THE HANGING GARDEN: From the iconic #1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES (A Rebus Novel)

I am reading the John Rebus books in order, so obviously this is my ninth. I’m understanding more and more of the complex character that is John Rebus and of the things that haunt him. This is another excellent book with a mix of the Mr Bigs running the major Scottish cities and his personal problems, of which there are many, and his investigation into a ww11 war criminal.The characters are rounded and believable and the plot gallops along at a great pace. Loved it. On to the next one!

The Hanging Gardens is the ninth Ian Rankin book to feature his Detective John Rebus and it is by far the most personal book yet for Rebus.Right from the start this book features a John Rebus unlike any other in the series so far. The effects of the last book  Black And Blue: An Inspector Rebus Novel 8  are evident as Rebus is still off the booze and despite the still making regular trips to The Oxford bar for the company and the emergency bottle of whiskey he keeps around Rebus is staying strong and resisting temptation.He is also trying to rebuild his relationship with his daughter Sammy. Indeed one of the main plots of the book is Rebus trying to deal with a hit and run that leaves his daughter unconscious and in hospital. Visits from his ex-wife and his ex-girlfriend cause the ghosts of his past to come back to haunt him. The question of how far he will go to get the answer of who ran his daughter over and why is one that hangs over John Rebus in this book.Overall this is another fantastic book in the John Rebus series. The World War Two war criminal that he is investigating, the prostitution and gangster storyline that all run alongside and at times overlap with the Sammy story are also wonderfully strong.Two Edinburgh gangsters are playing a game of one-upmanship with each other. Tommy Telford is a young and dangerous gangster that wants the power and prestige that comes with taking over from the older and incarcerated Caferty. However with John Rebus becoming emotionally tied to the plight of a young prostitute seemingly under Telford's control and the police desperate to avoid a gang war on the streets of Edinburgh, Rebus has to act and act fast to try and avoid more bloodshed.I cannot recommend this book any more highly. It is a fantastic plot and character driven novel with more twists and turns than a book has any right to have. Fantastic writing by Ian Rankin who really was on a role at this point in the Rebus series. Black And Blue: An Inspector Rebus Novel 8

Having read all the previous Rebus books I was somewhat disappointed with this one. There were just too many different story lines going on and become confusing....nazi fugitives, two gangland leaders going to war, an east European gangster playing the two, and even the Japanese underworld got in on the act. Also there was less humour involved (Rebus having his daughter seriously injured didn't help matters of course) and I did miss some of the biting one liners of previous novels. Having said that we now know much more about the character of Rebus than before....he's becoming more and more of a tortured soul. Not his best but still much better than most similar detective novels and I'll continue reading the series.

This book was a very good read. It gave another story that was intriguing and as usual kept me enthralled and absorbed throughout. Ian keeps the plot moving forward and maintains the tension building.I would recommend this to those that enjoy the Rebus series.

BEWARE - CONTAINS SPOILERSThese are so much more than detective/crime fiction. Although the plot was multilayered and intriguing that isn't all that is on offer here. We are learning so very much about Rebus, he is so very fractured and disturbed as a father a husband/boyfriend and friend. He feel things deeply and he mourns and bleeds on such a human level. SPOILER He is beaten up yet again in this one, poor thing, but his anguish when his daughter is injured and his guilt in dealing with his wife touched me deeply.I was fascinated by the historical side of this - The rat line and so on and it made me think deeply about the politics of conflict and peace and what will be done by (possibly) unscrupulous governments. It is amazing to me how these have moved on from the very first book about a copper. I am looking forward to the next.