Detective John Rebus stands out as one of the most fully developed fictional detectives. He is stubborn, clever, and very human. For nearly forty years, readers have followed him as he solves Edinburgh’s toughest crimes, faces his own mistakes, and adapts to changes in the police force and Scotland.

​Ian Rankin, a well-known Scottish crime writer, creates a new investigation in each novel. At the same time, the books tell a bigger story about Rebus, his colleagues, his family, and his complicated relationship with Edinburgh crime boss “Big Ger” Cafferty.

The Inspector Rebus series is considered quintessential Tartan noir, making a great impact on the crime fiction subgenre.

​If you want to read the Rebus books, start with the publication order, which matches the chronological order. This is the easiest and most enjoyable way to experience the series, as it lets the characters, relationships, and city grow naturally.

Why read the John Rebus series in publication order?

You can enjoy any of the mysteries on their own, so picking up a later book won’t leave you confused. Rankin always gives enough background to help you follow the case and the characters.

​But reading the books in order adds something extra. Rebus gets older in almost real time, Siobhan Clarke goes from a junior colleague to a lead investigator, and Cafferty’s role keeps changing. Edinburgh itself changes too. Throughout the series, policing, technology, and Scottish life all shift around a detective who never quite feels at ease with change.

​Beginning with Knots and Crosses also lets you watch Rankin grow as a writer. The first books are shorter and darker, while the later ones explore bigger themes like institutions, politics, and the city itself.

Ian Rankin’s Rebus novels in order

Knots and Crosses (1987)

The first Rebus novel introduces the Edinburgh detective as the abduction and murder of young girls shake the city. Rebus receives mysterious letters containing knotted string and matchstick crosses, but he doesn’t immediately understand their importance.

Hide and Seek (1991)

When a young drug addict is found dead in an abandoned building, the scene appears to have signs of a ritual. Others are ready to dismiss the death, but Rebus suspects there may be something more disturbing behind it.

Tooth and Nail (1992)

Originally published as Wolfman, the third Inspector Rebus novel sends Rebus away from familiar territory. He travels to London to help investigate a serial killer, although the local officers are not all convinced that the visiting Scottish detective has much to offer. 

Strip Jack (1992) 

A police raid on a brother catches popular MP Gregor Jack in a humiliating position. When Jack’s wife disappears, a public scandal develops into something much more serious.

The Black Book (1993)

After a colleague is badly injured, Rebus becomes absorbed in an unsolved hotel fire and the unidentified body found in its ruins years earlier. His investigation leads him further into Edinburgh’s criminal world.. 

Mortal Causes (1994)

Edinburgh is crowded for its annual festival when a brutally murdered man is discovered beneath the city streets. The victim’s connections point towards sectarian tensions, gun-running and political extremism.

Let It Bleed (1995) 

A dramatic pursuit ends in tragedy, but Rebus cannot accept the case at face value. A series of apparently separate deaths gradually draws him towards powerful figures who would prefer that he stop asking questions.

Black and Blue (1997) 

While investigating a present-day murder, Rebus becomes preoccupied with the real-life case of Bible John, the unidentified killer who terrorised Glasgow in the late 1960s. He begins to wonder whether a modern murderer is copying the past or carrying it on.

​Many people see Black and Blue as the book that took the Rebus series to a new level. It also won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger.

The Hanging Garden (1998)

Rebus is pulled between several investigations, including allegations against a suspected war criminal and an increasingly violent struggle between rival gangsters. When the danger reaches his own family, keeping the cases at a professional distance becomes impossible.

Dead Souls (1999)

The apparent suicide of a former colleague troubles Rebus, while the release of a convicted offender and the disappearance of a teenager create further demands on him. Each case touches on guilt, punishment and the long reach of the past.

Set in Darkness (2000)

As Scotland prepares for the opening of its new parliament, a body is discovered in a fireplace at the Queensberry House building site. A modern murder and the death of a homeless man add to the mystery.
 

The Falls (2001) 

A university student disappears from her wealthy family’s home, leaving behind a small carved coffin. Rebus follows the physical clues while Sibhan Clarke investigates a cryptic online game that may be connected to the case.

Resurrection Men (2001)

After losing his temper, Rebus is sent to a retraining course for officers with disciplinary problems. His apparent fall from grace conceals an undercover assignment involving suspected police corruption and an old murder.

A Question of Blood (2003)

Two pupils are killed in a school shooting before the gunman turns the weapon on himself. The official explanation looks straightforward, but Rebus is disturbed by unanswered questions and feels a personal connection through his own army service.

Fleshmarket Close (2004)

Published in the United States as Fleshmarket Alley, this novel begins with the murder of an asylum seeker on an Edinburgh housing estate. Rebus and Clarke encounter detention centres, prejudice and communities that feel abandoned.

The Naming of the Dead (2006) 

World leaders gather in Scotland for the 2005 G8 summit, bringing protests, security operations and intense political attention. Rebus, considered a liability by his superiors, investigates a politician’s death and a possible serial killer.

Exit Music (2007)

With retirement only days away, Rebus investigates the death of a Russian poet in Edinburgh. What first resembles a street robbery may involve business interests, political influence and people skilled at protecting themselves.

Standing in Another Man’s Grave (2012)

Five years after Exit Music, Rebus is working as a civilian in a cold-case unit. A mother’s search for her missing daughter leads him to examine several disappearances connected by the same Scottish road.

Saints of the Shadow Bible (2013)

Back in the police at a lower rank, Rebus must work under Siobhan Clarke while a current investigation brings up issues with his former team. The “Saints” operated in a period when policing was rougher and accountability much weaker. Rebus is forced to decide where loyalty ends, and responsibility begins, with Malcolm Fox again examining his past.
 

Even Dogs in the Wild (2015) 

Retirement has not made Rebus any less curious. When a senior lawyer is murdered, and Cafferty receives a threatening message, Rebus is drawn into a case involving revenge, old crimes and Edinburgh’s changing underworld.

Rather Be the Devil (2016)

Rebus revisits the unsolved murder of a woman in a luxury hotel four decades earlier. His interest in the cold case overlaps with a modern struggle for control of Edinburgh’s criminal economy.

In a House of Lies (2018)

A body discovered in an abandoned car reopens a private investigator’s disappearance from years earlier. The original police inquiry may have been mishandled, and Rebus has reasons to worry about what a fresh investigation will uncover.

A Song for the Dark Times (2020)

Rebus travels north after his daughter Samantha tells him that her partner has disappeared. Knowing she may attract police suspicion, he must balance his instincts as an investigator with his failures and responsibilities as a father. Back in Edinburgh, Clarke investigates a murder connected to wealthy and influential figures, creating two complementary storylines.

A Heart Full of Headstones (2022)

Rebus stands accused in court, and the evidence forces the people around him to reconsider the methods he used throughout his career. At the same time, Clarke investigates a corrupt police officer whose actions may reveal wider wrongdoing.

Midnight and Blue (2024)

Rebus is behind bars amongst men who know he once put criminals there. When a prisoner is murdered in a locked cell, his detective instincts return, although investigating from inside a prison places him in a rather vulnerable position. Outside, Siobhan Clarke works on another case. The result is a tense continuation that gives a familiar character a strikingly different environment.

Where do the Malcolm Fox books fit in?

Malcolm Fox is first the main character in The Complaints, then in The Impossible Dead. These books take place between Exit Music and Standing in Another Man’s Grave, but you don’t need to read them to follow the main Rebus series. Still, they give you a better introduction to Fox before he becomes important in the Rebus books. For the best experience, try reading the two Fox novels after book 17.

Rebus short story collections

If you want more Rebus stories, you can read Rankin’s short story collections. A Good Hanging and Other Stories has 12 Rebus mysteries, and The Beat Goes On: The Complete Rebus Stories gathers all the Rebus short stories published up to that point.

​These stories are best seen as optional extras, not essential parts of the series. Since some happen at different times in Rebus’s career, new readers might want to try the complete short stories books after getting to know the main novels.

​Frequently asked questions

How many Rebus books are there?

There are 25 main John Rebus novels, starting with Knots and Crosses in 1987 and continuing through to Midnight and Blue in 2024. There are also Rebus short stories and two Malcolm Fox novels that link to the later books.

Who wrote the Rebus books?

Scottish crime writer and bestseller Ian Rankin wrote the Rebus books. He created John Rebus while living in Edinburgh, and the city plays an important role in the series, so it often feels like another main character.

Should Rebus books be read in order?

You don’t have to read the Rebus books in order, since each one focuses on a different main crime or set of crimes. However, as with many similar book series, reading them in publication order is highly recommended, as it allows you to follow Rebus’s career, age, personal life, and changing relationships without running into spoilers.

What is the chronological order of the Rebus books?

The chronological order matches the publication order. It starts with Knots and Crosses, then Hide and Seek, and Tooth and Nail. The series finishes with Midnight and Blue.

How old is Rebus in the books?

John Rebus was born in 1947 and is about 40 when the series starts. Rankin lets him age in real time, instead of keeping him the same age. Rebus retires from the police in Exit Music and is nearly 70 in the latest books, though the timeline slows down a bit in the later stories.