Death Is Not the End

Rating:
Summary: Disappointed Reader
Review: I have read all of Rankin's novels and eagerly anticipated his latest. I was therefore doubly disappointed to receive a slight 70 page novella in the mail and then to discover that most of it was lifted from his last novel. Yes, a few pages are brand new, but that is hardly the point. I expected a new story and this was a rehash that appeared to have been hastily scribbled and patched together. For those who like Rankin, I'd give this one a miss and wait till he writes a real novel again.

Rating:
Summary: Novella retells novel subplot
Review: Ian Rankin writes crisp, dark, atmospheric police procedurals set in Edinburgh featuring Inspector John Rebus, a brooding loner with occasional regrets, given to bottling his strong feelings. Rankin's unadorned, complexly nuanced writing, his ability to breathe life into characters as much with what is not said as what is, makes the series a particular stand-out.

Since his novella "Death Is Not the End," focuses on a subplot in Rankin's 1999 novel "Dead Souls," I expected a sequel. But as Rankin explains in a note at the end, the novella was written first. The story concerns a missing young man, 23 years old, the son of an old highschool girlfriend. The narrative follows Rebus' investigation over much the same time period as "Dead Souls," though Rankin extended his investigation in the novel. And there is a different subplot featuring crooked casino operators.

New readers, or those who missed "Dead Souls" will enjoy the journey into Edinburgh's seamy side - the grim amorality of those who make their living from "punters" - and Rebus' exploration of his own past and the choices that have made him who he is.

Rating:
Summary: Horrible!
Review: Ripoff! Seventy-three pages, at least forty of which are a direct lift from his last book. If you like Ian Rankin or have read his books in the past, don't waste your money on this.