And we arrive at the maximum exponent of the British crime novel: Sir ian rankin. It seems incredible that in a country with a tradition of detective novels like the United Kingdom (we cannot forget that the UK is the homeland of Conan Doyle or Agatha Christie) gave up the baton of the evolved noir genre to that gold mine that are the Nordic countries... (but hey, something similar happened to them with football...)
Although ian rankin he landed in the black-crime genre to recover part of that original literary heritage. As is often the case, it's not that Ian's arrival was premeditated. Good old Ian worked hard to find his chestnuts before he achieved that nice label of a professional writer.
And what do you want me to say. When something happens naturally, it seems to have more merit and even has more foundation. Someone who has beaten copper in the street before reaching any notable milestone in the task of telling stories, will always have greater baggage of that so necessary knowledge of all surroundings, from the friendliest to those who peek into everything. type of cliffs.
So ian rankin Write knowingly. If we add to that an overflowing imagination at the service of the genre, we discover a very relevant writer who has already published around twenty books. A true author raised in the shadow of police and adventure classics from his country, to which he has added an imprint more in keeping with the times, thus achieving various awards and recognitions, even being named Knight of the Order of the British Empire. His great character, inspector John Rebus, who lately has been compatible with inspectors Malcolm Fox and Jack Laidlaw, has been taken to the movies on many occasions.
Top 3 recommended novels by Ian Rankin
Goodbye music
I have always liked those proposals in which the old inspector or policeman approaches his withdrawal or lives after it.
The feelings of someone who has dedicated his life to chasing murderers and solving cases and who is nearing retirement has an I don't know what personal twilight, at the end of a life's mission. That John Rebus is close to retirement is not the only reason I have selected this novel as Ian Rankin's best. Because the narrative proposal is also very good.
Rebus is threatened, close to being involved in a case that would tarnish his prestige and everything he has achieved for years. A rarefied environment in which the death of a young Russian starts as the trigger for one of those cases of corruption and power in which precisely Rebus no longer has a price to sell himself for, at this point in his life ...
John Rebus can be guilty of many things, of a multitude of inaccuracies, of skipping protocols based on his Scottish character, but he may be the last to have a price.
only the darkness
Encouraging yourself to write with four hands, or even more, is beginning to be a guarantee of success in the orgy of fingers. Cases from here and there all over the world. In Spain recently with the tricephalic Carmen Mola. Things turn out even better, apparently, if the thing points to a crime noir genre where the twists and consequent dizziness go better with someone to share brainstorms with to get out of unexpected quagmires. On this occasion it was Rankin and the now deceased McIlvanney who got along perfectly.
Young agent Jack Laidlaw doesn't like working in a team, but he has a sixth sense for what happens on the streets. His boss attributes the violence to old rivalries, but is it that simple? When war breaks out between two Glasgow gangs, Laidlaw needs to find out who took out lawyer Bobby Carter before the entire city explodes.
William McIlvanney's books about Jack Laidlaw changed the landscape of detective stories in the United Kingdom. Considered the founder of the so-called tartan noir, his classic crime novels have inspired many generations of writers. When he died in 2015, McIlvaney left a manuscript of Laidlaw's first case that Ian Rankin completed. Only darkness is the result.
Knots and crosses
It often happens to me that the authors' first novels are more authentic to me. In this case, what was Rankin's second novel has that fresh taste, a mix between what the author had read and the birth of his particular label.
And if we talk about births, meeting Inspector John Rebus is always interesting. The various novels in which he would take center stage in the future do not delve into the most marked details of the character's presentation. It's like you have to go by first impressions. And Rebus can even fall badly from the start.
His profile can be understood as that of a police officer back from everything... but, however, as soon as we delve into the case of the death of some girls and the subsequent disappearance of another, we discover how much of a wise investigator this character has, on par with the largest of the genre.
A story is in which we already see how Rebus can leave shreds of the soul in each new investigation.
Other recommended books by Ian Rankin
Frozen death
A recent installment that maintains the "sinister charm" if you can call it that to a noir novel. That kind of macabre epithet that serves as the title of this book already makes you shiver before you sit down to read.
Beneath the unusual cold that plagues Edinburgh in the winter in which the plot takes place, we find sordid aspects of a true crime novel. Because John Rebus, the detective that this author created so many years ago, has pending cases without any possible lace or closure.
Some of them, like the one in the death of María, know that they are facing deep enigmas and dangers, those that are sponsored by a corrupt political power, tempted or intimidated by mafias and circles that close on the old mobster Bill Ger Cafferty. But what nobody knows is that Inspector Rebus does not like unfinished business, no matter how old and entrenched. It may be that the murderer or murderers of María consider themselves outside of Justice.
It may even be that Justice itself is elusive in the face of the prosecution of certain criminals. Great obstacles torpedo any attempt to resolve this pending issue. But John Rebus is clear about it, the truth has to come out yes or yes.
And where justice does not reach, alternatives can always be found for the guilty to assume their sentence. Already emblematic literary figures, such as Inspector Rebus, who appeared back in 1987, consolidate literary genres like this, the purest black genre.
In an icy setting, with the scarcity of light typical of the Scottish capital, everything takes place surrounded by a feeling of darkness, with a leaden atmosphere. Only Rebus can bring some light, even in figurative expression, so that the truth filters through like a blessed ray of light. After so many years on the job, turned into an ex-smoker in his sixties, Rebus never gives up.
songs for dark times
There is no worse case than starting to unravel family issues. Because everything that is left ends up becoming entangled or forgetful. And feeling like a father again is not a rational decision but a shadow of guilt after the abandonment. Because beyond the simple aseptic communication between parents and offspring, working on paternity has more implications than Rebus might think...
John Rebus knows that if his daughter Samantha calls him in the middle of the night, it's not with good news. Distraught, she confesses that his partner, Keith, disappeared two days ago and nothing has been heard from him. Although Rebus has not been the best father, Samantha comes first, so she heads to the small coastal town in the north of Scotland where she lives and where there are more secrets than she meets the eye. Maybe, for once, it's better not to find out the whole truth.
