With Inspector Rebus now retired after 17 novels, Rankin has moved on to Malcolm Fox, an officer in the Complaints and Conduct department - "the Complaints" - a Scottish version of what we'd know as Internal Affairs. After finishing a case involving a cop with a history of breaking rules, Fox is put on an investigation of a young officer suspected of involvement with child pornography. As this investigation unfolds, Fox also becomes involved in the murder of his sister's boyfriend and the suicide of a local property developer. When it becomes clear that all of these cases are related, Fox has to walk a tightrope to solve them without getting himself killed - or get caught by his own department for his own lapses during the investigation.
I've only read one of the Rebus novels, so it's hard for me to compare the two men. Publisher's Weekly did and found Fox- and this book - wanting, but like many reviewers I disagree. I found Fox an interesting character, someone who willingly takes on a job that leads most of his colleagues to hate him but who also crosses the lines he typically defends. I did think the plot was a bit too convoluted, though I did appreciate the way it allowed Rankin to show off various bits of Scotland, which is one of his strengths.
Perhaps it will take a couple of novels to fully flesh Fox out - the second one came out this year - and I'd say it's worth the effort to find out.
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