• The Naming of the Dead

  • An Inspector Rebus Novel
  • By: Ian Rankin
  • Narrated by: James Macpherson
  • Length: 14 hrs and 21 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (100 ratings)

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The Naming of the Dead  By  cover art

The Naming of the Dead

By: Ian Rankin
Narrated by: James Macpherson
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Publisher's summary

The leaders of the free world descend on Scotland for an international conference, and every cop in the country is needed for front-line duty - except one. John Rebus' reputation precedes him, and his bosses don't want him anywhere near Presidents Bush and Putin, which explains why he's manning an abandoned police station when a call comes in.

During a preconference dinner at Edinburgh Castle, a delegate has fallen to his death. Accident, suicide, or something altogether more sinister? And is it linked to a grisly find close to the site of the gathering? Are the world's most powerful men at risk from a killer? While the government and secret services attempt to hush the whole thing up, Rebus knows he has only 72 hours to find the answers.

©2016 Ian Rankin (P)2016 Hachette Audio

What listeners say about The Naming of the Dead

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story, performance

Very listenable and entertaining. It was great to witness the team together again. Really a great listen.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent

This is one of Rankin’s best. Great story, great reader, one couldn’t ask for more.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

not one of his best

Strong Scottish accent. Difficult to follow in this complicated plot. Many interwoven storylines. Shioban and John's relationship develops.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I didn't want it to end!

Where does The Naming of the Dead rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Recently? It's #1. I've read all the John Rebus novels but long enough ago that I'm enjoying them anew - provided James McPherson is the reader. Everything is worth paying attention to.

Any additional comments?

Rankin's dry wit is far more evident when his books are read by McPherson.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I love living in Rebus' world

I can't believe that each book gets so much better.

With the G8 Summit in Scotland, Rebus and his coworkers are stretched pretty thin. Multiple murders to solve, clooty wells, and Siobhan's hippy parents add more drama. This was a great story.

The ending left many threads open-ended.

Awesome narration!

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2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Not the best Ian Rankin

I have listened to several Ian Rankin Inspector Rebus stories. I like the Scottish background and love the Scottish narrators. The story in this one was much more rambling than usual, and was the weakest leg of the audiobook.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good but too drawn out

I love Ian Rankin but this just seemed to go on and on. That said, absolutely terrific performance, I will look for this narrator again.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Slow read

I like the Rebus books but don’t love them. This one moved slowly along. Solid story and interesting characters, but nothing earth shattering, and places in the story were just plain boring.

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