The Falls cover art

The Falls

The number one bestselling series that inspired BBC One’s REBUS

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The Falls

By: Ian Rankin
Narrated by: James Macpherson
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About this listen

 A student has gone missing in Edinburgh. She's not just any student, though, but the daughter of well-to-do and influential bankers. There's almost nothing to go on until DI John Rebus gets an unmistakable gut feeling that there's more to this than just another runaway spaced out on unaccustomed freedom.

Two leads emerge: a carved wooden doll in a toy coffin, found in the student's home village, and an internet role-playing game. The ancient and the modern, brought together by uncomfortable circumstance...

Read by James Macpherson

(p) 2015 Orion Publishing Group©2001 John Rebus Ltd Computer Science Crime Fiction Detective Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Suspense Thriller & Suspense Traditional Detectives Exciting Scary Student Crime

Critic Reviews

It may be the 12th time out for Rankin's maverick detective, but The Falls still feels as fresh as ever . . . If you haven't read the other 11 Rebus novels, it's about time you did
The Falls, the 12th full-length Inspector Rebus story, finds his creator, Ian Rankin, at his brilliant, mordant best, with the dark heart of the city featuring almost as strongly as Rebus himself (Antonia Fraser)
A complex mystery novel, as you would expect from Rankin, one of a handful of truly outstanding British mystery writers . . . Terrific
An extraordinarily rich addition to crime literature
Rankin continues to be unsurpassed among living British crime writers . . . He makes the reader feel part of the scene, and enhances the experience with his virtuosity with dialogue . . . But all these virtues would count for little if Rankin didn't also possess the most important asset of them all - the ability to tell a damned good story (Marcel Berlins)
A very skilful entertainment . . . its clues are as learned and cross-word-puzzling as any in John Buchan
The Falls is an inventive and absorbing book . . . Once again the city, cast in shadows and light, is centre stage, as complex and brooding as Rebus himself . . . Ian Rankin, a crime writer with style, has produced another highly enjoyable and exciting book
It is a fact universally acknowledged that Ian Rankin leads the field in the category of British humanistic crime writing . . . his ability to wrap together diverse ingredients into a plot-sandwich bulging with flavour is ingenious
Rankin has an intuitive grasp of the dark magic of narrative: at its simplest, you read the books because you want to know what will happen. He writes beautifully, too . . . Few would disagree that Ian Rankin is making a contribution to crime fiction that will last. His novels are playing a significant part in redefining Scotland's image of itself in literature. He is one of a handful of British crime writes whose books are not only commercially successful but also build a strong case for why crime fiction, at its best, can and should be considered as literature
Whatever it is that makes a good crime writer, Ian Rankin has it in spades
Rankin masterfully pulls his fascinating plot together, and his sense of place casts a powerful shadow on this subtle tale of the recurrence of evil. The unopposed champion of the British police procedural field
This is the 12th novel featuring Inspector Rebus, one of the undoubted stars of modern British crime fiction . . . Ian Rankin is a first-rate storyteller in the classic mould, but what really distinguishes his work is his gift for characterisation
All stars
Most relevant
Love the series such good story lines characters and narration so cleverly done great listen

Great story great narration

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A great and complex Rebus story. Love that Siobhan really got to shine in this novel too. All read in James MacPherson's smooth voice. Perfect listening.

Perfect listening

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I haven't read a Rebus for sometime, I found this to be a really exciting book, with an intriguing plot with lots of twists and turns along the way. It was good to see a slightly different side to Rebus. The narration was good. Edinburgh is such a great location for these books.

A Good Story

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Very confused about this download as the production swung between two voices. Love James but not the other as the accents were not effective.
I loved the story though and hope it was just an IT glitch.

Mystery story

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One of my favorite Ian Rankin books. Decided to revisit on audio book since the new Rebus is due out soon. A really enjoyable novel and like the way it has links with some of my favorite stories of Edinburgh history the Arthurs Seat coffins & also a bit of Burke & Hare.

Overall a good production although struggled a bit with the way the narrator did Siobhans voice

One of my favorite Rebus novels

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