Ian Rankin and Inspector Rebus

Detective John Rebus first appeared in Ian Rankin's 1987 best-seller Knots and Crosses and has since gone on to appear in 17 books and numerous short stories. For over 20 years these critically-acclaimed novels have sold in their millions, thrilled readers the world over and have set a benchmark in contemporary crime fiction. These notoriously gritty stories have been adapted into a popular television series and, it seems, the public cannot get enough of this hard-drinking, no-nonsense and complex detective. Although the fictional Inspector retired to the backwaters of Edinburgh's dark side in the 2007 novel Exit Music, the books continue to endure and attract new audiences. In this fascinating biography, author Craig Cabell presents a thought-provoking insight into the minds of the writer and his creation, and how their relationship has developed over the years. Ian Rankin and Inspector Rebus also investigates the dark cellars and sinister back streets of Rebus' Edinburgh, a dark, foreboding city that shatters any stereotypes of shortbread and kilts. Learn about the unusual connection between Rankin and Rebus; how the author was a punk musician and swineherd before he became a writer; and why he was so inspired by fellow-Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson and his gothic masterpiece Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.