Ian Rankin
Scotland (1960 - )
aka Jack Harvey
Born in the Kingdom of Fife in 1960, Ian Rankin graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982, and then spent three years writing novels when he was supposed to be working towards a PhD in Scottish Literature. His first Rebus novel was published in 1987, and the Rebus books are now translated into twenty-two languages and are bestsellers on several continents.
Ian Rankin has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow, and is also a past winner of the Chandler-Fulbright Award, as well as receiving two Dagger Awards for the year's best short story and the Gold Dagger for Fiction. Ian Rankin is also the recipient of honorary degrees from the universities of Abertay, St Andrews and Edinburgh.
A contributor to BBC2's 'Newsnight Review', he also presented his own TV series, 'Ian Rankin's Evil Thoughts', on Channel 4 in 2002. He recently received the OBE for services to literature, opting to receive the prize in his home city of Edinburgh, where he lives with his partner and two sons.
Series
John Rebus
1. Knots and Crosses (1987)
2. Hide and Seek (1990)
3. Tooth and Nail (1992)
aka Wolfman
4. Strip Jack (1992)
5. The Black Book (1993)
6. Mortal Causes (1994)
7. Let It Bleed (1995)
8. Black and Blue (1997)
9. The Hanging Garden (1998)
10. Dead Souls (1999)
11. Set in Darkness (2000)
12. The Falls (2001)
13. Resurrection Men (2001)
14. A Question of Blood (2003)
15. Fleshmarket Close (2004)
aka Fleshmarket Alley
16. The Naming Of The Dead (2006)
17. Exit Music (2007)
18. Standing in Another Man's Grave (2012)
19. Saints of the Shadow Bible (2013)
20. Even Dogs in the Wild (2015)
21. Rather Be the Devil (2016)
A Good Hanging (1992)
Death Is Not the End (1998)
Rebus: The Early Years (omnibus) (1999)
Rebus: The St Leonard's Years (omnibus) (2001)
Three Great Novels: Strip Jack / The Black Book / Mortal Causes (omnibus) (2001)
Rebus: The Lost Years (omnibus) (2003)
Capital Crimes (omnibus) (2004)
10 Great Rebus Novels (omnibus) (2013)
The Beat Goes On (2014)
A Collection of Inspector Rebus Novels (omnibus) (2016)
Rebus Anniversary Box Set (omnibus) (2017)
The Hanging Garden / Dead Souls (omnibus) (2017)
1. Knots and Crosses (1987)
2. Hide and Seek (1990)
3. Tooth and Nail (1992)
aka Wolfman
4. Strip Jack (1992)
5. The Black Book (1993)
6. Mortal Causes (1994)
7. Let It Bleed (1995)
8. Black and Blue (1997)
9. The Hanging Garden (1998)
10. Dead Souls (1999)
11. Set in Darkness (2000)
12. The Falls (2001)
13. Resurrection Men (2001)
14. A Question of Blood (2003)
15. Fleshmarket Close (2004)
aka Fleshmarket Alley
16. The Naming Of The Dead (2006)
17. Exit Music (2007)
18. Standing in Another Man's Grave (2012)
19. Saints of the Shadow Bible (2013)
20. Even Dogs in the Wild (2015)
21. Rather Be the Devil (2016)
A Good Hanging (1992)
Death Is Not the End (1998)
Rebus: The Early Years (omnibus) (1999)
Rebus: The St Leonard's Years (omnibus) (2001)
Three Great Novels: Strip Jack / The Black Book / Mortal Causes (omnibus) (2001)
Rebus: The Lost Years (omnibus) (2003)
Capital Crimes (omnibus) (2004)
10 Great Rebus Novels (omnibus) (2013)
The Beat Goes On (2014)
A Collection of Inspector Rebus Novels (omnibus) (2016)
Rebus Anniversary Box Set (omnibus) (2017)
The Hanging Garden / Dead Souls (omnibus) (2017)
Jack Harvey Novels (as by Jack Harvey)
1. Witch Hunt (1993)
2. Bleeding Hearts (1994)
3. Blood Hunt (1995)
The Jack Harvey Novels (omnibus) (2000)
1. Witch Hunt (1993)
2. Bleeding Hearts (1994)
3. Blood Hunt (1995)
The Jack Harvey Novels (omnibus) (2000)
Novels
Omnibus
Five Great Thrillers (2005) (with Thomas H Cook, Robert Crais, Robert Ludlum and George Pelecanos)
Murder On Christmas Eve (2017) (with Margery Allingham, Val McDermid and Ellis Peters)
Murder On Christmas Eve (2017) (with Margery Allingham, Val McDermid and Ellis Peters)
Collections
Herbert in Motion (1997)
Beggars Banquet (2002)
Complete Short Stories (2005)
One City (2006) (with Alexander McCall Smith and Irvine Welsh)
Crimespotting (2009) (with Lin Anderson, Kate Atkinson, Margaret Atwood, Chris Brookmyre, John Burnside, Isla Dewar, A L Kennedy, Denise Mina and James Robertson)
Ox-Tales: Earth (2009) (with Kate Atkinson, Jonathan Buckley, Jonathan Coe, Hanif Kureishi, Marti Leimbach, Marina Lewycka, Vikram Seth, Nicholas Shakespeare and Rose Tremain)
Beggars Banquet (2002)
Complete Short Stories (2005)
One City (2006) (with Alexander McCall Smith and Irvine Welsh)
Crimespotting (2009) (with Lin Anderson, Kate Atkinson, Margaret Atwood, Chris Brookmyre, John Burnside, Isla Dewar, A L Kennedy, Denise Mina and James Robertson)
Ox-Tales: Earth (2009) (with Kate Atkinson, Jonathan Buckley, Jonathan Coe, Hanif Kureishi, Marti Leimbach, Marina Lewycka, Vikram Seth, Nicholas Shakespeare and Rose Tremain)
Plays
Graphic Novels
Novellas
Series contributed to
Non fiction
Awards
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Ian Rankin recommends
 The Sound of My Voice (1987) Ron Butlin "Playful, haunting and moving, this is writing of the highest quality." |  Mortal (1998) Andrea Badenoch "A first novel of chilling intensity, a mystery which also happens to be a dissection of desire, friendship and obsession." | Night Trap (1998) (Alan Craik, book 1) Gordon Kent "Here's a thriller that really flies. Gordon Kent knows his subject at first hand and the expertise shows on the page: high stakes, pounding tension and the best dogfights put on paper. A lot of thrillers these days, you come away feeling like you've been in a simulator. In NIGHT TRAP, Gordon Kent straps you into the real thing. Enjoy the ride!" | |
 Star Struck (1998) (Kate Brannigan, book 6) Val McDermid "Star Struck is Val McDermid at the top of the ratings." | Lie in the Dark (1999) (Vlado Petric) Dan Fesperman "A quite astonishing first novel which injects the reader into the heart of the darkness which was Sarajevo at the height of the Yugoslav conflict. Reading this book is like being there. If Fesperman had taken me any closer to the action I'd be demanding a flak jacket. At the book's core is a police detective, a man who must deal with the conflict while never wholly understanding it, who must investigate one meaningful murder while those around him seem inured to daily slaughter. This is a humane and moving book, a great crime novel. A great novel, period." | Nights in White Satin (1999) (Laura Principal, book 4) Michelle Spring "The best book yet in this amazing series." | |
 Oh No, Not My Baby (1999) Russell James "The Godfather of British noir." | Exile (2000) (Garnethill, book 2) Denise Mina "One of the most exciting writers to have emerged in britain for years." | Cold Is the Grave (2000) (Inspector Banks, book 11) Peter Robinson "A writer at the very height of his powers." | |
 Noise Abatement (2000) Carol Anne Davis "You've got to read her." | The Big Ask (2000) (Murray Whelan, book 4) Shane Maloney "Maloney just gets better, and Murray Whelan remains one of the most reliable and rewarding sleuths in the business." | Lights, Camera, Angel (2001) (Fitzroy Maclean Angel, book 10) Mike Ripley "Mike Ripley's Angel series is back and taking no prisoners." | |
Those Whom the Gods Love (2001) Clare Layton "A gripping psychological thriller writer." | The Nature of the Beast (2001) Frances Fyfield "Her knowledge of the workings of the human mind - or, more correctly, the soul - is second to none." | Cypress Grove (2003) (Turner, book 1) James Sallis "He's right up there, one of the best of the best." | |
Hot Potato (2003) (Fizz and Buchanan, book 7) Joyce Holms "Joyce's humour is sharp without being nasty, her characters well drawn, and her Edinburgh a place you'll want to spend time in." |  Whales for the Wizard (2005) Malcolm Archibald "A rip-roaring adventure-mystery with terrific detail of place, period and shipping lore." |  Faro and the Royals (2005) (Inspector Faro, book 14) Alanna Knight "Alanna Knight could hardly be better, with a crime novelist's insight into motive and aftermath." | |
The Power of the Dog (2005) (Power of the Dog, book 1) Don Winslow "So good you almost want to keep him to yourself." |  Body Language (2005) Dan Gunn "...prose as sharp as a surgeon's scalpel. A bravura performance." | A Kind of Vanishing (2007) Lesley Thomson "Lesley Thomson is a class above, and A Kind of Vanishing is a novel to treasure." | |
The Prince of Bagram Prison (2008) Alex Carr "Takes the reader for a seriously fast and scary ride. You'll end up checking your reading chair for a seatbelt." | The Stranger from Home (2008) (Jim Meldrum, book 8) Frederic Lindsay "Intelligent, entertaining, gripping and well-written." | Londongrad (2008) (Artie Cohen, book 8) Reggie Nadelson "Nadelson's take on a London of oligarchs fuelled by money from the 'new' Russia." | |
Speak No Evil (2009) (Joe Donovan, book 4) Martyn Waites "England's dark heart has seldom been exposed with such surgical precision. Brutal, mesmerizing stuff." | Crimewave Nine: Transgressions (2014) Andy Cox "A must-have collection of the hottest crime stories around." | The Girl Next Door (2014) Ruth Rendell "Probably the greatest living crime writer in the world." | |
Discovering Scarfolk (2014) Richard Littler "Scarfolk: One visit is not enough. - ," | Fallout (2015) (Tito Ihaka, book 5) Paul Thomas "Violent, funny, profane-Ihaka is a terrific maverick cop." | Where Roses Never Die (2015) (Varg Veum, book 17) Gunnar Staalesen "One of my very favorite Scandinavian authors...a series with very sharp teeth." | |
Papercuts (2016) (Papercuts) Colin Bateman "He just seems to get better and better." | A Rising Man (2016) Abir Mukherjee "A Rising Man is a whodunit set in the social and political tinderbox of 1919 Calcutta - a thought-provoking rollercoaster." | The Intrusions (2017) (Carrigan and Miller, book 3) Stav Sherez "A Silence of the Lambs for the internet age." | |
Time to Win (2017) Harry Brett "The Godfather in Great Yarmouth." |  The Weight of Angels (2017) Catriona McPherson "Gripping thriller." |  London Rules (2018) (Jackson Lamb, book 5) Mick Herron "Sublime dialogue, frictionless plotting." | |
This is How it Ends (2018) Eva Dolan "Elegantly crafted, humane and thought-provoking. She's top drawer." |
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