MIDNIGHT AND BLUE (2024) ****
by Ian Rankin
This paperback edition published by Orion, 2024, 329pp
© John Rebus Ltd., 2024
ISBN: 978-1-398-70942-3
Blurb: John Rebus spent his life as a detective putting Edinburgh’s most deadly criminals behind bars. Now, he’s joined them. As new allies and old enemies circle, and the days and nights bleed into each other, even the legendary detective struggles to keep his head. That is, until a murder at midnight in a locked cell presents a new mystery. They say old habits die hard… However, this is a case where the prisoners and the guards are all suspects, and everyone has something to hide. With no badge, no authority and no safety net, Rebus walks a tightrope – with his life on the line. But how do you find a killer in a place full of them?
Comment: John Rebus returns for this the 25th novel in Ian Rankin’s series, which has managed to retain its freshness by Rankin ageing Rebus through the series and taking the character after he left the police force. He has now ended up in prison, following events in A HEARTFUL OF HEADSTONES. Rankin still manages to fashion an absorbing mystery surrounding the murder of an inmate and the disappearance of a young teenage girl. Are the cases connected? This leaves Rebus helping out the police on the inside, whilst his former colleagues Siobhan Clarke and Christine Esson investigate from the outside. Also in the mix is the single-minded DI Malcolm Fox, who wants to dismantle Darryl Christie’s criminal empire, which the gangster continues to manage from his prison cell. Rankin has lost none of his flair for character, dialogue and intrigue. The result is a novel that maintains the high standards he has managed to deliver throughout the series.
