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    Standing in Another Man's Grave
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    Standing in Another Man's Grave
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    Standing in Another Man's Grave
    Audiobook11 hours

    Standing in Another Man's Grave

    Written by Ian Rankin

    Narrated by James Macpherson

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    John Rebus returns to investigate the disappearances of three women from the same road over ten years.

    For the last decade, Nina Hazlitt has been ready to hear the worst about her daughter's disappearance. But with no sightings, no body, and no suspect, the police investigation ground to a halt long ago, and Nina's pleas to the cold case department have led her nowhere.

    Until she meets the newest member of the team: former Detective John Rebus.

    Rebus has never shied away from lost causes - one of the many ways he managed to antagonize his bosses when he was on the force. Now he's back as a retired civilian, reviewing abandoned files. Necessary work, but it's not exactly scratching the itch he feels to be in the heart of the action.

    Two more women have gone missing from the same road where Sally Hazlitt was last seen. Unlike his skeptical colleagues, Rebus can sense a connection - but pursuing it leads him into the crosshairs of adversaries both old and new.

    Rebus may have missed the thrill of the hunt, but he's up against a powerful enemy who's got even less to lose.

    On the twentieth anniversary of Ian Rankin's first American publication comes an audiobook bursting with the vitality and suspense that made its author one of crime fiction's most dazzling stars. STANDING IN ANOTHER MAN'S GRAVE is the triumphant return of John Rebus, and a riveting story of sin, redemption, and revenge.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateJan 15, 2013
    ISBN9781619693814
    Unavailable
    Standing in Another Man's Grave
    Author

    Ian Rankin

    Ian Rankin is the worldwide #1 bestselling writer of the Inspector Rebus books, including Knots and Crosses, Let It Bleed, Black and Blue, Set in Darkness, Resurrection Men, A Question of Blood, The Falls and Exit Music. He is also the author of The Complaints and Doors Open. He has won an Edgar Award, a Gold Dagger for fiction, a Diamond Dagger for career excellence, and the Chandler-Fulbright Award. He has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow, and received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contributions to literature. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982. He lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, with his wife and their two sons.

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    Reviews for Standing in Another Man's Grave

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    • 4/5
      Inspector Rebus returns in this compelling story from Ian Rankin. When Rankin had Rebus retire at the end of Exit Music, it was bittersweet as Rebus is a character that was fun to read and follow. At the same time, I respected Rankin's decision to have him retire. With Standing in Another Man's Grave, Rankin does a wonderful job of bringing Rebus back, of not just putting him back on the job, but having a real and plausible reason for why the old inspector would be doing what he's doing - working cold cases. But since this is Rebus, the latest cold case gives him a chance to once again help out on a current inquiry, and once Rebus is latched onto the new case, he doesn't let go.
    • 3/5
      Enjoyed it. Rebus is a lot cleverer than me so I missed the key points but still enjoyed it. Tailed off a bit towards the end as it needed a lot of wrapping up.
    • 3/5
      When you have an old horse, keep beating him. That's the key here.
      Inspector Rebus has retired but still a pain in the keister, and he won't let go of investigating.
      I am waiting for the Ghost of Rebus to return to solve crimes in the next installment.

      The formula is the same for Rankin: couple of crimes, a gangster (or two or three in this case), a few friendly cop faces, a couple of hundred cigarettes, liquor and beer, 70's 80's rock, a thousand leads and an army of officers, a preening boss who is incompetent or worse, investigations into Rebus's connections, Rebus getting thrown off the case but so what, and a solution that drops from the sky in the last few chapters. Is this what police work is really like? I guess it helps to keep focus when there are only 5 or 6 murders a year in Scotland. Lots of fistfights and knifings, though.

      I enjoyed the book, just not as much as some earlier ones. I'm an old pain in the keister too, so I couldn't be too nice to the book and 5-star it, could I?
    • 4/5
      Synopsis: Rebus is spending his time working for the cold case squad. A woman comes to the squad looking for someone to find her daughter who disappeared several years previously. The new information is that several young women have disappeared along the same stretch of road. Rebus and Clark take on the job of trying to solve all of these abductions, together.Review: As usual, this is well written, with Rebus getting himself in trouble - sometimes it's not his fault. It appears that Rebus has not quit being a policeman, although he's a bit gentler about it than previously.
    • 5/5
      I make no bones about it, Ian Rankin is one of my two favourite authors (the other is James Lee Burke) and Rebus is my favourite character. I not Scots, and I have never been a copper, but otherwise I feel we are kindred spirits; particularly in terms of grumpiness, beer, malt whiskey and, especially music. I can safely say I own all of the music referred to in this book.
      So, obviously I am pleased Rebus is back and not just for this book! This is not the best Rebus book but it is up there in terms of quality. Writing, plotting and characterisation are all excellent.
      It is a pet moan of mine, as a grumbly old man, that genre writers are not afforded the respect they deserve. Why isn't Rankin ever nominated for a non genre prize? The pretentious pomposity of the literatii is my guess.
    • 5/5
      Well Rebus, you did not disappoint again. This book is a wild roller-coaster of a ride from start to finish. Just when you think you've seen everything that you think Rebus can try or do, he does this. And he does it while he is no longer carrying a police badge and with the Complaints department nipping at his heels. Rebus has retired and is now working in a cold case group with other retired officers. And because trouble, along with excitement, follows our Rebus around, he finds himself sitting on top of a cold case that has abruptly come to life. It's a 12-year old missing persons case that is brought forward by a grieving mother who is still searching for information on her missing daughter and she is positive that another young girl's recent disappearnce in the northern part of Scotland is just the last in a string of missing girls. Rebus can't wait to kick the cold case unit out of his system, and become part of a major CID operation again. So we're off and running with a very grizzled, wily and intelligent man at the helm again. Rebus does what he does best and that is good old-fashioned policing and he manages to find the link he needs to solve his old missing persons case as well as put him head to head against a very careful and clever killer, and all with the Complaints deparment "keeping a close watch", becuase, yes, we are finally seeing Malcolm Fox and John Rebus knocking heads. Has Rebus got anything to fear from wily Fox and his crew? He doesn't seem to think so and he continues to bulldoze his way through and to chase down new leads in the case he's working on. Tony Kaye (Malcolm Fox's right hand man) says it all when he telll his boss that "Rebus gets results the old way and he does that by getting close to some really nasty people." Rebus is not afraid of getting down and dirty with anyone if a solution to a crime is at hand. I love these books for their grittiness and for Rankin's remarkable skill at making his characters come to life. This book was even better because of the first-hand look we get of northenrn Scotland throught Rebus' eyes. It sounds like a very rugged and beautiful place. I would love to go there one day, and I hope that I will see Rebus somewhere sitting in his old, beat up Saab looking for the next great clue. He is real isn't he? I'll tell you, he sure seems real to me!
    • 5/5
      Rebus followers will love this book. In retirement, Rebus has got an appointment in the Cold Crimes Unit which is, predictably, in danger of closure. The retirement age for the police has been raised and Rebus is thinking of re-applying for a job in CID.The recent disappearance of a girl near the A9 highway at Pitlochry appears to have links to earlier cold cases and so John Rebus gets a temporary assignment to the current investigation bringing with it the chance to work once more with Siobhan Clarke.Rebus is still the maverick though, persistent in pursuing his own line of enquiries. There are some excellent examples of how he thinks outside the square, calling in favours, hobnobbing with crims, and following fragments of information. It is not long before Rebus blots his copybook but not before he has persuaded Siobhan Clarke that his way will get results. For Rebus it is the results that matter, not how you get them, but Clarke realises that the ends do not always justify the means, and of course that's where Malcolm Fox comes in: coppers must not have dirty hands.Officially John Rebus is not a policeman and so he and Clarke enter a new level of their relationship, where they are more partners, more working co-operatively, because he is no longer her boss.It was lovely to catch up with John Rebus, and James McPherson does a wonderful job of bringing him to life - and who do I see as Rebus and Clarke?The plotting of the story is tight, pathways absolutely littered with red herrings. characters leaping vividly from the page. Rankin is as good as ever.And we have another Rebus to look forward to: SAINTS OF THE SHADOW BIBLE when Rankin brings Rebus and Fox head to head.
    • 5/5
      I dont think I have enjoyed a Rebus more. I found the style a bit punchier but that made it more readable for me. Having Malcolm Fox involved added a nice dimension. But also Rebus doesnt seem quite so obsessive, maybe being out of the Police agrees with him on some levels.
    • 5/5
      Rebus is back, older, a little more melancholy and bleak and maybe even a littel creakier. But he is back and that is all that matters. While Rankin ran out of things to say about Rebus, we suffered from the silence. Bu the is back now.Rebus is offically retired in this caper and working in the old case offcie with other retirees. All is calm and boring until a missing girl case dredges up a few other missing girl cases. Rankin was in a happy mood when he wrtoe this obviously because it is a huge reunion, with Siobhan Clarke palying a prominent role, Ger Rafferty making a presence as does Malcolm Fox from The Complaints. Even though Rebus has slowed down a bit, his senses are as keen as ever, and since he is drinking wine more often than not, he is also less prone to headaches and hangovers. The action is riveting as always and the references to music as clever and welcomed as ever.
    • 4/5
      Arthur Conan Doyle tried to kill off Sherlock Holmes but had to bring him back due to popular demand. I don't know whether popular demand had anything to do with Ian Rankin's new novel, which features John Rebus. Much of the novel reads to me as a meditation on the changes we all are living through, and on the question of whether some of what we now consider out-moded or out-of-date continue to have value. And it's cast within a suspenseful plot involving serial killings and Rankin's newer series hero, Malcolm Fox, as well as a cast of characters familiar to readers of the earlier Rebus books.
    • 4/5
      The usual, Rebus back, up and down the A9!
    • 4/5
      Good escapte. Make's up some of the ground Rankin lost with Exit Music. A couple of unimaginable twists.
    • 4/5
      Rebus is back! Ian Rankin gives us another in the series of John Rebus, murder detective in Edinburgh, and this one lives up to the others. Rankin sets a plot with no clear suspect through at least half of the book.... I dare anyone to guess the ending! His writing is so full of interesting descriptions, fully drawn characters and scenes from Scotland's capital city that you feel like you have walked those streets and sat in those pubs with John. Rebus has retired but is back working on cold cases because his life is nothing without his work. His idiosyncrasies, eccentric behaviors and cynical words make him one of my favorite characters in the mystery genre and I am so glad he is back one more time! A well- detailed and constucted plot, twists and turns all over the place and as one reivewer noted, "One of the great spinners of brainy crime fiction." I love this series!
    • 5/5
      After retiring from LBP, Rebus has joined the cold case unit, but his search for a potential serial killer is partially hampered by "Big Ger" Cafferty, who insists on seeing Rebus as a friend, and Malcolm Fox, who insists on seeing Rebus as an enemy. As a huge Rebus fan, I must admit that the joy of having him back may color my opinion of the quality of the work. And, he's just as grouchy and difficult as he ever was and, most importantly, as funny as ever. The best part of a Rebus-installment is not the plotting (which is decent and the resolution fairly standard), but the fantastic dialogue. Rankin is one of a few writers who consistently make me read the dialogue out loud to myself and this installment is no exception, especially since Rebus has quite a few hilarious comments to share with the world, whether they want to hear it or not. I did feel like Fox had more or less decided that Rebus was rogue rather than actually having any evidence of it and that didn't ring absolutely true, considering how his character has acted in his own books. He's not getting all that much room here, so mixing the two may have been the problem rather than anything else (even though Rebus' comments about Fox are worth it). There are quite a number of great landscape descriptions to be had as well (not a bad idea to acquire a map before reading), which does wonders with the whole mood of the book. It's also fun to note that the baddies who "run Aberdeen" have names that are reminiscent of a certain other Tartan Noir writer whose stories take place in Aberdeen and who frequently mentions Ian Rankin in his books.
    • 4/5
      This was a bit of a surprise. I had liked Malcolm Fox in the two novels that featured him. But here he seems to be pretty much the devil incarnate. Surprising twist. Happy to spend time with Rebus again.
    • 5/5
      So great to have Rebus back. I have not particularly cared for any of Rankin's books post-Rebus (it's still Rankin, but I didn't care for the characters at all). But reading SIAMG felt like reuniting with old friends. Rebus is a civvie working on cold cases when he becomes caught up in an old missing persons case. Not in his job description, but what's new. Before long the case explodes into major serial murder in the boonies north of Edinburgh. Rebus smokes and sips through his investigation, once again teaming with Sioban and he bounces on and off the team per the whims of senior officers. He is viewed as a relic by most, someone who is way past it. Of course his past successes are neither appreciated nor acknowledged by the current (much younger) force. Standard Rankin stuff, very well done. In the end it is Rebus of course who solves the case and once again he manages to avoid getting credit for it - in a rather novel way. But in the end justice is served, I think. A great crisp story. Hope there is another Rebus story a year from now. It appears that Rankin may have metaphorically buried Malcolm Fox - fine with me.
    • 5/5
      Well, Rebus has lost none of his charm (if that's the word for his gruff personality). Mind you none of his supervisors would find him charming.Rebus is retired but working for the Edinburgh Police (technically Lothian and Borders Police) in a cold case unit. When an Englishwoman calls up looking for the man that used to head the cold case squad Rebus takes the call. Her daughter went missing on New Year's Eve in 1999 and hasn't been heard from since. She thinks her daughter's abduction was the start of a serial crime against women travelling alone on the A9. As the regular police are dealing with another girl missing from the A9 she wants to get someone to look at the possibility this is connected with her daughter's disappearance. She talked to Siobhan Clarke but got nowhere. Rebus starts to do some checking. Soon he is back working with Clarke on the present inquiry and trying to link it to the others. The girl who has just gone missing is the daughter of a mobster's girlfriend and if the mobster gets to the perpetrator before the police do there will be no case to prosecute. Rebus old nemesis, Ger Cafferty, is still in the picture as is Malcolm Fox, an inspector for The Complaints who we met in the last two Rankin books.So it seems like all the players from the old Rebus days are around but will Rebus be back once this case is closed? They've increased the age for police officers and Rebus is tempted to go back. After all, it's not like he has any hobbies. But if he becomes a regular serving member then Malcolm Fox will be on his back. And there's always the question of whether he will pass the medical.I'm rooting for you Rebus!For those of you wondering the title comes from a Jackie Leven song which Rebus mishears. The lyrics talk about "standing in another man's rain" but Rebus hears rain as grave. Jackie Leven died of cancer in 2011 and this book is dedicated to him.
    • 5/5
      A large part of the world is thrilled to have John Rebus back. Terrific. I read this with Google Maps since the plot involved murders on the A9, and Rebus journeyed up and do the road.
    • 4/5
      Detective Inspector John Rebus, protagonist of nearly twenty novels by Ian Rankin, was a marvellous character - jaundiced, cynical, tough, ill-disciplined, maverick yet essentially a force for good. Own of Rebus's colleagues called him "thrawn" in an early novel - a good Scots word, almost onomatopoeically conveying the sense of deliberate awkwardness or cussedness. When he retired from Lothioan Borders CID at the end of the novel "Exit Music" there was great sadness among the loyal followers of Rankin's Edinburgh-based crime novels (which had virtually created the Scots Noir genre), and a lot of us wondered whether he would return, though as Rankin had always been scrupulous in having his character age in real time, it was difficult to see how this might happen.However, here he is, working as a civilian in a small group reviewing cold cases, and as thrawn as ever.. Through this work he becomes involved with a review of a series of disappearances of young women, all of whom had last been seen on or near the A9 as it threads its way through northern Scotland. His old investigative antenna tell him that these disappearances are connected to each other, and, as it gradually emerges, to a mcurrent disappearance.All of the old characters are there - his former sidekick Siobhan Clarke (now a DI herself), his personal bete boire, gangster Maurice Gerald ("Big Ger") Cafferty, and even Malcolm Fox, former colleague and now leading light in the Police Complaints.The plot is as sturdy and robust as ever, and it never lacks plausibility.All in all a very welcome and accomplished return
    • 5/5
      This is a book about the power of Rebus. His return is spectacular, and Rankin uses it as a stage to set his tale of old verses new in policing - the personal/networking/booze-soaked/rule-bending Rebus verses the clean, internet-powered world of modernity. Seeing Rebus share the pages with other favorites - Cafferty, Fox and Clarke is great fun. The story features some fantastic set-piece moments, such as Sharon's interrogation technique, Rebus' meeting in Glasgow and a star-turn by a small dog. The tale reads like a greatest hits of past novels too - right back to Knots and Crosses. Edinburgh is too small to hold this one and 'Rebus' is too small a word for it - this is real liquid engineering.
    • 4/5
      I remember now why I stopped looking for Ian Rankin's Rebus novels - I can only take so much of a mature man who hasn't matured. The resolution of this was therefore rater annoying. I'd have liked it much better if the local police had found evidence where it seemed most likely. Not a bad read, especially for those who enjoy Reboid antics.
    • 4/5
      At some serious misses, Rebus is back in form. Well done.
    • 4/5
      It was so good to revisit Rebus again although initially I was saddened a bit to see a favorite character age. It didn't take long to once again appreciate his methods and have fun solving a series of disappearances.
    • 4/5
      Rebus is back and Ian Rankin has kept up the standard. The story zips along well and all the relationships are well developed with the added bonus of the evocative Scottish locations.
    • 4/5
      Rebus is retired but back in a cold case unit. He uses his old techniques and contacts to investigate a case of missing women that stretches out quite a few years.
      Complaints is keeping an eye on him as well, suspecting his too casual contact with criminals.
      Rebus is still Rebus, even though his age makes his maverick activities a real worry.
      Favourite author. Continues to be a good series and great protagonist, even though Rebus finds he's a dinosaur in the modern police force.
    • 3/5
      Ian Rankin and Rebus are back (ignoring that Rebus went out with memory issues that aren't addressed). But who can complain. Predictable good fun. Glad he's back. Hope they make more BBC TV shows too--probably not, alas.
    • 3/5
      I picked this up used, not realizing it was part of a series. My favorite part of the book was the character of Rebus, an endearing curmudgeon. I didn't find the mystery terribly interesting. I probably won't be enticed to read any others in the series.
    • 4/5
      This is not Detective Inspector Rebus, rogue cop, picking up where he left off; this is Mr John Rebus, civilian. There is life in the old dog yet…
      The shift in the dynamic between Clarke and Rebus (Clarke is the boss now) is one of the most compelling aspects of the book and Rebus biting his tongue to let her lead takes some getting used to.
      Less convincing is the shoehorning of Rankin’s other bestselling cop character, anti-corruption officer Malcolm Fox from “The Complaints†and “The Impossible Deadâ€, into a sub-plot that sees him try to dig up dirt on Rebus to prevent his return to the force.
      The plot is brilliant, it is a labyrinth of twists and turns providing endless intrigue, a roller coaster ride till the end.
      Overall a good book that opens the door to another Rebus novel. Keep your fingers crossed…

    • 4/5

      Fox and Rebus meet! Well. apparently they met years ago and Rebus was a bit rude to Malcolm, who is still in complaints and investigating old history. 
      Rebus is in cold cases as a civilian, having retired from the force, which he seemingly regrets as he spends all his time trying to get close to a "real live" case. His methods are distinctly not by the book, and this seems to be played up more than in previous books, or maybe it's just the juxtaposition of the two lead characters. Rebus is slipping more into caricature as other people take centre stage. The storyline here spent a long time going back and forth along the A9; and I am not at all sure why the killer took pictures of the location of the graves.
      A fast paced read, a bit heavy handed in places (why make Rebus dodgier by setting up links with the next generation of Mr Big criminals?), fun overall to get an update in the series.

    • 4/5
      John Rebus comes out of retirement to work on the cold case unit. He works as a civilian with no police authority. He doesn't like his superior and maintains his reputation as a loner and not a team player.A woman comes to his office and asks for his help in finding her daughter who has been missing for twelve years. Her daughter was age eighteen when she disappeared. Rebus promises to look into it but doesn't have much hope.He gets the files out of this girl and other missing girls of the time frame. He discovers enough similarities that he thinks a serial killer might be at work. He brings his findings to an old friend, Siobhan Clark who is now a deputy inspector.In a side story there is an officer in internal affairs who is after Rebus. He doesn't like Rebus and thinks that since he has a gangster for a friend, he might be passing information to him. In fact, Rebus saved the man's life and the man, Cafferty, likes to stop by Rebus's flat and go for drinks with him.Rebus goes to northern Scotland and learns more about the missing girls. Soon, he has a suspect but has difficulty getting enough information on the suspect.The most engaging part of the novel is Rebus's smooth narrative when speaking to other law enforcement personnel or with suspects. It also shows his ability to get other people to help him with his investigation.As a story of a serial killer, the story is engrossing. There are some surprises and roadblocks placed in Rebus's path but he overcomes them. His development as a character is well done and we see him as an older man who enjoys drinking, cigarettes and has a poor diet. He is also thinking about re-applying to get back on the job.