Resurrection Men

Resurrection Men is a 2002 novel authored by Ian Rankin, marking the thirteenth installment in the Inspector Rebus series. It earned the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2004.

Plot summary

Detective Inspector John Rebus is assigned to Tulliallan, the Scottish Police College, for a period of 'retraining' alongside other senior officers labeled as undisciplined. Dubbed "the Resurrection Men," their careers are briefly revived primarily to enable pension qualification. Officially, Rebus’s reassignment follows an incident where he threw tea at DCS Gill Templer, but covertly he operates under the Chief Constable’s orders to investigate an alleged 1994 theft involving certain senior officers attending the course. The situation is further complicated when the group is tasked with resolving a cold 1995 Glasgow gangster murder case originally handled by one of them, about which Rebus holds insider knowledge. As he investigates his peers for past misconduct, Rebus worries about his own hidden vulnerabilities being uncovered.

At St Leonard's police station, DS Siobhan Clarke leads an investigation into the savage murder of Edinburgh art dealer Marber. Crucial evidence includes a stolen painting by Jack Vettriano and financial transactions to an artist accusing Marber of defrauding both artists and clients. The inquiry also involves a young prostitute who was sheltered by Marber. Clarke suspects that Edinburgh gangster 'Big Ger' Cafferty controls the spa where the prostitute works, the taxi firm Marber used on the night of his death, and possibly owns a collection of paintings purchased from Marber years before. After the stolen artwork is discovered in a suspect’s garden shed, he is taken into custody, but Clarke remains vigilant and continues her probe.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency recruits Rebus to act as a liaison with the Weasel, Cafferty’s right-hand man. Rebus makes little effort to convince the Weasel to turn against Cafferty but devises a scheme to provoke suspected corrupt officers by involving them in a robbery targeting a concealed SDEA drug cache.

Although Clarke’s initial lead proves unfounded and Rebus’s undercover operation encounters setbacks, they join forces to solve Marber’s murder and reveal its connection to the 1994 police theft.

The novel’s title alludes to 19th-century body-snatchers known as 'resurrection men,' reflecting themes from the previous book, The Falls, where Rebus was engrossed with Burke and Hare, notorious resurrectionists linked to Edinburgh’s past.

Reception

The book achieved bestseller status and won the Edgar Award for Best Novel in 2004. Reviews were generally favorable; however, The Guardian observed that the brisk pace left limited room for character exploration, implying that the series might be losing momentum. Publishers Weekly criticized its length but conceded that even at a slower tempo, it surpassed most police procedural novels.

TV adaptation

Resurrection Men served as the opening episode of the fourth season of the Rebus television adaptation starring Ken Stott, which aired in 2007.