So here’s the deal.  I’ll be writing about books — my favorites have always been mysteries of any sort (classic, spy thriller, crime, suspense), and Russian fiction.  Even better when the two combine.

But, I’ll likely throw in a bit more about movies, TV shows, and life in general.  I’ll nag my friends and family to contribute guest content.  I’ll try very hard not to be boring.

On my radar screen these days have been Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus books.  Don’t ask me why I’m so late to pick up on this series, but I am, and I also only just discovered that Rebus has been brought to life on the small screen.  (Maybe the ersatz title for my blog will be “annie’s got no clue”, but I’ll cop to it and hopefully we can get a clue together. )

Back to Rebus, a Scottish cop, a predictably flawed, wonderfully layered guide through Edinburgh’s low life and social elite — equal opportunity criminals in Rankin’s world.  I started with the latest Rebus books — Saints of the Shadow Bible and Standing in Another Man’s Grave (again, I don’t know why I am reading the books in reverse order).  In these books, Rankin collides Rebus’  seasoned, slightly grizzled world with that of another Scottish police officer, Malcolm Fox.  Fox, a bit-player in Rebus’ world is the marquee player in Rankin’s “Complaints” series, examining the Scottish police force through the eyes of a complaints (internal affairs) officer.  Though I’ve yet to read any of the Fox books, I’m wondering whether Rankin has succeeded in creating his own “Marvel universe” — a cast of characters each embodying his or her worlds, who sometimes meet and work together (or at cross purposes), who share common landmarks (Scotland, greater Edinburgh) and cultural references (the Lothian and Borders police force, whiskey, football, Scottish independence).  I hope so.

Happy reading.