Doors Open

Perfectly written, transition from Slow paced Suspense to High paced Thrill, Beautifully illustrated backgrounds and Characters.

I resent being forced by amazon to write 21 words when I had a great interaction with the seller and item. My evaluation of BEST should suffice.

I was on a Rankin kick when I bought this book. Got through about half of his catalog and moved on. I think it's time to finish off the rest of his books.

Ein gelangweilter Privatier, ein Banker und ein Kunstprofessor planen den perfekten Kunstraub - sie wollen am Tag der offenen Tür Originalgemälde im Museumsdepot unbemerkt gegen Fälschungen austauschen. Dafür brauchen sie die Hilfe eines bekifften Fälschers und des Mafiachefs von Edinburgh, mit dem eine norwegische Hell's Angels Truppe noch eine offene Rechnung hat...Die ersten 75 Seiten haben mich so angelangweilt, dass ich das Buch beinah für immer beiseite gelegt hätte. Die Motivation der drei Männer für den Raub fand ich an den Haaren herbeigeholt: Erst wollten sie die Bilder befreien aus den Katakomben, in denen sie der Kunstwelt entschwunden sind, und dann planen sie einen Raub, in dem die Bilder nur eine Gruft (Museumsdepot) gegen eine andere Gruft (das Eigenheim - aber wo dort? Ins Wohnzimmer kann man Diebesgut schwerlich hängen, außer man hat nie mehr Besuch) tauschen - hää? Der Plan zieht immer größere Kreise und bekommt immer mehr Mitwisser, die Verschwiegenheit und Besonnenheit der einzelnen ist zweifelhaft, dass das Weichei Allan Cruikshank über einen Monat lang allen Ernstes einen solchen Plan mitträgt und schließlich mitumsetzt etc etc. Die Protagonisten wirken selten dreidimensional, selbst bei der am besten gelungenen Figur, Allan Cruikshank, sind Unstimmigkeiten.Der Krimi braucht also seine liebe Zeit, bis er aus dem Quark kommt. Aber als dann endlich in der Mitte der Raub stattfindet, wird die Handlung auch sehr viel dichter und spannender. Es liegt wohl daran, dass jetzt nicht mehr Motivationen unglaubwürdiger Figuren und eine langatmige Zusammenführung von unterschiedlichen Protagonisten stattfindet, sondern dass die innere Handlung auf einen Schlag ersetzt wird durch eine rasante äußere Handlung, die nicht mehr Zeit und Raum lässt für all den unnötigen Gedankenkram der Figuren.Fazit: Die zweite Hälfte des Buches nimmt gefangen und reißt mit - also schön brav durch die dröge erste Hälfte beißen! Wegen des langwierigen Spannungsaufbaus in der ersten Hälfte nur 3 Sterne.

Ian Rankin is at something of a turning point in his writing career. Although he wrote other novels early on, he is mainly known for the Inspector Rebus series which has enjoyed enormous critical and popular success in recent years. Now Rebus is taking a break, at least temporarily, and Rankin has just released his first stand-alone novel since the Inspector retired. After such a popular series has ended, it can be difficult for the author to win over former readers with an entirely new book, but 'Doors Open' suggests that Ian Rankin still has what it takes to entertain us even without his most famous creation.It seems he has intentionally set out to create something as different as possible from his previous work. 'Doors Open' is, for want of a better word, a 'caper.' The tone is lighter than the Rebus novels (although things take a serious turn towards the end), and the book reminded me of a modern Scottish version of the classic film 'The League Of Gentlemen'. Mike Mackenzie has made a fortune from computer software at an early age; now he's bored and looking for a bit of adventure. When his friend Robert Gissing suggests 'liberating' a series of paintings from the National Gallery storage vaults in Edinburgh, it's just what he's been looking for. With his other pal Allan and a student forger in tow, Mike approaches gangland boss Chib Calloway (who was at school with Mike) to aid them in their plan. Needless to say, some major complications ensue - greedy partners, an obsessed policeman out to nail Calloway and a monstrous Scandinavian debt-collector called Hate are drawn in to the situation and Mike and friends quickly find themselves completely out of their depth and in serious danger from both the police and the criminal underworld.At first I was unsure about the book; it seemed to me rather unconvincing the way that Mike and Allan almost immediately fell in with Gissing's plan despite being normal, law-abiding citizens previously. However, as the day of the heist approaches that niggle was swiftly forgotten. Despite the change in subject and tone, Rankin has lost none of his ability to grip the reader. He also knows how to create likeable but fallible characters - readers will be willing Mike and his cohorts to succeed in their plan and get away with it. One of the author's favourite themes - the duality of the public and private sides of Edinburgh - is once again to the fore, complete with allusions to Jekyll and Hyde. In fact, there is enough that's familiar in this book to reassure Rebus devotees, but the fresh approach keeps it from seeming stale or repetitive.I must admit I hope Ian Rankin will write more Rebus books at some future date, but I still thoroughly enjoyed 'Doors Open'. The end of the novel offers the possibility that we may see some of the characters again, and I would definitely welcome their return.