In a House of Lies

In a House of Lies is the 22nd instalment in the Inspector Rebus series written by Ian Rankin. In a House of Lies entered the hardback chart at No. 1 on the first week of its release.[1]

In a House of Lies
First edition
AuthorIan Rankin
CountryScotland
LanguageEnglish
SeriesInspector Rebus
Release number
22
GenreDetective fiction
Set inScotland
PublisherOrion
Published in English
October 2018
Media typeHardback
Pages372
ISBN9781409176886
Preceded byRather Be the Devil 
WebsiteAuthor's webpage

Plot

Some boys discover a car in a deep gully in some woodland. Inside is a handcuffed corpse; the ex-lover of the dead man was the son of a serving detective inspector in what was the old Lothian & Borders Police Force of Rebus' day before it became Police Scotland. As ever, Rebus and also 'Big Ger' Cafferty, are connected to the case and end up featuring prominently in the investigation, in which Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke is also a major player.[2][3]

Rebus is suffering from COPD and has given up cigarettes and almost stopped drinking alcohol.[4][5]

Background

Ian Rankin has stated that inspiration for the novel in part came from the murder of Daniel Morgan,[6] who was a private detective in South London in the late 1980s.[7] He died of axe wounds to his head in a pub car park in Sydenham, South London in 1987.[8] He was investigating alleged police corruption at the time.[9]

Critical reception

Reception to the book was largely positive; Barry Forshaw, writing in The Guardian said "How has Rankin kept the series fresh for 22 novels? Deft characterisation. Readers must keep up with a lengthy dramatis personae, but there’s nothing wrong with making us work a little."[10] Likewise, Mark Sanderson, writing in the Evening Standard called the book "A brilliantly twisted case for Rebus" and that "..no one in Britain writes better crime novels today."[11] Paul Connolly (The Metro) gave the novel four stars out of five and said that the novel had:

a plot so complex it will elude anything other than total concentration, Rankin crafts one of the great Rebus novels, a vibrant slab of a book as gripping as it is intoxicating.[12]

Julian Cole, writing in the Northern Echo, gave the book four stars out of five, but said that "...[a] good rattling read, let down only by too many unnecessary dialogue modifiers."[13]

References
  1. Beckerman, Hannah (3 November 2018). "Ian Rankin: 'I couldn't get on with War and Peace'". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  2. McCann, Michael J. "A book review by Michael J. McCann: In a House of Lies (A Rebus Novel)". www.nyjournalofbooks.com. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  3. Cogdill, Oline H. "Ian Rankin and John Rebus return in 'House of Lies'". inquirer.com. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  4. Davies, Paul (25 October 2019). "BOOK REVIEW: 'In a House of Lies'". The Washington Times. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  5. Massie, Alan (6 October 2018). "Book review: In A House Of Lies, by Ian Rankin". The Scotsman. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  6. Roy, David (15 November 2018). "Ian Rankin on In A House of Lies, Rebus: Long Shadows & his favourite Irish writers". The Irish News. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  7. Gibb, Frances (6 July 2018). "Met facing payout for framing trio for axe murder of Daniel Morgan". The Times. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  8. Dodd, Vikram (28 May 2018). "Daniel Morgan murder: new delays hit inquiry into 31-year-old case". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  9. Hamilton, Fiona (2 November 2017). "Behind the story of the Daniel Morgan murder case". The Times. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  10. Forshaw, Barry (5 October 2018). "The best recent thrillers – review roundup". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  11. Sanderson, Mark (4 October 2018). "In a House of Lies by Ian Rankin - review". Evening Standard. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  12. Connolly, Paul (21 October 2018). "Book Reviews: In A House Of Lies, Bright Young Dead, Milkman". Metro Newspaper UK. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
  13. Cole, Julian (15 October 2018). "Book releases including In A House Of Lies by Ian Rankin". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
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