New Releases by Ian Rankin

Ian Rankin is the author of Midnight and Blue (2024), A Heart Full of Headstones (2022), John Rebus (2022), A Song for the Dark Times (2020), Westwind (2020).

26 results found

Midnight and Blue

release date: Oct 10, 2024

A Heart Full of Headstones

release date: Oct 18, 2022
A Heart Full of Headstones
New York Times bestselling author Ian Rankin returns to his legendary detective—it’s not the first time Rebus has taken the law into his own hands, though it may be the last. John Rebus stands accused: on trial for a crime that could put him behind bars for the rest of his life. But what drove a good man to cross the line? Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke may well find out. Clarke is tasked with the city’s most explosive case in years, an infamous cop, at the center of decades of misconduct, has gone missing. Finding him will expose not only her superiors, but her mentor John Rebus. And Rebus himself may not have her own interests at heart, as the repayment of a past debt places him in the crosshairs of both crime lords and his police brethren. One way or another, a reckoning is coming – and John Rebus may be hearing the call for last orders…

John Rebus

release date: May 24, 2022
John Rebus
The New York Times–bestselling author tells the story behind Inspector Rebus, the hard-edged Edinburgh cop and "superbly drawn character" ( The Times, London). In this short work, Edgar and Diamond Dagger Award winner Ian Rankin delves into DI John Rebus's origins as a character, as well as his own origins as a writer. While author and character share a love of literature and a deep affection for Scotland's capital city, they differ in other ways, as Rankin entertainingly testifies, while revealing how this "compelling figure" has developed over the course of his long-running series of gritty crime novels ( Kirkus Reviews). "[A] hard-drinking, chain-smoking, terminally melancholic hero . . . trapped in a world where mavericks are an endangered species." — Booklist "Rebus is without doubt one of the funniest among the classical fictional detectives." — The Guardian "With his stubborn insistence on tying up the frayed ends of every knotty clue, and iconoclastic refusal to be a team player . . . Rebus is a bane to his superiors but a blessing to readers." — Publishers Weekly

A Song for the Dark Times

release date: Oct 13, 2020
A Song for the Dark Times
"He’s gone…" When his daughter Samantha calls in the dead of night, John Rebus knows it’s not good news. Her husband has been missing for two days. Rebus fears the worst – and knows from his lifetime in the police that his daughter will be the prime suspect. He wasn’t the best father – the job always came first – but now his daughter needs him more than ever. But is he going as a father or a detective? As he leaves at dawn to drive to the windswept coast – and a small town with big secrets – he wonders whether this might be the first time in his life where the truth is the one thing he doesn’t want to find… A thrilling new Rebus novel about crime, punishment, and redemption, from the Edgar Award-winning "genius" of the genre (Lee Child, bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series)

Westwind

release date: Jan 07, 2020
Westwind
For the first time in the US, this timeless cat-and-mouse classic from the Edgar Award-winning "genius" examines political tensions in an era of espionage (Lee Child, bestselling author of the Jack Reacher series). In Europe, the Americans are pulling out their troops in a tide of isolationism. Britain, torn between loyalties to America and the continent, is caught in the middle. Across the pond, a space shuttle crashes on landing, killing all but one of the crew on board: A British citizen named Mike Dreyfuss, who will become vilified by the US press and protesters. Halfway across the world, at English ground control headquarters, Martin Hepton watches with dismay as they lose contact with the most advanced satellite in Europe. When a colleague who suspects something strange disappears, Hepton realizes there is much more at stake than anyone knows -- and many more people on his trail than he can possibly evade . . .

In a House of Lies

release date: May 30, 2019
In a House of Lies
IN A HOUSE OF LIES... Everyone has something to hide A missing private investigator is found, locked in a car hidden deep in the woods. Worse still - both for his family and the police - is that his body was in an area that had already been searched. Everyone has secrets Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke is part of a new inquiry, combing through the mistakes of the original case. There were always suspicions over how the investigation was handled and now - after a decade without answers - it's time for the truth. Nobody is innocent Every officer involved must be questioned, and it seems everyone on the case has something to hide, and everything to lose. But there is one man who knows where the trail may lead - and that it could be the end of him: John Rebus.

Rather Be the Devil

release date: Jan 31, 2017
Rather Be the Devil
Rebus investigates a cold case that just turned red hot. As he settles into an uneasy retirement, Rebus has given up his favorite vices. There's just one habit he can't shake: he can't let go of an unsolved case. It's the only pastime he has left and up until now, it's the only one that wasn't threatening to kill him. But when Rebus starts reexamining the facts behind the long-ago murder of a glamorous woman at a luxurious hotel - on the same night a famous rock star and his entourage where also staying there - the past comes roaring back to life with a vengeance. And as soon as Rebus starts asking questions about the long forgotten crime, a fresh body materializes. His inquiries reunite him with his old pals-Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox-as they attempt to uncover the financial chicanery behind the savage beating of an upstart gangster, a crime that suggests the notorious old school crime boss Big Ger Cafferty has taken to retirement as poorly as Rebus himself. As he connects the mysteries of the past to the those of the present, Rebus learns - the hard way - that he's not the only one with an insatiable curiosity about what happened in that hotel room forty years ago, and that someone will stop at nothing to ensure that the crime remains ancient history. A twisted tale of power, corruption, and bitter rivalries in the dark heart of Edinburgh, Rather Be the Devil showcases Rankin and Rebus at their unstoppable best.

Even Dogs in the Wild

release date: Jan 01, 2016
Even Dogs in the Wild
Rebus comes out of retirement...to save his nemesis. Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke is feeling the heat. She's investigating the death of a senior government prosecutor, David Minton, who has friends in high places. When one of their own is killed, the powers that be want answers fast. But Clarke is puzzled: if Minton died in a robbery as everyone thinks, why is nothing missing from his home? The answer may lie not in what was taken, but in what was left behind at the scene?an ominous note. Malcolm Fox is feeling useless. Shunned by his colleagues because of his past in the Complaints bureau, he's been reassigned to a grunt detail, helping a surveillance team?one that trusts him even less than his own boss does?track a notorious Glasgow crime family. Helping Clarke with the Minton case is the only thing that makes Fox feel like a real cop. Newly minted civilian John Rebus is feeling restless. Being a cop is in his blood and he's failing miserably at retirement. So when Clarke and Fox ask for his help, Rebus doesn't need long to consider his options. But before he can get his bearings, a call comes from Rebus's old nemesis?"Big Ger" Cafferty. Someone just fired a bullet through his front window?and sent him a note identical to Minton's. The normally unflappable old gangster is on edge, but for the life of him Cafferty can't figure out who he's wronged. And the only man he trusts with his life is Rebus. As the cases collide, it's up to Clarke, Fox, and Rebus to connect the dots and save their unlikely ally Cafferty, whose past harbors a shocking secret that implicates Minton's friends in an unspeakable crime. Even Dogs in the Wild reunites crime fiction legend Ian Rankin's greatest characters in an explosive story exploring the darkest corners of our desires.

The Beat Goes On

release date: Aug 11, 2015
The Beat Goes On
There is no detective like Ian Rankin's Detective Inspector John Rebus, a man The New Yorker calls "the ideal sleuth." Brilliant, irascible and frequently frustrating to both his friends and his long-suffering bosses, John Rebus has made the dark places of Edinburgh his home for over two decades. The Beat Goes On collects all of Ian Rankin's Rebus short stories for the first time, including two never-before published tales written specifically for this collection. From his beginnings as a young Detective Constable in Dead and Buried right up to his dramatic, but not quite final, retirement in The Very Last Drop, Rebus shines in these stories, confirming his status as one of crime fiction's most compelling, brilliant, and unforgettable characters. In these gripping, fast-paced tales, the legendary Scottish detective investigates the sinister cases that are his specialty, including a gruesome student death, the brutal murder of a woman at the crux of a love triangle, an audacious jewel heist, suspicious happenings at a nursing home, and an ominous email that brings a family's darkest secrets to light. The Beat Goes On is the ultimate Ian Rankin treasure trove -- a must-have book for crime fiction aficionados and a superb introduction for anyone looking to experience DI John Rebus, and the dark, twist-filled crimes he investigates.

A Question of Blood

release date: May 01, 2015

Standing in Another Man's Grave

release date: Nov 08, 2012
Standing in Another Man's Grave
What price will he pay to get his old life back...? From the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES 'This is British crime-writing of the finest, lasting quality' DAILY MAIL 'Genius ... Rankin once again proves himself to be the consummate master of crime' SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY A series of seemingly random disappearances - stretching back to the millennium. A mother determined to find the truth. A retired cop desperate to get his old life back... It's been some time since Rebus was forced to retire, and he now works as a civilian in a cold-case unit. So when a long-dead case bursts back to life, he can't resist the opportunity to get his feet under the CID desk once more. But Rebus is as stubborn and anarchic as ever, and he quickly finds himself in deep with pretty much everyone, including DI Siobhan Clarke. All Rebus wants to do is uncover the truth. The big question is: can he be the man he once was and still stay on the right side of the law? **** Ian Rankin's STANDING IN ANOTHER MAN'S GRAVE was a #1 Sunday Times bestseller w/c 10th December 2012

The Complaints

release date: Mar 07, 2011
The Complaints
Nobody likes The Complaints -- they're the cops who investigate other cops. It's a department known within the force as The Dark Side, and it's where Malcolm Fox works. He's a serious man with a father in a nursing home and a sister who persists in an abusive relationship, frustrating problems about which he cannot seem to do anything. Then the reluctant Fox is given a new case. There's a cop named Jamie Breck, and he's dirty. The problem is, no one can prove it. As Fox takes on the job, he learns that there's more to Breck than anyone thinks -- dangerous knowledge, especially when a vicious murder takes place far too close to home. In The Complaints, Rankin proves again why he is one of the world's most beloved and bestselling crime writers, mixing unstoppable pacing with the deeper question of who decides right from wrong.

A Good Hanging

release date: Jan 01, 2010
A Good Hanging
"Twelve terrific stories starring Detective Inspector John Rebus in his home city of Edinburgh, as only Ian Rankin can portray it: not just the tartan tearooms and cobbled streets of the tourist brochures, but a modern urban metropolis with a full range of criminals and their victims..."--P. [4] of cover.

A Cool Head

release date: Sep 24, 2009
A Cool Head
Written specially for the World Book Day Quick Reads promotion. "My dad used to say to me, 'Try to keep a cool head and a warm heart'. At least I think it was my dad. I don't really remember him." Gravy worked in the graveyard - hence the name. He was having a normal day until his friend Benjy turned up in a car Gravy didn't recognise. Benjy had a bullet hole in his chest, but lived just long enough to ask Gravy to hide him and look after his gun. Gravy had looked after things for Benjy before, but never a gun. When Gravy looked in the car he found blood, a balaclava and a bag stuffed with money. Gravy's not too bright but he wants to help his friend. So Gravy finds himself caught up in the middle of a robbery gone wrong, a woman who witnessed a murder, and some very unpleasant men who will do anything to get back the money Benjy stole...

Let It Bleed

release date: Feb 01, 2009
Let It Bleed
In the dark days and biting windstorms of an Edinburgh winter, two drop-out kids dive off the towering Forth Road Bridge. A civic office is spattered by a grisly gun-blast. Two suicides and a murder that just don't add up, unless John Rebus can crunch the numbers. Following a trail that snakes through stark alleys and sad bars, shredded files and lacerated lives, Rebus finds himself up against an airtight, murderous conglomerate on the make in every arena of power. It's leeching the life and soul out of his city and, if it can, him too... It may be Inspector Rebus' toughest case ever in "Let It Bleed," from brilliant crime writer Ian Rankin.

Hide And Seek

release date: Sep 18, 2008
Hide And Seek
The second Inspector Rebus novel from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES. 'Ian Rankin is a genius' Lee Child A junkie lies dead in an Edinburgh squat, spreadeagled, cross-like on the floor, between two burned-down candles, a five-pointed star daubed on the wall above. Just another dead addict - until John Rebus begins to chip away at the indifference, treachery, deceit and sleaze that lurks behind the facade of the Edinburgh familiar to tourists. Only Rebus seems to care about a death which looks more like a murder every day, about a seductive danger he can almost taste, appealing to the darkest corners of his mind... **** Ian Rankin's A HEART FULL OF HEADSTONES was a Sunday Times bestseller w/c 10th October 2022 and w/c 1st May 2023

The Naming of the Dead

release date: Sep 18, 2008
The Naming of the Dead
The world is watching. And a killer is waiting... When Detective Inspector John Rebus starts looking into the apparent suicide of an MP, he is abruptly told to drop the case. Why? Because the leaders of the G8 are gathering in Scotland, and Rebus' bosses want him well out of the way. But Rebus never was one to follow orders... With the help of Detective Sergeant Siobhan Clarke - who has a very personal reason for hunting down a riot cop - both Rebus and Clarke are set on a collision course against their own force. And - with the eyes of the world on them - they soon uncover evidence that a serial killer may be waiting in the wings... 'Staggering ... At the top of his game' Daily Mail 'Masterly ... Rankin's finest novel' Scotsman 'The best crime novel you'll read this year' Sunday Telegraph

Doors Open

release date: Sep 18, 2008
Doors Open
'Rankin is a master story-teller ... I read this in one sitting' Guardian Mike Mackenzie is a self-made man with too much time on his hands and a bit of the devil in his soul. He is looking for something to liven up the days and settles on a plot to rip-off one of the most high-profile targets in the capital - the National Gallery of Scotland. So, together with two close friends from the art world, he devises a plan to lift some of the most valuable artwork around. But of course, the real trick is to rob the place - whilst persuading the world that no crime was ever committed...

Blood Hunt

release date: Sep 18, 2008
Blood Hunt
The horror has just begun... A brilliant thriller from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES. 'No one writes more gripping stories than Rankin' TLS It begins with a phone call. Gordon Reeve's brother has been found dead in his car in San Diego. The car was locked from the inside, a gun was in his hand. In the US to identify the body Gordon realises that his brother has been murdered. What's more, it's soon obvious that his own life is in danger. Once back in Scotland he finds out his home has been bugged by professionals. But Reeve is a professional too. Ex-SAS, he was half of a two-man unit with someone he came to fear, then to hate. It looks like his nemesis is back...

Exit Music

release date: Sep 17, 2008
Exit Music
It's late in the fall in Edinburgh and late in the career of Detective Inspector John Rebus. As he is simply trying to tie up some loose ends before his retirement, a new case lands on his desk: a dissident Russian poet has been murdered in what looks like a mugging gone wrong. Rebus discovers that an elite delegation of Russian businessmen is in town, looking to expand its interests. And as Rebus's investigation gains ground, someone brutally assaults a local gangster with whom he has a long history. Has Rebus overstepped his bounds for the last time? Only a few days shy of the end to his long, controversial career, will Rebus even make it that far?

Tooth & Nail

release date: Jan 01, 2008
Tooth & Nail
They call him the Wolfman - because he takes a nip out of his victims and because they found the first victim in the East End's lonely Wolf Street. But there's no urban predator that Rebus fears. When Scotland Yard are anxious to find the last serial killer on their patch they look north and soon Rebus is on his way south from the chill of Edinburgh to the rain of London. A serial killerfrom Dr Liza Frazer is attractive in more ways than one and Rebus is happy to take her up on her offer of help. But in taking on one ally who doesn't think that everyone achilles heel in the fight against the Wolfman.

The Hanging Garden

release date: Sep 15, 1999
The Hanging Garden
Inspector John Rebus of the Edinburgh police hunts for a World War II criminal, a Nazi officer who massacred an entire village in France. At the same time he has to bust a ring which is importing East European prostitutes.

Strip Jack

release date: May 15, 1998
Strip Jack
John Rebus must solve the case when a respected MP's wife is murdered.

Death is Not the End

release date: Jan 01, 1998
Death is Not the End
Damon Mee was last seen in a blurred security video on the dance floor of a Kirkaldy nightclub. It was a routine missing persons case and it wasn't even on his patch, but inspector John rebus said he'd look into it as a favour to the boy's father, a friend from his school days. In the deft hands of Ian Rankin, the ripples of the investigation widen rapidly. They lead to the club's greasy owner, to a slightly bent casion croupier, to a drop dead blonde whose name nobody seems to know, to a Hibs striker with a talent for goals and a weakness for gambling and finally to the shadowed men who call the shots in Edinburgh's underworld. When it's over, Rebus has repaid a debt and his boss has received an unexpected birthday present.

Knots and Crosses

release date: Dec 15, 1995
Knots and Crosses
Detective Sergeant John Rebus must solve the case of the "Edinburgh Strangler" before the killer strikes again.
26 results found


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