Exit Music (Detective John Rebus Novels)
Starred Review. James MacPhersons home-grown Scottish burr is put to excellent use narrating Rankins 17th and possibly best crime novel featuring Det. Insp. John Rebus of the Edinburgh police. At 60, its retirement time for Rebus and, as expected, Rankins rebellious series hero isn't going quietly. Not with the murder of a dissident Russian poet to solve and a career-long battle with local crime lord Big Ger Cafferty to close down. MacPherson easily conveys Rebuss gruff impatience, Caffertys deeper, nastier menace and Det. Siobhan Clarkes brittle coolness. He even manages to lose the burr long enough to get past several Russian-thick accents. Though Rebuss mention of perusing his unsolved cases in retirement offers some hope of future sleuthing, this reads like a farewell novel. Along with its expected well-crafted procedural elements, Rankin has included several moments of wistfulness and regret, and MacPherson makes the most of every one of them.A Little, Brown hardcover (Reviews, July 7). (Sept.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.