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Ian Rankin

Scotland (b.1960)

aka Jack Harvey

Born in the Kingdom of Fife in 1960, Ian Rankin graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982, and then spent three years writing novels when he was supposed to be working towards a PhD in Scottish Literature. His first Rebus novel was published in 1987, and the Rebus books are now translated into twenty-two languages and are bestsellers on several continents.

Awards: Theakston (2021), CrimeFest (2021), Nibbies (2012), CWA (2005) see all

Genres: Mystery, Literary Fiction

New and upcoming books

October 2024

Midnight and Blue
(Inspector Rebus, book 25)

Series

Inspector Rebus
   1. Knots and Crosses (1987)
   2. Hide and Seek (1990)
   A Good Hanging (1992)
   3. Tooth and Nail (1992)
     aka Wolfman
   4. Strip Jack (1992)
   5. The Black Book (1993)
   6. Mortal Causes (1994)
   7. Let It Bleed (1995)
   8. Black and Blue (1997)
   9. The Hanging Garden (1998)
   10. Dead Souls (1999)
   10.5. Death is Not the End (1998)
   11. Set in Darkness (2000)
   12. The Falls (2001)
   13. Resurrection Men (2001)
   14. A Question of Blood (2003)
   15. Fleshmarket Close (2004)
   16. The Naming Of The Dead (2006)
   17. Exit Music (2007)
   18. Standing in Another Man's Grave (2012)
   19. Saints of the Shadow Bible (2013)
   In the Nick of Time (2014) (with Peter James)
   The Beat Goes On (2014)
   20. Even Dogs in the Wild (2015)
   21. Rather Be the Devil (2016)
   Long Shadows (2018) (with Rona Munro)
   22. In a House of Lies (2018)
   23. A Song For the Dark Times (2020)
   John Rebus: A Mysterious Profile (2022)
   24. A Heart Full of Headstones (2022)
   A Game Called Malice (2023) (with Simon Reade)
   25. Midnight and Blue (2024)

Jack Harvey Novels (as by Jack Harvey)
   1. Witch Hunt (1993)
   2. Bleeding Hearts (1994)
   3. Blood Hunt (1995)

Malcolm Fox
1. The Complaints (2009)
2. The Impossible Dead (2011)

Roy Grace (with Peter James)
10.5. In the Nick of Time (2014)

Jack Laidlaw (with William McIlvanney)
0. The Dark Remains (2021)

Novels

   The Flood (1986)
   Watchman (1988)
   Westwind (1990)
   Doors Open (2007)

Collections

   Herbert in Motion (1997)
   Beggars Banquet (2002)
   Complete Short Stories (2005)
   One City (2006) (with Alexander McCall Smith and Irvine Welsh)
   Crimespotting (2009) (with others)
   The People's City (2022) (with others)

Novellas and Short Stories

   A Deep Hole (2005)
   Meet and Greet (2016)
   The Rise (2023)

Series contributed to

Ox-Tales
Ox-Tales: Earth (2009) (with others)

Quick Reads 2009
A Cool Head (2009)

Bibliomysteries / Death Sentences
The Travelling Companion (2016)

Mysterious Profiles
John Rebus: A Mysterious Profile (2022)

Plays show

Graphic Novels show

Non fiction show

Omnibus editions show

Books containing stories by Ian Rankin

Murder in a Heatwave (2023)
(Vintage Murders, book 7)
edited by
Cecily Gayford

Tales for Twilight (2021)
edited by
Alistair W J Kerr

Daggers Drawn (2021)
edited by
Maxim Jakubowski

More books

Awards

	2021 Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution Award
	2021 CrimeFest: eDunnit Award : A Song For the Dark Times
	2013 CrimeFest: Sounds of Crime Award : Standing in Another Man's Grave
	2012 British Book Award Outstanding Achievement
	2009 CrimeFest: Sounds of Crime Award : Doors Open
	2008 CrimeFest: Sounds of Crime Award : Exit Music
	2007 BCA Crime Thriller of the Year : The Naming Of The Dead
	2005 CWA Diamond Dagger
	2004 Edgar Award for Best Novel : Resurrection Men
	1997 CWA Gold Dagger : Black and Blue

Award nominations

	2024 Edgar Award for Best Short Story (nominee) : The Rise
	2023 McIlvanney Prize (nominee) : A Heart Full of Headstones
	2023 Macavity Award for Best Novel (nominee) : A Heart Full of Headstones
	2023 CrimeFest: eDunnit Award (nominee) : A Heart Full of Headstones
	2021 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (shortlist) : A Song For the Dark Times
	2021 CrimeFest: Sounds of Crime Award (nominee) : A Song For the Dark Times
	2021 British Book Award Crime and Thriller Book of the Year (shortlist) : A Song For the Dark Times
	2019 McIlvanney Prize (nominee) : In a House of Lies
	2019 CrimeFest: Sounds of Crime Award (nominee) : In a House of Lies
	2019 British Book Award Crime and Thriller Book of the Year (shortlist) : In a House of Lies
	2018 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (shortlist) : Rather Be the Devil
	2017 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (shortlist) : Even Dogs in the Wild
	2017 McIlvanney Prize (nominee) : Rather Be the Devil
	2017 CrimeFest: eDunnit Award (nominee) : Rather Be the Devil
	2016 McIlvanney Prize (nominee) : Even Dogs in the Wild
	2016 CrimeFest: Sounds of Crime Award (nominee) : Even Dogs in the Wild
	2015 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (shortlist) : Saints of the Shadow Bible
	2015 Edgar Award for Best Novel (nominee) : Saints of the Shadow Bible
	2014 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (shortlist) : Standing in Another Man's Grave
	2014 Macavity Award for Best Novel (nominee) : Standing in Another Man's Grave
	2014 Edgar Award for Best Novel (nominee) : Standing in Another Man's Grave
	2014 Barry Award for Best Novel (nominee) : Standing in Another Man's Grave
	2013 McIlvanney Prize (nominee) : Standing in Another Man's Grave
	2012 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (shortlist) : The Impossible Dead
	2010 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (shortlist) : Doors Open
	2010 CrimeFest: Sounds of Crime Award (nominee) : The Complaints
	2009 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (shortlist) : Exit Music
	2008 BCA Crime Thriller of the Year (nominee) : Exit Music
	2006 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (shortlist) : Fleshmarket Close
	2005 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year (shortlist) : A Question of Blood
	2004 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller (nominee) : A Question of Blood
	2002 Barry Award for Best British Crime Novel (nominee) : The Falls
	1999 CWA Gold Dagger (shortlist) : Dead Souls
	1999 Barry Award for Best Novel (nominee) : The Hanging Garden
	1998 Edgar Award for Best Novel (nominee) : Black and Blue
	1995 Anthony Award for Best Short Story (nominee) : A Deep Hole

Ian Rankin recommends

Rare Singles (2024)
Benjamin Myers
"Lovely to spend time with two characters I really wished could be real ... A book of rare charm by a writer who understands the magic of music."

The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia (2024)
Juliet Grames
"I enjoyed this immersive novel of family secrets in an isolated community in Italy. Shades of Ferrante."

The Cracked Mirror (2024)
Chris Brookmyre
"Chris Brookmyre is a magician with words and his latest sleight-of-hand will have you asking 'How did he do that?!' So clever, witty and rewarding."

When the Needle Drops (2024)
(Mull Mysteries, book 1)
Colin MacIntyre
"A twisty mystery set on Mull, the island being a character in itself. Ivor Punch is a detective well worth spending time (and a dram) with."

The Last Passenger (2023)
Will Dean
"Astonishing."

Central Park West (2023)
(Nora Carleton, book 1)
James Comey
"Hard to believe Central Park West is a first novel. It reeks of authenticity and the plot goes like a train. The courtroom scenes are tense and the cast of characters vivid and compelling. This is the sort of debut publishers dream of."

Broken Light (2023)
Joanne Harris
"Chilling, enchanting, and thought-provoking."

Shy (2023)
Max Porter
"Shy is the strangest, most beguiling and affecting of all his books."

Home Before Night (2023)
J P Pomare
"A twisty small-town mystery with a protagonist I didn't want to let go."

The Five Sorrowful Mysteries of Andy Africa (2023)
Stephen Buoro
"This novel exudes a wonderfully vivid sense of place and leads the reader inside the head of its teenage hero . . . It's a narrative of depth that also manages to be instantly engaging."

Strange Sally Diamond (2023)
Liz Nugent
"It creeped me out (in a good way). Think Room and The Collector but add a dazzling/unique main character and encroaching dread. Terrific."

Meantime (2022)
Frankie Boyle
"Reads like a twisted Caledonian take on Robert Altman's The Long Goodbye. Inherent vices and scalpel-sharp jokes vie with a very human concern for those least garlanded in the rat race of life."

Confidence (2022)
(Anna and Fin, book 2)
Denise Mina
"One of the most exciting writers."

The Next Time I Die (2022)
Jason Starr
"So fresh and clever and compelling. I don't know when I last turned pages so quickly."

Murder Before Evensong (2022)
(Canon Clement Mystery, book 1)
The Reverend Richard Coles
"The Reverend Richard Coles gives us a serpent in England's pastoral Eden - and whodunit fans can give praise and rejoice."

The Beaten Track (2022)
(International Psychological Suspense)
Louise Mangos
"I really enjoyed this. A touch of Highsmith about it."

Murder in the Family (2022)
Cara Hunter
"This devilishly clever, ground-breaking novel will keep you guessing as you fly through its pages."

The Lori Anderson Bounty Hunter Series: Books 1-4 (2021)
(Lori Anderson)
Steph Broadribb
"Like Midnight Run, but much darker...really, really good."

The Killing Song (2021)
(Dr Jo McCready Mystery, book 2)
Lesley McEvoy
"McEvoy knows her stuff."

Judas 62 (2021)
(Box 88, book 2)
Charles Cumming
"Up there with the very best."

A Rattle of Bones (2021)
(Rebecca Connolly, book 3)
Douglas Skelton
"If you don't know Skelton, now's the time."

Dead Man's Grave (2021)
(DS Max Craigie, book 1)
Neil Lancaster
"Grabbed me from the first page."

The Distant Dead (2021)
(Detective's Daughter, book 8)
Lesley Thomson
"Lesley Thomson is a class above."

33 Women (2020)
Isabel Ashdown
"I was gripped throughout."

The Point of No Return (2020)
(Connor Fraser, book 3)
Neil Broadfoot
"A true rising star of crime fiction."

Fallen Angels (2020)
(Varg Veum, book 23)
Gunnar Staalesen
"Staalesen is one of my very favourite Scandinavian authors and this is a series with very sharp teeth."

Cover Your Tracks (2020)
(DI Helen Birch, book 3)
Claire Askew
"Meticulous and compelling."

Come Again (2020)
Robert Webb
"Come Again is excellent: moving, funny and packed with great characters. It also has a slam-bang action ending."

Broken (2020)
Don Winslow
"A huge, immersive, violent, compassionate read."

Power Play (2020)
(Dempsey/Devlin, book 3)
Tony Kent
"A gripping conspiracy thriller."

The Mist (2020)
(Hulda, book 3)
Ragnar Jónasson
"Totally gripped."

Darkness for Light (2020)
(Caleb Zelic, book 3)
Emma Viskic
"A mazey delight of a mystery."

To Kill a Man (2020)
(Maggie Costello, book 5)
Sam Bourne
"A Day of the Jackal for these dizzying times."

The Ruins (2020)
Mat Osman
"There's a touch of Pynchon in this complex, woozily dream-like novel about music, mystery and imagined worlds..."

Liar Liar (2020)
(DS Grace Allendale, book 3)
Mel Sherratt
"I love all Mel Sherratt’s books."

Die For Me (2020)
(Axel Steen, book 2)
Jesper Stein
"Who doesn't love a maverick cop with a chaotic personal life?."

Your House Will Pay (2019)
Steph Cha
"Fresh, thoughtful, thrilling."

The Stranger Inside (2019)
Lisa Unger
"A touch of Jekyll and Hyde in this story of murder, vengeance and bonds of friendship. Fine stuff."

Here To Stay (2019)
Mark Edwards
"A horribly convincing portrait of the in-laws from hell. I kept wanting to tear my eyes away but had to keep reading."

A Shadow Intelligence (2019)
(Elliot Kane, book 1)
Oliver Harris
"Oliver Harris is always pure quality and I'm loving the hell out of his foray into the contemporary spy novel."

The Never Game (2019)
(Colter Shaw, book 1)
Jeffery Deaver
"The Never Game is the very definition of a page-turner."

The Doll Factory (2019)
Elizabeth Macneal
"A stunningly confident first novel with a real sense of period and place . . . thoroughly engrossing."

Breakers (2019)
Doug Johnstone
"This may be Doug Johnstone’s best book yet. An unsparing yet sympathetic depiction of Edinburgh’s ignored underclass, with terrific characterisation. Tense, pacey, filmic."

For The Good Times (2019)
David Keenan
"I've read a fair amount of 'Troubles' literature down the years. This is up there with the very best."

Night Runners (2018)
(Detective Mollel, book 3)
Richard Crompton
"A compulsive whodunnit set in Kenya."

Kill 'Em All (2018)
(Kill Your Friends, book 2)
John Niven
"A bruising triumph; Amis' MONEY for the Trump generation. What a monster he's created."

Loch of the Dead (2018)
(Frey & McGray, book 4)
Oscar De Muriel
"Properly creepy and Gothic."

This is How it Ends (2018)
Eva Dolan
"Elegantly crafted, humane and thought-provoking. She's top drawer."

London Rules (2018)
(Slough House, book 5)
Mick Herron
"Sublime dialogue, frictionless plotting."

Gallic Noir: Volume 1 (2018)
Pascal Garnier
"Wonderful...Properly noir."

Bloody January (2017)
(Harry McCoy, book 1)
Alan Parks
"An old-school cop novel written with wit and economy . . . Think McIlvanney or Get Carter."

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Seek (2017)
Anthony O'Neill
"Being a huge fan of the original, I was skeptical about this sequel, but it was clever, gripping, and reverent. Recommended."

The Weight of Angels (2017)
Catriona McPherson
"Gripping thriller."

Time to Win (2017)
(Goodwins, book 1)
Harry Brett
"The Godfather in Great Yarmouth."

The Darkness Within (2017)
(Inspector Faro and Rose McQuinn, book 1)
Alanna Knight
"Alanna Knight could hardly be better."

The Intrusions (2017)
(Carrigan and Miller, book 3)
Stav Sherez
"A Silence of the Lambs for the internet age."

A Rising Man (2016)
(Sam Wyndham, book 1)
Abir Mukherjee
"A Rising Man is a whodunit set in the social and political tinderbox of 1919 Calcutta - a thought-provoking rollercoaster."

The Last of Us (2016)
Rob Ewing
"Gripping and utterly believable."

The Plea (2016)
(Eddie Flynn, book 2)
Steve Cavanagh
"Rip-roaring legal thriller...Twisty, bloody, and convincing."

Papercuts (2016)
(Papercuts )
Colin Bateman
"He just seems to get better and better."

Fallout (2015)
(Tito Ihaka, book 5)
Paul Thomas
"Violent, funny, profane-Ihaka is a terrific maverick cop."

Discovering Scarfolk (2014)
(Scarfolk)
Richard Littler
"Scarfolk: One visit is not enough. - ,"

The Girl Next Door (2014)
Ruth Rendell
"Probably the greatest living crime writer in the world."

Crimewave 9: Transgressions (2014)
(Crimewave, book 9)
Andy Cox
"A must-have collection of the hottest crime stories around."

Speak No Evil (2009)
(Joe Donovan, book 4)
Martyn Waites
"England's dark heart has seldom been exposed with such surgical precision. Brutal, mesmerizing stuff."

Londongrad (2008)
(Artie Cohen, book 8)
Reggie Nadelson
"Nadelson's take on a London of oligarchs fuelled by money from the 'new' Russia."

The Stranger from Home (2008)
(Jim Meldrum, book 8)
Frederic Lindsay
"Intelligent, entertaining, gripping and well-written."

The Prince of Bagram Prison (2008)
Alex Carr
"Takes the reader for a seriously fast and scary ride. You'll end up checking your reading chair for a seatbelt."

Piece of My Heart (2005)
(DCI Banks, book 16)
Peter Robinson
"Watch for those twists - they'll get you every time."

Whales for the Wizard (2005)
Malcolm Archibald
"A rip-roaring adventure-mystery with terrific detail of place, period and shipping lore."

Stranded (2004)
Val McDermid
"There are stories here which will make you shudder, and which will linger long in the mind."

Cypress Grove (2003)
(Turner, book 1)
James Sallis
"He's right up there, one of the best of the best."

Hot Potato (2003)
(Fizz and Buchanan, book 7)
Joyce Holms
"Joyce's humour is sharp without being nasty, her characters well drawn, and her Edinburgh a place you'll want to spend time in."

The Nature of the Beast (2001)
Frances Fyfield
"Her knowledge of the workings of the human mind - or, more correctly, the soul - is second to none."

Those Whom the Gods Love (2001)
Clare Layton (Natasha Cooper)
"A gripping psychological thriller writer."

The Big Ask (2001)
(Murray Whelan, book 4)
Shane Maloney
"Maloney just gets better, and Murray Whelan remains one of the most reliable and rewarding sleuths in the business."

Lights, Camera, Angel (2001)
(Fitzroy Maclean Angel, book 10)
Mike Ripley
"Mike Ripley's Angel series is back and taking no prisoners."

Noise Abatement (2000)
Carol Anne Davis
"You've got to read her."

Oh No, Not My Baby (1999)
Russell James
"The Godfather of British noir."

Nights in White Satin (1999)
(Laura Principal, book 4)
Michelle Spring
"The best book yet in this amazing series."

Lie in the Dark (1999)
(Vlado Petric)
Dan Fesperman
"A quite astonishing first novel which injects the reader into the heart of the darkness which was Sarajevo at the height of the Yugoslav conflict. Reading this book is like being there. If Fesperman had taken me any closer to the action I'd be demanding a flak jacket. At the book's core is a police detective, a man who must deal with the conflict while never wholly understanding it, who must investigate one meaningful murder while those around him seem inured to daily slaughter. This is a humane and moving book, a great crime novel. A great novel, period."

Night Trap (1998)
(Alan Craik, book 1)
Gordon Kent (Christian Cameron)
"Here's a thriller that really flies. Gordon Kent knows his subject at first hand and the expertise shows on the page: high stakes, pounding tension and the best dogfights put on paper. A lot of thrillers these days, you come away feeling like you've been in a simulator. In NIGHT TRAP, Gordon Kent straps you into the real thing. Enjoy the ride!"

Mortal (1998)
Andrea Badenoch
"A first novel of chilling intensity, a mystery which also happens to be a dissection of desire, friendship and obsession."

The Sound of My Voice (1987)
Ron Butlin
"Playful, haunting and moving, this is writing of the highest quality."

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