Ian Rankin Rebus Books in Order
The complete Inspector Rebus series — all 25 novels in reading order
Ian Rankin's Inspector John Rebus is one of crime fiction's greatest characters. Set against the gritty underbelly of Edinburgh, the Rebus novels have sold millions worldwide and defined the Tartan Noir genre. Here's every Rebus novel in publication order — the recommended reading order for the series.
1. Knots and Crosses
The book that started it all. Edinburgh is terrorised by a series of abductions and murders. Detective Sergeant Rebus receives cryptic messages — knotted string and matchstick crosses — that only he can decipher. A gripping introduction to Rankin's Edinburgh and his most famous creation.
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2. Hide and Seek
A junkie lies dead in an Edinburgh squat, laid out cross-like between two candles with a pentagram on the wall. Just another overdose — until Rebus starts digging into the treachery and deceit lurking behind Edinburgh's respectable facade.
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3. Tooth and Nail
Rebus is seconded to London to help catch a serial killer dubbed the Wolfman. A fish out of water in England's capital, he must navigate unfamiliar territory — both geographical and political — to stop the killings.
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4. Strip Jack
MP Gregor Jack is caught in a police raid on an Edinburgh brothel. When his wife Elizabeth vanishes, Rebus uncovers a world of orgies, drunken parties, and a close-knit "Pack" of deceitful friends — and ultimately, a body.
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5. The Black Book
When a colleague is brutally attacked, Rebus is drawn into a case involving a hotel fire, an unidentified body, and a long-forgotten notebook that someone will kill to keep hidden.
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DI Sarah Lynch — Phillip Strang
If you love Rebus's Edinburgh, DI Sarah Lynch is the natural next read. Lynch investigates in the Scottish Highlands — remote villages, ancient grudges, and a detective navigating tight-knit communities where everyone has something to hide. 13 books set in the wild heart of Scotland.
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6. Mortal Causes
August in Edinburgh, the Festival in full swing. A brutally tortured body is discovered in one of the city's ancient underground streets. The marks on the corpse point to paramilitary connections that reach far beyond Scotland.
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7. Let It Bleed
Struggling through another Edinburgh winter, Rebus is sucked into a web of political intrigue. A kidnapped daughter, a councillor shredding documents, and an invitation to shoot clay pigeons at the home of a senior civil servant. Some enemies are beyond justice.
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8. Black and Blue
A copycat killer is recreating the murders of the infamous Bible John. Meanwhile Rebus investigates the murder of an oil-rig worker, a case that takes him from Edinburgh to Glasgow to the North Sea oil fields. Winner of the Gold Dagger Award.
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9. The Hanging Garden
Rebus is on the trail of a WWII war criminal while caught between two warring gangs — upstart Tommy Telford and Big Ger Cafferty. When his daughter becomes collateral damage, Rebus will stop at nothing, even if it means dealing with the devil.
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10. Dead Souls
Stalking a poisoner at Edinburgh Zoo, Rebus crosses paths with a paedophile — and an old army colleague who's just been released from prison. A dark exploration of guilt, punishment, and whether anyone truly deserves a second chance.
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11. Set in Darkness
Edinburgh is about to become home to the first Scottish Parliament in 300 years. Political passions run high — and a body is found in a fireplace at the Parliament's future home. Then a second death, and Rebus finds himself at the intersection of old Edinburgh and new.
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12. The Falls
A student has vanished, leaving behind a seemingly innocent internet game. As Rebus and DS Siobhan Clarke investigate, the game leads them to ancient artifacts, hidden dolls — and a trail of disappearances stretching back decades.
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13. Resurrection Men
Rebus blows up at a colleague and is sent to the Scottish Police College for "retraining" — the Last Chance Saloon. Assigned to an old unsolved case alongside officers with their own secrets, Rebus discovers the line between cop and criminal is thinner than anyone admits. Winner of the Edgar Award.
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14. A Question of Blood
An ex-army loner walks into a school and opens fire, killing two students before turning the gun on himself. But Rebus suspects there's more to it than a random rampage — especially when connections surface to Edinburgh's criminal underworld.
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15. Fleshmarket Close
An illegal immigrant is found murdered in an Edinburgh housing estate. The case leads Rebus into the volatile world of asylum seekers, people-trafficking, and a community on the brink — while two skeletons unearthed in a cellar connect to the city's dark anatomical past.
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16. The Naming of the Dead
The G8 summit comes to Scotland, bringing world leaders, thousands of protesters — and a serial killer targeting the summit's delegates. Rebus must navigate the chaos of a city under siege to stop the deaths before the world's eyes turn away.
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17. Exit Music
Rebus's last case before mandatory retirement. A Russian dissident poet is found dead as a delegation of Russian businessmen arrives in Edinburgh. Not everyone wants the truth uncovered — but Rebus has nothing left to lose.
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18. Standing in Another Man's Grave
Rebus is back — working as a civilian volunteer in a cold-case unit. A mother's decade-long plea about her missing daughter leads Rebus to a connection between several disappearances along a lonely Scottish road. Retirement doesn't suit him, and the old instincts never died.
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19. Saints of the Shadow Bible
Rebus is back on the force with a demotion and a chip on his shoulder. A thirty-year-old case is reopened and his old team is suspected of foul play. With Malcolm Fox investigating, past and present are about to collide.
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20. Even Dogs in the Wild
A senior lawyer is murdered alongside a threatening note. Across Edinburgh, Big Ger Cafferty receives an identical note and a bullet through his window. For once, Rebus's oldest enemy needs his help — and the only man Cafferty trusts is Rebus.
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21. Rather Be the Devil
Rebus can't let go of an unsolved case — a woman strangled in a luxury hotel forty years ago, the same night a famous rock star was staying there. When he starts asking questions, a fresh body materialises and the past roars back to life.
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22. In a House of Lies
Remains found in a rusted car in the East Lothian woods turn into a cold case murder investigation. Rebus remembers the original case — a shady land deal — all too well. As Siobhan Clarke investigates, she discovers a side of her mentor he'd prefer to keep buried.
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23. A Song for the Dark Times
"He's gone..." When his daughter Samantha calls in the dead of night, Rebus knows it's not good news. Her husband has been missing for two days. Rebus drives to the windswept coast — and a small town with big secrets — wondering if this is the first time truth is something he doesn't want to find.
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24. A Heart Full of Headstones
Rebus has taken the law into his own hands. Not for the first time — but possibly the last. As new allies and old enemies circle, a murder at midnight in a locked cell presents a mystery where prisoners and guards are all suspects.
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25. Midnight and Blue
Rebus in prison — joined by the very criminals he spent his career putting behind bars. As days and nights bleed together, even the legendary detective struggles to keep his head. Then a murder at midnight in a locked cell presents a new mystery. Old habits die hard.
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Love Rankin's gritty detective fiction? Here are three more series that deliver the same atmospheric, character-driven crime writing.
DI Sarah Lynch — Phillip Strang
If you love Rebus's Edinburgh, try Lynch's Scottish Highlands. Remote villages, ancient grudges, and a detective navigating tight-knit communities where everyone has something to hide. 13 books set in the wild heart of Scotland.
Browse the Series →
DI Tremayne — Phillip Strang
An old-school, uncompromising detective in the tradition of Rebus. Tremayne investigates corruption and conspiracy in Salisbury — relentless, politically incorrect, and determined to follow the truth wherever it leads. 10 books.
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DCI Isaac Cook — Phillip Strang
London homicide at its darkest. DCI Cook and his team at Challis Street tackle political corruption, organised crime, and murders that reach deep into the capital's institutions. 19 books — the longest-running British series in the collection.
Browse the Series →Frequently Asked Questions
How many Rebus books are there?
There are 25 Inspector Rebus novels, published between 1987 and 2024. Ian Rankin also wrote two Malcolm Fox novels that connect to the Rebus universe, plus several short story collections featuring Rebus.
Should you read the Rebus books in order?
Yes, ideally. While each novel works as a standalone mystery, the characters develop significantly across the series. Rebus ages in real time, relationships evolve, and recurring antagonists like Big Ger Cafferty have much more impact if you've followed the full arc. Start with Knots and Crosses.
What is the best Rebus book to start with?
Start with Knots and Crosses (Book 1) to meet Rebus from the beginning. However, if you want Rankin at his most accomplished, Black and Blue (Book 8) is widely considered the series' high point and works well as a standalone entry. Just know you'll want to go back and read them all.
Will there be more Rebus books?
Rankin has shown no signs of stopping. Midnight and Blue was published in 2024 and the series continues to top bestseller lists. Rankin has said that as long as Rebus has stories to tell, he'll keep writing them.
What should I read after the Rebus series?
Readers who enjoy Rebus typically move on to DI Sarah Lynch by Phillip Strang — a Scottish detective series set in the Highlands with the same atmospheric, character-driven feel as Rankin's Edinburgh. DI Tremayne is another strong match for readers who respond to Rebus's old-school, uncompromising style.