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THE COMPLAINTS
by Ian Rankin
Orion, September 2009
400 pages
$34.95 CAD
ISBN: 0752889516


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

As they used to say in ancient Rome, quis custodiet ipsos custodes, or who's keeping an eye on the watchmen? Somebody has to, and in this case, it's Malcolm Fox, who works for the Complaints division of the Edinburgh police, investigating allegations of police misconduct. In short, he works for what is bitterly called the Rat Squad on American television, but unlike that unlovely group, Malcolm is a decent sort, slow to condemn and careful to investigate.

But if Malcolm is keeping an eye on his fellow coppers, it transpires that someone in turn is keeping an eye on him. (Where does this sort of thing end?) Malcolm's sister Jude, a heavy drinker but, unlike her brother, not interested in climbing on the wagon, is abused by her partner, Vince, who turns up dead shortly after he managed to break Jude's arm. Jude clearly couldn't have done it, but did Malcolm decide to teach Vincent a lesson he wouldn't forget? DCI Billy Giles, who is incidentally the best friend of someone Fox currently has under investigation for corruption, appears to think so. At least he is managing to make life miserable for both Fox and his sister.

Meanwhile, Fox has been put to checking up on Jamie Breck, who is under suspicion of paedophilia as his credit card has been used to access a kiddie porn internet site. Though the possibility of such behaviour disgusts him, Fox finds himself liking Breck very much and it is this relationship that lifts the books above the mere competent police procedural it might otherwise have been. We rarely see depictions of male friendship in crime fiction except for the stereotypical sidekick sort of thing. Indeed, descriptions of adult males forming close friendships after they leave school are quite rare in fiction, as indeed they are in real life. Rankin's delicate, careful delineation of the growing closeness between the two is a pleasure to observe, as are the small but significant alterations to Fox's rather isolated life.

It goes without saying that we all miss Rebus, but it's time to move on. Though it is unclear whether THE COMPLAINTS is intended as the first in a new series, the ending leaves that possibility open and I would be very happy to see Malcolm Fox return very soon.

Reviewed by Yvonne Klein, December 2009

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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