A Song for the Dark Times

An Inspector Rebus Novel

By: Ian Rankin

Narrated by: James Macpherson

"He’s gone…"

When his daughter Samantha calls in the dead of night, John Rebus knows it’s not good news. Her husband has been missing for two days.

Rebus fears the worst – and knows from his lifetime in the police that his daughter will be the prime suspect.

He wasn’t the best father – the job always came first – but now his daughter needs him more than ever. But is he going as a father or a detective?

As he leaves at dawn to drive to the windswept coast – and a small town with big secrets – he wonders whether this might be the first time in his life where the truth is the one thing he doesn’t want to find…

A thrilling new Rebus novel about crime, punishment, and redemption, from the Edgar Award-winning "genius" of the genre (Lee Child, bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series)

Critic reviews

Praise for IN A HOUSE OF LIES

"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

"Rather Be the Devil will not disappoint - in the last 30 pages or so, Rankin delivers so many shocking but
satisfying twists I felt I might have whiplash."—Tampa Bay Times

"One of the best things in crime fiction for years, but Rankin kicks it up several notches here."

—Booklist (Starred Review)

an old friend returns

I'm not sure why but I let several Rebus books lapse before returning to the series with this one. I've always liked the series, even visited the Oxford Bar in Edinburgh between books in the series. But, whatever, I'm back.

In this book Rebus is retired and getting old, he's even got COPD and has moved to the first floor of his building so he doesn't have to walk up steps anymore. Then he gets a call that his daughter's partner has gone missing and he's needed. Rebus gets involved in the case even though he's not a detective anymore. But once a detective always a detective it seems. And the setting goes to the northern tip of Scotland, who knew there was an actual town in Scotland named Tongue?

It's a good Rebus, a page turner for me. I'm going to have to check out those books I missed. Enjoy

An excellent listen!

As usual, Ian Rankin, bring Rebus to life once again.
Brilliant writing, providing and real sense of northern Scotland.
Totally believable characters and an interesting story line.

One of the best Rebus stories

Didn’t want ‘A Song for the Dark Times’ to end as I fear we might not get much more in the way of John Rebus novels! But what a sweet post-retirement tale of love, loss, and family reconciliation. If you’ve followed these stories for any length of time, this one is a must but would recommend you start earlier on in the series (as long as James Macpherson is the narrator).

typical Rebus

John Rebus finds being retired has its drawbacks when his daughter is suspected of murder. It's up to him to help point the local constabulary in the right direction .

Another great rebus

I find myself wondering whether to give it 4 or 5 stars--4.5 on all counts if I were fair. Anyway, it's Rebus in retirement and still going hard, Siovan (forgive spelling) at work and going hard too. Good crimes, both.