Brilliant ... Rankin controls the release of vital information with great skill. In a House of Lies is a highly complex procedural that grips from the first sentence. The large cast includes gangster Big Ger Cafferty and — hurrah! — Brillo, his devoted rescue dog. No one in Britain writes better crime novels today.
Very early on Ian Rankin made the wise decision to have his character Detective Inspector John Rebus age with the series, fictional time and real-life time marching in step. This has contributed to making him the credible figure he has become. It has also helped to make the series social novels as well as crime novels ... As ever, Rankin contrives to marry intricate plotting to a narrative that never slackens its pace. He has become a consummate craftsman, his novels put together like pieces of fine furniture. They make for easy reading, but easy reading in this kind of novel is almost always made possible by hard writing. All fiction demands a willingness on the part of the reader to accept conventions and suspend disbelief. Reading a Rankin novel makes this surrender easy.
[Rankin} has gone on to become one of the most accomplished crime writers of his time. Each book more anticipated than the last, readers have long been enthralled with Rankin’s unique writing style and superb storytelling abilities ... A gripping story of corruption and consequences, this new novel demonstrates that Rankin and Rebus are still at the top of their game.
