In a House of Lies

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In a House of Lies
In a House of Lies.jpg
First edition
Author Ian Rankin
CountryScotland
LanguageEnglish
Series Inspector Rebus
Release number
22
Genre Detective fiction
Set inScotland
Publisher Orion Books
Published in English
October 2018
Media typeHardback
Pages372
ISBN 9781409176886
Preceded by Rather Be the Devil  
Followed by A Song for the Dark Times  
Website Author's webpage

In a House of Lies is the 22nd instalment in the Inspector Rebus series written by Ian Rankin. In a House of Lies entered the hardback chart at No. 1 on the first week of its release. [1]

Contents

Plot

Some boys discover a car with a long-dead body in the boot, in a woodland which has been the subject of a real-estate dispute. Rebus, now retired, worked the 2006 missing-persons case, which was, as everyone involved agrees now, badly handled; Rebus himself had tried to protect from publicity the missing man's lover, son of a detective inspector in the old Strathclyde Police, and had also been hoping to tie in 'Big Ger' Cafferty. The murder inquiry now is handled by a team from Police Scotland, but Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke and Detective Inspector Malcolm Fox are included. Clarke has recently been investigated by a corrupt pair of Anti-Corruption Unit cops for leaking information to a reporter, and she is being harassed by a mysterious person over a recent case which in fact she handled well. Rebus, at her request, re-investigates that case; he tangles with the ACU team, and hopes again to see Cafferty connected to the body-in-the-boot murder. [2] [3]

Rebus is suffering from COPD and has given up cigarettes and almost stopped drinking alcohol. [4] [5] The book gives some attention to modern media and its potential for both public and private bullying.

Background

Ian Rankin has stated that inspiration for the novel in part came from the murder of Daniel Morgan, [6] who was a private detective in South London in the late 1980s. [7] He died of axe wounds to his head in a pub car park in Sydenham, South London in 1987. [8] He was investigating alleged police corruption at the time. [9]

Critical reception

Reception to the book was largely positive; Barry Forshaw, writing in The Guardian said "How has Rankin kept the series fresh for 22 novels? Deft characterisation. Readers must keep up with a lengthy dramatis personae, but there’s nothing wrong with making us work a little." [10] Likewise, Mark Sanderson, writing in the Evening Standard called the book "A brilliantly twisted case for Rebus" and that "..no one in Britain writes better crime novels today." [11] Paul Connolly (The Metro) gave the novel four stars out of five and said that the novel had:

a plot so complex it will elude anything other than total concentration, Rankin crafts one of the great Rebus novels, a vibrant slab of a book as gripping as it is intoxicating. [12]

Julian Cole, writing in the Northern Echo, gave the book four stars out of five, and called it "...[a] good rattling read, let down only by too many unnecessary dialogue modifiers." [13]

Related Research Articles

Detective Inspector John Rebus is the protagonist in the Inspector Rebus series of detective novels by the Scottish writer Sir Ian Rankin, ten of which have so far been televised as Rebus. The novels are mostly set in and around Edinburgh. Rebus has been portrayed by John Hannah, Ken Stott and Richard Rankin for television, with Ron Donachie playing the character for the BBC Radio dramatisations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ian Rankin</span> Scottish writer

Sir Ian James Rankin is a Scottish crime writer and philanthropist, best known for his Inspector Rebus novels.

<i>Inspector Rebus</i> Series of detective novels by Ian Rankin

The Inspector Rebus books are a series of detective novels by the Scottish author Sir Ian Rankin. The novels, centred on Detective Inspector John Rebus, are mostly based in and around Edinburgh. They are considered an important contribution to 'Tartan Noir'.

<i>The Black Book</i> (Rankin novel)

The Black Book is a 1993 crime novel by Ian Rankin, the fifth of the Inspector Rebus novels. It is the first book to feature Siobhan Clarke and Morris Gerald Cafferty appears as a main character. It is also the first book where Rebus is based at St Leonards police station.

<i>Knots and Crosses</i> 1987 novel by Ian Rankin

Knots and Crosses is a 1987 crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the first of the Inspector Rebus novels. It was written while Rankin was a postgraduate student at the University of Edinburgh. In the introduction to this novel, Rankin states that Rebus lives directly opposite the window in Marchmont that he looked out of while writing the book.

<i>Black & Blue</i> (Rankin novel) Novel by Ian Rankin

Black & Blue is a 1997 crime novel by Ian Rankin. The eighth of the Inspector Rebus novels, it was the first to be adapted in the Rebus television series starring John Hannah, airing in 2000.

<i>The Hanging Garden</i> (Rankin novel)

The Hanging Garden is a 1998 crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the ninth of the Inspector Rebus novels. It was the second episode in the Rebus television series starring John Hannah, airing in 2001.

<i>Set in Darkness</i> 2000 crime novel by Ian Rankin.

Set in Darkness is a 2000 crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the eleventh of the Inspector Rebus novels. It won the 2005 Grand Prix du Roman Policier (France) under the title Du fond des ténèbres.

<i>Resurrection Men</i>

Resurrection Men is a 2002 novel by Ian Rankin. It is the thirteenth of the Inspector Rebus novels. It won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2004.

<i>The Naming of the Dead</i> 2006 crime novel by Ian Rankin

The Naming of the Dead is a crime novel by Ian Rankin. It is the sixteenth of the Inspector Rebus novels. It is set in Edinburgh in July 2005, in the week of the G8 summit in Gleneagles.

<i>Exit Music</i> Crime novel by Ian Rankin

Exit Music is the seventeenth crime novel in the internationally bestselling Inspector Rebus series, written by Ian Rankin. It was published on 6 September 2007. The book is named after the Radiohead song "Exit Music ".

<i>The Complaints</i> 2009 crime novel by Ian Rankin

The Complaints is a novel by Scottish crime writer Ian Rankin. It was published in the United Kingdom on 3 September 2009.

<i>Standing in Another Mans Grave</i> 2012 novel by Ian Rankin

Standing in Another Man's Grave is the eighteenth instalment in the bestselling Inspector Rebus series of crime novels, published in 2012. The title of the book is a mondegreen, Rankin having misheard the Scottish singer songwriter Jackie Leven singing "Standing in Another Man's Rain", which mistake he gives to Rebus. Excerpts from Leven's songs appear with each division of the book.

<i>Saints of the Shadow Bible</i> 2013 crime novel by Ian Rankin

Saints of the Shadow Bible is the nineteenth instalment in the bestselling Inspector Rebus series of crime novels, published in 2013. Like the preceding Rebus novel, this one draws its title from a Jackie Leven lyric.

<i>Even Dogs in the Wild</i>

Even Dogs in the Wild is the twentieth instalment in the bestselling Inspector Rebus series of crime novels, published in 2015. The novel takes its name from the song of the same name by the Scottish band The Associates from their album The Affectionate Punch.

<i>Rather Be the Devil</i>

Rather Be the Devil is the 21st instalment in the Inspector Rebus series of crime novels, published in November 2016. Rather Be the Devil topped the bestseller charts for hardback fiction. The title was inspired by a John Martyn song from his 1973 album Solid Air.

<i>Rebus: Long Shadows</i>

Rebus: Long Shadows is a 2018 play written by Ian Rankin and Rona Munro. It is an installment of Rankin's Inspector Rebus series, written for the stage for the first time.

<i>A Song for the Dark Times</i>

A Song for the Dark Times is the 23rd installment in the Inspector Rebus series written by Ian Rankin. The phrase "dark times" was meant to refer to the era of Brexit, autocratic leaders, and so on, as of 2019, but the book was published in 2020, in a period of COVID-19 lockdowns. The title is from one of the book’s epigraphs, Bertolt Brecht on “singing in/about the dark times”; also, “Songs for the Dark Times” is the title Siobhan Clarke gives to a CD compilation she has burned for John Rebus, which he plays while driving north in his car.

<i>A Heart Full of Headstones</i> 2022 novel by Ian Rankin

A Heart Full of Headstones is the 24th installment in the Inspector Rebus series written by Ian Rankin. The title comes from the song "Single Father" by Jackie Leven, four lines of which are quoted on the last page of the novel. The novel is set during the period when COVID-19 is a threat but lockdown has ended, probably in 2022.

References

  1. ↑ Beckerman, Hannah (3 November 2018). "Ian Rankin: 'I couldn't get on with War and Peace'". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  2. ↑ McCann, Michael J. "A book review by Michael J. McCann: In a House of Lies (A Rebus Novel)". www.nyjournalofbooks.com. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  3. ↑ Cogdill, Oline H. "Ian Rankin and John Rebus return in 'House of Lies'". inquirer.com. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  4. ↑ Davies, Paul (25 October 2019). "BOOK REVIEW: 'In a House of Lies'". The Washington Times. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  5. ↑ Massie, Alan (6 October 2018). "Book review: In A House Of Lies, by Ian Rankin" . The Scotsman. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  6. ↑ Roy, David (15 November 2018). "Ian Rankin on In A House of Lies, Rebus: Long Shadows & his favourite Irish writers". The Irish News. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  7. ↑ Gibb, Frances (6 July 2018). "Met facing payout for framing trio for axe murder of Daniel Morgan" . The Times. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  8. ↑ Dodd, Vikram (28 May 2018). "Daniel Morgan murder: new delays hit inquiry into 31-year-old case". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  9. ↑ Hamilton, Fiona (2 November 2017). "Behind the story of the Daniel Morgan murder case" . The Times. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  10. ↑ Forshaw, Barry (5 October 2018). "The best recent thrillers – review roundup". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  11. ↑ Sanderson, Mark (4 October 2018). "In a House of Lies by Ian Rankin - review". Evening Standard. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  12. ↑ Connolly, Paul (21 October 2018). "Book Reviews: In A House Of Lies, Bright Young Dead, Milkman". Metro Newspaper UK. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  13. ↑ Cole, Julian (15 October 2018). "Book releases including In A House Of Lies by Ian Rankin". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
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