I've read many books by Ian Rankin, mostly in the Detective Rebus series, but also the occasional standalone novel. 'Blood Hunt', published in 1995, is one of Rankin's early standalone books, published under the pen name Jack Harvey.
*****
The story features Scotsman Gordon Reeve, a former special forces (SAS) soldier who teaches a weekend survival course.
During training, the 'troops' are taught about map-reading, reconnaissance, surveillance, infiltration, close combat, etc. Afterwards, the 'soldiers' have a GRUELING 36-hour field exercise, during which they try to capture an enemy combatant (played by Reeve).
The course teaches the participants the seven Ps: 'Proper Planning and Preparation Prevent Piss Poor Performance'. Reeve himself follows the seven Ps when he takes action after his brother is murdered.
Gordon Reeve, who lives on the island of South Uist in the Outer Hebrides, is shocked when he gets a phone call from the San Diego Police Department.
Detective Mike McCluskey tells Gordon his brother James (Jim) was found dead, and it appears Jim took his own life. Jim was a freelance journalist, and he'd been working on a story in the United States.
Gordon says goodbye to his wife Joan and 11-year-old son Allan......
......and makes his way to California, where Jim met his end. Detective McCluskey is very empathetic, and assures Gordon that Jim rented a car, drove it to an isolated spot, and shot himself.
Gordon searches Jim's hotel room and collects Jim's belongings, but Jim's papers and computer are missing. Moreover, Gordon learns Jim had hired a man called Eddie Cantona to drive him around, and had no need to rent a car.
Gordon decides the whole set-up stinks, Detective McCluskey is lying, and Jim was murdered.
Gordon decides to look into Jim's death, and his inquiries take him back and forth to Washington D.C., France, California, England, and Scotland.
Along the way, Gordon learns the following:
◙ Jim was investigating a company called 'Co-World Chemicals' (CWC), which makes herbicides and pesticides.
◙ CWC chemicals, which are exported all over the world, are poisoning/killing thousands of people, and Jim planned to write an exposé.
◙ Mr. Kosigin, the head of CWC, is determined to avoid exposure at all costs. So Kosigin hired a firm called 'Alliance Investigative' to write up detailed dossiers on potential whistle blowers as well as journalists taking an interest.
◙ The whistle blowers and reporters then suffer premature deaths, orchestrated by a man called Jay. As it happens, Gordon Reeve and Jay were in the SAS together many years ago, and are old enemies.
◙ Gordon's inquiries, and his search for Jim's missing files, put him and others in grave danger. Gordon is a FORMIDABLE opponent though, and the book is chock full of surveillance operations, break-ins, listening devices, chases, shootings, knifings, killings, fires, truth serum interrogations, and so on.
Finally, Gordon and Jay, along with Jay's team of henchmen, meet in a showdown that's been a long time coming.
I always like a book with a formidable hero, and Gordon's exploits put him in that category. On the downside, the story is a little too complicated (for me). Still, this is a fine early-ish effort by Ian Rankin and I'd recommend the book to fans of adventure thrillers.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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