{"id":5962,"date":"2013-07-08T01:34:24","date_gmt":"2013-07-08T05:34:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/bibleandculture\/?p=5962"},"modified":"2015-03-13T22:58:13","modified_gmt":"2015-03-14T02:58:13","slug":"the-rankin-files-the-naming-of-the-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/bibleandculture\/2013\/07\/08\/the-rankin-files-the-naming-of-the-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"The Rankin Files— The Naming of the Dead"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Writing is sometimes like playing a sport. Even though you may always have the same skill level, you are not necessarily always on your game. You have days when you perform in inspired fashion, ideas come easily to you, but there are other days when this is definitely not the case. Whilst Fleshmarket Close was not Ian Rankin\u2019s finest, The Naming of the Dead, the 15th full novel in the series, must be near or at the top of the list of must reads by this prolific author. It has everything one could want in a murder mystery\u2014 scope, pace, wit, connundrums to be solved, major characters playing their roles well and \u2018in character\u2019, drama, pathos and I could go on. <\/p>\n

The title of the novel comes from the practice of reading out the names of the dead, usually at religious or patriotic services of one kind or another\u2014 those who have given their lives either in the service of Christ, or their country, or both. The problem is\u2026 in this novel, like the world population clock, the meter keeps running, and the dead keep piling up in Edinburgh.
\nJohn Rebus is coming to the end of his police career after 30 years on the force, and he finds himself largely marginalized and sidelined, and yet still finding a way to be useful and keep his hand in. It proves to be quite necessary during the G8 meeting in 2005 in Glen Eagles north of Edinburgh, not least because such meetings bring all the protestors one could imagine out of the woodwork. Since there is as I write this about to be another G8 meeting in the U.K. check this poster out from near the Cambridge train station courtesy Greenpeace\u2026
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The little sticker on the man\u2019s head says stop the G8 summit. The G8 summit is of course where the superpowers come together, austensibly to see what they can do to make the world less dangerous, forgive third world debt, and co-operate in mutually beneficial ventures, economic ones especially. Rebus and Clarke however find themselves dealing with three rather grizzly murders, the investigation of which is supposed to be put on hold\u2026 but apparently Rebus and Clarke did not get the memo. But when over 300,000 marchers and protestors descend on Edinburgh and points north, things become dodgy to say the least, and once again the Rebus\/Clarke team seem to find it necessary to deal with the devil they know\u2014 namely Big Ger Cafferty, the real kingpin of crime in Edinburgh. <\/p>\n

Here is the plot summary presented to us on Amazon\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cThe leaders of the free world descend on Scotland for an international conference, and every cop in the country is needed for front-line duty\u2026except one. John Rebus\u2019s reputation precedes him, and his bosses don\u2019t want him anywhere near Presidents Bush and Putin, which explains why he\u2019s manning an abandoned police station when a call comes in. During a preconference dinner at Edinburgh Castle, a delegate has fallen to his death. Accident, suicide, or something altogether more sinister? And is it linked to a grisly find close to the site of the gathering? Are the world\u2019s most powerful men at risk from a killer? While the government and secret services attempt to hush the whole thing up, Rebus knows he has only seventy-two hours to find the answers.\u201d<\/p>\n

What I especially love about this series besides the mystery element and crime solving, is the relationship both collegial and friendly between Rebus and Clarke. They may not be Sonny and Cher, but they are a dynamic duo and they keep working together despite all obstacles, and the huge strain and stress of solving crimes all the time. <\/p>\n

If you only have time to try one Ian Rankin novel, perhaps this is the one for you\u2014 like a good film, you don\u2019t want this story to end. <\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Writing is sometimes like playing a sport. Even though you may always have the same skill level, you are not necessarily always on your game. You have days when you perform in inspired fashion, ideas come easily to you, but there are other days when this is definitely not the case. Whilst Fleshmarket Close was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":5964,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Rankin Files--- The Naming of the Dead<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Writing is sometimes like playing a sport. Even though you may always have the same skill level, you are not necessarily always on your game. 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