In a House of Lies

The discovery of the body of Stuart Bloom, who went missing in 2008, in his car trunk in an isolated wooded area drives Edgar finalist Rankin’s intricate 24th Rebus novel (after 2017’s Rather Be the Devil). Bloom’s ankles being secured with police handcuffs raises questions about the original, possibly corrupt police investigation into the man’s disappearance. Semiretired copper John Rebus isn’t afraid to step on official toes as he assists Det. Insp. Siobhan Clarke, Det. Insp. Malcolm Fox, and the other members of Police Scotland’s Major Crime Division in their efforts to find Bloom’s killer. Their attention focuses on low-budget film producer Jackie Ness, who shot a movie called Zombies v Bravehearts in 2008 on the land where the car was found and in which Bloom served as an extra. Meanwhile, Rebus reopens the case of 17-year-old Ellis Meilke, who was sent to prison for the stabbing murder of his girlfriend. In both cases, the path to justice involves making some hard ethical choices. Rankin remains a master of the contemporary police procedural. Author tour. Agent: Dominick Abel, Dominick Abel Literary. (Dec.)