The Inspector Rebus is a Crime Fiction / Tartan Noir series by Ian Rankin, made up of 25 books published between 1987 and 2024. It begins with Knots and Crosses (1987), and is best read in publication order. The most recent entry is Midnight and Blue (2024), spanning 37 years of storytelling.
Inspector Rebus series: frequently asked questions
What order should I read the Inspector Rebus series?
Start with Knots and Crosses (1987), the first book in the Inspector Rebus series by Ian Rankin. Follow the books in publication order for the best reading experience.
How many books are in the Inspector Rebus series?
There are 25 books in the Inspector Rebus series by Ian Rankin, published between 1987 and 2024.
What is the first book in the Inspector Rebus series?
The first book in the Inspector Rebus series is Knots and Crosses, published in 1987 by Ian Rankin.
What is the latest book in the Inspector Rebus series?
The most recent book in the Inspector Rebus series is Midnight and Blue (2024) by Ian Rankin.
About the Inspector Rebus series
Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus is the cornerstone of "Tartan Noir" — gritty, morally complex Scottish crime fiction. John Rebus is a hard-drinking, music-obsessed, authority-allergic Edinburgh detective whose intuition and bloody-mindedness solve cases that the system would rather leave buried.
The real subject of the series is Edinburgh itself: Rankin uses Rebus to dig beneath the city's genteel surface into its corruption, history and class divides. Rebus ages in real time, even retiring partway through the series before being pulled back, and his prickly partnership with DI Siobhan Clarke becomes its emotional spine.
The books grow richer as they go, but reading in publication order from "Knots and Crosses" lets you follow Rebus's career and the city's evolution. Rankin's nemesis character "Big Ger" Cafferty also recurs, making the long game especially rewarding.