A review of the final book in Ian Rankin's series of Edinburgh-based crime novels featuring John Rebus.
The arrival of Ian Rankin’s new novel, Exit Music, marks a moment that fans of his fictional detective John Rebus have awaited with excitement and sadness in equal measures: this, Rankin claims, is the final outing for his Edinburgh detective.
Life Without Rebus
For many of those fans, the prospect of life without Rebus is unthinkable, and yet few will resist the urge to devour the new book to find out what happens to their dour hero. Will he finally get the better of his arch nemesis, the gangland boss Big Ger Cafferty? Will his relationship with colleague Siobhan Clarke develop into something less than professional? Will he make it to his imminent retirement in one piece?
Rankin Goes from Strength to Strength
This is Ian Rankin’s 18th Rebus novel, the final instalment of a series that has grown in popularity to such a level that, according to figures quoted by The Times, Exit Music sold 16,740 copies in the UK in its first week of release (Hardback fiction bestseller list, www.timesonline.co.uk, 16/09/2007). No mean feat, considering that this is a hardback edition, retailing at £18.99 per copy: that’s an awful lot of people who couldn’t wait for the paperback edition.
According to his website, Ian Rankin is now the UK’s best-selling crime writer, and his Rebus books continue to be televised as a major ITV drama starring Ken Stott. The knowledge that this will be Rebus’ final adventure has meant that the new book has received a great deal of media attention, and the hype surrounding Exit Music has grown to a level not quite matching that surrounding the final Harry Potter, but not far off.
Worth the Hype?
So the biggest question of all: does the book deliver? Well: yes, it does. The book opens with the discovery of the body of an outspoken Russian poet, seemingly the victim of a violent mugging gone wrong. Rebus has just a few days to go until his retirement, and is in the process of handing all his unsolved murders over to DS Siobhan Clarke. This will be their last case together, and for once, Siobhan is in charge.
There are some interesting new characters introduced here, particularly the eager-to-please young constable Todd Goodyear, and the welcome return of some familiar faces. The final showdown between Rebus and Cafferty is a satisfying one, although the ending may have some fans throwing their books aside in frustration as Rankin refuses to take the easy option and answer all our questions.
Time for Rebus to make Way for Siobhan Clarke
It all adds up to a classic outing for Rebus, in one of the finest books of the series. Just don’t read it too quickly: most fans suspect that Rankin will resist the lucrative temptation to bring Rebus out of retirement for any more instalments. No doubt, though, that a fair few of Rankin’s admirers will be keeping their fingers crossed for the appearance of a whole new series of stories in which a maverick and hot-headed cop unravels a string of mysterious crimes: the Siobhan Clarke novels.
Exit Music by Ian Rankin is published by Orion Books (2007).
