A collection of short stories about Rebus, set during his earlier career when his Detective Constable is Brian Holmes - no sign of Siobhan. Some were fairly lightweight, others more serious and downbeat, such as Aud Lang Syne when Rebus is part of a team assigned to intercept a drug's bust in busy Edinburgh on New Year's Eve, or 'Sunday' where Rebus is busying himself on his day off, attempting to keep his mind off an awful event which is haunting him.

As always, I like the character of Rebus with his wry/dark humour and offbeat way of viewing things. On balance, I would award this 3 stars. ( )

Although I enjoy Ian Rankin's novels, in my opinion he excels at the short story. ( )

Although I enjoy Ian Rankin's novels, in my opinion he excels at the short story. ( )

I gotta admit - I didn't enjoy this as much as I had hoped I would. Turns out, despite being a huge Ian Rankin fan, I'm not so much a fan of mysteries in short format. Too quick, too easily resolved - not enough time for the tension to really build and so the payoff can't ever be all that satisfying.

I also don't think the short format is Mr. Rankin's strong suit.

Of course this is a must-read for any Rankin/Rebus fans, and it reads quickly - but otherwise, not one I'd recommend. ( )

I've not read any of Ian Rankin's Rebus books, but if this colleciton of short stories is any judge, I probably ought to. Rebus is world weary and somewhat cynical, but he is always after the truth, in whatever form that might be. There are some stories that are quite distressing, others that have flashes of humour and asides that lighten the mood. None of the stories are very in depth, but they're all engaging to a degree. ( )