EXIT MUSIC

Narrator Tom Cotcher does wonders with Ian Rankin's newest mystery about Scottish Detective Inspector John Rebus. In this installment, a visiting Russian poet is beaten to death on Rebus's patch two weeks before our inspector is due to retire. Rebus's assistant, DS Siobhan Clark, is in charge of the investigation. Then we learn that the last person to have seen the poet is Rebus's long-standing nemesis. Cotcher has it all—spot-on Scottish accents and believable, distinct voices that help us understand the characters. His delivery of straight narrative is also excellent, keeping the plots and subplots moving at just the right pace. If this turns out to be the last Rebus novel, he certainly goes out in style. R.E.K. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: DECEMBER 2008]