In this 24th book in the 'Inspector Rebus' series, the detective is retired, but still sticks his nose into police cases. The book can be read as a standalone, but knowledge of the characters is advantageous.
*****Retired Scottish detective John Rebus is nearly seventy, suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and a bit overweight. When Rebus was on the police force, he had a reputation for skirting the edge of ethics and legality, all in the service of justice (in Rebus's mind).
Rebus's former trainee, Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke, is now a very capable investigator herself, with a soft spot for Rebus. Rebus take advantage of their continuing friendship to observe crime scenes, obtain records, get information about investigations, etc.
In this book, Rebus becomes interested in Clarke's latest case, which revolves around a cop from Edinburgh's Tynecastle Station. Officer Francis Haggard, who's been at Tynecastle for his entire career, is accused of domestic abuse for beating his wife Cheryl, and there's plenty of proof that Haggard is guilty.
When Haggard is questioned by DI Clarke, however, he claims he becomes violent because he has PTSD from the situation at Tynecastle Station.
Haggard asserts that police officers at Tynecastle are brutal; take bribes; protect mobsters; beat (and sometimes kill) suspects; harass incoming police officers; and so on.
Haggard threatens to name names if he's prosecuted, and this would GREATLY embarrass Police Scotland. In fact, this would also blow back on Rebus, who sometimes worked with the Tynecastle police.
Haggard's accusations against his comrades bring in Detective Inspector Malcolm Fox, who investigates police corruption.
In the past, Fox tried to expose Rebus who - truth be told - DID bend the law on occasion, especially with respect to mob boss Big Ger Cafferty.
Rebus (sort of) protected Big Ger on occasion, on the theory that the mobster's incarceration would leave a vacuum at the top of Edinburgh's criminal empire. The void, in turn, would result in gang wars and violence that could endanger the general public. (Yeah, I don't buy it either. 😒)
Thus, Clarke, Rebus, and Fox all have an interest in Haggard's accusations. Of course Haggard's colleagues at Tynesdale are ESPECIALLY worried because he can expose their long-term corruption and illegal enterprises. This situation results in a murder, which Clarke and her police squad investigate.
In the meantime, Rebus is once again embroiled with Big Ger Cafferty. Cafferty is not the man he used to be. A bullet left Big Ger a paraplegic in a wheelchair, and most of the mobster's money-making schemes have been taken over by other people. Now Big Ger spends all day at the window, surveying his former kingdom with a telescope.
Big Ger asks Rebus to locate a man named Jack Oram, who used to work for Big Ger. Oram was accused of skimming money from the mobster, and has been missing for a few years. Now Big Ger claims he wants to apologize to Oram, who still has a wife and son in Edinburgh. Rebus is skeptical about Big Ger's motives, but he takes the money to do the job.
All this gets very complicated since it involves a large number of people, including:
Officer Haggard's abused wife Cheryl, who's taken out a restraining order against her husband....which he promptly violates;
Cheryl's sister Stephanie, who's harboring Cheryl in her house, and who's in the midst of a contentious divorce herself;
Alan Fleck - a former Police Sergeant at Tynesdale Station who now runs a luxury car dealership;
Beth Fleck - Alan's wife, who was Big Ger's girlfriend many years ago;
Gaby Fleck - the Flecks' daughter. a DJ who runs a nightclub previously owned by Big Ger;
Tommy Oram - the son of missing Jack Oram; Tommy works as a repairman;
The MacKenzies - a family that owns and rents out properties; they employ Tommy Oram to do maintenance on their apartments; and more.
There are suspicions that some of these entrepreneurs are involved with things like shipping stolen cars overseas; laundering money; selling drugs; and other criminal activities.
All the threads of the story come together in the end, where we find Rebus in a courtroom. It will be interesting to see what happens to our intrepid investigator next.
I'm a fan of the Rebus series, and I enjoyed the book, though I'm sorry to see Rebus's health and well-being declining. Still, our hero has a fine dog named Brillo, and is close to his daughter and granddaughter, and it's nice to see him spend time with them.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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