Review: Exit Music by Ian Rankin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From the Hachette Book Group web site:

It’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?

I have a friend that has been urging me to read Ian Rankin for several years now. I’ve meant to get to this series, and when I had a chance to review this book I jumped on it, even if I had to start at the end of the series.

I can see why my friend recommends the series so highly. There were a variety of interesting characters, the mystery was well plotted, and the writing was high quality.

On the other hand, I think I was missing some richness because I hadn’t read any of the early books. I think having a better understanding of where the characters came from would have made their journeys more meaningful.

It is a good book on its own, and I recommend it for those that like police procedural mysteries. I’m going to go back and fill in some of the earlier books. I think I’ve been missing out.

Thank you to Hachette books for providing this book for review!