The Impossible Dead by Ian Rankin

The Impossible Dead by Ian Rankin is the second of just two books by Ian Rankin featuring only Inspector Malcolm Fox. It is the sequel to The Complaints. Malcolm Fox then appears in all the Rebus novels from Standing in Another Man’s Grave onwards, alongside John Rebus and Siobhan Clarke.

Inspector Malcolm Fox is still working for ‘the Complaints’, as his team is commonly known – a sort of AC-12 investigating other officers who may have done something wrong. DC Paul Carter has been found guilty of sexual misconduct, after asking for ‘favours’ from a drug addict and a couple of local women. He had been reported by his own uncle, Alan Carter, a retired police officer.

While Carter awaits sentence, Fox and his small team are called in to investigate his colleagues. How much did they know about Carter and how much were they willing to cover up?

As Fox and the team start to investigate, it’s clear this goes much deeper and much further back than a few cops turning a blind eye on their mate. Their investigations unearth suspicious deaths going right back to 1985, a time of political unrest in Scotland. And as the body count rises in the present day, Fox and the team are told to step back. This is not a case for the Complaints and their interfering. This is proper police work for proper detectives…

But Fox is convinced there have been cover-ups and corruption in the police stretching back to 1985 and he isn’t going to give up on unearthing the truth. Even when it puts him in serious danger.

The Impossible Dead is another brilliant page turner from Ian Rankin. It doesn’t matter that there is no Rebus, the story is just as entertaining. With a big cast of characters, very authentic dialogue and lots of twists and turns, it never gets boring. If you enjoy the Rebus novels (or any detective novels!), I would definitely recommend The Impossible Dead and its predecessor – The Complaints.