Friday, January 06, 2012

The Impossible Dead by Ian Rankin (Little, Brown)

Inspector Malcolm Fox and two assistants have been sent from Edinburgh to investigate police corruption in the town of Kirkcaldy, County Fife. Fox is a member of what we in the Colonies call Internal Affairs and in Scotland is known as Complaints—a division of all police departments despised by other coppers. Their only responsibility is the investigation of police corruption.

Fox and his crew are to widen the investigation of Paul Carter (already confirmed as a policeman willing to exchange sexual favors from women in order to overlook minor offenses). Several other policemen may be involved with Carter, if for nothing but overlooking his misdeeds. Carter was turned in by his uncle, ex-cop Alan Carter. As Fox and his team widen their investigation, Alan Carter turns up dead—an apparent suicide. To complicate matters it appears that Alan Carter was looking at a case he was involved in back in 1985.

The team must decide the investigation’s width and whether there is any connection between the two cases, realizing they will be stepping on official toes!

There is good reason Ian Rankin is considered among the best writers of the genre.
--Stephen Bank

1 comment:

Maddy said...

I love Ian Rankin's novels, although I try and pace myself as they make me feel a bit homesick. Thank you.