10 Great Rebus Novels (John Rebus) (55 page)

Two other non-Rebus novels were written between
Knots & Crosses
and
Hide & Seek
(neither was very successful, selling only 500 hardback copies apiece). Does Ian Rankin’s extra writing experience show in
Hide & Seek
?

To open
Hide & Seek
, a quotation is used from
The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde
:
‘My devil had long been caged, he came out roaring
.’ Would you say that this refers more to the murderer or to Rebus?

Has Rebus’s promotion to DI changed him? Has the confidence shown in him by his superiors at work translated into new confidence in social situations in his private life? Why hasn’t he told Rhona about the end of his relationship with colleague Gill Templer?

Does Rebus treat Brian Holmes fairly? Does Rebus feel close to him? And how good is Holmes at looking after himself?

How does Rebus respond to the suggestion made by a colleague that there may be an occult aspect to the case? Is Ian Rankin being playful when he says that Rebus is on a ‘witch hunt’?

Is Rebus sympathetic when questioning young people? Does he deal similarly with his daughter Sammy?

Discussing the ‘real’ Edinburgh, it is claimed that the justified sinners, men like Burke and Hare, or Deacon Brodie, have been ‘cleaned up for the tourists’. ‘
And sure enough
[says the interviewee],
it’s all still here, the past replaying itself in the present
.’ Would Rebus agree with this comment? And when he visits the rundown estates of Edinburgh, does Rebus feel slightly like a tourist himself?

‘
Rebus believed in good and evil, and believed stupid people could be attracted toward the latter
.’ Is the reader supposed to infer that Rebus might give credence to the idea that intelligent people are not attracted to evil?

Carew’s suicide note says, ‘
If I am the chief of sinners, I am the chief of sufferers too
.’ How does Rebus respond to this?

Rebus wonders why he didn’t tell Gill Templer immediately about the complaint against him. Why didn’t he?

When Ronnie McGrath shrieks ‘
Hide!
’, in what ways might this be understood, and why does it take Rebus such a long time to consider the various implications?

What is the reader’s response to the novel’s ending? Is Rebus pleased or disappointed with the way things turned out?