting – I would not label any of the books thus far my favourite crime story, but they are decent enough stories to pass the time – but I do not care for the characters. I really do not care for Rebus at all – he’s nothing more than a means of explaining how things came to be. In fact, I rather dislike him as a character, which is making it difficult to become too invested in this series. If I’m going to be addicted to a crime series, it is as much about the characters as it is about the crimes – and this series does not seem to tick both boxes.
As I said, I’ll continue on, but it’ll be at a slow pace rather than being an obsessive read of the series.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been meaning to pick up an Inspector Rebus book. It is such a well-known name – from the television series all the way through to references being made in other crime fiction (points towards Stuart MacBride) – with the books catching my attention on many occasions. Despite how often a Rebus book would grab my attention in book stores, I held off on buying for one important reason – I’ve been trying to read crime series in order. It’s fine to jump in here and there, but so much better if you follow the development of the characters throughout. Thus, I waited until I was able to get my hands on the first Rebus book. It turns out getting my hands on the first Rebus book came about through me getting my hands on the first nine plus an unrelated Ian Rankin book through a boxset – needless to say, I was set and more than willing to dive in.
With so much behind my desire to read the books, and having heard so many great things, I went in with quite high expectations. Unfortunately, I wasn’t crazy about the first book, Knots and Crosses. It was an okay read, but it did not blow my mind in the way I had been hoping it would. Nevertheless, it did leave me interested in finding out more. Thus, as I own a fair few of the books, I decided to dive straight into the second book. I may not have loved Knots and Crosses but there was enough to leave me with the belief Hide and Seek would be more enjoyable. It was more enjoyable, but I wasn’t crazy about it. The first book was a rounded up three-star rating, whereas the second book was a solid three-star rating. With book three, I was hoping for a four-star read but I wasn’t holding out hope.
It turns out my enjoyment of Tooth and Nail sits somewhere between the first two books. It was closer to my enjoyment of the second book, but it was still only a three-star rating. By this point, I’ve concluded Rebus is not for me. It’s unfortunate, but such seems to be the case. They are decent reads, but they are not the kind of books I will obsessively read. I’ll be continuing the series because I own more of the books, but I doubt I will go beyond that. That being said, it’s likely a small part of me will continue to hold out hope in regard to my view changing.
I realised with book two what it is that makes it so difficult for me to enjoy these books – I’m not crazy about Rebus. The crime aspect is interesting – I would not label any of the books thus far my favourite crime story, but they are decent enough stories to pass the time – but I do not care for the characters. I really do not care for Rebus at all – he’s nothing more than a means of explaining how things came to be. In fact, I rather dislike him as a character, which is making it difficult to become too invested in this series. If I’m going to be addicted to a crime series, it is as much about the characters as it is about the crimes – and this series does not seem to tick both boxes.
As I said, I’ll continue on, but it’ll be at a slow pace rather than being an obsessive read of the series.
September 8, 2016
This is one of the earliest Rebus novels, so it's a bit shorter than the later ones. Having said that, the story packs a punch.
Rebus is sent down to London as an "expert" on serial killers to help the Met with a killer of their own. He battles bigotry as he tries to track down the killer that the media has dubbed "Wolfman".
The story plods along a little, right up to the big reveal of the killer, and that point the story explodes. I was laughing with sheer delight by this point. I don't think any other writer could have got away with what Ian Rankin did. In fact, I know they couldn't have, because I know any other writer would have had me throwing the book against the wall with cries of "Bollocks" and "This is ridiculous crap."
"Tooth and Nail" is, I think, the book where we first got to see just how special Ian Rankin is as a writer.
Highly recommended.
Rebus is sent down to London as an "expert" on serial killers to help the Met with a killer of their own. He battles bigotry as he tries to track down the killer that the media has dubbed "Wolfman".
The story plods along a little, right up to the big reveal of the killer, and that point the story explodes. I was laughing with sheer delight by this point. I don't think any other writer could have got away with what Ian Rankin did. In fact, I know they couldn't have, because I know any other writer would have had me throwing the book against the wall with cries of "Bollocks" and "This is ridiculous crap."
"Tooth and Nail" is, I think, the book where we first got to see just how special Ian Rankin is as a writer.
Highly recommended.
April 6, 2020
Inspector Rebus mystery No.3: John Rebus visits London as an 'expert' to investigate the serial killer 'the Wolfman'. With multiple Chief Inspectors on his back, an attractive psychologist working with him, racism in the streets and maybe in the Met, and a serial killer on the loose, Rebus is kept on the go in this case. 6 out of 12.
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