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Inspector Rebus #4
Strip Jack
When respected MP Gregor Jack is caught in a police raid on an Edinburgh brothel and his flamboyant wife Elizabeth suddenly disappears, John Rebus smells a set-up. And when Elizabeth's badly beaten body is found, Rebus is suddenly up against a killer who holds all the cards..
269 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
947 people are currently reading
3175 people want to read
About the author
Ian Rankin
423 books6,525 followersAKA 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 769 reviews
June 29, 2024
As I continue my journey through the early episodes of this excellent crime series, I reach book 4. Detective Inspector Rebus is as curmudgeon as ever and still can’t quite bring himself to give any real respect to authority. His personal life is in some disorder, too. He really must devote some time to sorting this out. Why does he make life so difficult for himself?
Here he’s handed the case of some missing books (yes, he was suitably underwhelmed) and attended the storming of a brothel, where a local MP was found to be on the premises. Add to this the fact that a woman’s body has been dragged from a nearby river and you can see that there’s plenty enough crime floating around (excuse the pun) to fill a couple of hundred pages.
Of course, there are complications to each of the cases and potential linkages, too. And there’s a handy batch of suspects for Rebus to focus his attention on: a group of the MP’s friends, known as ‘the pack’. The fun here, as is always the case with this series, is simply in being in the company of the cranky and quick-lipped detective. His dry one-liners come thick and fast, and his tired wisdom is ever evident, too. He’s a brilliant character; it almost doesn’t matter whether the plot’s any good or not.
As it happens, the plot is satisfying, too. It’s complex and twisty enough to keep most crime fiction fans guessing – but then Rankin is a class act, you’d expect no less. If you haven’t caught up with this series yet, then you have a major delight to come and if you’re already a seasoned aficionado but have somehow missed this one then seek it out – you wont be disappointed.
Here he’s handed the case of some missing books (yes, he was suitably underwhelmed) and attended the storming of a brothel, where a local MP was found to be on the premises. Add to this the fact that a woman’s body has been dragged from a nearby river and you can see that there’s plenty enough crime floating around (excuse the pun) to fill a couple of hundred pages.
Of course, there are complications to each of the cases and potential linkages, too. And there’s a handy batch of suspects for Rebus to focus his attention on: a group of the MP’s friends, known as ‘the pack’. The fun here, as is always the case with this series, is simply in being in the company of the cranky and quick-lipped detective. His dry one-liners come thick and fast, and his tired wisdom is ever evident, too. He’s a brilliant character; it almost doesn’t matter whether the plot’s any good or not.
As it happens, the plot is satisfying, too. It’s complex and twisty enough to keep most crime fiction fans guessing – but then Rankin is a class act, you’d expect no less. If you haven’t caught up with this series yet, then you have a major delight to come and if you’re already a seasoned aficionado but have somehow missed this one then seek it out – you wont be disappointed.
March 4, 2025
3.5
I’m going with a short but sweet review here— mostly because I don’t want to accidentally spoil anything. Plus, it’s after midnight and that darn alarm clock beckons.
So after reading the first two Rebus books, I had to skip a few as our library system doesn’t own all of the older entries in this solid Scots crime procedural series. Hate when that happens!
Rebus is as legendary as Morse, Dalgliesh and Lyndley, however, I’m a Jane-come-lately to this series. I actually read Rankin’s cold case series first. I loved that so much, I decided to track back to Rebus.
Unfortunately this wasn’t my favorite— I won’t use the “b” word but it took me several weeks to finish the second half — for this reader, that’s the definition of boring.
Solid complicated crime that felt like one huge runaround by the end — lost a half-star for that last messy bit. And now, I promise, I will say no more.
And because I couldn’t read books 3-4 (ugh—I loathe missing installments of any series), I have no idea why he’s with Patience and what the back story is with Gill. Rebus is a bit rough around the edges when it comes to women, but other than Gamache, aren’t most of our favorite detectives too obsessed with their cases to handle healthy relationships?
Here’s hoping I don’t have to skip books to read the next Rebus mystery my library offers. Did I mention I really, really hate skipping books in a series? Wish me luck!!
(reviewed 4/22/20)
I’m going with a short but sweet review here— mostly because I don’t want to accidentally spoil anything. Plus, it’s after midnight and that darn alarm clock beckons.
So after reading the first two Rebus books, I had to skip a few as our library system doesn’t own all of the older entries in this solid Scots crime procedural series. Hate when that happens!
Rebus is as legendary as Morse, Dalgliesh and Lyndley, however, I’m a Jane-come-lately to this series. I actually read Rankin’s cold case series first. I loved that so much, I decided to track back to Rebus.
Unfortunately this wasn’t my favorite— I won’t use the “b” word but it took me several weeks to finish the second half — for this reader, that’s the definition of boring.
Solid complicated crime that felt like one huge runaround by the end — lost a half-star for that last messy bit. And now, I promise, I will say no more.
And because I couldn’t read books 3-4 (ugh—I loathe missing installments of any series), I have no idea why he’s with Patience and what the back story is with Gill. Rebus is a bit rough around the edges when it comes to women, but other than Gamache, aren’t most of our favorite detectives too obsessed with their cases to handle healthy relationships?
Here’s hoping I don’t have to skip books to read the next Rebus mystery my library offers. Did I mention I really, really hate skipping books in a series? Wish me luck!!
(reviewed 4/22/20)
January 13, 2024
I thought I was up to date on this series but then discovered two I had not read (happy days!) and this is one of them.
Strip Jack is one of the very early Rebus books, but he is easily recognised as just a slightly younger version of the man he is today. He struggles with maintaining relationships - they require an effort he finds hard to give. He is basically a loner and needs to be free to do his own thing. He has a gift for solving crimes but again needs to do it on his own. He is also whip smart and I find him very entertaining.
The mystery in this book is convoluted and ends up with the most unlikely person being the murderer. Even Rebus loses track at certain moments but he puts everything together when it counts.
This is a short, sharp story in the fashion of the early books in the series and I enjoyed it very much. Now to find that other one I have not read yet!
Strip Jack is one of the very early Rebus books, but he is easily recognised as just a slightly younger version of the man he is today. He struggles with maintaining relationships - they require an effort he finds hard to give. He is basically a loner and needs to be free to do his own thing. He has a gift for solving crimes but again needs to do it on his own. He is also whip smart and I find him very entertaining.
The mystery in this book is convoluted and ends up with the most unlikely person being the murderer. Even Rebus loses track at certain moments but he puts everything together when it counts.
This is a short, sharp story in the fashion of the early books in the series and I enjoyed it very much. Now to find that other one I have not read yet!
March 25, 2025
4 stars
short review for busy readers:
What do stolen rare books, a police raid on a posh brothel and the murder of a Scottish MP's wife have to do with each other? Rebus doesn't know, but his bloodhound senses are awakened and any Rebus fan will know that means lots of glib remarks, drink, brooding and beating the rest of the Edinburgh constabulary to the solution.
in detail:
"Strip Jack" is an early Rebus that starts a bit wobbly but really takes off around page 50. Rankin said this was his final novel as an "apprentice" police procedural crime writer. I can see what he means.
The mystery is solidly built, even the side characters are realistically drawn, the investigator's private life is a muddle -- but the novel is still short and lean enough to be a practice piece. Only once these elements, and a modicum of writing ability, are nailed down can any real bulk or socio-political elements happen.
Not all readers like bulk, but most publishing houses do. You can see Rankin maturing in this one, and having fun with his native Fife into the bargain.
Good mystery, good writing, good Scottish Noir fun.
short review for busy readers:
What do stolen rare books, a police raid on a posh brothel and the murder of a Scottish MP's wife have to do with each other? Rebus doesn't know, but his bloodhound senses are awakened and any Rebus fan will know that means lots of glib remarks, drink, brooding and beating the rest of the Edinburgh constabulary to the solution.
in detail:
"Strip Jack" is an early Rebus that starts a bit wobbly but really takes off around page 50. Rankin said this was his final novel as an "apprentice" police procedural crime writer. I can see what he means.
The mystery is solidly built, even the side characters are realistically drawn, the investigator's private life is a muddle -- but the novel is still short and lean enough to be a practice piece. Only once these elements, and a modicum of writing ability, are nailed down can any real bulk or socio-political elements happen.
Not all readers like bulk, but most publishing houses do. You can see Rankin maturing in this one, and having fun with his native Fife into the bargain.
Good mystery, good writing, good Scottish Noir fun.
August 27, 2025
“He didn’t have skeletons in his closet, he had a crematorium.”
His name probably should have been “Gregor JOHN”! When MP Gregor Jack was rounded up in an Edinburgh brothel raid in the company of a prostitute who was willing to flash her fulsome attributes to the gathered photographers and journalists, his political reputation was bound to be put through a grinder. But when his wife subsequently disappears from the local social scene and is found to have been murdered, Jack’s obvious motive and lack of an alibi has his political opponents baying like a pack of wolves for his demise, not to mention his arrest and imprisonment. Detective Inspector John Rebus remains unconvinced and, like the proverbial hound chewing at a bone, worries at the idea that Gregor Jack had been intentionally set up for a political crash and burn.
Despite the convincing realism of the novel’s underlying premise, STRIP JACK is a slow burn, purely character driven police procedural. And, make no mistake, the character development - most notably Inspector Rebus, of course – is graphic, colourful, atmospheric and quite compelling. But the sad fact is that the story itself, a slow burn as I already hinted, does nothing but smoke and smolder for the entire length of the novel. No action or suspense to speak of, no red herrings, and nary a thrill or chill anywhere in sight that might ignite the pile of kindling into a hot flame!
STRIP JACK is the third Rebus novel that I’ve read and it’s my third tepid and lukewarm reaction to a character who for many readers seems quite popular. Obviously a case of different strokes for different folks but if a fourth attempt at the series doesn’t generate a solid WOW for me, that will put paid to the entire series. At least it will make for a generous contribution to our local Little Free Library boxes. My reaction for the moment is, “Do I have the next Peter Robinson novel in the Inspector Banks series?”
Paul Weiss
His name probably should have been “Gregor JOHN”! When MP Gregor Jack was rounded up in an Edinburgh brothel raid in the company of a prostitute who was willing to flash her fulsome attributes to the gathered photographers and journalists, his political reputation was bound to be put through a grinder. But when his wife subsequently disappears from the local social scene and is found to have been murdered, Jack’s obvious motive and lack of an alibi has his political opponents baying like a pack of wolves for his demise, not to mention his arrest and imprisonment. Detective Inspector John Rebus remains unconvinced and, like the proverbial hound chewing at a bone, worries at the idea that Gregor Jack had been intentionally set up for a political crash and burn.
Despite the convincing realism of the novel’s underlying premise, STRIP JACK is a slow burn, purely character driven police procedural. And, make no mistake, the character development - most notably Inspector Rebus, of course – is graphic, colourful, atmospheric and quite compelling. But the sad fact is that the story itself, a slow burn as I already hinted, does nothing but smoke and smolder for the entire length of the novel. No action or suspense to speak of, no red herrings, and nary a thrill or chill anywhere in sight that might ignite the pile of kindling into a hot flame!
STRIP JACK is the third Rebus novel that I’ve read and it’s my third tepid and lukewarm reaction to a character who for many readers seems quite popular. Obviously a case of different strokes for different folks but if a fourth attempt at the series doesn’t generate a solid WOW for me, that will put paid to the entire series. At least it will make for a generous contribution to our local Little Free Library boxes. My reaction for the moment is, “Do I have the next Peter Robinson novel in the Inspector Banks series?”
Paul Weiss
April 13, 2023
Inspector Rebus case No. 4: Yet another interesting and well composed Rebus case. MP Gregor Jack is found by the police and press at a brothel - and that's just the start of the MP's troubles. Rebus is sympathetic to Jack as the media frenzy picks up pace, but as more is revealed, he begins to have doubts about the Jack. As ever Rebus' personal life is also featured, which adds to the authentic feel that this series has. 7 out of 12, Three Star read. One of the best (literary) written detective serials.
June 17, 2021
Ian Rankin's Rebus books remind me strongly of both Scandinavian crime fiction (dark, rainy, and everyone is hiding something) and P.D. James' Dalgliesh series (Rebus is educated and has excellent instincts). John Rebus can see both sides of any crime—why it was done and why it was a poor choice. He has some sympathy for the people that he's hunting.
This is the most engaging novel so far in the series. Rankin uses the plot device of the complicated relationships of a group of school friends. Are they really friends or just frenemies? Who's sleeping with whom? Whose marriage is in danger? Who is short of cash? Who can be blackmailed and who might be perpetrating it? Who will spill the details? Rebus questions everyone, keeps his eyes open, and pieces together the picture like an excellent jigsaw puzzler.
There's just enough office politics to keep us on our toes, but not so much as to bog things down. Likewise with Rebus' domestic arrangements, although it's my prediction that Patience will have to live up to her name. I think she's merely a pause in Rebus' perpetual motion.
Cross posted at my blog:
https://wanda-thenextfifty.blogspot.c...
This is the most engaging novel so far in the series. Rankin uses the plot device of the complicated relationships of a group of school friends. Are they really friends or just frenemies? Who's sleeping with whom? Whose marriage is in danger? Who is short of cash? Who can be blackmailed and who might be perpetrating it? Who will spill the details? Rebus questions everyone, keeps his eyes open, and pieces together the picture like an excellent jigsaw puzzler.
There's just enough office politics to keep us on our toes, but not so much as to bog things down. Likewise with Rebus' domestic arrangements, although it's my prediction that Patience will have to live up to her name. I think she's merely a pause in Rebus' perpetual motion.
Cross posted at my blog:
https://wanda-thenextfifty.blogspot.c...
February 24, 2019
A complex web of college friends now mostly successful adults present some baffling puzzles for Rebus to untangle, not before deaths and not without Rebus losing his hair to fire in a battle to bring justice.
August 8, 2022
An early Rebus when he was gentler and had more humour. Some good puns in this story. An MP Gregor Jack is caught in a police raid in a brothel. Then his wife Liz disappears. There is two groups of friends with lots of red herrings. Rankin shares his musical tastes with Rebus and Jack liking similar music.
Holmes is Rebus’s partner and their relationship is one with lots of humour.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Rebus thinks he has solved the case when he thinks Steele a bookshop owner who is having an affair with Liz. However, it turns out to be the husband with no clear explanation of why he did it as he jumps off a cliff into a fast flowing river and his body is never found. Still a good read and well plotted.
Holmes is Rebus’s partner and their relationship is one with lots of humour.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Rebus thinks he has solved the case when he thinks Steele a bookshop owner who is having an affair with Liz. However, it turns out to be the husband with no clear explanation of why he did it as he jumps off a cliff into a fast flowing river and his body is never found. Still a good read and well plotted.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 28, 2018
This is the fourth entry in the Inspector Rebus series. I enjoyed it but it was not my favorite of the four I have now read. It seemed slow at times but a true police procedural would probably proceed like this while the police interview suspects.
It centered around a group of childhood friends who kept in touch and socialized over the years. A MP Gregor Jack is picked up in a raid at a brothel and the press are there already. Inspector Rebus suspects a set up against the the popular MP. He tries to locate Gregor Jack's wife as he wants to interview her and find out who could be setting up her husband. Gregor Jack's wife leads a separate and different life style than her husband. The procedural process begins. There is also an investigation in the burglary of rare old books that starts out the book.
I always enjoy the location of a mystery set in Scotland. Inspector Rebus is a tenacious and independent thinker. Looking forward to the next book in the series. I have a lot of good reading ahead as this book is really an early book in the series.
It centered around a group of childhood friends who kept in touch and socialized over the years. A MP Gregor Jack is picked up in a raid at a brothel and the press are there already. Inspector Rebus suspects a set up against the the popular MP. He tries to locate Gregor Jack's wife as he wants to interview her and find out who could be setting up her husband. Gregor Jack's wife leads a separate and different life style than her husband. The procedural process begins. There is also an investigation in the burglary of rare old books that starts out the book.
I always enjoy the location of a mystery set in Scotland. Inspector Rebus is a tenacious and independent thinker. Looking forward to the next book in the series. I have a lot of good reading ahead as this book is really an early book in the series.
October 9, 2014
This is the fourth book in Ian Rankin's series starring the smart but independent detective Rebus. At this stage of the series Rebus has not evolved into the complex character that we see in the later books and the crime story has a relatively simple plot. Nevertheless Rebus is true to from, disheveled and anti-authoritarian, living a bachelor existence in his bland flat and grungy pubs, constantly letting his girlfriend down by missing dates and prevaricating about moving in with her.
The plot centres around an Edinburgh MP, Gregor Jack who is caught in a raid on a brothel. The press have been tipped off about the raid leading Rebus to think the popular MP has been set up by one of his political enemies. When Gregor's wife, the party loving Elizabeth, goes missing, Rebus suspects a plot to oust the MP and sets out to find the missing woman and the truth.
This is a novel set very firmly in Scotland with Rebus' investigations take him not only into the rough side and the privileged side of Edinburgh but also into the towns of nearby Fife and the highlands of Scotland. The landscape is often bleak or rugged and beautiful and the weather is often dreary and this all adds atmosphere to the basic plot, along with the authentic sounding Scottish dialogue. A very good basic, gritty crime story. Love it!
The plot centres around an Edinburgh MP, Gregor Jack who is caught in a raid on a brothel. The press have been tipped off about the raid leading Rebus to think the popular MP has been set up by one of his political enemies. When Gregor's wife, the party loving Elizabeth, goes missing, Rebus suspects a plot to oust the MP and sets out to find the missing woman and the truth.
This is a novel set very firmly in Scotland with Rebus' investigations take him not only into the rough side and the privileged side of Edinburgh but also into the towns of nearby Fife and the highlands of Scotland. The landscape is often bleak or rugged and beautiful and the weather is often dreary and this all adds atmosphere to the basic plot, along with the authentic sounding Scottish dialogue. A very good basic, gritty crime story. Love it!
November 25, 2019
3,5 diyebilirim. 3-3,5 verdiğim bir kitabı bu kadar sevmemin sebebi John Rebus. Hikaye veya çözümü çok çarpıcı değil ama karakteri sevdiğim için bunları göz ardı edebiliyorum. Bu seriyi düzenli ve özenli bir şekilde bizlere sunan Alfa’ya da naçizane teşekkürlerimi sunmak isterim.
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May 7, 2024
Full Review to follow.
[First Read: 6th April, 2012. 4 Stars.
Second Read: 3rd May, 2024. 4 Stars.]
[First Read: 6th April, 2012. 4 Stars.
Second Read: 3rd May, 2024. 4 Stars.]
July 21, 2017
An early entry in the Inspector Rebus series, when he was gentler and kinder......well, at least somewhat. This is a short book and a quick and satisfactory read. A popular and squeaky clean MP is caught in a police raid of a high class brothel It appears that someone has notified the press ahead of time and they are waiting at the door with cameras ready. The MP's wife, daughter of a rich and powerful industrialist, is out of town and can't be located. It doesn't take long to find her......dead and dumped in a local river But that is just the beginning of a series of strange and twisting story lines that will keep you guessing. I did guess who the murderer was but as Rebus would say, it was just "an inspired thought".
I like the earlier Rebus books since he becomes a nasty piece of work in later stories. I would suggest that readers new to the series, read in somewhat of a chronological order to see how the author develops the character over the years.
I like the earlier Rebus books since he becomes a nasty piece of work in later stories. I would suggest that readers new to the series, read in somewhat of a chronological order to see how the author develops the character over the years.
November 30, 2020
'Strip Jack' by Ian Rankin is book four in the Inspector John Rebus series. I enjoyed the book! It is a very satisfying murder mystery. A highly respected MP is caught in a raid on a brothel, murdered women turn up, expensive books are stolen, and Rebus can't decide whether he should move in with his latest girlfriend. The quips fly between Rebus and his partner, Detective Sergeant Brian Holmes. Rebus is very happy in this book, unlike the previous novels.
Besides his different crime assignments as an Edinburgh police detective, Rebus has undergone some failed romances and a continuing dramatic family issue in previous novels in the series, so I recommend starting here: Knots and Crosses.
Besides his different crime assignments as an Edinburgh police detective, Rebus has undergone some failed romances and a continuing dramatic family issue in previous novels in the series, so I recommend starting here: Knots and Crosses.
October 18, 2020
3.5 stars
October 10, 2025
[IN PROGRESS]
Strip Jack is the fourth book in Ian Rankin's series featuring Edinburgh Detective Inspector John Rebus. I've been reading the series via audiobook, and initially started listening to this edition, available on Libby through my Library. After only a chapter, I had to cough up and buy the Audible edition instead, as I missed James MacPherson's narration.
This instalment opens with Rebus participating in a raid on an Edinburgh brothel after a tip-off. Popular MP Gregor Jack faces humiliation in the press in the aftermath and Rebus suspects a set-up by political opponents. The plot thickens when Jack's wife goes missing from their country estate and is later found dead in circumstances that echo another recent murder.
Strip Jack is the fourth book in Ian Rankin's series featuring Edinburgh Detective Inspector John Rebus. I've been reading the series via audiobook, and initially started listening to this edition, available on Libby through my Library. After only a chapter, I had to cough up and buy the Audible edition instead, as I missed James MacPherson's narration.
This instalment opens with Rebus participating in a raid on an Edinburgh brothel after a tip-off. Popular MP Gregor Jack faces humiliation in the press in the aftermath and Rebus suspects a set-up by political opponents. The plot thickens when Jack's wife goes missing from their country estate and is later found dead in circumstances that echo another recent murder.
September 19, 2017
Strip Jack by Ian Rankin.
The golden age of Scottish mysteries has arrived with Inspector Rebus. Mark this story as on the same level as John Dickson Carr at his best.
A must read for all addicted to elaborately entangled mysteries.
The golden age of Scottish mysteries has arrived with Inspector Rebus. Mark this story as on the same level as John Dickson Carr at his best.
A must read for all addicted to elaborately entangled mysteries.
January 31, 2024
The thing I like about Rebus is that he always has the need to get involved in something that troubles him. No matter how cut and dry an incident may look if something nags at him, he is compelled to find out for himself the truth of the matter if it's truly what it appears to be or if that something off leads somewhere even, Rebus did not expect. It's what makes him such a good DI and what draws me to him. Intricate story - antique book theft, a MP caught in a raid of a brothel, a murder by drowning, the disappearance of the MP's wife followed by her murder. Then there is the group of mysterious old buddies of the MP as well as his wife's friends and her wild parties and orgies. So much going on and it mostly all ties in together. Excellent story. I am really starting to enjoy John Rebus.
February 5, 2021
ವೇಶ್ಯಾವಾಟಿಕೆ ನಡೆಯುತ್ತಿದೆ ಎಂಬ ಖಚಿತ ಮಾಹಿತಿ ಆಧರಿಸಿ ದಾಳಿ ನಡೆಸಿದ ರೀಬಸ್ ಮತ್ತವನ ತಂಡಕ್ಕೆ ಅಚ್ಚರಿ ಕಾದಿದೆ. ಸ್ಥಳಿಯ ಎಮ್.ಪಿ. ಒಬ್ಬ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಸಿಗುತ್ತಾನೆ. ಅವ ಸಜ್ಜನ ಎಂದು ನಂಬಿದವ ರೀಬಸ್. ಈ ಸುದ್ದಿ ಹೊರಗೆ ಹರಡುತ್ತದೆ. ಅಷ್ಟರಲ್ಲಿ ಆ ಎಮ್.ಪಿ.ಯ ಪತ್ನಿ ನಾಪತ್ತೆಯಾಗುತ್ತಾಳೆ.
(ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಉಡುಪಿ ಶಾಸಕರ ಕತೆ ತರಹ ಇಲ್ವಾ?)
ಹುಡುಕಿಕೊಂಡು ಹೊರಟ ರೀಬಸ್ ಗೆ ಇದು ಎಮ್.ಪಿ.ಯ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿಸಲು ಮಾಡಿದ ಯತ್ನ ಎಂದರಿವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ? ಅಷ್ಟರಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನ ಪತ್ನಿಯ ಶವ ಸಿಗುತ್ತದೆ.
ಹಾಗಾದರೆ ನಡೆದದ್ದೇನು?
ರೀಬಸ್ ಇಷ್ಟ ಆಗೋದು ಅವನ ಯೋಚನಾ ಲಹರಿಯಿಂದ .ನಾವೇ ಹುಡುಕ್ತಾ ಇದೀವೋ ಎಂಬ ಭಾವನೆ ಅದಲ್ಲದೆ ಆ ಪರಿಸರದ ವಿವರಣೆಗೆ..
Loving the series
(ಸ್ವಲ್ಪ ಉಡುಪಿ ಶಾಸಕರ ಕತೆ ತರಹ ಇಲ್ವಾ?)
ಹುಡುಕಿಕೊಂಡು ಹೊರಟ ರೀಬಸ್ ಗೆ ಇದು ಎಮ್.ಪಿ.ಯ ಸಿಕ್ಕಿಸಲು ಮಾಡಿದ ಯತ್ನ ಎಂದರಿವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ? ಅಷ್ಟರಲ್ಲಿ ಅವನ ಪತ್ನಿಯ ಶವ ಸಿಗುತ್ತದೆ.
ಹಾಗಾದರೆ ನಡೆದದ್ದೇನು?
ರೀಬಸ್ ಇಷ್ಟ ಆಗೋದು ಅವನ ಯೋಚನಾ ಲಹರಿಯಿಂದ .ನಾವೇ ಹುಡುಕ್ತಾ ಇದೀವೋ ಎಂಬ ಭಾವನೆ ಅದಲ್ಲದೆ ಆ ಪರಿಸರದ ವಿವರಣೆಗೆ..
Loving the series
June 28, 2010
This book was my first forray into the Inspector Rebus series, and it was quite an enjoyable one. It had all the elements of a good mystery -multiple suspects, interwoven crimes, red herrings galore, and a detective with loads of intellect and personality to tie it all together.
I also liked how uniquely Scottish the book felt. The accents, the language, the constant misting rain - all added a terrific amount of atmosphere.
But the thing I liked best was Rebus' ability to be wrong. To get the right clues, but not read them in the right order or draw the correct conclusions. I loved that a lot of the mystery solving was luck, or team work, or the result of general stubborness.
My only critique is that the ending left many a motive still muddled. It wasn't a clear cut solution, which I often expect from a mystery novel. But it was a good read, with a great sleuth at the heart of it.
I also liked how uniquely Scottish the book felt. The accents, the language, the constant misting rain - all added a terrific amount of atmosphere.
But the thing I liked best was Rebus' ability to be wrong. To get the right clues, but not read them in the right order or draw the correct conclusions. I loved that a lot of the mystery solving was luck, or team work, or the result of general stubborness.
My only critique is that the ending left many a motive still muddled. It wasn't a clear cut solution, which I often expect from a mystery novel. But it was a good read, with a great sleuth at the heart of it.
June 29, 2019
araya paskalya filan girince bayağı elimde süründü kitap. biraz zayıf bir rebus macerasıydı sanki, serim ve düğüm iyiydi de çözüm beni tatmin etmedi. zaten belirsiz bittiğini söylüyor rebus da en sonunda. acaba başka macerada mı karşımıza çıkacak bazı karakterler bilemedim.
* serinin ilk 4 kitabı hakkında agos kirk'e yazdım. http://tembelveyazar.blogspot.com/201...
* serinin ilk 4 kitabı hakkında agos kirk'e yazdım. http://tembelveyazar.blogspot.com/201...
October 19, 2019
This is the 4th Inspector Rebus mystery, and I did like it, but it was an incredibly slow start, hence the 3 stars. I really like this series, so I knew if I kept reading, that I would be rewarded, and it has an ending that I did not see coming. Although there are still flawed characters, maybe because I’m getting used to him, I liked John Rebus a lot more in this book. Forward the series.
September 4, 2022
I found a stack of five or so Rebus novels in a Little Free Library. Since I'd been meaning to try one, I took the whole stack: #4, 6, 9, 14, 16, and 23. What this means is I'm missing all the background, and getting a discontinuous view of Rebus's private life and female companions. In "Strip Jack," he has a significant other, Dr. Patience Aitken, who doesn't love him but wants him to move in. She keeps pressing for a commitment. By the end of the book, he's moved in and rents out his place.
The story in "Strip Jack" is moderately interesting (politician caught in whorehouse, politician's wife winds up dead in a river not long after). What was unacceptable was the pitiful nicknames he and his group of college buddies had given each other in their salad days (yes, they're all still friends, maybe that's a Scottish thing?). Gregor was given the name Beggar. Someone became Bilbo because they liked Tolkien. Another was dubbed "Suey," not because he liked chop suey, but because he had once tried to commit suicide. And one was called Tampon because his name was Tom Pond.
May 5, 2017
In Ian Rankin’s Strip Jack, the fourth novel in his long-running murder mystery series, the newly promoted Edinburgh police Inspector John Rebus is decidedly unenthusiastic about the latest assignment from his sanctimonious boss, Chief Superintendent “Farmer” Watson. Rebus is ordered to join a large task force assembled for a midnight raid on a high-end brothel, where he dreads the idea of unmasking members of the city’s elite. However, once the police have stormed the house, he is surprised to find Gregor Jack MP sitting on a bed with an unclothed young woman. Jack has a reputation as both a man of integrity and a diligent representative of his constituency’s interests in London. “Most MPs, Rebus wouldn’t have given the time of day. But Gregor Jack was . . . well, he was Gregor Jack . . . ‘Mild’ was an adjective often used about Jack. So were ‘honest,’ ‘legal’ and ‘decent.'” Though fully clothed himself in the brothel, Jack’s carefully cultivated image is in tatters after he is marched in front of the cameras on his way to the police van that will take him into the station for questioning.
For Rebus, there are three questions to be answered: who informed the Chief Superintendent about the existence of the brothel, why was the MP found there, and who tipped off the press? These three questions turn out to be the key to unraveling a complex mystery surrounding two presumably linked murders that bedevil the police and entertain the press for weeks on end. Another, much less urgent case—the theft of several rare first editions from the home of a divinity professor at the University of Edinburgh—also proves to be crucial to identifying the murderer.
In the course of the investigation, Rebus and his colleagues are forced to navigate through the byzantine relationships among the friends surrounding Jack and his wife, Elizabeth, who is one of the murder victims. Rebus is convinced that one of these family friends is Elizabeth’s murderer, but a homeless and seemingly deranged man has confessed to both murders—and then fled. The Chief Superintendent and the Chief Inspector who is Rebus’ immediate superior are focused on tracking down the man and imprisoning him for both crimes. They’re under pressure from the police, and from Elizabeth’s influential father, to close the case quickly. Rebus is convinced that the man’s confession is full of holes. But he must work around his bosses to follow his instinct on a parallel investigation.
Strip Jack was published in 1992 and reflects police procedures and the technology available at that time. For example, a telephone booth figures in the mystery in a major way.
In the John Rebus mysteries, Ian Rankin makes generous use of words known only to Scots. For instance, “Both men had zippered their jackets against the snell wind and the occasional smirr.” Because Rankin is himself Scottish and has lived in Edinburgh for most of his life, I don’t hold this against him. Certainly, it’s easier to excuse than the pretentious practice of some English-language writers to sprinkle words and phrases in French or Italian throughout their books.
The title of this novel comes from a card game called “Strip Jack Naked” that is also sometimes known (in Scotland, presumably) as “Beggar Thy Neighbour.”
For Rebus, there are three questions to be answered: who informed the Chief Superintendent about the existence of the brothel, why was the MP found there, and who tipped off the press? These three questions turn out to be the key to unraveling a complex mystery surrounding two presumably linked murders that bedevil the police and entertain the press for weeks on end. Another, much less urgent case—the theft of several rare first editions from the home of a divinity professor at the University of Edinburgh—also proves to be crucial to identifying the murderer.
In the course of the investigation, Rebus and his colleagues are forced to navigate through the byzantine relationships among the friends surrounding Jack and his wife, Elizabeth, who is one of the murder victims. Rebus is convinced that one of these family friends is Elizabeth’s murderer, but a homeless and seemingly deranged man has confessed to both murders—and then fled. The Chief Superintendent and the Chief Inspector who is Rebus’ immediate superior are focused on tracking down the man and imprisoning him for both crimes. They’re under pressure from the police, and from Elizabeth’s influential father, to close the case quickly. Rebus is convinced that the man’s confession is full of holes. But he must work around his bosses to follow his instinct on a parallel investigation.
Strip Jack was published in 1992 and reflects police procedures and the technology available at that time. For example, a telephone booth figures in the mystery in a major way.
In the John Rebus mysteries, Ian Rankin makes generous use of words known only to Scots. For instance, “Both men had zippered their jackets against the snell wind and the occasional smirr.” Because Rankin is himself Scottish and has lived in Edinburgh for most of his life, I don’t hold this against him. Certainly, it’s easier to excuse than the pretentious practice of some English-language writers to sprinkle words and phrases in French or Italian throughout their books.
The title of this novel comes from a card game called “Strip Jack Naked” that is also sometimes known (in Scotland, presumably) as “Beggar Thy Neighbour.”
March 30, 2023
Another gripping entry into the DI John Rebus canon as he tries to solve the murder of the wife of a respected, albeit tarnished MP.
Set in a grimy Edinburgh - with plenty of jabs at the expense of Fifers and their accents - the book explores Rankin's usual themes of power, corruption and betrayal. The writing is sharp and insightful, capturing the complexities of human nature with sensitivity and nuance.
The plot is well-paced and contains enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Set in a grimy Edinburgh - with plenty of jabs at the expense of Fifers and their accents - the book explores Rankin's usual themes of power, corruption and betrayal. The writing is sharp and insightful, capturing the complexities of human nature with sensitivity and nuance.
The plot is well-paced and contains enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end.
⭐ ⭐ ⭐
February 26, 2017
An MP is found in a brothel during a raid, and it looks like someone set him up to be caught there. Then his wife goes missing and John Rebus is dealing with an entirely new ball game.
This one is a little bit different that the later Rebus novels. It is a gentle, distinctly whimsical feel to it. Ian Rankin's turns of phrase are often quite witty and whimsical.
It's an oddly delightful book.
Highly recommended.
This one is a little bit different that the later Rebus novels. It is a gentle, distinctly whimsical feel to it. Ian Rankin's turns of phrase are often quite witty and whimsical.
It's an oddly delightful book.
Highly recommended.
July 19, 2020
This was my first Inspector Rebus mystery - the preceding installments are all checked out at my library, so I started with #4. I have 1 & 2 on hold. I don't know if this is the type of series that needs to be read in order - I had no trouble jumping into book 4.
I liked it a lot - it reminded me a little bit of Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series. Good character development but still fairly plot driven. There will definitely be more Inspector Rebus in my future.
I liked it a lot - it reminded me a little bit of Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series. Good character development but still fairly plot driven. There will definitely be more Inspector Rebus in my future.
February 8, 2016
4 Full Stars.
Scandal, murder... who dunit?? With multiple suspects and lame alibis, who killed the victim?? Just when your suspicions seem confirmed, they go in a different direction; but find yourself back at square one. KISS
This series is definitely picking up. Rebus is a hoot, and Holmes is a close second.
Scandal, murder... who dunit?? With multiple suspects and lame alibis, who killed the victim?? Just when your suspicions seem confirmed, they go in a different direction; but find yourself back at square one. KISS
This series is definitely picking up. Rebus is a hoot, and Holmes is a close second.
April 11, 2021
Cada nuevo libro de esta saga me gusta más que el anterior. Me ha parecido una trama muy bien tejida , con muchos personajes (quizá demasiados), y doble investigación 🧐 , por un lado el robo de los libros al profesor de religión Dr Costello, por otro los asesinatos. La resolución de los casos muy trabajados por Rebus y su ayudante.
La recomiendo.
Valoración 8/10.
Leído el mes de abril 2021.
La recomiendo.
Valoración 8/10.
Leído el mes de abril 2021.
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