Book review: Tooth and Nail by Ian Rankin

Tooth and Nail is one of those novels that hold their ground years after their original publication. A quick internet search revels that the novel by Ian Rankin was first published in the year 1992. Some twenty odd years later if a reader finds it intriguing then it speaks volumes about the writing style pf the author. The response that it may have received at the time of its first publication can only be imagined.

This book is third among the Inspector Rebus series. Before diving deep into his character, it is easy to assume that he will be another one of the deeply observant, out-of-the-box thinker types. So many popular literary detectives have drawn their inspiration from Sir Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes that after a while, every other character seems to have similar traits. Thankfully, Sir Rankin has made Inspector Rebus from a different fiber. Here is an officer of the law who is hard working, who believes in the grunt work. Police work includes a lot of leg work, lot of on-field assessment. Inspector Rebus is aware of this and goes about the case with this mind-set. This is what sets him apart from other fictional heroes under the same genre.

There is not much to say about the antagonist. Since the case is that of a serial murderer, we get the snippets of how the character came to be. There are some references throughout the book that are intriguing enough for the reader. When the final reveal is made it is certainly surprising, if not shocking. This creates one issue with the story. Throughout the story, we get a glimpse into the life of the antagonist. However, the reveal of the reasons behind the acts is not as gripping as was expected. The narrative focus more on how the case is solved and Inspector Rebus’ dynamics with other players in the story. Hence, not a lot of emphasis is laid on the antagonist’s character development.

No case is ever solved by one person alone. There are several characters at play at all times. So is the case here. Some characters are predictable. Others have a sense of enigma about them. These characters are good, supportive, shady and sometimes, elusive. Thus, these add a lot of colours to what would have otherwise been a procedural reading. The lines between outright black and white are blurred in many instances. Most of the characters have a motive behind their actions which can be said to have been drawn from real life situations. Thus, reading them and knowing about them becomes fun throughout the course of the book.

Giving broken families to the protagonist is a good tool to increase the complexity of the character. The humaneness of Inspector Rebus is visible when he is dealing with his family. They contribute in a minor fashion to the overall plot. The author has intentionally designed the familial characters in a way that their visibility is kept low in the overall storyline. The dynamics that Rebus shares with his ex-wife and daughter add an interesting shade to his character. Readers in a similar situation will be able to relate to Rebus as a family man.

Since the novel was first published in 1992, some references to and within the city may not be relevant today. Nonetheless, it is interesting to see what the city may have looked like about three decades ago. The criminal side of the city is described in apt details. However, this can be true for all the major cities of the world. One area where the author could have done more was in detailing the life in the city, its culture as seen from the eyes of the protagonist, especially since he is from the relatively smaller Edinburgh. But, if looked amongst the overall setting of the book, this is a relatively minor issue that doesn’t really make much of a dent to the narrative.

Within the first few pages it is made clear that it is one of the rare ventures of the protagonist away from his home turf of Edinburgh. Since the novel is based in London, those who are new to the British geography in literature can still enjoy reading it. The author has described the scenes of crime in such details that even those who are not aware of the city of London can get a feel of the various locations. Every crime novel presents with it an underbelly of the city where it is based, oftentimes highlighting facets that regular people are unaware of. At times, these details become too graphic or visual. Thankfully, the pacing of this novel avoids these potential fallacies.

Unlike a lot of thrillers, there aren’t many shocking or mind-boggling turns in the story. The emphasis is more on the police procedure. It highlights good, old detective work. Crime solving is not like the way it is shown in the movies, where the reveal is made in the penultimate minute. It is a slow procedure. Thus, expecting a lot of turns is not recommended. The final pages of the book, though, do contain some high quality action where everything that is highlighted in the story comes to a binding close.

Tooth and Nail is a novel for those who enjoy a fast paced thriller with not a lot of remember. There are no unnecessary characters. There are no useless sub-plots. Everything seems to be connected. It is neither just a study of police solving a crime, nor is it a study of the personal demons that affect gifted protagonists of literature. It is balanced just right. The first introduction to Ian Rankin’s writing couldn’t be more intriguing than Tooth and Nail. It is the type of a book that make the readers get involved without making them loose a sense of reality. This book is recommended for crime literature aficionado.

If you have read Tooth and Nail, or any other book from Inspector Rebus series, or from Ian Rankin, please let us know your thoughts and views.