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maimoonarahman's review against another edition
4.0
I read this because in the introduction to my edition, Rankin writes that he wasn't into crime novels when he wrote this. I don't like detective fiction at all, so I wanted to try Rebus for size and it was everything good: short and neatly written with an interesting city, Edinburgh, for a major character. But, I am rating it four stars because the women were all stock characters.
swhite's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gharness's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I've been in a reading slump, and going back to Rebus was just what I needed.
harrydargavel's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
4.25
coffee18_html's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Torture, and Murder
Moderate: Kidnapping, Child death, and Pedophilia
Minor: Fatphobia, Body shaming, and Bullying
mrbrownsays's review against another edition
4.0
Really liked it. Avoided some classic first novel in a series mistakes like just listing character descriptions in the first chapter. You can almost feel Rankin trying to choose between making this a one-off or a series. It stands as a one off but I hear the series gets better. I look forward to it.
testaroscia's review against another edition
3.0
Ive always known I wanted to dip into Rebus, given Rankin's reputation amoungst his peers so felt it best to start form the beginning. Let's say this is obviously a first book that comes over as exactly that, a freshman first attempt that has the right direction but has a few too many tropes thrown in. It wont stop me though as so many comment on how the writing tightens up and gets so much better.
trin's review against another edition
1.0
The first John Rebus mystery, which I'd hoped would really grab me and thus give me a whole series to enjoy. Sadly, grabbed I was not. Like most mysteries I've read, this failed to do much for me; I was particularly frustrated in this case because the book takes the "the reader knows more about what's going on than the protagonists do" angle, which in a mystery like this has the unfortunate effect of making all the characters seem really, astonishingly dumb. Rankin tries to give his inspector some psychological complexity, but he's really rather unsubtle about it; further, the book ends on a truly bizarre note. I do not think I shall be reading the rest of the series.
msellwood's review against another edition
Really interesting book and will definitely pick it up again but I am getting caught up in life and A-levels