"...I knew that he would not want to leave the police force..."
—Ian Rankin
Based on 'Standing in Another Man's Grave' and 'Saints of the Shadow Bible,' I'd say that both Ian Rankin's and John Rebus's best days are ahead of them. Rebus is old and demoted but undaunted. Rankin is young, in top form and ... perhaps taking a break.
So he told both going into the studio and later on tape. To my mind this is something that needs to be changed, so I'm hoping that huge sales for this novel and the paperback version of the last will motivate everyone concerned. The ending to the latest novel is fully satisfying with the exception that there's not another immediately on the horizon.
But before we got to that, we talked about the reality behinda Rebus that informs the series and keeps it fresh. Rankin is quite firm on this. Rebus ages in real time. He started out pretty old and Rankin was forced to retire him a awhile back, old to find a way to bring him back in the Cold Case Unit in last year's 'Standing in Another Man's Grave.'
But reality informs the books, and this one in particular in another manner as well. At the center of this book are two intertwined aspects of Scottish politics; the independence referendum and a tweeze on Scottish "double jeopardy" that was brought about by a real crime at, wait for it — The World's End.
Rankin explained the name of the pub and horrific crime that brought about the change in law. Of course, this opens up a lot of cases from the past — and Rebus has quite a lot of past to open up. Rankin also talked about the real retirement parties he attended. He and Rebus have some fans in the police, so gets invites the rest of us don't, other than in his novels.
03-10-14 UPDATE:Podcast Update: Time to Read Episode 152: Ian Rankin, 'Saints of the Shadow Bible'
Click image for audio link.
Here's the one-hundred fifty-second episode of my series of podcasts, which I'm calling Time to Read. Hitting the two-year mark, I'm going to make an effort to stay ahead, so that podcast listeners can get the same sort of "sneak preview" effect that radio listeners get each Friday morning. This week, I seem to be on top opf the game, but who knows what the hell might happen. I am hoping to stay back up and stumbling.
My hope is that in under four minutes I can offer readers a concise review and an opportunity to hear the author read from or speak about the work. I'm hoping to offer a new one every week.
08-21-15: Agony Column Podcast News Report : Senator Claire McCaskill is 'Plenty Ladylike' : Internalizing Determination to Overcome Sexism [Incudes Time to Read EP 211: Claire McCaskill, Plenty Ladylike, plus A 2015 Interview with Senator Claire McCaskill]
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Emily Schultz Unleashes 'The Blondes' : A Cure by Color [Incudes Time to Read EP 210: Emily Schultz, The Blondes, plus A 2015 Interview with Emily Schultz]
07-05-15: Commentary : Dr. Michael Gazzaniga Tells Tales from Both Sides of the Brain : A Life in Neuroscience Reveals the Life of Science
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Michael Gazzaniga : "We made the first observation and BAM there was the disconnection effect..."
04-21-15: Commentary : Kazuo Ishiguro Unearths 'The Buried Giant' : The Mist of Myth and Memory
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Kazuo Ishiguro : ".... by the time I was writing this novel, the lines between what was fantasy and what was real had blurred for me..."
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Marc Goodman : "...every physical object around us is being transformed, one way or another, into an information technology..."
Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 199: Marc Goodman : Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It
