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Book Summary and Reviews of In a House of Lies by Ian Rankin

In a House of Lies by Ian Rankin

In a House of Lies

An Inspector Rebus Novel

by Ian Rankin

  • Published:
  • Dec 2018, 384 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

A new investigation threatens to unearth skeletons from Rebus's past in this "must-read" (Tana French) mystery.

Rebus' retirement is disrupted once again when skeletal remains are identified as a private investigator who went missing over a decade earlier. The remains, found in a rusted car in the East Lothian woods, not far from Edinburgh, quickly turn into a cold case murder investigation. Rebus' old friend, Siobhan Clarke is assigned to the case, but neither of them could have predicted what buried secrets the investigation will uncover.

Rebus remembers the original case - a shady land deal - all too well. After the investigation stalled, the family of the missing man complained that there was a police cover-up. As Clarke and her team investigate the cold case murder, she soon learns a different side of her mentor, a side he would prefer to keep in the past.

A gripping story of corruption and consequences, this new novel demonstrates that Rankin and Rebus are still at the top of their game.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Rankin remains a master of the contemporary police procedural." - Publishers Weekly

"There's no one like Ian Rankin for bringing us right into the world of detectives. For anyone who's fascinated by the inner workings of that world, and all its tricky, brutal, expert ruthlessness, In A House of Lies is a must-read." - Tana French

"Loved In A House of Lies. How does Rebus keep on getting better and better? Ian Rankin is a genius." - Lee Child

"Rankin remains the most consistent practitioner of finely crafted, richly detailed, literary crime novels being produced today. He's always been at the top of his game, and this latest is no exception." - Linwood Barclay

"In A House of Lies shows how investigations of historic crimes are currently shaping our world and who the casualties are. Thrillingly told, with the best cast in contemporary crime, Rankin is one of the most significant social commentators of our time. Just read the book. It says it better than I can." - Denise Mina

"Definitely not to be missed. Ian's at the top of his form here, and no reader will go away disappointed." - Peter Robinson

"In A House of Lies is Ian Rankin's Latest and Greatest. It is stunning. I didn't sleep for three nights reading it." - Jilly Cooper

"This is absolutely wonderful. Clever, gripping, a fabulous read." - Kate Mosse

This information about In a House of Lies was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Ian Rankin Author Biography

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.

After university and before his success with his Rebus novels, Ian had a number of jobs including working as a grape-picker, a swineherd, a journalist for a hi-fi magazine, and a taxman. Following his marriage in 1986, he lived briefly in London where he worked at the National Folktale Centre, followed by a short time living in France, before returning to Edinburgh.

Ian's first novel Summer Rites remains in his bottom drawer, but his second novel, The Flood, was published in 1986, while his first Rebus novel, Knots & Crosses, was published in 1987. The Rebus series is now ...

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