Even Dogs in the Wild by Ian Rankin

Even Dogs in the Wild is the 20th Rebus novel by Ian Rankin and the sequel to Saints of the Shadow Bible. In Even Dogs in the Wild, Rebus is once again retired, having previously been retired in Standing in Another Man’s Grave and back on the force in Saints of the Shadow Bible.

Someone has taken a shot at ageing Edinburgh gangster, Big Ger Cafferty. But did they miss or were they just trying to frighten him?

Meanwhile, DI Siobhan Clarke is investigating the murder of Lord Minton, former Lord Advocate of Scotland. And DI Malcolm Fox has been seconded to a team tracking a firm of Glasgow gangsters who have turned up in Edinburgh. But the team neither welcomes him nor trusts him.

With Rebus’s links to Cafferty and Edinburgh’s up-and-coming gangster, Darryl Christie, he has been brought in to assist with the investigation. Is there something or someone connecting seemingly unconnected murders in and around Edinburgh?

This is another brilliant read from Ian Rankin. All of the characters and dialogue seem so real and the description paints a really vivid picture of Edinburgh and its underworld. We see a new side to Malcolm Fox, who braves doing some Rebus-style investigations, while juggling family issues. And, of course, the whole plot is very clever.

If you enjoy detective or crime novels, but have never read a Rebus book before, I would definitely recommend them. With so many novels stretching right back to the 80s, you probably wouldn’t want to go all the way back to the start. But you can pick up Rebus’s story and get to know his colleagues and the local criminals at any point in the series.

I’ve been reading Rebus novels over the last few months, having seen Ian Rankin at Cheltenham Literature Festival and have moved backwards and forwards through the series a bit. I’ll be reading more over the coming months, so watch this space!