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Title: Rankin Does It Again
Review: Ian Rankin just gets better and better. His (anti-)hero John Rebus, an Edinburgh cop, never fails to fascinate. Like the other books in this series, the mystery is edgy, tight and suspenseful, the secondary characters compelling, and Edinburgh--almost a character in itself--looms in the background, grim, shabby and poignantly dignified. What makes Rankin so good is the moral dilemmas he throws Inspector Rebus into and the choices he forces his character to make. Rebus is cynical, world weary, irreverent, alcholic--a loner who has failed at his personal and professional lives in all the recognized ways. And yet we like him immensely and sympathize completely, even when we don't agree with the choices he makes.Somehow, Rankin keeps producing great reads, each better than the last, and "Set in Darkness" is no exception. I just hope Rankin never tires of Inspector John Rebus, because I won't.
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