Rebus comes out of retirement...to save his nemesis.
Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke is feeling the heat. She's investigating the death of a senior government prosecutor, David Minton, who has friends in high places. When one of their own is killed, the powers that be want answers fast. But Clarke is puzzled: if Minton died in a robbery as everyone thinks, why is nothing missing from his home? The answer may lie not in what was taken, but in what was left behind at the scene -- an ominous note.
Malcolm Fox is feeling useless. Shunned by his colleagues because of his past in the Complaints bureau, he's been reassigned to a grunt detail, helping a surveillance team -- one that trusts him even less than his own boss does -- track a notorious Glasgow crime family. Helping Clarke with the Minton case is the only thing that makes Fox feel like a real cop.
Newly minted civilian John Rebus is feeling restless. Being a cop is in his blood and he's failing miserably at retirement. So when Clarke and Fox ask for his help, Rebus doesn't need long to consider his options. But before he can get his bearings, a call comes from Rebus's old nemesis -- "Big Ger" Cafferty. Someone just fired a bullet through his front window -- and sent him a note identical to Minton's. The normally unflappable old gangster is on edge, but for the life of him Cafferty can't figure out who he's wronged. And the only man he trusts with his life is Rebus.
As the cases collide, it's up to Clarke, Fox, and Rebus to connect the dots and save their unlikely ally Cafferty, whose past harbors a shocking secret that implicates Minton's friends in an unspeakable crime. Even Dogs in the Wild reunites crime fiction legend Ian Rankin's greatest characters in an explosive story exploring the darkest corners of our desires.
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“Retired Edinburgh Inspector John Rebus is back in the detecting game, and, thanks to narrator James Macpherson, he sounds as brilliant and curmudgeonly as ever…Macpherson has performed many of the Rebus pantheon and knows his actors…He has a way with pacing as well; conversations move with realistic rhythm, barroom sections have the temper of single-malt whiskey, and action sequences are rat-a-tat-tat. You may need to listen intently for the first half-hour to understand the Scottish accents. Stick with it. You’ll be amply rewarded.”
— AudioFile
“[A] twisty, darkly topical, and immaculately executed tale of Edinburgh’s underbelly.”
— Guardian (London)“Rankin’s procedurals are strong, well-constructed, page-turning mysteries, and his latest is no exception.”
— San Francisco Chronicle“It’s always intriguing to follow Rebus around the city and country he loves, and for those who have followed his long career the pleasures are even richer.”
— Cleveland Plain Dealer“Rankin is a past master of atmospheric, dark crime fiction, and in Even Dogs in the Wild, his thirty-first book, he’s in top form.”
— Tampa Bay Times“It is sensational…this story truly sings.”
— Dayton Daily News“Rankin delivers some fascinating procedural details, but the heart of the book…lies in the evolving personal relationships between the three cops and one bad guy. The switching of roles between Rebus and Clark continues to intrigue, but even better is the transformation of Fox from a behind-the-scenes guy…into a real cop working the mean streets.”
— Booklist“Complex…The interwoven plot…provides surprises as unlikely allies uncover details of an old, sordid crime…Intriguing.”
— RT Book Reviews (4 stars)Ian Rankin, a New York Times bestselling author, is the recipient of an Edgar Award, a Gold Dagger for fiction, and a Chandler-Fulbright Fellowship.