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Inspector Rebus

by Ian Rankin

25 books Started 1987 Latest 2024
Publication Reading Order

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.

25books
37years active
5decades
~1.5yrs between books
2024latest release
# Title Year Buy
1980s
1 Knots and Crosses 1987 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
1990s
2 Hide and Seek 1991 Search on Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
3 Tooth and Nail / Wolfman 1992 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
4 Strip Jack 1992 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
5 The Black Book 1993 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
6 Mortal Causes 1994 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
7 Let It Bleed 1995 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
8 Black and Blue 1997 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
9 The Hanging Garden 1998 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
10 Dead Souls 1999 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
2000s
11 Set in Darkness 2000 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
12 The Falls 2001 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
13 Resurrection Men 2002 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
14 A Question of Blood 2003 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
15 Fleshmarket Alley / Fleshmarket Close 2004 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
16 The Naming of the Dead 2006 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
17 Exit Music 2007 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
2010s
18 Standing in Another Man's Grave 2012 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
19 Saints of the Shadow Bible 2013 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
20 Even Dogs in the Wild 2015 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
21 Rather Be the Devil 2016 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
22 In a House of Lies 2018 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
2020s
23 A Song for the Dark Times 2020 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
24 A Heart Full of Headstones 2022 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia
25 Midnight and BlueLatest 2024 Buy from Amazon U.S / Intl. Buy from Amazon Australia

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.

Sir Ian Rankin OBE is the #1 internationally bestselling Scottish author and creator of Inspector Rebus. A pioneer of Tartan Noir, he received a knighthood in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to literature and charity. His Rebus books have sold over 35 million copies worldwide.

View all Ian Rankin series →

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.