Ian has commented that Cafferty emerged inThe Black Bookas a fully formed presence, the epitome of moral and spiritual corruption. Rebus is Read More, The sixteenth Inspector Rebus novel from 'Britain's best crime novelist' DAILY EXPRESS and No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES 'Rankin just gets better. Knowing the dangers faced by young girls in the early hours he tries, in his grumpy way, to help. Most importantly, Rebus has faced off since The Black Book (1992) with 'Big Ger' Cafferty, a vicious gangster about his own age. The teenager then applied and was selected to undergo SAS training, where he excelled. Rankins Rebus stories have also been adapted many times for BBC Radio 4. I'd written a book that was better and more complex than my previous work. The cases are all linked and Rebus must use his trusted friends to uncover the truth before the truth uncovers him. Crime novels are in a terrible cleft-stick in that they have to be the same and they must be different. Why Rebus takes this commission is slightly opaque, and Caffertys reason that he wishes to make amends was always a dubious proposition. ", Most of the novels include both scenes set in neglected or criminal neighborhoods and others set in casinos, deluxe hotels, or other haunts of the rich. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, This website and its associated newspaper are members of Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). And, now, the end is near - nj.com Read about how well protect and use your data in ourPrivacy Notice. Throughout the Rebus series the reader slowly learns more about the initially mysterious police detectives past. French crime show Astrid: Murder in Paris comes to More4. Ian Rankin looks back over his Inspector Rebus novels and chooses some of his favourite moments, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. ", "She wouldn't be flattered by that remark," says Rankin, "because it implies she's put her womanness aside to become one of the boys. The days of harum-scarum treks across Scotland seem to be gone, and Rankin writes well about dealing will chronic illness. He remembers the family picnics at Loch Leven, the community he grew up in and holidays in St Andrews. "I would rather be a rock star than a writer," he says. With help from the army, the character secured a position with the Lothian and Borders Police in order to recover. : Rankin had such fun writing the character Peacock Johnson and his sidekick Wee Evil Bob into A Question of Blood that he tried to contact Johnson to ask if he could include them in other novels. : [22] This was followed by further novels in which Rebus (now a civilian), Clarke (now promoted Detective Inspector) and Fox all served as protagonists. , Publisher He is initially introduced as a Detective Sergeant . The perfect location for a cantankerous sleuth with a taste for alcohol, it seems. 'Rankin continues to be unsurpassed among living British crime writers' THE TIMES Struggling through another Edinburgh winter Rebus finds himself sucked into a web of intrigue that throws up more questions than answers. Read More, Special edition of the award-winning Rebus novel from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES - includes exclusive extra material. First look: Things Get Ugly by Joe R Lansdale, It feels like Kellerman crime novels come as regularly as the tides on Venice Beach. The data controller isThe Orion Publishing Group Limited. I was an avid reader of Ian Rankin's series with the Edinburgh detective John Rebus. [1] He was at first upset that bookstores shelved it in the crime fiction section, but he gradually accepted the fact that Rebus was to be the protagonist of a detective series: his goal became to write "on the surface a crime novel that was going to sell loads of copies, but which would be accepted by my peers in academia as serious Scottish fiction. With a complex plot and a complexity of police officers, including murder squads, Special Branch and RUC, with a fringe involvement of the FBI, Mortal Causes takes the reader on a trail round the city of Edinburgh and beyond. The detective is unkempt, a smoker and a heavy drinker who prefers to be alone. Edinburgh is gradually getting back to normal after the COVID lockdowns and Rebus is in a pub, puzzling over QR codes as fellow drinkers wear masks and give him sidelong glances. Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2022. You can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you. "The violence (in the books) is minimal these days, partly because Rebus is no longer a cop so isn't dealing with violent situations per se. : Somewhat mutually dependent, their relationship harks back to that between Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty, or Jekyll and Hyde, and this recurring theme of duality has a clear link to the Gothic crime thrillerThe Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinnerby James Hogg, a book that Ian has acknowledged to be a major influence on his work. Even Dogs in the Wild (Inspector John Rebus Series #20) For example Rebus and Cafferty (a criminal that Rebus has crossed swords with in the . And it will bury John Rebus. This episode was scheduled for broadcast in the UK on 20 September 2001 but was withheld until 1 November 2004 because of the terrorist attacks on the USA of 11 September 2001 and the collapse of the World Trade Center towers. A new cast featuring Ken Stott as DI John Rebus was . Well, not yet. Cafferty runs a criminal organisation that uses intimidation, bribery and murder to deliver what he wants and he has no hesitation in giving it out personally. First, it was a best-seller and the backlist of Rebus novels came into high demand. The Rebus novel series began in 1987 when Ian Rankin published Knots and Crosses; his intention was to write a standalone variation on Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson, set in contemporary Edinburgh. Back in the day, Rebus was a force to be reckoned with in Edinburgh; a loose cannon who wasnt averse to bending a rule or two in the interests of justice. Rebus: Long Shadows: The New Play by Ian Rankin | Goodreads Rebus author Ian Rankin: 'I'm not in bed with the police' In A Heart Full of Headstones Rankin gives us the point of view of a policeman who comes close to killing a suspect in the same manner as George Floyd was killed, while being filmed by bystanders. Ian Rankin's "Fleshmarket Close" Quiz - Fun Trivia [7], Except for Tooth and Nail, all the Rebus novels are set in Scotland, and most of them in Edinburgh. The author did not retire the character, however, and John Rebus popped up again in 2012 novel, Standing in Another Mans Grave. Learn more. Rebus is pursuing some kids in a car chase through Edinburgh that ends with a crash, the car hanging precariously off the Forth Road Bridge. The books featured on this site are aimed primarily at readers aged 13 or above and therefore you must be 13 years or over to sign up to our newsletter. Rebus and Cafferty have had a long and complicated relationship over the years, the boundaries between copper and criminal blurring with the passing of time. It is there that the first murder takes place. Mortal Causes, published in 1994 but set mostly during the Edinburgh Festival the previous year, is the sixth of Rankins detective stories to feature Inspector John Rebus. Both men not quite able to reconcile that their glory days may be behind them. The novel also features Siobhan Clarke, now a DI, Malcolm Fox, also a DI, and several other cops who have been introduced in earlier books. The unifying point of view in the Rebus series is, of course, that of John Rebus, with the point of view sometimes shifting to colleagues, criminals or suspects. Ben Brown. If youre still not up to speed with Edinburghs greatest fictional detective, then catch up with this beginners guide. Ah, settle in because a compelling tale is about to unfold. InExit Music, Cafferty has saved Rebuss life and Rebus returns the favour in a big cliffhanger ending. Pink Eyes, a brutal gangster running a lucrative business bringing Chechen refugees into Britain to work as prostitutes. Rebus spent his career at Lothian and Borders trying to put his nemesis away, and he did manage to do it for a short while. In some of the later novels, Rebus's nemesis, the gangster 'Big Ger' Cafferty, is a point of view character; often the glimpse of his thoughts allows the reader to understand the strange relationship between the two not-quite-retired men. But then Cafferty was released from prison because he was thought to be . National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. List of Inspector Rebus characters - INFOGALACTIC Is there any dramatic twist? No comment. Rebus: Long Shadows review - Ian Rankin's sleuth fails to arrest , File size Rebus decides to nip down to the bathroom, which can be reached without entering the pub. Season 3 S03E01 Black Book September 8, 2006 STV (UK) By clicking on above button, you agree to the, Tooth and Nail: An Inspector Rebus Novel (Inspector Rebus series Book 3), Strip Jack: An Inspector Rebus Novel (Inspector Rebus series Book 4), The Black Book: An Inspector Rebus Mystery (Inspector Rebus series Book 5), Mortal Causes: An Inspector Rebus Mystery (Inspector Rebus series Book 6), Let It Bleed: An Inspector Rebus Mystery (Inspector Rebus series Book 7), Black and Blue: An Inspector Rebus Mystery (Inspector Rebus series Book 8), The Hanging Garden: An Inspector Rebus Mystery (Inspector Rebus series Book 9), Dead Souls: An Inspector Rebus Novel (Inspector Rebus series Book 10), "Outstanding.