I put off reading this book because I knew Rankin was taking a break and I wanted to make the wait for the next one not quite as long.

I love Rebus and Malcolm and hope this is not their last time together. ( )

Saints of the Shadow Bible by Ian Rankin is the 19th John Rebus novel as well as being the 3rd that features Matthew Fox. In this outing Fox and Rebus must learn to put aside their differences and work together when a 30 year old murder investigation resurfaces.

Although Rebus is back on the force, he has been demoted to Detective Sergeant and reports to his former protege Siobhan Clarke. Meanwhile Matthew Fox of the Complaints Department is looking into Rebus’ old team and is uncovering stuff that Rebus is quite shocked to learn about. He knew that he and his team often played rather fast and loose with the rules, but what is being exposed now could result in murder charges being laid. Then past and present merge when a key witness is murdered, and Clarke, Rebus and Fox find themselves working together to uncover the truth.

As always, I enjoyed my time spent with Rebus. He is getting older and wiser, moving a little slower and often stops to think before he reacts. This case has him looking back at his own past and seeing the differences in how he worked back in the eighties compared to today. He and Matthew Fox make a good team as each ones plays off the other and their thought processes are completely opposite one another. I am hoping that the author keeps this threesome together in future books. ( )

Rankin's second attempt at Rebus redux has him demoted to DS and supporting DI Clarke in the investigation of a car crash that does not add up. In the middle of the Scottish independence campaign, the case soon escalates to involve the murder of a leading light in the campaign.

At the same time, Rebus is fending off Complaints investigator Malcolm Fox, who is showing intense interest in a murder case that a team Rebus was part of stuffed up; the prosecutors want to be able to retry the case and they need to discredit the officers involved.

I have to say, I don't warm to Malcolm Fox as a character and don't like the dynamic that he introduces to the Rebus series. He seems too insipid and takes far too much crap from Rebus, a lowly DS, to be believable. Rankin attempts to give him some kind of humanising backstory but, honestly, I find it hard to care.

The Rebus books are definitely going downhill now, and I doubt that they'll ever return to their former quality while Rankin persists with his Fox experiment. ( )

Andamento lento della trama e un finale un po'affrettato e banale.
L'autore unisce il vecchio personaggio di Rebus con il nuovo di Fox, ma il risultato non entusiasma. Consigliato solo ai fedeli estimatori di Rankin....speriamo in (molto) meglio per il futuro. ( )

Back in form and a great read. ( )