Doors Open

An amusing bloody tale of middle-class amateurs mixing it with the big boys to pull off an audacious art heist

An immensely satisfying, bloody and constantly surprising story of middle-class amateurs mixing it with the big boys. And, as usual, Edinburgh - "a village masquerading as a city" - is a character in itself. So much so that "you-know-who" is hardly missed

As you'd expect from Rankin, a good plot and an interesting collection of Edinburgh characters

Because Rankin is a master story-teller, that means the reader is quickly swept up and carried along. I read this in one sitting, on a swelteringly hot beach in Greece; I kept meaning to do other things - find a beer, fetch a sunhat, check the BlackBerry - but somehow had to keep putting them off until I finished this chapter; and then the next; until I'd reached the end

Doors Open is a lot of fun. It's pacy, witty, full of action, twists and splendid dialogue. And Rebus does make a subtle appearance when an officer describes his police station as "a damn sight quieter since you-know-who retired"

Fans of Rankin's successful Inspector Rebus series can stop crying into their whiskies. The publication last year of Exit Music, the final novel featuring the hard-drinking detective, has not stopped its author writing some excellent new tartan noir. Doors Open is Rankin's first stand-alone thriller for a decade. A fast-paced, intriguingly plotted tale of a heist in Edinburgh's art world, it also features the city's shadier side - where Rebus so often hung out

Having retired Rebus, Rankin concocts a sharp, cleverly plotted, smartly paced criminal novel, throwing amateur crooks plannng an art theft to the professional sharks of Edinburgh's underworld

Ian Rankin can pull off an audacious criminal caper even without his trademark detective

It convincingly shows that he can move with aplomb into another crime form, and tell a story that's typically at once gripping and full of subtle effects, without his depressive detective holding it together

It's different - and it's good

Now Rankin has retired Rebus he can use his considerable talents to create standalone titles like this

Perhaps Rankin's most entertaining book yet, an old-school caper with a sting in the tail

Rankin has a seemingly effortless ability to tell a good and suspenseful yarn

Rankin has produced another stunningly clever plot, and peopled it with convincingly intriguing characters. Can this man do no wrong?

Rankin has taken a holiday from Rebus before, notably in the Jack Harvey thrillers. Here he is trying something new, a "caper" that is also a publishing experiment. Doors Open was serialised in the New York Times so it should reach even more readers than Rebus did

Rankin is enjoying himself here examining the flipside of Rebus' world: the mindset of the criminal attempting the perfect crime. The plotting and suspense are as impeccable as ever, and his ear for dialogue and insight into his home city remain perfectly honed. Freed from his Rebus back-story, Rankin sets a rattling pace, and Doors Open is an untrammelled joy to read. Consummate in its execution, this is another fine addition to Ian Rankin's career, Rebus or not

Rankin is having fun here, name-checking Ocean's Eleven and Banksy, inverting the Rebus idea and writing a heist thriller from the criminals' point of view

Rankin's superlative prose and well-crafted plot twists make this a must-read, especially for those still in mourning for the grumpy guy with a bus pass

Rebus might be resting but Rankin has lost none of his skill in creating a pacy plot set in Edinburgh. It's a compelling story with some great characters, at least one of whom I wouldn't be surprised to see in a future book. Recommended

The king of crime returns with another rip-roaring thriller

There is acute psychology and social commentary in Doors Open

This comic crime caper is a real treat, with Scotland's superlative author masterfully delivery thrill-a-minute plot twists on every page. Rankin fans, and even Rankin amateurs, will be crying with laughter, as well as crying out for more

This is exhilarating stuff, markedly different in tone from the kind of book we are used to from Rankin, but welcome proof that he has much more than one string to his bow

We love the thought that went into this Rankin release. He's a legend, and books like this prove why

You won't be able to turn the pages fast enough

a compelling new departure for Scotland's king of crime

a gripping crime novel that gradually enmeshes the reader in its dark world of wrong choices and deception

a superbly-plotted, light-hearted romp which owes a debt to Ocean's Eleven, but has plenty of charm of its own too