Authors: Ian Rankin
Black And Blue (61 page)
Considering the difficulties he has sustaining loving relationships with women, Rebus goes on to acknowledge that the problem lies somewhere within himself: ‘
Rape was all about power; killing too, In Its way. And wasn’t power the ultimate male fantasy? And didn’t he sometimes dream of it too?
’ How revealing are these comments?
Consider the ways in which Ian Rankin might use the weather as a metaphor for what is happening in the story.
Where does Rebus stand on the assertion that oil and politics cannot be separated?
What is the message that Rebus receives on the streets of Aberdeen?
Bible John makes a huge mistake and gives Rebus his business card. Should Rebus berate himself for not realising earlier the clue he’d been gifted?
Is Bible John more concerned by physical strength or attitude? Why might that be?
What is Rebus thinking when he finds himself crying? What do the people he’s identifying with say about him as a person?
What are daughter Sammy’s motives for working with ex-cons?
First published in Great Britain in 1997 by Orion Books.
First published in ebook form in 2008 by Orion Books.
This updated ebook published in 2011 by Orion Books.
Copyright © John Rebus Limited 1997
Introduction © John Rebus Limited 2005
The right of Ian Rankin to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the copyright, designs and patents act 1988.
All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978 1 4091 0764 4
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