Mystery

A Song for the Dark Times

A Song for the Dark Times

  • Downloads：3094
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-05 00:52:19
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Ian Rankin
  • ISBN：1409176991
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

"He’s gone…"
 
When his daughter Samantha calls in the dead of night， John Rebus knows it’s not good news。 Her husband has been missing for two days。
 
Rebus fears the worst – and knows from his lifetime in the police that his daughter will be the prime suspect。
 
He wasn’t the best father – the job always came first – but now his daughter needs him more than ever。  But is he going as a father or a detective？
 
As he leaves at dawn to drive to the windswept coast – and a small town with big secrets – he wonders whether this might be the first time in his life where the truth is the one thing he doesn’t want to find…

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Reviews

Sheila Ross ，

I love that Rebus novels are set in my hometown of Edinburgh and other parts of Scotland that I know well。 This latest Rebus novel doesn’t disappoint， with Rebus and Clarke in cahoots and a prickly relationship between Rebus and his daughter。 The storylines romp along。

Ray Smillie ，

Not the best Rebus story with two cases， vaguely linked， running concurrently。 A murder case in Edinburgh being run by Clarke and Fox whilst Rebus is sticking his neb in a missing person case （his daughter's partner） way up on the North coast of Scotland。 Pretty much Rebus by numbers or， to put it another way， one of the more disappointing Rebus novels。 Time for the retired polisman to put his feet up and listen to his eclectic selection of music。 Not the best Rebus story with two cases， vaguely linked， running concurrently。 A murder case in Edinburgh being run by Clarke and Fox whilst Rebus is sticking his neb in a missing person case （his daughter's partner） way up on the North coast of Scotland。 Pretty much Rebus by numbers or， to put it another way， one of the more disappointing Rebus novels。 Time for the retired polisman to put his feet up and listen to his eclectic selection of music。 。。。more

Evgenia ，

Ο Ρέμπους ώριμος πλέον， καλείται να αντιμετωπίσει και να λύσει μια δύσκολη για αυτόν υπόθεση， στην οποία εμπλέκεται συναισθηματικά， μια και αφορά την κόρη του。 Καλή η δομή του βιβλίου που είναι χωρισμένο σε ημέρες και μικρά κεφάλαια。Δυστυχώς η ιστορία δε με εντυπωσίασε。3/5

Gordon Smart ，

Rebus on a case invloving his daughter and set in the Highlands， so a bit different from the usual and very enjoyable。 I liked how Rankin used the setting and the little-known history of POW camps in Scotland。 Some clever twists and turns as usual。 I'd have liked more of Brillo， his dog。 He should have taken him with him！ Rebus on a case invloving his daughter and set in the Highlands， so a bit different from the usual and very enjoyable。 I liked how Rankin used the setting and the little-known history of POW camps in Scotland。 Some clever twists and turns as usual。 I'd have liked more of Brillo， his dog。 He should have taken him with him！ 。。。more

Cheryl Black ，

It's been a while but so well worth the wait。 Here's to hoping both Big Ger & Rebus reign on for many more years to come！ Thank you Ian！ It's been a while but so well worth the wait。 Here's to hoping both Big Ger & Rebus reign on for many more years to come！ Thank you Ian！ 。。。more

Emily Higgins ，

Retired detective John Rebus is notified by his daughter that her husband is missing。 Knowing that she will be the main suspect if her husband is injured or dead， John goes to help his daughter。 The story weaves around more than one crime with a lot of characters involved in the various investigations。 The author does a better job than most in keeping storylines and characters straight。

Larraine ，

I was wondering if Rankin was going to try to stop writing about Rebus and concentrate on Malcolm Fox。 Instead he's combined the two and in a good way。 Rebus is now retired and suffering from COPD。 He has cut back on his drinking， doesn't smoke and carries an inhaler。 He has also moved from his spacious third floor walk up apartment to a first floor apartment that became vacant。 While he is unpacking with the help of his friend and former coworker and mentee， Siobhan Clarke， he learns that his d I was wondering if Rankin was going to try to stop writing about Rebus and concentrate on Malcolm Fox。 Instead he's combined the two and in a good way。 Rebus is now retired and suffering from COPD。 He has cut back on his drinking， doesn't smoke and carries an inhaler。 He has also moved from his spacious third floor walk up apartment to a first floor apartment that became vacant。 While he is unpacking with the help of his friend and former coworker and mentee， Siobhan Clarke， he learns that his daughter's partner， Keith， has disappeared。 Then they find his body。 Meanwhile Siobhan is part of a high profile investigation of the son of a Saudi person of importance。 Meanwhile Inspector Fox deals with a certain character who figures in the books。 As always the end result is not what the reader expects and the ending leaves an opening for the next book。 Rankin remains a master of the genre。 。。。more

Amanda ，

One of my favorites of the later half of the series。

Liz ，

Another solid entry in the series。

Neil Crocker ，

Not really my cup of tea。 #23 in a （so far） 23 book series。 I joined the club a little late。

Jean-paul Audouy ，

Complex， griping， I read the last 200 pages in one go。 One of the best Rebus I’ve read。

Veronica ，

It's been a long time since I've read anything about Rebus and now he's retired but still keeping his hand （or nose） in a mystery。 I enjoyed this novel as I got two mysteries in one book。 The characters are all well developed and and the plot kept me reading。 I guess I'll have to read all those books I've missed。 It's been a long time since I've read anything about Rebus and now he's retired but still keeping his hand （or nose） in a mystery。 I enjoyed this novel as I got two mysteries in one book。 The characters are all well developed and and the plot kept me reading。 I guess I'll have to read all those books I've missed。 。。。more

Jalene Johnstone ，

A book for boomers。 Described the bartender's tattoos like how some male writers describe women's tits。 Didn't find the characters to have any complexity， very flat。 The mystery was a big yawn。 This book was a massive yawn。 A book for boomers。 Described the bartender's tattoos like how some male writers describe women's tits。 Didn't find the characters to have any complexity， very flat。 The mystery was a big yawn。 This book was a massive yawn。 。。。more

Rog Harrison ，

Now that travelling restrictions have been eased a friend met me and loaned me a pile of books。 I was very pleased to see this one。Rebus has moved into a ground floor flat due to his ill health but when he gets a call from his daughter， Samantha， telling him that Keith， the man she lives with， has gone missing he heads up to the far north to see her。 Needless to say Keith is found dead and Samantha is a suspect。Meanwhile in Edinburgh Clarke and Fox are investigating the murder of a young Saudi a Now that travelling restrictions have been eased a friend met me and loaned me a pile of books。 I was very pleased to see this one。Rebus has moved into a ground floor flat due to his ill health but when he gets a call from his daughter， Samantha， telling him that Keith， the man she lives with， has gone missing he heads up to the far north to see her。 Needless to say Keith is found dead and Samantha is a suspect。Meanwhile in Edinburgh Clarke and Fox are investigating the murder of a young Saudi and it seems he had a business connection with the landowner up where Samantha lives。This is a good read though Rebus， and his car， are well past their prime！ 。。。more

Wayne's ，

By far the best of recent outings。

Beth Costello ，

The master did not disappoint

BloomyMommy ，

"Ένα τραγούδι για δύσκολους καιρούς" από εκδόσεις Μεταίχμιο。 Είναι το αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα με το οποίο αποχαιρέτησα το 2020。 Διαβάζοντας το συνειδητοποίησα το εξής。 Πώς στο καλό ενώ είναι το 23ο βιβλίο με πρωταγωνιστή τον Ρέμπους μου ξέφυγε ο συγκεκριμένος συγγραφέας; Εξαιρετικός συγγραφέας και ακόμη πιο εξαιρετικός ο πρωταγωνιστής που έχει πλάσει。 Και μάλιστα στο βιβλίο τον βρίσκουμε πια στην σύνταξη！ Είμαι πολύ περίεργη πώς ήταν ο Ρέμπους πριν。。。 Ένα καλογραμμένο μυθιστόρημα που παρόλες τις "Ένα τραγούδι για δύσκολους καιρούς" από εκδόσεις Μεταίχμιο。 Είναι το αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα με το οποίο αποχαιρέτησα το 2020。 Διαβάζοντας το συνειδητοποίησα το εξής。 Πώς στο καλό ενώ είναι το 23ο βιβλίο με πρωταγωνιστή τον Ρέμπους μου ξέφυγε ο συγκεκριμένος συγγραφέας; Εξαιρετικός συγγραφέας και ακόμη πιο εξαιρετικός ο πρωταγωνιστής που έχει πλάσει。 Και μάλιστα στο βιβλίο τον βρίσκουμε πια στην σύνταξη！ Είμαι πολύ περίεργη πώς ήταν ο Ρέμπους πριν。。。 Ένα καλογραμμένο μυθιστόρημα που παρόλες τις σελίδες δεν το βαριέσαι στιγμή。 Αφήστε που η ιστορία διαδραματίζεται στη Σκωτία που από μόνη της είναι ένα άκρως σαγηνευτικό μέρος。 Ο Rankin με κέρδισε εύκολα， το ομολογώ。 Μάλιστα στο οπισθόφυλλο λένε ότι είναι αντάξιος της Αγκάθα Κρίστι。 Εντάξει είναι αξεπέραστη υπερβάλλουν λίγο， παρόλα αυτά όμως είναι πολύ καλός και πολλά υποσχόμενος！！！ Σίγουρα θα ψάξω και τα υπόλοιπα που έχουν μεταφραστεί από τις εκδόσεις 。 Όσο για την πλοκή για να μη κάνω και κανένα spoiler。。。 Θα πω αρχικά ότι είναι ένα προσωπικό στοίχημα για τον ντετέκτιβ καθώς ξεκινά με το να ανακαλύψει τον άντρα της κόρη του που αγνοείται， ταυτόχρονα με την υπόθεση της εξαφάνισης ενός 23χρ。 Σαουδάραβα φοιτητή που έχει αναλάβει στην πόλη παρέα με την συνάδελφο του Σιβόν。 Ο Ρέμπους ξέρει ότι η κόρη του θα είναι η βασική ύποπτος για την εξαφάνιση του Κιθ。 Περιέργως οι δύο υποθέσεις συνδέονται και ο Ρέμπους πέραν των προβλημάτων υγείας που αντιμετωπίζει για πρώτη φορά δεν ξέρει αν θέλει να ανακαλύψει την αλήθεια。⁣ 。。。more

Trish Roberts ，

Loved， loved， loved。 I can totally relate to Rebus’s feelings about retirement。 Interested to see where Ian Rankin takes him from here。 I can’t wait for the next in the series。

Phoolani ，

I have long loved Rebus， Rankin， read them all。 Have they changed or have I？

Barbpie ，

Love the reader with his Scots accent。

Perry Middlemiss ，

Rankin returns with the 23rd novel in the John Rebus series。 Rebus’s son-in-law has gone missing so he heads north out of Edinburgh to help his daughter as best he can， though that results in his normal manner of barging in and trying to take control。 Meanwhile， back in the city， Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox are investigating the death of a young Saudi who has ties to that Arab country’s royal family， and， as the novel progresses， there appear to be links between the two cases: the young dead Rankin returns with the 23rd novel in the John Rebus series。 Rebus’s son-in-law has gone missing so he heads north out of Edinburgh to help his daughter as best he can， though that results in his normal manner of barging in and trying to take control。 Meanwhile， back in the city， Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox are investigating the death of a young Saudi who has ties to that Arab country’s royal family， and， as the novel progresses， there appear to be links between the two cases: the young dead man appears to have been a business partner of someone developing a site near where Rebus’s son-in-law lived。 Rankin is in his usual good form here， bringing in all his old characters， setting up new relationships between them， and laying the groundwork for more books in the future。 One of the best crime series going， if not ever。 R: 4。2/5。0 。。。more

Pat Carswell ，

I’ve always enjoyed Rebus and it’s been a while since I read a book with him。The superb writing， main characters and location from Rankin set the tone perfectly at the outset with Rebus downsizing and Siobhan helping。 Once the two storylines were established， it got complicated。 There was a rush of new names and a peculiar parallel berween two cases with far-fetched connection to filter through。Eventually， I gave up on the Edinburgh crime。 I lost the thread。 So， focusing now on Samantha and Keit I’ve always enjoyed Rebus and it’s been a while since I read a book with him。The superb writing， main characters and location from Rankin set the tone perfectly at the outset with Rebus downsizing and Siobhan helping。 Once the two storylines were established， it got complicated。 There was a rush of new names and a peculiar parallel berween two cases with far-fetched connection to filter through。Eventually， I gave up on the Edinburgh crime。 I lost the thread。 So， focusing now on Samantha and Keith， it should have been easy。 But， there was an old war internment camp complete with cult， competing with a castle whose owners are conjoined with the Edinburgh case。。。 duh！ And Rebus is racing from Naver to Inverness， working with and without Creasey， and he’s driving how many vehicles， and sleeping where？ Too much going on， I’m afraid。 To me， the old camp as a tourist site is foolhardy。 The relationship between Rebus and Samantha is too far gone。 I lost patience as a reader to follow things through。 A really， really good writer still is good， but his material isn’t worthy of his words。 。。。more

Neil Szigethy ，

Ian Rankin truly is a master storyteller。 I've read quite a few Inspector Rebus novels， and all the pieces always come together nicely in the end。 This novel was no exception， with even seemingly minor characters ultimately playing a key role。 With John Rebus now retired， the novel started out slow， and there seemed to be two separate story lines。 Of course they came together！ I did have a hard time keeping some of the "Camp 1033" characters straight in my mind， and I would have loved more atmos Ian Rankin truly is a master storyteller。 I've read quite a few Inspector Rebus novels， and all the pieces always come together nicely in the end。 This novel was no exception， with even seemingly minor characters ultimately playing a key role。 With John Rebus now retired， the novel started out slow， and there seemed to be two separate story lines。 Of course they came together！ I did have a hard time keeping some of the "Camp 1033" characters straight in my mind， and I would have loved more atmospheric descriptions in the scenes set in far northern Scotland。 Those critiques are only in retrospect。 What did bother me while reading， and this is a common complaint， were all the quotes without attribution。 When there are four or fifth paragraphs of quotes in a row without a "John said" or a "Siobhan said，" it slows the story。 That said， "A Song for the Dark Times，" was a very good read， and I look forward to more Inspector Rebus novels。 。。。more

John Kidman ，

I’ve always enjoyed earlier books， but not this one。 I just wasn’t engaged by it at any time。 Too many characters， too much all over the place。 My favourite character was Brillo， and he even ‘rubbed me up the wrong way’ at times。 I know I’m not going along with the majority but it’s how I saw this one。

Merrilie Rowley ，

It is always good to revisit Rebus， D。S。Clarke and Cafferty。 This time was no exception。 A good couple of plots， great characters and Rebus 。 Fabulous combo。

Denis Southall ，

Solid Rebus story with the （more recent） usual characters。 Parallel murders with connections that may or may not be relevant。 Family， class， geography and history themes entwine in the plot。 Well written as usual and engaging to the end。 Rebus; still a cantankerous old bastard even though he's had to tame himself somewhat。 Look forward to the next instalment especially with the Cafferty sub-plot。 Solid Rebus story with the （more recent） usual characters。 Parallel murders with connections that may or may not be relevant。 Family， class， geography and history themes entwine in the plot。 Well written as usual and engaging to the end。 Rebus; still a cantankerous old bastard even though he's had to tame himself somewhat。 Look forward to the next instalment especially with the Cafferty sub-plot。 。。。more

Melinda Szymanik ，

A Rebus book is always a satisfying read。 Another complex plot with enemies old and new， credible red herrings and plenty of interesting characters。 And always， always， a few little threads dangling to keep us hooked until next time。

Ian MacIntyre ，

I am so glad Rebus is still story relevant。 Rankin is an extraordinary story teller 。。。 memorable new characters， solid reoccurring characters （although， I never warmed up to Fox - social climber）， and stalwart main characters。How will Cafferty get out of this one？

Barry Martin Vass ，

Scottish Author Ian Rankin has always told the Inspector Rebus/Police Scotland novels in time progression format; that is， as the stories progress， the characters age。 In this one， the twenty-third in the series， John Rebus is retired and living on a pension in Edinburgh。 But he's still as exasperating and cantankerous as ever。 At the beginning of A Song for the Dark Times his COPD has gotten the best of him， forcing him to move into a smaller downstairs apartment。 Siobhan Clarke， the young woma Scottish Author Ian Rankin has always told the Inspector Rebus/Police Scotland novels in time progression format; that is， as the stories progress， the characters age。 In this one， the twenty-third in the series， John Rebus is retired and living on a pension in Edinburgh。 But he's still as exasperating and cantankerous as ever。 At the beginning of A Song for the Dark Times his COPD has gotten the best of him， forcing him to move into a smaller downstairs apartment。 Siobhan Clarke， the young woman he mentored so long ago， has taken a week off and is helping him with the move。 And then several things happen: Rebus' daughter's partner， an amateur historian researching an old POW camp， goes missing from the north Scottish coast， and a young Saudi student is found murdered outside an Edinburgh golf course。 So while Rebus makes his way to the wild coastline to be with his daughter and sort things out， DI Clarke is quickly immersed in another murder investigation。 This novel embraces the post-Brexit UK， where foreigners are not always welcomed and things are not always what they seem。 A solid police procedural。 。。。more

Stephen Whelan ，

This would be a three plus。 It is a good mystery with sub plots coming together。 Rebus is not as good as past books。 He is a flawed character but much tamer。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=A Song for the Dark Times

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=A Song for the Dark Times&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,A Song for the Dark Times&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0