The Complaints

I've always enjoyed Ian Rankin's detective novels starring the dour Inspector Rebus. Rebus has just retired and Ian Rankin has developed a new character, Inspector Fox.

Foxy works for the complaints, which is to say he investigates other police officers. Like Rebus before him, he is a flawed character. This makes him seem very life-like and I think he will grow to be as well loved as the character of Rebus.

The plot is as good as any that's gone before, with clever twists and great secondary characters. The interplay between the police officers of different stations and different departments is very well done. Never having been a police officer I can't really say how true to life it is, but for the reader it's most enjoyable.

It's also bang up to date, referring to the credit crunch and the demise of Woolworths. I suppose one might be able to study Scottish social history through Ian Rankin's books!

This was an enjoyable throw-away detective novel and I'll be watching out for the next Inspector Fox book!