by Ian Rankin,
I thought I had read some other books by Rankin, in his Inspector Rebus series but I can't see any notes in my book diary so perhaps I haven't. This is his second book including Inspector Malcolm Fox.
Inspector Fox is part of a police internal affairs team in Scotland. They have been sent to investigate some police in a town outside Glasgow to find out if three officers there have been protecting one of the officers from complaints of abusing his position, securing sexual favours in return for not charging people. No surprise, Fox and his colleagues do not receive a warm welcome. As part of their investigation Fox interviews the uncle of Paul Carter, the police officer who has been charged with the offences. His uncle, a retired police officer, was the one who reported on his nephew.
Fox likes the uncle who is now running a security firm. The uncle is murdered and then his nephew is also killed. Although it is not his responsibility Fox starts investigating to find out why the uncle would have been murdered. At first the nephew is suspected. Fox thinks he was innocent. Despite warnings from his superiors and other police officials and government officials including a cabinet minister Fox keeps trying to figure out why the uncle was investigating the death/murder of a separation activist in the 1980's. He ends up solving the crimes almost losing his own life but digs up a number of skeleton in police officer closets as a result.
It was an interesting story, kept you guessing. I think that in reality a person like this would be reprimanded quite quickly and probably lose his job. He really overstepped his authority in a number of ways, kept information from his bosses, interfered in areas where he had no authority, etc.
I think I will pick up a book in the Inspector Rebus series sometime.
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