Black & Blue - Ian Rankin

Hurrah! A new crime author whose works keep me turning the pages into the wee small hours. John Rebus replaces the somewhat lost Kay Scarpetta and moves alongside the much missed Aurelio Zen to keep company with Commisario Brunetti on my bookshelves.

Ian Rankin/Inspector Rebus have both been on my radar for yonks, but for some reason I'd thought they might not be to my taste. In fact, Rebus is as melancholic and much of a loner as Aurelio Zen, as tenacious as Guido Brunetti and as happy to work around the rules as both Venetians.

A Scottish setting can only carry bonus marks in my book, and it's just struck me that Scotland's position at the top of the British Isles, and it's past independence and glory, has many parallel with the Most Serene Republic of Venice - birthplace of Zen and Brunetti.

Amazon.co.uk link: Black & Blue - Ian Rankin