Rather Be the Devil

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Rather Be the Devil
Rather Be the Devil.jpg
Author Ian Rankin
CountryScotland
LanguageEnglish
Series Inspector Rebus
Genre Detective fiction
Publisher Orion Books
Publication date
3 November 2016
Media typePrint
Pages310
ISBN 978-1-4091-5940-7
Preceded by Even Dogs in the Wild  
Followed by In a House of Lies  
Website Author's webpage

Rather Be the Devil is the 21st instalment in the Inspector Rebus series of crime novels, published in November 2016. [1] Rather Be the Devil topped the bestseller charts for hardback fiction. [2] The title was inspired by a John Martyn song from his 1973 album Solid Air . [3]

Plot summary

The novel opens and closes with Rebus and his girlfriend, Deborah Quant (a forensic pathologist) dining in a restaurant which is part of the Waldorf Caledonian Hotel. Rebus is reminded of the 1978 murder at this hotel of Maria Turquand, an unsolved case in which Edinburgh bankers and pop stars were suspects. Rebus revisits the case, which becomes intertwined with others more actively pursued by the police in the coming week.

DI Malcolm Fox has been promoted to Gartcosh where Police Scotland have the Scottish Crime Campus. [4] Meanwhile, in Edinburgh, DI Siobhan Clarke is investigating the mugging of Darryl Christie, a young gangster who, in Standing in Another Man's Grave (2012), stepped into the void created by 'Big Ger' Cafferty's withdrawal from power in Edinburgh. Because HM Revenue and Customs are interested in a shell companies scheme involving Christie and banking scion Anthony Brough, Fox is sent back to Edinburgh to join Clarke's investigation. [5] Then a retired policeman dies, drowned with his hands bound, shortly after talking to Rebus about the Turquand case. This brings a Gartcosh Murder Inquiry Team to Edinburgh, and Fox is asked to join this team as well. Rebus manages to follow both enquiries, and Fox sees to it that Siobhan Clarke comes to the attention of the Gartcosh MIT group, and so the three are again working together.

Meanwhile, 'Big Ger' Cafferty is ready to make a comeback. [6]

Against this backdrop is Rebus's diagnosis of COPD, and his wait for word about from the doctors about a shadow on his lung (which he has named Hank Marvin). This leads to him quitting cigarettes and moderating his alcohol intake.

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 and Ken Stott for Television, with Ron Donachie playing the character for the BBC Radio dramatisations.

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<i>Saints of the Shadow Bible</i>

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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.

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Rebus is an upcoming Scottish crime drama streaming television series, adapted from the Inspector Rebus novels by Sir Ian Rankin, and starring Richard Rankin in the titular role. It is the debut UK production from Swedish streaming service Viaplay.

References

  1. "Rather Be the Devil - Ian Rankin". orionbooks. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  2. "Bestsellers". The Times. No. 72072. Saturday Review. 19 November 2016. p. 27. ISSN   0140-0460.
  3. Miller, Phil (17 March 2016). "Ian Rankin reveals new Rebus novel, to be published in November". Herald Scotland. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  4. Unsworth, Cathi (2 November 2015). "Rather Be the Devil by Ian Rankin review – Rebus is on the case and off the cigarettes". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  5. "Rather be the Devil". ianrankin.net. Retrieved 13 November 2016.
  6. Christie, Janet (22 October 2016). "Ian Rankin Interview: 'I don't know if I'll write about Rebus again'". The Scotsman. Retrieved 13 November 2016.