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3.5 

The Beat Goes On

By Ian Rankin
The Beat Goes On by Ian Rankin digital book - Fable

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Publisher Description

There is no detective like Ian Rankin's Detective Inspector John Rebus, a man The New Yorker calls "the ideal sleuth."

Brilliant, irascible and frequently frustrating to both his friends and his long-suffering bosses, John Rebus has made the dark places of Edinburgh his home for over two decades. The Beat Goes On collects all of Ian Rankin's Rebus short stories for the first time, including two never-before published tales written specifically for this collection.

From his beginnings as a young Detective Constable in Dead and Buried right up to his dramatic, but not quite final, retirement in The Very Last Drop, Rebus shines in these stories, confirming his status as one of crime fiction's most compelling, brilliant, and unforgettable characters. In these gripping, fast-paced tales, the legendary Scottish detective investigates the sinister cases that are his specialty, including a gruesome student death, the brutal murder of a woman at the crux of a love triangle, an audacious jewel heist, suspicious happenings at a nursing home, and an ominous email that brings a family's darkest secrets to light.

The Beat Goes On is the ultimate Ian Rankin treasure trove -- a must-have book for crime fiction aficionados and a superb introduction for anyone looking to experience DI John Rebus, and the dark, twist-filled crimes he investigates.

12 Reviews

3.5
“rated: 3 stars 2022 Advent Calendar Day 1 if i wasn't gifted this book i would have never picked it up, and being thrown into the deep end with short stories about a character which i knew nothing about was very interesting. the stories ranged from just okay to decent, with none of them really standing out as shocking or with insane twists. the author did try to put a twist in most of them, which i think would have worked better if they were read individually instead of altogether in this compilation novel. it was also really hard to keep track of what year the story was set in, because the book was supposed to chronicle the rise through the ranks of the detective mc all the way until his retirement in the final story, but they all just kind of blurred together into one long cop story. the short story format also meant that there was 0 character development, which i guess is because there are more than 25 full length novels that are meant for the development, but it made it very slow going to read the book anyway.”
“This was a good 3.5 stars read. The book is a compilation of short stories revolving around John Rebus, who is a professed detective and inspector operating in Edinburgh. Be it the famous, well-known faces in the rich and proud layer of society, be it artists with vindictive means of expression in their hours of creativity or the ill-famed ruffians rotting and plotting in the underbelly of the mainland- he sees through them all. The imagery of a normal Edinburgh neighbourhood perfectly balanced with the criminal setting is very well done, clearly pointing out Ian Rankin interest in writing about the city. The Gentleman's club was my favorite story. A twisted tale of suicide and pedophilia and teenage jealousy making room for an incredible mystery, with an afterthought: "In matters of suicide, just who was the victim, who the culprit?" The detective instinct of John Rebus is quite entertaining, as is with any detective that you come across. The most mundane crime scene and he could smell it like a police dog from a mile away; as if the crime was just playing in front of him. The author does a great job in portraying his innate abilites, while also not making him look like someone possessing supernatural powers. Rather creating a typically normal character who is unusually perceptive and not easily missing out on the tiny details unseen to the common eye. Also I loved his sense of humour as well as the casual, subtle sarcasm (Scottish humour, you say?) which definitely made this read doubly enjoyable. Overall a good read. There were some stories after halfway, which were kind of a drag and not much interesting as the stories in the first half, partly the reason why the excitement kind of waned off towards the end. Recommended if you like fun detective stories or if you want to kickstart your ride on the Rebus bandwagon.”

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