The Beat Goes On: The Complete Rebus Stories: From the iconic #1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES

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The Beat Goes On is a collection of short stories concerning John Rebus-right from his time as DS to DI, with another story concerning him whilst he was retired but still going at it like a good ole Detective. There is no detective like DI Rebus - brilliant, irascible and endlessly frustrating both to his friends and his long-suffering bosses. For over two decades he has walked through the dark places of Edinburgh . . . Add to that, on this occasion, the fact that the audiobook I listened to was read by the unsurpassable James Macpherson – a voice that embodies everything about the character of John Rebus, with his lilting tone and spot-on phrasing. The 30 plus stories flew by far too fast. It would feel churlish to single out favourites, so I won’t try. The overall quality is very high. The mood of the pieces varies: some stories are light and wryly amusing, others dark and unnerving. Most are of typical short story length but there is one longer tale here too. My feeling is that this collection is best read (or listened to) over an extended period, allowing space for the individual stories to breathe. I think there’s just too much density to the tales to allow constant immersion in this collection. And why spoil it, take your time and make it last.

The first book gifted to me in my Advent Book Calendar. I’m not quite sure how they work - as I to read a book per day in December? That would have been possible for me before my many commitments. But not any more. Not to mention my intolerable chronic pain that keeps tapping me on the shoulder. In dieser Anthologie sind 31 Kurzgeschichten über Rebus versammelt, die zwischen 1990 und 2014 entstanden sind. Wir erleben Rebus also als jungen Polizisten, älter werdend, bis hin zur Pension. As per the collection, I would never choose something like this to read. But since it is in the advent book box, I accepted the challenge. The worst part about the collection was that they were all so PREDICTABLE. Rankin writes in the same way for every story. I could predict when to stop and prepare a chapter update because, of course, detective Rebus solved every single case. Amazing. Hurrah. A round of applause. Or 29 rounds, one for every short story.Edinburgh is also a formidable presence and Rankin draws on the history and literature of his adopted city, as well as portraying the lives of its wealthy and destitute. Castle Dangerous focuses on the death of a retired QC who shares a name and knighthood with the Scottish historical novelist Sir Walter Scott. The old lawyer’s body is even found by the Scott Monument. Being Frank is a touching tale about a gentleman of the road. The Passenger, a new story, is inspired by Muriel Spark and is one of the more sinister in this collection. Officers from other cities, people Rebus met from time to time, would remark how cushy he had it in Edinburgh. Such a beautiful place, and prosperous. So little crime. They thought a dangerous city had to look dangerous. The moments of humour provide a sharp contrast to some of the grittier stories. There's some heavy stuff dealt with here. The detritus and pain of people's lives.

Still, I liked this anthology exceptionally well. For one thing, because I'm a big fan of Inspector Rebus. And secondly, because almost all stories contain a good dose of humor. As a result, the atmosphere is much less gloomy than in the novels and I was able to smile a lot while reading. Last year, after one of his friends died unexpectedly at a young age, Ian Rankin announced that he'd be taking a year or two off from novel writing to have a bit of a rest. I assume this collection of short stories has been issued to fill the void that many of us Rebus fans would have felt without a new book for the winter. And, since I haven't read any of these before, it filled that void very satisfactorily. Brilliant, irascible and frequently frustrating to both his friends and his long-suffering bosses, John Rebus has made the dark places of Edinburgh his home for over two decades. THE BEAT GOES ON collects all of Ian Rankin's Rebus short stories for the first time, including two never-before published tales written specifically for this collection. But despite it being 21 days, I finally read it all, save for the last chapter which I don’t quite care about - yes I appreciate the short stories but I don’t want to know about your life. It seems mediocre. I prefer fiction. The Beat Goes On combines much-loved classics with previously unpublished gems from other media, and includes two brand-new stories written specifically for this collection - 'The Passenger' and 'A Three-Pint Problem'.This anthology brings together 31 short stories about Rebus that were written between 1990 and 2014. So we experience Rebus as a young police officer, getting older, right up to retirement. There is no detective like DI Rebus. Brilliant, irascible and endlessly frustrating to both his friends and his long-suffering bosses, he has made the dark places of Edinburgh his comfort and his home for over two decades. From his beginnings as a young Detective Constable in 'Dead and Buried', right up to his dramatic - but as it turns out, not quite final - retirement in 'The Very Last Drop', we see one of the most compelling, brilliant and mesmeric characters of modern times in his every guise and very much in his element.