Excellent narration

This was the first book with Rebus that drew me into the series and I have just revisited it after many years. Thankfully it’s just as good as I remember it being and the narration by James McPherson only serves to make it even better. Highly recommended.

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A excellent Rebus novel

Well paced novel with a good mix of characters, badies we can dislike, goodies sufficiently nuanced to be believable. Rubus as irreverent and anti establishment as ever, braking rules with happy disregard. The plot is twisty and satisfyingly complex. lt is also very well narrated with a good range of accents and both male and female roles played well.

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Rankin at his best

I'm listening to the Rebus books in order and so far this is the best one.

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Fascinating-----riveting

Having lived through the Bible John saga etc. there were answers proffered and even more lanes to go up.
Have promised myself to start it all again at the beginning to savour all the bits I'm sure I missed

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2 people found this helpful

Good however a little disjointed at times

I thought the overall performance from the narrator was excellent. I did have a few problems with the logical consistency of the plot. However overall I enjoyed the audiobook and think a second listen will make everything clearer for me.

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Excellent as always

Really great as always enjoyed listening to it couldn't switch it off wanted it to keep going

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Great

What did you like most about Black and Blue?

One of the best of the John Rebus books, well written, well narrated

What other book might you compare Black and Blue to, and why?

Hanging Garden

Have you listened to any of James Macpherson’s other performances? How does this one compare?

Good as always

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I enjoy listening for a few chapters at a time

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Brutal and engaging

Ian Rankin at his best. a not stop roller coaster taking you from the depths of Scotland underworld and a man facing his personal demons to the high of self realisation.

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Rebus in Purgatory

Rebus is facing an internal affairs inquiry over a long-ago case in which there’s more than a suggestion of corruption and cover-up. Worse still, a TV documentary on the subject is in progress. Rebus is drinking and smoking too much. Then he finds himself probing the brutal torture and murder of an oilman. There’s also the small matter of a spate of murders apparently inspired by the unsolved Bible John killings back in late 1960s Glasgow: the most notorious real-life murders in modern criminal history. ‘Johnny Bible’ appears to idolise the serial killer who terrorised the city. This is the most ambitious of the Rebus titles so far in the series (I’m listening in order from the beginning). It’s successful because it weaves together plot-lines and frankly because of Bible John, who continues to fascinate (maybe he read this book… if so, what did he make of it?) it’s also an exploration of the oil industry, and the good and bad consequences for the Scottish economy and environment. Big Ger Cafferty makes only a fleeting appearance. That’s also a bonus - I find him a bore… there is the odd loose end and at times my head was swimming with elaborate plot-lines. Perhaps the overriding reason for the novel’s success is that Rebus is in Purgatory: embattled and fighting for his career, and indeed for his life. That adds a real sense of jeopardy, while the prose is sharp and at times almost James Ellroy-esque, or certainly influenced by him. This was a turning-point novel in the series, and it comes with a revealing foreword from Rankin himself, explaining the background to its inspiration and composition.

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Good story, very well read

This is a great story funny, shockingand really enjoyable.
The narrator is excellent and really brings the words to life.

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