Dead Souls by Ian Rankin

Dead Souls is the 10th Rebus novel by Ian Rankin. It is the sequel to The Hanging Garden and the action takes place only a few months later. Rebus is still mourning the colleague who died at the end of The Hanging Garden and his daughter is still in a wheelchair following her accident in the previous book.

In Dead Souls, Rebus is contacted by an old school friend whose son has gone missing. The police don’t want to know, as he is 19, but Rebus agrees to conduct his own investigations as a favour.

A paedophile has just been released from prison and housed in a block of flats overlooking a playground in a tough neighbourhood. Rebus is convinced he isn’t reformed and pursues him, but has he made a mistake?

Meanwhile, a convicted killer has served his time in the USA and been sent home to Edinburgh. A journalist has got the exclusive rights on his story and puts him up in a hotel, while Rebus and his colleagues carry out surveillance outside. With so many people watching him, surely he can’t escape? But Cary Oakes still has scores to settle and he’s not going to let a few cops and a journalist hold him back…

There is a lot going on, but somehow Rebus works it all out, even if justice isn’t always served.

Often when I read a Rebus novel, I ask myself if it is my favourite, because they are all very good. But I can definitely say Dead Souls is my favourite for a while. I enjoyed it more than Let It Bleed and The Hanging Garden, the two novels I read most recently. There’s no gangs, no politics and no Big Ger Cafferty and I loved it.

If you enjoy a detective novel, you need Rebus in your life. Could you read this a stand-alone novel? Yes, you could. There are 24 Rebus novels and starting from the beginning and working through them all can seem pretty daunting. I’ve been working my way backwards and forwards through them for the last year and I don’t mind that they haven’t always been in order!