While there is something admirable in taking a popular detective series from its established medium and adapting the character for a theatrical outing, Long Shadows is a disappointing attempt to combine the tension of a police procedural and theatricality. Consisting largely of intense conversations with melancholic interludes as Rebus reflects on his past, the script lacks punches and relies heavily on the past history of the protagonist to present a depressing vision of Scotland's police: Rebus himself operates with a dubious and idiosyncratic understanding of justice, and the conclusion – that advances in technology are largely responsible for a contemporary decline in police corruption – only undermines the hero's apparent moral strength.

Despite a powerful and haunting set – versatile enough to evoke Rebus' home, the rooftop retreat of the arch-villain and a variety of shady pubs and clubs from across Edinburgh – the dramaturgy is limited to overlong arguments between Rebus, his mentee and his nemesis: for Rebus' conscience, dead women appear from the darkness and complain about his failure to solve their cases. It is deliberately measured, and one note, but this does not add any drama to what becomes a series of reflections on how police ethics have changed over the years, with Rebus as a the old-fashioned maverick.

The show is clearly aimed at fans of Ian Rankin's novels – the plot relies on a knowledge of both his previous adventures and behaviour – but does little to justify the theatrical adaptation of a too familiar battle of minds. Long Shadows offers little satisfaction through its obvious late twist, and fails to argue for the importance of this theatrical version of the character.

Now touring.