The Impossible Dead - review

Malcolm Fox, the cop who investigates other cops, first encountered in The Complaints, returns to the fray, ailing father and nagging sister still in tow. This time the rubber-heeler and his two sidekicks, Tony and Joe, are investigating a nasty detective suspected of getting freebies from a hooker in return for not arresting her.

The detective's uncle, an ex-cop now running a security firm, is found dead soon after his nephew is released from custody. However, the reasons for the murder quickly appear to stretch back to 1985 when a terrorist fighting for Scottish independence died in a suspicious car smash.

Confused? You're meant to be. Gripped? Alas, you're not likely to be. Coming from anyone other than a superstar author such as Ian Rankin, The Impossible Dead would be promising rather than disappointing. No one writes dialogue that seethes with conflict as well as him. His sense of place - even in holes such as Kirkcaldy - lends authenticity to an overcomplicated plot.

The trouble is Malcolm and his crew are always
being given the runaround by their self-righteous colleagues and this rapidly becomes as tiresome for the reader as it is for them. The result, including a last-minute shootout in the woods, is simply dull. If only Rebus could be resurrected.