Set in Darkness is the eleventh book in the Inspector Rebus series.     Ian Rankin’s crime novels are all set in Scotland, mostly based near Edinburgh.    The books are sometimes referred to as “tartan noir.”   All of the books are dark, with layers of criminal enterprises, violence, and murders to be investigated.   Rebus himself is a little enigmatic, a dogged detective, but also with many flaws, disliked by many.    The book’s plot is complex, with three deaths that seem unrelated, but Rebus has an instinct to chase down many faint trails to find possible links.   Some of the characters on both sides are repeats from previous books and will be in later stories in the 32 book canon.    The books are solid crime stories, but fully “noir”, much darker than most procedural detective books.

This one had a good plot with lots of interesting background stories and a number of twists.    Recommended for those ready to read gritty and dark “tartan noir.”    4.3 out of 5.0 stars4.3