Ian Rankin

The books often involve lots of characters and must have been written, to my mind, with the TV series in mind. It can be hard to keep track of the different personalities but the stories give a really detailed, atmospheric description of Edinburgh. One gets a sense of the dank pubs and echoing tenement blocks which co-exist along the grand Royal Mile and festivities of Hogmanay and August.

As for the crime, there’s often a murder plus a wrangle with the establishment and vested interests of Scotland’s capital. It’s gruesome, but the descriptions of the crimes themselves are always vague enough not to be gratuitous. The focus is rather on Rebus’ face-to-face working style, his contacts and chats, backhanders and favours. He is always principled but treads a fine line between being lawful and using everything in his power to reach his version of justice.

Rankin is always careful to give the books a realistic historical setting – leading to mention of the G8 conference, the building of the Scottish parliament and other events. The result is a snapshot of Edinburgh over the last few years. You can now even buy a specially commissioned whisky called the Rebus 20, which celebrates 20 years of Rankin’s crime busting novels.

Call me obvious and shallow, but I like a happy ending, with victory for the hero. Rankin doesn’t always deliver, opting instead for more realistic outcomes such as no arrests, no charges or no justice at all. If you’re visiting Scotland, I highly recommend checking out these books on your travels.

• Rebus books at Blackwells – just click here.

  

• Borders books have a great range of Rebus books from Knots and Crosses to Exit Music. Rankin books start at £1.79.
• Foyles have Rebus and Rankin books from as little as £4.49