Andrew Lumsden

Very Enjoyable

Revisado: 10-29-22

A mixture of memoir, gossip and history of an Island I have grown to love, through the eyes of the absurd cast of characters that made up post war Jamaica.

I read this immediately after Blackwell's recent biography, it crossed over in areas but was turgid by comparison,.

Ev3n the non Bond fan will find something to enjoy in this short jaunt t
hrough the canon

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A disappointing hagiography

Revisado: 10-21-22

Bumped into Blackwell once at one of those uptown backgammon bar evenings , I truly wanted to like or learn something form this. Living in Jamaica for more than a decade and drinking in an eclectic range of bars and having visited all his local Island Outposts , you hear stories. I am very much of the category that Chris is a net positive for Jamaica .

When this was suggested with Bill Nighy reading it was a no brainer, yet he was languid leaning to bored and his pronunciation made me think he had never been to Scotland far less Jamaica.

Morley's fingerprints are all over this, he must have listened to hours of PG13 anecdotes, or perhaps the real stories and edited out the essence.

That is not to say there is no merit, listen at least 1.5speed. This is after all the soundtrack of our lives. As Salman Rushdie said on his blurb.

Grace Jones says Chris is a "Mover, Shaker & Mischief Maker" if only we got to see that.

This is basically an old man in lockdown reading through his diaries and fleshing out some detail.

If you want to know about Bob there are many better tomes, not least Marlon James' History of Seven Killings .

Still thank you lucky sperm for your wonderful life and contribution to the catalogue and indeed the Rock

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If this is the final chapter, then Kudos!

Revisado: 10-20-22

First time, I think, I have read a Rebus on release day, such was the anticipation given the teaser.

James McPherson does a fantastic job narrating (for a Weegie) so much so that after finishing A Song for Dark Times, I went back to Knots and Crosses.

There has been much said in other comments about 'too many characters' if this is your first Rebus then I can understand that. Yet if it is that Rankin has created a Rebus Univerese, and if it is this is to be our heroes final installment, then all the nods were welcomed. With the exception of the new criminal crews most of the established characters were there from outing five the Black Book; Cafferty, Clark & the SAAB. All of which were given a very satisfactory resolution, especially the Holmes/Moriarty relationship that had developed since Exit Music .

As a stand alone tale, does it work? Yes, if the new reader ignores what they see as minor or peripheral characters there is the strong dynamic between Clark & Fox. The story of modern policing v traditional and how the public perceive 'getting a result'. A couple of jibes against policing Tweets would have been welcomed to drive home this point.

Redemption! perhaps this ought to be the one word review. What we do, who we effect, what stains remain ?


Like Rankin I grew in Fife and spent my formative years in and around Edinburgh, I know these streets, these bars.

If it is that this is the last, then Mr Rankin take a bow and Thank You!

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Harrowing

Revisado: 10-18-22

A detailed and disturbing account of horrific brutality with zero respite. It is told as a diary with no real narrative just a young mans recollections of an evil time, the hope being that he lived to tell it and that we can lean from it.

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Old School Radio

Revisado: 10-17-22

OK, scrawled through the reviews, polarising, lots of 1s&5s, and I get why.

Yes it's woke, but not as bad as I was expecting, what was more annoying was the plodding plot.
The performances were exceptional, as you would expect , so I went 2.5, rounding to three.


I value this concept, that being Amazon moving into audio drama, as a middle aged UK man it is BBCR4 . it is a natural progression for Amazon , A list actor's doing excellent work that is difficult or expensive to film, we can easily picture them and as our forefathers did, draw our own images as a story was told

This differential will allow books to be books narrated by no more than two people and audio drama like old fashioned radio as how Orson Welles terrified America .

This is biblical characters, not stories, will it drive people to the original text and the Living Truth?

This is a well acted predictable drama

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Rediscovering Rebus

Revisado: 09-25-22

The Headstones are coming in October, a given McPherson went back to the beginning, I decided to do the same. This was better than I remember and Rankin describes. It's what kicked it all off, an incredible journey that may or may not end next month.

We have come to know and love these characters, so many were introduced here. The themes that bind, Sammy in mortal danger in book one, then in 24 in the highlands it's she and her daughter facing different demons with a song for dark times playing .

I've checked the chronology, from one childhood game to the next then over to the Shorts of the Best before getting back to long form with Tooth and Nail and Jack.

This was a taught psychological thriller with moments of humour and a couple of good lines and a Sammy student similar or three.

Looking forward to the journey!

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