Saints of the Shadow Bible

Saints of the Shadow Bible (2013) by Ian Rankin. I've read and enjoyed Rankin's mysteries before, but this one is a sub-par entry. It's part of the Detective Inspector Rebus series, although at this point Rebus has retired and come back as a Sergeant. This book harks back to the Good Ole Days, when Rebus was first starting out, and when the police were given a little more leeway in arresting and interrogating suspects. An old case comes back to haunt the police force, and there is some question as to whether a suspect who was being questioned was in fact murdered by the authorities. Several killings take place in the course of the book, including one shooting. Rebus does his thing, using his connections to find guilty parties and bring them to justice, but this book just lacks the zing I've noticed in previous books by Rankin. The "Shadow Bible" refers to the Scots Criminal Law, a guide book issued during earlier times to help detectives determine proper procedure. Grade: B