Ian Rankin's best story ever

The Inspector Rebus books are thrilling crime fiction novels, with a central dark hero - Rebus.
Ian Rankin's brainchild of a series and I've just discovered one reason for the books being so realistic - 


Ian Rankin visited India on a tour or something, and he was on radio in Chennai while we were there - which is why I picked his books up initially.

Teaser Tuesday #27: The Devil in Music by Kate Moss

 "The Devil! And of course the inn servants won't remember after all this time. The marchess could have retired to her room, saying she didn't want to be disturbed, then travelled here, committed the murder, and been back in Belgirate in fifteen hours, while the servants thought she was merely resting after her long journey."

Mini Review: The Devil in Music, which I am right in the middle of, is a really good mystery - intriguing and filled with interesting characters. Set in the midst of  Italian politics from just after the Napolean wars and dives us readers head-deep into Milanese nobility.
While this is the fourth book in the mystery series featuring Julian Kestral, I haven't read any of the others. So far, that hasn't hampered my enjoyment! 

Review: Dirty Martini by K.A. Konrath

The Grade: A-
Summary from the Book:
Homicide Lieutenant Jacqueline “Jack” Daniels is in some serious trouble. Her boyfriend wants to get married. Her partner wants to transfer to another department. Her dead father may not be dead after all. And a brilliant sociopath known as the Chemist is poisoning Chicago’s food supply, killing hundreds of people.

Plus: Jack Daniels is one of the hardest, most admirable heroines in crime fiction today, and I find myself attached to her fast-paced, manic action-filled life. J.A. Konrath really makes his stories amazingly rich and complete.

Minus: My only minor crib has been that I wonder why all of Jack's cases seem to attack her family too. This time, however, Jack's fiance is ill though not because of being personally targeted by the psycho poisoner. I'd like to see a little more of some normal FBI-led investigation too, it doesn't always have to be one psycho working on his own, right?

Overall: After I finished the first three books, I literally had trouble sleeping -  I had read them one after the other, with no breaks in between. The chilling tales of crime gave me a shock! It is so easy for anyone to commit large-scale acts of torture/poison/murder, so scary...
Where to Start: You don't need to have read any or all of the previous books to be able to read Dirty Martini, so if you do find Mr. Konrath's books in a store/library, you pick them up without looking at the series number. He also has several short stories and novellas on his website for free: http://www.jakonrath.com/

I would recommend this to: Any crime fiction / detective fiction fans, readers of Patricia Cornwell.

Matt Ruff - Bad Monkeys

Bad Monkeys: A Novel (P.S.)

Rating: B

This is the first book by author Matt Ruff that I am reading, and it begins very promisingly - the blurb caught my interest:

"Jane Charlotte has been arrested for murder.

She tells police that she is a member of a secret organization devoted to fighting evil; her division is called “The Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons”— “Bad Monkeys” for short.

This confession earns Jane a trip to the jail’s psychiatric wing, where a doctor attempts to determine whether she is lying, crazy—or playing a different game altogether."

I was laughing out loud within the first chapter, always a good sign that the book is going to be fun!

The partly first person writing style adds to the sense that you are seeing into this young woman's thoughts, and the writing is witty and attention grabbing. There was a Salinger feel to these portions of the book.

The author moves between this style and the interview with the psychiatric doctor very smoothly, and through out the book, there is a hallucinogic sense to what the 'patient' is saying. The book has several moments where it deals with crimes and criminology, with insights into the mind of evil, and had me jumping at shadows when I read it late at night :)

The book makes one ponder if our heroine Jane is deluded, and so lost that she has no recourse but to make up an ideal role in life for herself in order to run away from her reality. It keeps you teteering on that edge between thinking that she is crazy and believing that there might be something to the story she tells.

While the book did a great job of being completely engrossing right up till the end, the ending itself was disappointing. It certainly didnt live up to the promise of the book (hence the B Rating) and could have been more complex and longer. It all felt a bit rushed towards the end, as if the author had run close to his word limit and had to wrap it all up within a few pages.

However, I would still give the author another chance, and shall read another of his books next week.