Doors Open

by Ian Rankin

Mike Mackenzie is a self-made man with too much time on his hands and a bit of the devil in his soul. He is looking for something to liven up the days and settles on a plot to rip off one of the most high-profile targets in the capital – the National Gallery of Scotland.

So, together with two close friends from the art world, he devises a plan to lift some of the most valuable artwork around. But of course, the real trick is to rob the place for all it’s worth whilst persuading the world that no crime was ever committed…

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Scotland, Mystery Thriller, Art

387 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

AKA Jack Harvey.

Born in the Kingdom of Fife in 1960, Ian Rankin graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982 and then spent three years writing novels when he was supposed to be working towards a PhD in Scottish Literature. His first Rebus novel was published in 1987; the Rebus books are now translated into 22 languages and are bestsellers on several continents.

Ian Rankin has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow. He is also a past winner of the Chandler-Fulbright Award, and he received two Dagger Awards for the year's best short story and the Gold Dagger for Fiction. Ian Rankin is also the recipient of honorary degrees from the universities of Abertay, St Andrews, and Edinburgh.

A contributor to BBC2's Newsnight Review, he also presented his own TV series, Ian Rankin's Evil Thoughts, on Channel 4 in 2002. He recently received the OBE for services to literature, and opted to receive the prize in his home city of Edinburgh, where he lives with his partner and two sons.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/ianrankin

Reviews

[Gary · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s been awhile sine I read any Ian Rankin books and decided to read this standalone rather than any of the ‘Rebus’ books. Decent characters, plenty of action and well written but although ‘Doors Open’ is a solid enough read it is certainly not a classic.

Three friends who have the love of art in common decide to steal works of art from the National Gallery in Edinburgh. Millionaire Mike McKenzie is looking for a new project to spend time on and together with an art professor and a banker he feels the art theft might be the very thing to amuse him. Doors Open is a scheme by where buildings in Edinburgh open to the public for a day, this includes the National Gallery where the desired paintings are kept. The friends problems really start when they approach local gangster Chib Calloway for his advice and expertise.

Ian Rankin is a good storyteller and the plot is good but for me the characters were a little weak which is unusual for this author. Entertaining read but not memorable so probably a failure for an author of Ian Rankin’s standing.

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 2 out of 5]

**Read 2.5 STARS!**

This standalone crime novel is another outing by the well-known Scottish author, Ian Rankin.

Storytelling is very good, no doubt about that, but the story itself is somewhat tame and pretty forgettable, and most characters involved in this story are not very believable and lifelike in their dealings with art theft and the resulting consequences.

This book is from 2008, and its Mike Mackenzie, a very rich man with too much time on his hands after selling his IT company, and looking for some kind of a new adventure in his life.

In his endeavour to find a suitable occupation, he will settle, on the instigation of Prof Robert Gissing, who's curator at the Art College, for the idea to rip off the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh, by collecting real paintings in exchange for fakes, and to do this he has the cooperation of his banker friend , Allan Cruikshank, and this same sly Prof Gissing.

While Mike is organising the manpower for this operation on Doors Open Day, including the gangster Chib Calloway, which will prove a huge mistake in the end, while Prof Gissing is bringing in Westie, an art college student and a master forger it seems, and this secretive Prof Gissing is pulling the strings in the background.

What is to follow is a simple crime novel, where amateur art robbers and professional criminals alike are definitely fooled by the sly and scheming art collector, Prof Gissing, the one with a real plan of escape while the others will get caught for their childish and greedy endeavour.

Recommended to anyone who likes an easy read with no complications and predictable outcome, but for me this was not spectacular or outstanding at all but rather a tame crime novel, and that's why I like to call this book: "An Average Art Heist"!

[James Thane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ian Rankin's Doors Open is a stand-alone, set in Edinburgh that does not feature the author's long-time protagonist, John Rebus. It originally appeared as a weekly serial in the New York Times Magazine, and was perhaps inspired by Rankin's enthusiasm for heist films. (He lists ten of his favorite such movies at the end of the book.)

The book opens at an art auction where three friends meet. Not surprisingly, they all share an interest in fine art. Mike Mackenzie made a fortune with his software company, but after selling the company he finds himself bored and looking for some excitement in his life. Robert Gissing is an art professor who is miffed by the fact that so many pieces of great art are hidden away in private collections, unavailable to the general public. Alan Cruickshank is a successful banker with a taste for art that he can't afford.

Over drinks after the auction, Professor Gissing suggests that it would be enormous fun to "liberate" a few priceless works of art from the National Gallery's storage warehouse. Mike Mackenzie, in particular, is intrigued by the idea. He's rich enough to afford virtually any painting he might want, but he particularly covets a portrait that is in the Gallery's collection and that he knows will never come up for sale.

Before long, a discussion that apparently began as a light-hearted fantasy evolves into a serious plan to steal a handful of priceless paintings from the Gallery. Mackenzie brings into the scheme an old high school mate who has grown up to become a local crime boss, and the game is on.

The men construct what they hope will be a fool-proof scheme to steal the paintings without getting caught. But as complicated as the plan is and with as many people as there are involved in its execution, the potential for disaster looms large.

This is a very enjoyable book with lots of twists and turns. It's not as dark as most of the books in the Rebus series, and fans of great heist movies like "The Thomas Crown Affair" will probably enjoy reading it almost as much as Ranking obviously enjoyed writing it.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ian Rankin is a Scottish crime writer, best known for his successful Rebus and Malcolm Fox police series. He has also written a number of standalone mysteries. Doors Open is one such and was originally published in 2008. It was also turned into a TV movie in 2012, starring Dougie Henshall and Stephen Fry, amongst others.

The title of the book refers to an annual public event in the city of Edinburgh, where businesses and public offices open themselves up for tours by the populace. One of the places is a warehouse which stores paintings and other artifacts for the art galleries in Edinburgh. Three friends; art expert Professor Gissing, wealthy software designer Mike McKenzie and investment banker Allan Cruickshank, decide to rob the warehouse of a number of paintings. This is partly due to boredom (Mckenzie needs something exciting in his life) and Gissing is PO'd that these rare paintings are hidden away from the public.

To help with the robbery, they hire art student Westie to create forgeries of a number of paintings, the plan being that they will substitute those forgeries for the paintings they steal. They also engage local crime boss Chibs Calloway to provide the muscle to help them. Calloway is in debt to the Norwegian mob (the Hell's Angels) and need money fast so plans to use a painting as collateral. Into this mix is Edinburgh police inspector Arthur Ransome who has had his eye on Calloway for a long time and becomes interested in the meetings between McKenzie and Calloway.

So a robbery takes place and then things begin to unravel for the group. That's your basic story line. It seems pretty standard as you go along; the robbery and planning for it are quite interesting and the interactions between the various members are well-crafted. The unraveling and the twists in the 2nd half of the story make it very entertaining. Add in a Confidential Informer, a girlfriend who wants her boyfriend to get more of a share and an enforcer from the Norwegians and the tension ratchets nicely and quickly. The characters are all well-developed and interesting, even if somewhat stereotypical, but hey, it doesn't really matter in this enjoyable crime romp.

It reminded me of movies like The Italian Job, The Great Train Robbery and Gone in 60 Seconds in some ways; a crime story told from the perspective of the various gang members and also the police. Very entertaining. I will try to find the movie as I'd like to see how they present it. Now to get back to Inspector Rebus. (3.5 stars)

[Lance Charnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doors Open is an Ian Rankin novel, but not a Rebus novel. This means the setting is familiar for Rankin – the gray stone and grayer skies of Edinburgh, angst about the city’s class divisions and redevelopment, Scottish angst about the English and tourists (much the same thing here) – but without that gloomy DI mourning the loss of most everything while hoisting endless pints.

The setup: a bored millionaire, a covetous banker, and an art professor walk into a bar (no, it’s not the start of a joke) and plan to steal their favorite paintings from the National Gallery’s storage dungeon in the suburbs. As the plan grows, it attracts a local mafia kingpin, a most unreliable student artist and his Lady Macbeth-like girlfriend, various police detectives, and an enormous Danish Hell’s Angel called Hate. Moral boundaries are crossed, trusts are betrayed, and bad things happen to bad people and good alike.

The main characters are all clearly drawn, individual personalities who are easy to visualize and cast in your mental movie. The dialog is crisp and fits the mouths out of which it comes. (Fear not the Scottishness; the dialog includes enough “wee” and “nae” and “aye” to remind you you’re north of Hadrian’s Wall, but doesn’t spin out into Taggart (or even Monarch of the Glen) territory.) Locations tend to be pencil sketches rather than oils; enough of an outline to give you the gist of things but not enough to establish much atmosphere. Because Edinburgh crime is a milieu Rankin has spent his life exploring, his command of the hard men and the feuding cops is sure and steady.

That’s the good. The demerits are more diffuse and take on the aspects of an aftertaste. The book starts out as a caper story – think of a severely downsized Edinburgher Ocean’s Eleven – and creeps slowly into something darker. The two moods don’t necessarily mesh well. That this trio of upstanding citizens actually goes through with a heist of this sort – no matter the amount of justification Rankin lays out – is a stretch you simply have to swallow hard and accept. The plot probably would’ve worked better had Rankin’s hard men been the authors and finishers of the scheme, leaving him to spend more time on the organized-crime angle that actually is a prime driver behind real-world art theft. (As it is, our acquisitive millionaire is just too close to Thomas Crown for readers to not notice the family resemblance.) Unlike what I remember of the Rebus books I read some time ago, Edinburgh is less a physical presence than a series of place names. Finally, there’s a throwaway not-quite-romance between the millionaire and a pretty auctioneer that seems to exist mostly to justify the rich man’s choice of stolen paintings, and ends on a where-did-that-come-from note.

I understand there’s a made-for-TV movie version of Doors Open, which is entirely expected, since in many ways it has the texture of its own novelization. It reminds me more of a toned-down Guy Ritchie film than an Ian Rankin novel. It’s not bad, and it’s certainly a fast read. It’s just not especially evocative or memorable. Doors Open is one of those books that allow you to pass that coast-to-coast flight enjoyably, yet you don’t feel too bad if you forget it on the plane.

[Effie (she-her) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ο Μάικ Μακένζι είναι ένας νεόπλουτος, αυτοδημιούργητος επιχειρηματίας ο οποίος όμως έχει βαρεθεί τη χλιδή και ψάχνει κάτι καινούργιο να τον συναρπάσει. Όταν σε μια δημοπρασία γνωρίζει τον πρύτανη της σχολής καλών τεχνών, εκείνος του προτείνει κάτι που στον συναρπάζει: να "απελευθερώσουν" έργα τέχνης από την αποθήκη της Πινακοθήκης της Σκοτίας χωρίς όμως κανείς να καταλάβει ότι κάτι λείπει. Τι βοήθεια θα χρειαστούν για να φέρουν το σχέδιο εις πέρας; Είναι ικανοί να αντιμετωπίσουν όλα τα εμπόδια;

Σε αντίθεση με τα περισσότερα βιβλία του Ράνκιν, εδώ δεν πρωταγωνιστεί ο διάσημος επιθεωρητής Ρέμπους. Αντίθετα πρωταγωνιστικό ρόλο έχουν οι εγκληματίες της ιστορίας. Αυτή ήταν μια καλοδεχούμενη αλλαγή. Πάντα είναι πιο ενδιαφέρουσα μια ιστορία ιδωμένη από αυτή την οπτική γωνία και σίγουρα είναι πολύ πιο σπάνιο να διαβάσουμε κάτι τέτοιο, μίας και τα τελευταία χρόνια έχουν γίνει μόδα οι ντετέκτιβ και οι επιθεωρητές με κατεστραμμένες ζωές και έφεση στον αλκοολισμό. Επίσης δεν έχουμε να κάνουμε με εγκληματικές υπερδιάνοιες, αλλά με πολύ πιο ρεαλιστικούς χαρακτήρες.

Αυτό που μου έλειψε περισσότερο σ' αυτό το βιβλίο είναι οι περιγραφές του Εδιμβούργου και οι αναφορές στην κουλτούρα του. Είναι απλά ένα σκηνικό και θα μπορούσε να είχε συμβεί σε οποιαδήποτε άλλη μικρή πόλη. Σίγουρα δεν αποτελεί το καλύτερο δήγμα γραφής του Ράνκιν, αλλά περνάς ευχάριστα την ώρα σου διαβάζοντάς το.

[Ian Mapp · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think he was always on a hiding to nothing. He hasnt done enough to get away from Rebus and the book seems lazy - references to the jekyll and hyde nature of edinburgh and name dropping locations and pubs - we've seen all this before.

The biggest problem is the plot. Yes its meant to be a caper and light hearted but when would you have a self made millionairre robbing the national gallery with guns..... maybe a gentleman thief scenario is acceptable but taking it up to armed robbery is pushing the envelope.

Mike McKensie is that self made millionairre... with two friends, inlcuding the curator of the museum, they hatch a plan to steal stored masterpeices, replacing them with forgeries so that no-one knows they are missing.

As the plot thickens, Mike brings in a gangster who he went to school with (fuck me, this is rubbish!), Chib Galloway - a man with his own problems, not least the police and a danish hells angel called hate after him.

So double crosses galore - and the start of the book, where they are chained, battered and bruised to chairs is revealed.

By anyone else, I doubt the book would have been published.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to this on a long drive. Was more a slow burn than a thriller. Entertaining enough but rather predictable and low on suspense. Loved the setting of Edinburgh, Scotland though, and the Scottish-accented narration was wonderful.

[Julie Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

#40 - 2010.

Read a review saying that this is not as gritty as Rankin's usual. I've tried Rankin several times and his grittiness overcame me every time. It was not riveting but this crime caper was entertaining enough and had a twist at the end that I didn't expect.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome stand alone novel from Ian Rankin.

Mike MacKenzie is a rich playboy with an interest in art. Along with his friend Allan he gets drawn into an art heist, all the while being watched by Detective Inspector Ransome, who is interested in one of Mike's old school pals.

Fast paced, action packed, and loaded with twists and turns, "Doors Open" is an excellent read.

Ian Rankin shows that he doesn't need to write Rebus to create a brilliant story. In fact, this one was better in some ways, because there was no character baggage. There was, however, a sly reference to Rebus that made me chuckle.

Highly recommended.

[David Highton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book set in Edinburgh, without John Rebus, Rankin's main character. A clever art heist gets planned and executed well but things start to get complicated. A decent plot which lacks a bit of pace at times, but still a good read

[Grace Harwood · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is just my opinion of this - no offense intended to any fans of this author, but I really didn't like this book:

Three unconvincing characters (a spoiled rich bloke, a banker and a professor of art, who is the most unconvincing of the lot) decide to 'liberate' some art works from private collections because they feel (in all their altruism) that these works should not be concealed behind locked doors. However, the plot immediately goes wrong (on every level) when the characters decide to steal these art works not from bank collections, or wealthy collectors, but from a national gallery (i.e. from a public collection, where, they would have been enjoyed by the nation at large). Their reasoning is that these artworks are not on display (although, of course, they could be if they were available to the national gallery, i.e. if they hadn't been stolen by some selfish cretins who clearly know nothing about art and the nature of curatorship). The thieves remove them from a storage facility during a "Doors Open" event - hence the title.

It's a terrible concept for both a story and a crime, and the criminals themselves are - as I've mentioned - utterly unconvincing. The professor of art chap clearly knows absolutely bugger all about art - this is nobody's fault except the author's. This, after all, is a character, and some art research wouldn't have gone amiss in this novel in order to portray a convincing character. The thieves/author's portrayal of the thieves depicts at least one of them as supercool and gangster material - I'm a middle-aged mum of two and I'm a more convincing gangster. The Hell's Angel character has just been pulled from every stereotype about hairy bikers ever and is completely unrepresentative of any real person.

Art has been used in such clever ways in novels from the eighteenth century, right up to contemporary times, in novels like Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch. The tropes of the paintings can be used as political criticism in the structure of the story, or as a narrative device - all of which enhance reading experience. This novel, however, does not do anything clever using the aesthetic tropes of the art work. In fact, it really doesn't do anything clever at all. The most criminal thing of all about this "crime" novel, is the quality of the writing.

This was my first time ever reading this author. I'll hold my hands up and confess I don't read crime thrillers that often - but if this is representative of this chap's writing, how has he sold so many books? How has he even been published? Facile, superficial, poorly constructed plot and characters - barely researched - it's unbelievable that anyone would waste their time on this trash. The potential for possibilities with a story like this are endless - the author doesn't bother with any of these however and just churns out a load of old crap. Characters aren't likeable or credible. Are his other works any better? There was an extract from another book at the end of this one, "The Flood" which just seemed like more of the same. In that one, a little girl whose hair goes white overnight is described as having a "disability". I don't think white hair classes as a disability, even if you have got extreme premature ageing. The little girl in question seemed equally poorly constructed, stereotyped and unconvincing. Don't bother reading this if you like literature - it's just offensive to those who appreciate the art form.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Setting: Edinburgh; early 21st century.
Mike Mackenzie is a rich entrepreneur with a love of art and at a bit of a loose end. One of his best friends works in a Scottish bank which owns a good number of works of art but would love to own some better ones himself; another is an art professor at the local university who bemoans the way works of art are hidden away from the public by being owned by banks and other private collectors. At the professor's instigation, the three friends hatch a plot to rob the Scottish National Gallery's warehouse during 'Doors Open' weekend, when several buildings normally closed to the public open their doors to visitors. As the germ of an idea becomes more of a reality, the professor recruits an artist from his tutor group to paint copies of several works of art, which the group intend to substitute for the genuine paintings. Meanwhile, Mike seeks the assistance of a former schoolmate, Chib Calloway, who is now a career criminal and crime boss, to provide the logistics for the raid. But, even after the robbery, the participants discover that there is always a weakest link and, with a police detective and a Hell's Angel breathing down their necks, they are faced with a dilemma - and there are double-crosses galore....
When I first started this book, I was definitely unsure about it as I am not really a lover of 'heist' stories or those based around the art world. But it was an Ian Rankin book and had been sitting on my shelf for a while so I decided to give it a whirl - but was quite disappointed overall. The story improved as it went along but I was really disappointed with the ending, in the absence of a sequel - 6.5/10.

[Kevin Marsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read. Doors Open is a tale worthy of Mr Rankin. The quality of both pro's and structure is what we have come to expect from a true crime writer.

[Adrian Buck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crime doesn't pay - again. Crime fiction doesn't seem to have moved beyond Dick Francis.

[Pili · Rating 3 out of 5]

Me gusta mucho el estilo de este autor. La historia está ambientada en Edimburgo, una ciudad que descubrí recientemente pero que me conquistó como pocas, por lo que la lectura fue como volver a pasear por sus calles. Este tipo de tramas (robos o delitos fiscales) no son de mi máxima adoración, de ahí las tres estrellas, pero el autor es definitivamente de las 5.

[Conf. BCN - 26]

[Alison · Rating 2 out of 5]

It had me...and then it lost me.

Mike Mackensie, Allan Cruikshank, and Robert Gissing are three friends who share a love of art. Over a few pints they hatch a plan to steal some of their favorite works of art, not from a gallery or museum wall, but instead from a warehouse, where the works of art go unloved, unappreciated, and unseen. The plan involves a crook that Mike knew in elementary school, named Chib Calloway, who is, unbeknownst to him, being followed by the dubious Inspector Remus. An art student, who goes by the name Westie, is commissioned to paint forgeries, so the stolen pieces will not be missed during inventory. The group comes together to pull off a fairly simple heist. It's what happens after the caper that gets complicated and messy.

I enjoyed the premise behind the heist - the idea to "liberate" pieces of art, so it can be seen and enjoyed, rather than sit in a dusty old warehouse until their lot comes up. I also enjoyed the banter among the members of the crew.

There were a ton of pop culture references, from Oceans Eleven to The Godfather and even some Reservoir Dogs thrown in for humor. As a huge fan of those three movies, I got caught up in the planning and execution of the heist itself, but was let down by its simplicity. How does Rankin refer to Ocean's Eleven, yet not have some genius plan under his belt? There were times when I felt the author was referring to these crime icons for inspiration, and to bring the reader to a state of entertainment the he himself could not take us.

After the heist was completed and their master plan started to unravel, the plot became predictable, the action slow, and the dialogue forced. It wasn't until the final scene, which we caught a glimpse of during the Prologue, that the reader is treated to a tense and emotional stand-off.

For a crime novel, I had hoped the pages would have turned quicker. It took me much longer to read Doors Open than I had hoped. It was not a book I went to grab at every free moment.

This was the first novel I have read by Ian Rankin, who is well known for his Inspector Rebus series. Even though this isn't one of the series, Rebus is one of the characters throughout the novel. Not surprisingly, Inspector Rebus was my favorite character, of whom I wanted to see more. Lucky for me, there are plenty of books to choose from!

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Popsugar 2018 Reading Challenge: A book involving a heist

This has got to be my least favorite Ian Rankin. That doesn't mean it's a BAD book: there's a review on the cover that says "everything he writes is worth reading," and that's more or less true. But while this book features several Rankin trademarks—a loving depiction of Edinburgh, lots of fragile masculinity on display, tight plotting and some rash decision-making bordering on the unbelievable—it was lacking several others. Notably, there was a lack of anyone to root for. Or, for that matter, give a shit about. I found Mike bland, Gissing pompous, Allan one-dimensional, Westie and Alice caricatures, Laura barely there (and occasionally very stupid, particularly towards the end) and Chib Calloway an over-the-top gangster straight out of a procedural. I had hopes that Ransome would turn out to be a kind of Hitchcock policeman, but he was a bit of a sleaze. A little wink towards the Rebus series about halfway through was nice, but also served as a reminder that Rankin is capable of much, much better.

[Shane Harrison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stand alone novel from Rankin follows three respectable friends who decide to stage an art heist at Edinburgh's National Gallery. The neat whizz is that they enlist a young artist to ensure the heist goes undetected. Then they fall in with local gangster Chib Calloway, but Chib is on the radar of police detective Ransome. Spiralling events go to making this a compulsive page turner. Witty, clever and conceivable (if just about), the point is it grabs the reader. There's an intelligent focus on human foibles and art world pretensions. Edinburgh stars, and I was happy to have a tour of the gallery and environs by way of a return visit. After Rebus's world, it was good to hang around with a different gang for a while. Recommended for anybody who likes a good yarn that's well written and with the right mix of character and plot.

[Jill H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second non-Rebus series book I have read by Rankin and he just keeps writing winners!!
In this tale, a disparate group of people decide to pull off an art heist during Doors Open Days, when the repository of overflow art from the National Gallery is open to the public......and what a group it is.....a wealthy software developer, an art historian, a banker, an art student, and a local hoodlum. The plan is perfect.....but of course it isn't and things start going wrong from the beginning. This is a clever and well done thriller with a neat little ending. Rankin can write and it is no wonder that he has won many awards for his dark and twisted stories set in Scotland.

[Lecy Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was like a bad remake of Oceans Eleven in which Danny Ocean and his crew walk into the Bellagio wearing Zorro masks and carrying water guns. The plot is as follows: three nerdy art-loving dudes are bored and decide to pull off a heist. They come up with this genius plan to steal famous works of art - but cover their tracks by swapping them out with counterfeits. The book is chock-full of all the things that make up a great story: mystery, intrigue, gangsters, guns, sexy women and a guy named Hate. My issue, other than the ridiculously generic premise, is that the actual heist involves details that don't seem to be thought out at all. I don't know if this is the author not developing his story completely or the characters being complete idiots. Who knows? Who cares?

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Rankin’s standalone novels not featuring Rebus, although still set in Edinburgh. Mike Mackenzie is a self made multi millionaire with too much time on his hands and an interest in art. When one of his friends, Professor Robert Gissing, Head of the Art College, and about to retire comes up with a plan to steal some art works from the storage facility of the Art Gallery of Edinburgh and replace them with fakes he can’t resist the challenge. Things get complicated when he enlists the help of a local gangster to help them. A clever plot and a good read.

[David]

A side step while Rebus gets on with retirement. There’s one reference to a Gayfield Square officer mentioning that things are a lot quieter now that you-know-who has retired. He does not mean Voldemort. It’s a good story for the plots, betrayals, double and triple crosses. Very lean!

[Yanper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Μια απλή ιστορία, χωρίς αγωνία και αυτό γιατί λείπει ο βασικός ήρωας του Rankin ο επιθεωρητής Rebus. Διαβάζετε εύκολα αλλά σε καμία περίπτωση δεν φτάνει στα στάνταρ του επιθεωρητή Rebus. Πρωταγωνιστές είναι οι κακοποιοί και ο αστυνομικός επιθεωρητής παίζει δεύτερο βιολί!

[Anagha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book about a heist and its aftermath.

The epilogue is a slight disappointment but the book was such fun that I don't mind it as much.

[Kasia Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Enjoyable but rather far fetched 😀

[Χρύσα Γιαννοπούλου · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ενδιαφέρον, καθώς ανακατεύει τέχνη, δράση και ψήγματα ανεκπλήρωτου έρωτα.
Λίγο αργό στη δράση και επαναλαμβανόμενο.
Like Nesbo, nowhere! 😜#nesbomania

[Helen Stead · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reminded me of the John Creasey books l used to read. Felt a bit dated, prefer the Rebus series.

[Paula Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

listened via audible

[Carmen Amato · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not only do I write a mystery series, I read mysteries, too. I post selected on amazon and Goodreads.

Ian Rankin is one of my favorite mystery writers, with robust, imaginative characters that are true to their environment, beautifully paced plots, and locations that I’ve visited and love despite the flaws he exposes. Up front I’ll admit that I’m prejudiced in favor of his Detective Inspector John Rebus books. My favorites are Resurrection Men, the Falls and Exit Music.

Doors Open is a standalone suspense novel with a plot that revolves around Edinburgh’s art scene. The main character, rich and bored Mike Mackenzie, ends up with two unlikely cohorts in a scheme to steal paintings from the National Gallery of Edinburgh. The partnership is anything but smooth–no one truly trusts anybody in this novel, for good reason–and soon the action is complicated by thugs and cops.

Rankin’s heavy in the book, Chib Calloway, is a reincarnation of Big Ger Rafferty in the Rebus books, but with a bit less finesse. “My town, my rules,” the character snarls at one point.

The ending has a bit of a wow factor, in that everyone gets what is coming to them, but the book moves more slowly than the Rebus books. The theme of doors opening, as in new opportunities, is overused and soon gets tiresome. While I won’t say don’t give it a try, if you’re looking for a great suspense novel set in Scotland, go with one of Rankin’s Rebus novels. They are all 5 star winners.