Midnight and Blue

In the twenty-fifth episode of this series, former police detective John Rebus finds himself detained “at His Majesty’s pleasure.” He’s serving a life sentence for the murder of his old nemesis, Morris “Big Ger” Cafferty, a notorious Edinburgh gang boss. HMP Edinburgh is now his home, and he’s already six months into his sentence.

Although there’s an appeal pending, it’s stalled, and his lawyers aren’t even returning his calls. Now in his seventies, suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and with enemies around every corner, any day could be his last.

When prisoner Jackie Simpson is found murdered in his cell, suspicion falls on various people—both inmates and prison staff. Simpson’s cellmate, it appears, was drugged and slept through the whole incident. An investigation is underway, and two familiar faces from Rebus’s police days have been seen at the prison: Malcolm Fox, now working in Organized Crime, and Detective Christine Essen. Rumors about the culprit abound, but concrete evidence is scarce.

The prison governor, facing pressure due to possible staff involvement in the murder, approaches Rebus to do some sleuthing of his own. There’s not much incentive for Rebus to take on this risky task, but he can’t resist getting involved. For now, he has the protection of fellow inmate Darryl Christie, ironically a crime boss he often clashed with as a detective. Darryl, it seems, is grateful to Rebus for removing his old rival, Big Ger.

Meanwhile, outside the prison, Rebus’s close friend Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke is on a case involving a missing fourteen-year-old girl. Her friends have no idea why she vanished; her bank account remains untouched, and she’s gone silent on social media. Both cases unfold in tandem, with frequent appearances by Fox and Essen, who seem to have a stake in both investigations. Fox’s role, however, remains ambiguous—he’s a man who keeps his cards close to his chest, often rubbing people the wrong way.

As is typical in this series, Rebus’s scenes crackle with energy. He’s a risk-taker, never hesitating to bend the rules for results. While the prison setting is a departure from previous books, it gives Rebus the chance to dive back into the gritty work he knows so well. But the risks are very real, with no clear reward beyond keeping himself occupied in a way that suits his detective instincts and craving for danger. At heart, he’s still the same dogged investigator.

This novel follows A Heart Full of Headstones, a book that felt like the end of Rebus’s journey. But here, new life is breathed into a man who seemed to have lost his drive, if not his determination. It’s yet another brilliantly told story, and perhaps one of the best in the series. Maybe there’s life in the old dog yet—I certainly hope so.