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Sir Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus series is one of the great modern classics of Scottish crime fiction. Begun in 1987, the series has been going for 24 books and more than 30 years now.

All of Sir Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus Books in Order

Set in Edinburgh, there are few books which capture the modern city so well – the history, the beauty, and the not-so-lovely side. Above, you can see a night shot of the city that gives the books such a wonderful atmosphere.

Inspector Rebus Book 1 | Knots & Crosses (1987)

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Inspector Rebus Book 2 | Hide & Seek (1991)

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Inspector Rebus Book 3 | Tooth & Nail (1992)

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Inspector Rebus Book 4 | Strip Jack (1992)

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Inspector Rebus Book 5 | The Black Book (1993)

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Inspector Rebus Book 6 | Mortal Causes (1994)

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Inspector Rebus Book 7 | Let it Bleed (1996)

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Inspector Rebus Book 8 | Black & Blue (1997)

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Inspector Rebus Book 9 | The Hanging Garden (1998)

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Inspector Rebus Book 10 | Dead Souls (1999)

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Inspector Rebus Book 11 | Set in Darkness (2000)

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Inspector Rebus Book 12 | The Falls (2001)

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Inspector Rebus Book 13 | Resurrection Men (2002)

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Inspector Rebus Book 14 | A Question of Blood (2003)

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Inspector Rebus Book 15 | Fleshmarket Close (2005)

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Inspector Rebus Book 16 | The Naming of the Dead (2006)

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Inspector Rebus Book 17 | Exit Music (2007)

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Inspector Rebus Book 18 | Standing in Another Man's Grave (2012)

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Inspector Rebus Book 19 | Saints of the Shadow Bible (2013)

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Inspector Rebus Book 20 | Even Dogs in the Wild (2015)

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Inspector Rebus Book 21 | Rather Be the Devil (2016)

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Inspector Rebus Book 22 | In a House of Lies (2018)

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Inspector Rebus Book 23 | A Song for the Dark Times (2020)

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Inspector Rebus Book 24 | A Heart Full of Headstones (2022)

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The Rebus TV Adaptation

Between 2000 and 2007, actors John Hannah and Ken Stott portrayed DI John Rebus in a TV series produced by STV Studios for ITV. Axed in 2008 when Stott no longer wanted to continue, additional one-off specials were promised (though they never happened).

At present, only season 1 of Rebus is available to stream in the US – however, as season 1 recently left Acorn TV and migrated to BritBox, we wouldn't be surprised to see the other departed seasons popping up on BritBox in the near future. In the meantime, you can stream what's available of Rebus HERE. 

Later, author Ian Rankin would go on to say he'd purchased the screen rights back, and that he didn't intend to allow further development in the current format (as final episodes had a shorter format). 

In autumn 2022, it was announced that Nordic streamer Viaplay would be developing a brand new TV adaptation of the Rebus series. You can read more about the new Rebus TV adaptation HERE. 

Will There be More Inspector Rebus Novels?

In early 2022, it was reported that Rankin had signed a new deal to write at least two more John Rebus novels. Further, we've yet to see any statements from Rankin about ending the series, and he's stated he can't imagine killing off the character – so there's nothing to suggest the series will end soon.

We wish Sir Ian good health and plenty of inspiration as he carries on with his writing.