Beggars Banquet - Softcover

Beggars Banquet is something of a departure for Ian Rankin and a very welcome one. Over the years, Rankin has built up an imposing portfolio of short stories. Appearing in crime magazines, written for personal appearances, or as one-off radio specials, they all resound with the singular energy and idiosyncratic characterisation of his best full-length novels. A previous collection, A Good Hanging, combined some first-rate tales with more workaday material, but this time round there isn't a single weak link, and the range of stories here is astonishing; this is a panoply of Rankin's approach to crime and mystery writing, and is that rare thing in short story collections: a book in which the tales can be read one after the other with ever-increasing pleasure.

We are taken into territory that is horrific (The Hanged Man), grimly ironic (The Only True Comedian) and even sociological (Glimmer is a hard-edged picture of how the optimism and hedonism of the 60's was swiftly eroded). And who could resist lines such as the following (in Unknown Pleasures):

He could feel the sweat, even though it was more viscous than sweat... more like a sheen of cooking oil. The tenement stairwell smelt of deep-fried tomcat...

But perhaps you're the kind of reader who fights shy of short story collections? Well, if you're any kind of a DI Rebus fan (and what crime enthusiast isn't?), there are eight--count them--eight stories featuring our favourite Scottish copper. And who could say no to a collection so rich in Rebus? --Barry Forshaw

Radio 4 are currently repeating a five-part series of readings of BEGGARS BANQUET at 7.45pm on Sunday evenings from 22 June to 20 July. BESTSELLERSScottish No 1 Bestseller in GLASGOW HERALD INTERVIEWS:Mail on Sunday (27 April), Property on Sunday interview with Ian on 'Why I live Where I live' REVIEWS: 'This collection proves that Rankin is a skilled practitioner of the difficult art of crime fiction in miniature...His territory - the Edinburgh of sink estates, drugs and disordered lives - does provide the backdrop for the most memorable stories here. And there is one tale, set in 18th-century Edinburgh, that suggests that Rankin as historical novelist would be well worth reading'SUNDAY TIMES 'Ian Rankin's 14th thriller in his outstanding Inspector Rebus series - A Question of Blood - is released by Orion this August. We at Midweek Towers, therfore, recommend that those of you unfamiliar with his oeuvre shouldpack your suitcases with his back catalogue as you head off for sunnier climes''Midweek Classic in NINE TO FIVE/MIDWEEK MAGAZINE 'Dip in and let the stories come to you, and you're rewarded by the craft and guile of a master thriller writer. Not just for Rankin's usual huge number of fans, but for all lovers of fine crime writing'GOOD BOOK GUIDE 'It seems to be accepted wisdom thatshort stories don't sell, which is a pity when there are collections as goodas these on the market...Rankin proves with this collection that he is a superb storyteller who can tackle anything with confidence, from the twisted mind of a serial killer to the luckiest comedian around'NORTHAMPTON CHRONICLE AND ECHO 'These tales not only explore the human condition but also the inner life of a city like no other'GREENOCK TELEGRAPH 'There is always a clever twist...Yes I will read them again over the next year'Reader Jury, BRADFORD TELEGR