One of the more complex Rebus novels (although the later books all involve a certain amount of complexity). I was a little disappointed by the ending, it had no great sense of closure, although that also is often the case with complex storylines. A good read, including an interesting portrayal of the G8 meeting which is an historical event of some interest. The relationship between Rebus and Siobhan has also gained a lot of complexity and nuance in these later books in the series.

A mostly enjoyable listen but a rather unsatisfying conclusion. Not the most exciting Rebus tale by far.

Set against the backdrop of the G8 summit at Gleneagles in July 2005, Rebus and Clarke strive to discover the truth about the death of an MP. Meanwhile a serial killer is on the loose.

Another good one in the series, probably my favourite of the last 3 or so, there's some nice flashes of humour and a very satisfying dose of revenge.

[author:Ian Rankin] takes a hiatus/closes his Rebus series in The Naming of the Dead. Set amidst the G8 summit at Glen Eagles a few years back, Rebus is on the outskirts, facing retirement and watching nearly everyone turn their back on him ... with the possible exception of Shiobhan, who rightly comes into her own in this book. Rankin is a master of setting and character. Edinburgh, Glen Eagles, and the "Clootie Well" seethe with life, and Rebus, Shiobhan and the rest of the cast are the aging, flawed, bruised bunch that just won't give up. I have a hard time recalling any other group of characters that have remained with me long after the book is finished.

This was probably one of the best of the series I've read so far, on a very different scale from the usual. Most of the books have Rebus pissing off local gangsters and higher-ups in the Scottish police forces, rather than secret services, diplomats, etc. as he does in this one. This one was well-constructed and quite dark, as usual. If, like me, you don't know much about the summer of 2005 in Edinburgh, a quick trip to the Wikipedia page on the 2005 G8 will help you get some of the things that happen. The bicycle incident, for instance, is based on something that actually occurred, because OF COURSE IT IS.
Something I noticed in this book especially is that for all Rebus thinks of himself as a rebel and an outsider, he actually isn't. All right, he doesn't get promoted or follow all the rules, but he knows Edinburgh and is known. He's got the man-of-the-people ability to chat with the local lads and the power to pull strings to defend those he cares about. He's accepted in the pubs, and clearly accepted by his peers. It's a local guy thing. I've noticed this for a while but just really got it with this book. When I did, I wondered for an instant whether Rankin is as oblivious to this privilege as Rebus appears to be. Then I thought about how he writes Siobhan and said "no, he gets it." This was a tough book for our Shiv, among others, and I was sorry about how things have turned out with

Spoiler

Ellen Wylie and Eric Bain by the end of this one.

But I've read a bunch of these by now, and I think it's pretty clear: no one makes it out of this series unscathed.

Beautifully written police drama based more on relationships than procedures. Rebus' introspections grate at times as he stares at retirement through the bottom of a very deep glass, while Siobhan Clarke is forced to contemplate her parents ageing and her distance from them, both physical and mental. Very satisfying.

John Rebus is a Detective Inspector in Edinburgh, his partner Siobhan is a Detective Sergeant. Other characters include the gangster Gerard Cafferty, the Councillor Tench, the G8 summit in Scotland with its accompanying demos in 2005 and the London bombings, also in 2005.
While Siobhans parents are in Scotland for the demonstrations and living in a tent, Siobhan and Rebus are working a murder case. The victim is an ex-con who did time for rape. At Auchterrader, in the woods, police find a "Clootie Well", with bits of clothing hanging on branches. One of the pieces of clothing is easily traced to the murder victim/rapist, and the other bits of clothing point to two other murders.
At the same time, at a high-level dinner in Edinburgh, the MP Ben Webster falls from the battlements of the castle to his death. The special branch police who is there for the G8 term it a suicide. Siobhans parents make friends with a woman called Santal at the demo. When Siobhans mother is hit in the face during the chaos of the demo, Siobhan thinks it was riot police and becomes obsessed with finding out who it was.
Because their boss wants the murder investigation to be on ice for the G8 and the two of them continue regardless, they are both suspended, but continue investigating. Siobhan finds out that her mother was hit by a local troublemaker and is enraged enough to get into bed with the gangster Cafferty in order to get to the culprit. Cafferty, for his part, wants Councillor Tench brought low. Tench is murdered, but not because of Cafferty or Siobhan, but because of a jilted lover.
In the reveal at the end it turns out that Santal is actually an undercover cop and also Ben Websters sister. On of the three murdered men from the Clootie Well assaulted and killed their mother and she killed him for it, proceeding to kill two more men (scumbags, in her view), to obscure the motive and make police think it is a serial killer. The special branch unit has been protecting her all this time.

I didn't really get along with Rankins writing style; I found it rather abrupt and a view more verbs and complete sentences wouldn't have gone amiss.
The plot was good and made sense in the end, although the suspension seemed a bit of unnecessary drama.
Rebus seems and interesting character, and you can somehow feel the proceeding 15 books in the series (though I havn't read them) because he just seems to have so much history.

In July 2005, Edinburgh was a buzz of activity as it readied itself for the G8 conference to be held there. The most powerful people in the world would be meeting to decide the fate of much of the world for the foreseeable future. Police officers from all over the country had been commandeered to provide security for the event. They came from as far away as London to make sure that nothing went wrong.

It seemed that the only nonessential policeman, the only one whose presence was not required to keep the peace around the bigwigs, was John Rebus. Once again his superiors appeared to be sending him a message: You're not needed. You're not wanted. Pack it in.

Of course, Rebus has a tin ear when it comes to such messages. He just doesn't hear them and he goes on his way, doing his job just the way he has always done it. His way.

Much as his superiors do not want him involved, when one of the delegates to the G8 falls to his death, Rebus is the only officer left at the station to take the call and thus he becomes involved in investigating a high profile death, the very thing his boss hoped to avoid.

Meanwhile, Siobhan Clarke is investigating the death of a rapist which means that soon Rebus is involved in that investigation as well. Then Clarke's parents, aging hippies, come to Edinburgh to participate in demonstrations in regard to the G8 and, in the melee, her mother is assaulted, possibly by a policeman. Siobhan is determined to find the culprit and bring him to justice.

All of these disparate stories intertwine and interconnect as they have a way of doing in a Rankin tale, and the conclusions to the stories were not quite what I had expected. Although I've read all the Rebus stories, in order, through this one, Rankin still has the capacity to surprise me.

Rebus is very near the end now, near the age when he must retire. What will happen to him? He has no life outside of his job. He has sacrificed everything for that job. It will be interesting to see how Rankin handles this. Perhaps I will be surprised again.