HE'S IN THE JAILHOUSE NOW: IAN RANKIN'S MIDNIGHT AND BLUE

Many writers will throw their series characters into a life altering situation to keep things fresh. With Midnight and Blue, Ian Rankin may have topped them all by putting his retired copper John Rebus in prison. The situation is different and challenging, yet it's the same Rebus we love.

Due to the events in the previous book, Heart Full Of Headstones, Rebus finds himself in HMP Edinburgh on a manslaughter charge. Circumstances take him out of protective custody and into general population, finding himself under the questionable protection of gangster Daryl Christie. While waiting for an appeal to hopefully come through, an inmate is murdered in his locked cell. Rebus can't help but poke around. A murder on the outside links the prison killing to a missing persons case, Rebus' former partner, Siobhan Clarke is working, creating an odd procedural collaboration.

Rankin pulls off a great magic trick of creating an ensemble mystery with the central character cut of from society. CD Christine Esson is assigned to the prison murders, not pleased with Rebus' help. Siobhan works however she can with him, while also helping him with his reprieve. Without a more extreme as a partner, she plays more to to Rebus's maverick ways. Even former Complaints detective Malcolm Fox, who Rebus loathes also inserts himself into the the case.

However, the focus is on Rebus. Rankin proves not only up to this challenge he created himself for, but appears to have fun pulling it off. Rebus has to be both subtle and cautious in his investigation, since coming off as a informer would put his life in more danger than it already is. Each suspect is already a known killer. Those familiar with Rankin's work will find it as no surprise the author found a as much humor to mine out of the situation as suspense.

Midnight and Blur puts Rebus in one of his most dangerous situation. Rankin created a believable prison environment and approach our hero takes to navigate it. In a recent discussion with Allen Eskens and Michael Connelly, he admitted to debating if he would kill him off and you feel the threat to his life. It's not only one of the most unique in the series, but one of the best.