{"product_id":"exit-music-by-ian-rankin-1092h","title":"Exit Music by Ian Rankin","description":"\u003cp\u003eIt's late in the fall in Edinburgh and late in the career of Detective Inspector John Rebus. As he is simply trying to tie up some loose ends before his retirement, a new case lands on his desk: a dissident Russian poet has been murdered in what looks like a mugging gone wrong.  Rebus discovers that an elite delegation of Russian businessmen is in town, looking to expand its interests. And as Rebus's investigation gains ground, someone brutally assaults a local gangster with whom he has a long history. Has Rebus overstepped his bounds for the last time? Only a few days shy of the end to his long, controversial career, will Rebus even make it that far?  Editorial Reviews  From Publishers Weekly Insp. John Rebus has just 10 days to solve the apparently motiveless murder of Alexander Todorov, an expatriate Russian poet, before he reaches 60 and mandatory retirement in Edgar-winner Rankin's rewarding 17th novel to feature the Edinburgh detective (after The Naming of the Dead). When the dogged Rebus and Det. Sgt. Siobhan Clarke look into the crime, they find an array of baffling conspiracies involving Russian businessmen, Scottish bankers and local politicians pushing for an independent Scotland. A second murder, of a man who'd taped one of Todorov's poetry readings, ensures the case gets extra resources, and Rebus's own interest is whetted by the possible involvement of Edinburgh crime boss Big Ger Cafferty. Clever, insightful prose more than compensates for the byzantine plot. There's an appropriately wistful tone to this final entry in the series. Fans will miss Rebus and wonder what on earth he'll do in retirement. (Sept.)  Copyright ® Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.  From Bookmarks Magazine This nostalgic farewell for the aging, rebellious, and popular Rebus raised an all-consuming question for critics: is this really the end to the beloved detective, or will he return? The cliffhanger ending, as well as the general belief that Rankin would never give up his adored character, suggests that Rebus could make a comeback. Exit Music does leave the door open for more Rebus stories as well as a series featuring Siobhan, who has become more of a presence in each novel, notes the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Either way, the novel, framed by the fight for an independent Scotland and another labyrinthine case, is a fitting end to Rebus's career. A few clichés are unavoidable for this prolific author, and a slow start bothered some critics. Still, most agree with the New Yorker: Rankin's work is crime fiction at its most consuming, cerebral best. Copyright 2008 Bookmarks Publishing LLC  From Booklist *Starred Review* Twilight is the operative word for UK crime fiction this fall. First, John Harvey brings back the great Charlie Resnick (Cold in Hand), only to leave the Nottingham inspector slouching toward retirement with a new tragedy to bear. And now Ian Rankin hands a gold watch to the ever-curmudgeonly John Rebus. With only a few days until he's officially retired, Rebus isn't going gently into any good nights, though he's not above feeling a bit maudlin: Ciggies, booze, and a little night music. What else did he have? Fortunately, he has one last meaty case--the murder of a dissident Russian poet, passing through Edinburgh on a speaking tour. There's much more to it than that, of course, and soon enough Rebus smells a wholesale cover-up involving a group of Russian businessmen being courted by the city's power elite. Also in the mix is Rebus' longtime nemesis (and ironic alter ego), crime boss Big Ger Caverty, who faces his own kind of twilight. Rankin hits every note on the nose here, from the mixed emotions of Rebus' longtime partner Siobhan Clarke, eager for promotion yet reluctant to see her mentor edging toward mortality, to Rebus' bullheaded insistence on going out the way he came in, mistrusting teamwork in all its guises, or, as Siobhan describes his career, decades of bets hedged, lines crossed, and rules broken. The joy of a Rebus novel has always been reveling in those broken rules and crossed lines. What is the appeal of character-driven crime fiction, you ask? Watching Rebus do his job and stick it to every company man (or woman) who gets in his way. --Bill Ott  About the Author Ian Rankin is a #1 international bestselling author. Winner of an Edgar Award and the recipient of a Gold Dagger for fiction and the Chandler-Fulbright Award, he lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, with his wife and their two sons.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Book Express","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41833516957770,"sku":"1092h","price":11.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/9101\/8826\/files\/1092h.jpg?v=1764469399","url":"https:\/\/www.bookexpress.nz\/products\/exit-music-by-ian-rankin-1092h","provider":"Book Express","version":"1.0","type":"link"}