#Edinburgh readers: that excellent chap (Sir) Ian Rankin returns with The Heights, & will be appearing at the Assembly Rooms with the @TheEdinburghBookshop this autumn
https://www.tickettailor.com/events/theedinburghbookshop/2243866

#books #livres #Edimbourg #BookLaunch #BookEvents #IanRankin #TheHeights

A Heart Full of Headstones – Reflections on Ian Rankin’s Rebus

I recently finished A Heart Full of Headstones by Ian Rankin, the twenty‑fourth novel in the long‑running series featuring the Edinburgh detective John Rebus. I came to the book for a very simple reason. Years ago, I watched the television adaptation starring Ken Stott, and for me he will always remain the epitome of Rebus. Stott captured that mixture of intelligence, stubbornness, and quiet weariness that seems to define the character.

One of the most remarkable things Ian Rankin has done with his long‑running series is something many writers avoid. He has allowed John Rebus to grow older. In many detective stories the central character remains almost unchanged across decades, as though time itself pauses for them. Rebus is different. Across twenty‑five novels we have watched him move through the seasons of life, carrying the marks of experience, family, regret, and persistence. Rankin has allowed his detective to age alongside his readers, and that may be one of the reasons the character feels so real.

Rebus is no longer the relentless detective of earlier years. Time has left its marks. He now faces health issues. He has a daughter and a granddaughter. The world around him has changed, and so has he. Yet, the core of the character remains. He maintains a stubborn determination to pursue what is right, even when he himself is deeply flawed. That is part of what makes Rebus so compelling. He is not heroic in the traditional sense. He makes mistakes, but there remains within him an unshakeable instinct to confront injustice.

Another aspect I found fascinating is the way Rankin situates the story during the COVID‑19 pandemic. Rather than ignoring that moment in history, he weaves it naturally into the background of the narrative. The pandemic becomes part of the atmosphere of the book shaping how people interact, how investigations unfold, and how the characters navigate an unsettled world. For readers who have followed the series for years, this adds a layer of realism. Rebus does not exist in a timeless fictional bubble. He lives in the same changing world that we do.

Readers who have just finished A Heart Full of Headstones will also notice that the story of Rebus is not yet finished. Rankin has continued the journey in the next novel, Midnight and Blue, reminding us that even after many years the tenacious spirit of Rebus still has more roads to travel. Sometimes the most enduring figures in fiction are not the flawless heroes, but the stubborn souls who keep searching for justice long after the world has grown complicated.

Rebecca

Ian Rankin & Siân Reynolds in conversation
4 June, Edinburgh – £20

How does the pace, setting & jargon of crime fiction get carried across from one language & cultural context to another? What are the challenges of translating the genre between French & English?

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ian-rankin-in-conversation-tickets-1987258767469

#Scottish #French #literature #CrimeFiction #IanRankin #translation #literarytranslation

The Edinburgh bar that Lorraine Kelly called 'proper pub' with 'great crowd'

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/scotland-now/edinburgh-bar-lorraine-kelly-called-37063973

Ein neuer John Rebus Roman von Ian Rankin ist für Oktober 2026 angekündigt. Ich freu mich schon jetzt darauf, auch wenn ich wieder bis zum Taschenbuch warten werde.

#JohnRebus #IanRankin #Literatur

It wouldn't be the festive season in #Bruntsfield without a visit from
@ianrankin1.bsky.social
!

He walked here, he said it's good for his elf (yes, we went there, let the festive puns flow).

Signed books & Rebus jigsaws await you!

#books #livres #Edinburgh #Edimbourg #bookshops #librairies #bookstodon #CrimeFiction #RomanPolicier #IanRankin #author #auteur #elf #ChristmasElf #Christmas #Noel

Ian Rankins neuer Rebus-Krimi „Die dunkelste Stunde der Nacht“ verbindet Gefängnisspannung mit einem rätselhaften Vermisstenfall. Solide erzählt und klassisch Rankin.
Rezension von Sabine Sürder: https://schreiblust-leselust.de

#Krimi #IanRankin #Buchtipp #Rebus #Goldmann

Hide and Seek

Historia: 📝📝📝📝
Prosa: 🎬🎬🎬
Valoración general: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Segunda parte de la saga John Rebus.
A esta saga llegué a través del número diez, Almas Muertas, de 1999, que yo descubrí hace tan sólo unos años. A partir de esa novela entré de lleno en el mundo narrativo de Ian Rankin, leyendo los siguientes números y otros spin off. Pero este año he decidido empezar las que me faltan en orden. Ya posteé por aquí el primero, Knots and Crosses, que aunque no estaba mal globalmente sí era un desastre en muchos aspectos narrativos.
En esta segunda entrega se nota una evolución en el estilo, aunque ni de lejos -y como es lógico- llega al excelente nivel que tiene este autor en estos momentos. Los diálogos aún están muy por detrás de la frescura y naturalidad de sus novelas más recientes y sigue cometiendo el mismo error del primer volumen de querer contar demasiado con demasiados protagonistas.
#novelanegra #ianrankin

Novela de 1990
Editorial: Orión (2008)
261 páginas
Autor: Ian Rankin

Scottish Scholars & Secrets: Developments of Dark Academia in Edinburgh – from 24 June 2025

Natasha Anderson finds roots of Dark Academia running through Edinburgh’s gothic literary traditions, in works by Robert Louis Stevenson, Muriel Spark, & Ian Rankin

@litstudies

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahpagiSHK78

#Scottish #literature #gothic #Edinburgh #DarkAcademia #RobertLouisStevenson #MurielSpark #IanRankin