Ian Rankin writes with bare knuckles

Where does Hide and Seek rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Ian Rankin's characters are so believable because they are, like all of us, so flawed while at the same time trying to be so decent. You do not so much as empathize with them as identify with them and the never ending struggle to be decent in an indecent world. Hide and Seek was no exception and whether you are a devoted fan or a new comer you will be very very pleased with his effort here. Thank you Ian and just keep writing. You help your readers to be a little more human and you can't ask for more from a book.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Hide and Seek?

Rankin writes with bare knuckles so every character hits you like a body blow but I always come back to Rebus with all of his virtues and all of his flaws as my favorite

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not a bloody thing.

Any additional comments?

You write them Ian and I'll read them. Thanks pal.

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Unique Scotland location and makes this a standout

What did you love best about Hide and Seek?

Scotland and it's damp dreariness really brought a unique quality to this detective story. I feel like I haven't found characters quite like the ones in this book so the sense of discovery was gratifying. Narration was well suited and gritty lending good atmosphere to this Scottish detective series by making it sound more hard boiled.

Would you be willing to try another book from Ian Rankin? Why or why not?

I'd like to try more in his series because of the uniqueness of the locale. I was a bit let down by the small time crime at the heart of the story. I am not sure why the author felt it necessary to include a forward that was more of a disclaimer about how he's a better writer now and that the early books aren't fully formed or strong. That just makes you sorry you got the book at all.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Scotland's dark side just turned deadly.

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So So

Would you try another book from Ian Rankin and/or Bill Paterson and Ian Rankin ?

Probably not, the plot line was kind of predictable.

Has Hide and Seek turned you off from other books in this genre?

No, I'll always love mysteries.

What didn???t you like about Bill Paterson and Ian Rankin ???s performance?

The voices (Scottish and English accents) sounded odd and were difficult to understand at times. I don't think the actor's put enough acting into the reading, it sounded kind of dull.

Could you see Hide and Seek being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No.

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Loved book, love the author. HATE abridged books

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I hate abridged books because I want to choose for myself whether or not to skip certain parts of a book. Many times I make a choice to skip places in books, but I want that choice to be mine. It angers me to have someone else make the editing decisions as to what parts are essential to the story and which are not. Since I was unable to find a non-abridged audio version anywhere...at any price, I actually got the print book to see what I missed. When I read the print version, it was apparent that the cuts were mostly to the male/female relationship interplay scenes. Given the choice, I would have chosen to hear those and skip some of the violence, but those who feel differently should be able to do their own editing too. Abridging also insults the author, and Ian Rankin is much to good an author to have that done to him.

Who was your favorite character and why?

John Rebus is smart, funny, imperfect, and very real. I'd invite him to share my dinner table anytime.

What about Bill Paterson and Ian Rankin ’s performance did you like?

The accents, the slang, and the banter between characters. That's why I bought and listened to the audio version despite my aversion to abridged books.

Could you see Hide and Seek being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

I don't care. I don't like movies especially movies based on books. It's just another example of someone else editing for me. I like audio-books better. I like to imagine my own characters.

Any additional comments?

Please...... offer non-abridged versions along with abridged versions of Audible books. Very frustrating.

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Can do better

Rankin can and does do better in his later books. This one is uneven in pace and plot, though still full of wonderful incident and character.

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Strong followup to a strong series opener

I picked up the first book in this series (this is the second) with trepidation. I have a "thing" for detective novels, especially detective novel series (all hail Ross McDonald's Lew Archer and Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade) and I have been known to dive deep down into a series. I have survived the grativational pull of many series, but I am a sucker for anything from the U.K. - My son and I binge watched Luther, which wasn't even that good.

The thing is, the detective is pretty erudite, and the first book is exceptionally erudite. This book, book #2, Hide and Seek is tightly coiled, with each word pushing the plot forward. I enjoyed the crafting of this novel. I also enjoyed the plot and play on words with Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde as well as the symbolism Mr. Stevenson's book adds to this novel. Side note: RLS is from Scotland. I am ignorant and had no idea.

As a series? Well, I am on book 4 now mostly because of my above-mentioned weakness but overall, I think the first book book was the best so far, but you can't go wrong with such a tightly written book as this second installment in the series.. I recommend mostly if you share my weakness for U.K. based detective series. If you do share this predilection, forge onwards! There are more than 20 in the series.

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Abridged so hard to follow

I saw no warning that it was abridged. I kept finding it fragmented and hard to follow so bought the book and learned why. Parts are cut out, leaving logical gaps, hurting comprehensibility.

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skip the unabridged

If this is a good novel, the abrgdgement spoils it. I suspect the best part of the tale was in the details - otherwise it's bit of a tired plot.

I wanted to start at the beginning of the Rebus novels to get a better handle on the character, but from Rankin's spoken preface, I'd say this novel would not have helped, even if it were unabridged. The unabridged first in the series, Knots and Crosses, was a good listen, however, with superior narration.

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4 people found this helpful