A QUESTION OF BLOOD

In this most recent of Rankin's popular Scottish series about Detective Inspector John Rebus, two cases are being investigated, one a triple murder. As usual, Rebus is in trouble with his superiors. He also manages to bother two army officers investigating the triple murders, which may have been committed by an ex-commando. There are lots of villains in this involving plot and few white hats. Rebus may have the only one, although it's a bit grubby. Michael Page is particularly adept at conveying characters' emotions--from anger, fear, and ebullience to the studied disinterest of teenagers--without ruining the flow of the narration. His Scottish characters sound authentically Scottish; the English ones sound rather American. But that shouldn't bother American listeners. R.E.K. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 04]