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  • A Song for the Dark Times

  • Written by: Ian Rankin
  • Narrated by: James Macpherson
  • Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (69 ratings)

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A Song for the Dark Times

Written by: Ian Rankin
Narrated by: James Macpherson
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Publisher's Summary

From the iconic Number One best seller Ian Rankin, comes one of the must-listen audiobooks of the year: A Song for the Dark Times.

"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....

©2020 Ian Rankin (P)2020 Orion Publishing Group

What the critics say

"Ian Rankin is a genius." (Lee Child)

"A master storyteller." (Guardian)

"Rebus is one of British crime writing's greatest characters: alongside Holmes, Poirot and Morse." (Daily Mail)

What listeners say about A Song for the Dark Times

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Rebus,- little older and a little slower, but still sharp

When this book begins we see Siobhan filling and moving crates in Rebus' flat. It isn't until a few beats in that we realize Rebus hasn't died, but has just moved to a downstairs suite since he can't manage the stairs anymore with his COPD. This book contains a lot about aging and new beginnings. On his first night in his new flat Rebus gets a call from his daughter, telling him that her partner Keith is missing. Rebus right away hops in his old Saab, and heads north to be with his daughter and grand-daughter, and to try to find Keith. Samantha isn't overjoyed to see her father, as they've been semi-estranged for awhile, but that doesn't deter Rebus from making his presence known to everyone in and around the town where Samantha lives. In his usual way, and at risk to himself, he doesn't shy away from treading on people's toes, and also is not afraid to muscle in on the local police force and their investigation. At the same time, Siobhan and Malcom Fox are tracking down the killer of a young university student. As is always the case in these books, the two cases turn out to be somewhat connected and Rebus does a bit of legwork for Siobhan and she does a bit of digging for him. I love how Ian Rankin links two investigations the way he does. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and even though Rebus is no longer a cop, he hasn't lost any of his curmudgeonly manner, and he is still just as sharp as ever. although he moves a little slower. I had waited a little while to read this book, partly because I was afraid that maybe a retired Rebus would slow things down. This did not happen at all. This is a worthy addition to this very excellent series. I listened to the book on audio. and found the narrator to be very entertaining, especially because of his Scottish accent. James Mcpherson does a wonderful job narrating, and that added to my enjoyment of the story greatly/

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Rebus back in action!

An exciting return of Rebus in a more active mode. He may have slowed down, but his detecting skills are skilled as ever. Samantha, Rebus’ daughter call for him to help find her missing husband. If Rebus hoped for a happy reunion with his daughter and granddaughter, he is in for a rude awakening. Samantha is stressed, miserable, and not ready to forgive her father for his estrangement over the years of her childhood. Rebus becomes involved in a local mystery which has its roots in an internment camp dating back to WW2. Meanwhile back at home, police, including Siobhan, and Malcolm Fox, have their own problems, a murder, and a missing aristocrat who owns land near the village where Rebus’ daughter resides. So good to See Rebus actively investigating, instead of being treated like a dinosaur, a has been. Nice work, Mr. Rankin.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great as usual

I've read all of the John rebus books and I've enjoyed them all some are better than others but they're still all great reads and in my opinion all five stars. Ian Rankin is a Scottish national treasure.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Confusing

The double but overlapping plot with the historical pros or camp background results in too many characters and is hard to follow.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars
  • R.
  • 2020-11-16

Wouldn’t recommend.

Story was choppy and boring. The narrator was just too difficult to understand a lot of the time.

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1 person found this helpful