Black and Blue

Inspector Rebus, Book 8

By: Ian Rankin

Narrated by: Michael Page

Length: 14 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

A murdered oil rig worker. A copycat serial killer dubbed, “Johnny Bible.” And a reopened investigation that doesn’t bode well for Detective John Rebus or his mentor, Inspector Lawson Geddes. Rebus’s Scotland, along with his malt-soaked psyche, is riddled with trouble. Now he’s got to tie up the loose ends if he wants to save his job - or live to see another dark Edinburgh day.

©1997 Ian Rankin (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Narrator is Horrible

The story is good but the narrator is incredibly bad. Doesn't do different voices. Just growls in a different key. Too annoying to listen to.

Rebus newbie very impressed

Kept me engaged the whole way through. I listened to Standing in another Man’s Grave first and liked it. So I went back to this book and to see the younger inspector John Rebus. It was worth it. Bravo!

Ending disappoints

Good ride in some ways. Rebus on the wagon for once was interesting and so was the Aberdeen focus. But the ride ended up taking me nowhere. Two criminals with a strange link are at the heart of the book and in the end there's no satisfaction to be had in the hunt for either.

Poor reading

Not sure if the problem is with Mr Page or the producer but his pronunciation of Scottish place names is dreadful. The Glasgow suburb of GOVAN has a short "o" sound like the sound in "up". His biggest mistake takes him back to Edinburgh where Gorgie has two hard "g"s. Additionally his Scottish dialects are unconvincing.
Great Story nonetheless

Wow!

One of the best books I have ever listened to definitely the best of the rebus series so far.
The multiple plots all converging in to a climactic finish was great.

Meh; going back to later Rankin work

Good detective tale. Unfortunately, it is driven by thinly drawn characters toting dated, cliche and boring uber masculine personas. Women appear, but hardly figure in the story, except for no strings sex. Male characters are all read in growls, all women in ditzy falsettos. Sounds like he’s doing voices for a kids’ puppet show. I started reading Rankin with Malcolm Fox books, which are later in Rankin’s career. They are smarter, with more interesting characters who live relatable lives. The narrator is better too; he tells the story without resorting to operatics. I’m going to pass on Rebus and his paunchy boozy macho overkill.

another interesting book in the series

based on some true stories that happened in Scotland sometime ago interesting plot and some twists and turns and somehow our main character survives again

Excellent story but the narration poor.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Yes.You feel every emotion that Rebus goes through and Rankin, as ever, brings the listener right into his world which, for me, creates a wonderful escape.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, the flow of the story was perfect with a few themes throughout that you could feel were being put together. I was dying to hear if he would be able to pull it off which, of course, he did.

What didn’t you like about Michael Page’s performance?

Much of the time I had no idea which character was talking, especially when Rebus was talking to "Jack". Rebus had 2 or 3 different accents and the character Lumsden, who said he was from Gillingham (south coast of England), had an accent that was at times either Yorkshire (north of England) or Scottish.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

A wonderful story, perhaps James McPherson can be asked to re-record it.

Inspector Rebus solves another case

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I enjoyed this Inspector Rebus more than the previous ones I have listened to. The plot was intriguing and the characters interesting.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, I wanted to know how everything tied together and what the resolution of the cases was.

Have you listened to any of Michael Page’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I enjoy Michael Page. He's second only to George Guidall.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The opening scene was gripping.

Any additional comments?

Rankin has developed as a writer since his first few books.

Interesting story based on true life

Again Rebus delights & gets his man - I also really enjoyed the delving into Rebus' personal life and thoughts this time