The Impossible Dead (Malcolm Fox, #2)

by Ian Rankin

[Lianne]

This was my first Ian Rankin novel and I absolutely enjoyed it from start to finish. The case itself was a bit of a slow burn as Malcolm and his team were initially in the town due to investigate Detective Paul Carter, only to stumble onto a larger case with wider implications. Nationalist politics, radical movements, espionage and cover-ups, it really held my interest as you follow Malcolm trying to piece everything together and figure out what was really going on.

What I especially enjoyed about this novel was how as the story unfolds and the mystery deepens, I found myself learning more about Malcolm himself, like his character was also unfolding before my eyes. At first I thought he was a pretty straightforward cop–humourless, organised, to the book, the usual. But the more I read, the more I learn that there’s a lot to Malcolm Fox, his dedication and perseverance in a department that’s despised amongst police circles, his rather dry humour and his family life. His personal storyline regarding his father and his sister was just as interesting and a very telling inclusion about who Malcolm is as a character.

While the writing feels clinical at times, it sets the tone of the story perfectly. Fans of crime and mystery novels will enjoy this title.

You can read this review in its entirety over at caffeinatedlife.net: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2013/12/06/review-the-impossible-dead/