Rather Be the Devil
| Industry | Publishing |
|---|---|
| Products | Books |
Rather Be the Devil represents the 21st entry in the Inspector Rebus crime novel series, released in November 2016. It achieved the number one position on the hardback fiction bestseller lists. The book's title draws inspiration from a track by John Martyn featured on his 1973 album Solid Air.
Plot summary
The story begins and concludes with Rebus and his partner, forensic pathologist Deborah Quant, sharing a meal at the Waldorf Caledonian Hotel. During this time, Rebus reflects on the unresolved 1978 murder of Maria Turquand at this very hotel, a case involving Edinburgh bankers and musicians. As he reexamines this cold case, Rebus discovers connections to ongoing police inquiries.
DI Malcolm Fox has recently been promoted and relocated to Gartcosh, where the Scottish Crime Campus is situated. Meanwhile, in Edinburgh, DI Siobhan Clarke is probing into an assault on Darryl Christie, a young criminal associated with a shell company scheme linked to banker Anthony Brough. Due to HM Revenue and Customs' involvement, Fox returns to Edinburgh to support Clarke. The suspicious death of a retired officer who had discussed the Turquand case with Rebus prompts an investigation by the Gartcosh Murder Inquiry Team, which Fox joins. Rebus tracks both investigations as Fox helps integrate Clarke with the Gartcosh unit, bringing the three detectives back together professionally.
At the same time, 'Big Ger' Cafferty is plotting his return.
Amid these events, Rebus receives a diagnosis of COPD and awaits results concerning a shadow on his lung he nicknames Hank Marvin, leading him to cease smoking and cut back on alcohol.