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Edinburgh (UK)

This page lists crime novels and short story collections set wholly or partly in Edinburgh.

 

Edinburgh: Novels and short story collections

A Charitable End

Jessica Mann

Collins

1971

"Not all crimes are reported to the police. The comfortable Edinburgh citizens who received poison-pen letters thought it more politic to say nothing about them. But when the French-born wife of the city’s most distinguished judge receives one, she angrily blurts out the details of her husband’s not so innocent love life. The matter is discreetly silenced, but there is a subtle and disturbing change of atmosphere. Someone in this elite and snobbish professional circle, with its social concern, altruism, and exclusive occasions is undoubtedly not above suspicion."
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So Much Blood

Simon Brett

Gollancz

1976

A Charles Paris novel.

"Appearing in his own one-man show on Thomas Hood at the Edinburgh Festival, middle-aged actor Charles Paris finds himself falling for a gorgeous young girl with navy-blue eyes. He also finds himself being dragged into a complex murder investigation involving the death of a fading pop star, a bomb scare in Holyrood Palace and a suicide leap from the top of the Rock."
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Knots and Crosses

Ian Rankin

Bodley Head

1987

An Inspector Rebus novel.

"And in Edinburgh of all places. I mean, you never think of that sort of thing happening in Edinburgh, do you...? 'That sort of thing' is the brutal abduction and murder of two young girls. And now a third is missing, presumably gone to the same sad end. Detective Sergeant John Rebus, smoking and drinking too much, his own young daughter spirited away south by his disenchanted wife, is one of many policemen hunting the killer. And then the messages begin to arrive: knotted string and matchstick crosses - taunting Rebus with pieces of a puzzle only he can solve."
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Hide and Seek

Ian Rankin

Barrie & Jenkins

1991

An Inspector Rebus novel.

"A junkie lies dead in an Edinburgh squat, spreadeagled, cross-like on the floor, between two burned-down candles, a five-pointed star daubed on the wall above. Just another dead addict - until John Rebus begins to chip away at the indifference, treachery, deceit and sleaze that lurks behind the facade of the Edinburgh familiar to tourists. Only Rebus seems to care about a death which looks more like a murder every day, about a seductive danger he can almost taste, appealing to the darkest corners of his mind."
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Tooth and Nail

Ian Rankin

Century

1992

Originally published with the title Wolfman. An Inspector Rebus novel.

"They call him the Wolfman - because he takes a bite out of his victims and because they found the first victim in the East End's lonely Wolf Street. Scotland Yard are anxious to find the killer and Inspector Rebus is drafted in to help. But his Scotland Yard opposite number, George Flight, isn't happy at yet more interference, and Rebus finds himself dealing with racial prejudice as well as the predations of a violent maniac. When Rebus is offered a serial killer profile of the Wolfman by an attractive female psychologist, it's too good an opportunity to miss. But in finding an ally, he may have given his enemies an easy means of attack."
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Strip Jack

Ian Rankin

Orion

1992

An Inspector Rebus novel.

"Gregor Jack, MP, well-liked, young, married to the fiery Elizabeth - to the outside world a very public success story. But Jack's carefully nurtured career plans take a tumble after a 'mistake' during a police raid on a notorious Edinburgh brothel. Then Elizabeth disappears, a couple of bodies float into view where they shouldn't, and a lunatic speaks from his asylum... Initially Rebus is sympathetic to the MP's dilemma - who hasn't occasionally succumbed to temptation? - but with the disappearance of Jack's wife the glamour surrounding the popular young man begins to tarnish. Someone wants to strip Jack naked and Rebus wants to know why."
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A Good Hanging and Other Stories

Ian Rankin

Century

1992

Inspector Rebus short stories.

A collection of 12 short stories. The titles are:

  • Playback
  • The Dean Curse
  • Being Frank
  • Concrete Evidence
  • Seeing Things
  • A Good Hanging
  • Tit For Tat
  • Not Provan
  • Sunday
  • Auld Lang Syne
  • The Gentlemen's Club
  • Monstrous Trumpet
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The Black Book

Ian Rankin

Orion

1993

An Inspector Rebus novel.

"When a close colleague is brutally attacked, Inspector John Rebus is drawn into a case involving a hotel fire, an unidentified body, and a long forgotten night of terror and murder. Pursued by dangerous ghosts and tormented by the coded secrets of his colleague's notebook, Rebus must piece together the most complex and confusing of jigsaws. But not everyone wants the puzzle solved - perhaps not even Rebus himself."
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Mortal Causes

Ian Rankin

Orion

1994

An Inspector Rebus novel.

"It is August in Edinburgh and the Festival is in full swing... A brutally tortured body is discovered in one of the city's ancient subterranean streets and marks on the corpse cause Rebus to suspect the involvement of sectarian activists. The prospect of a terrorist atrocity in a city heaving with tourists is almost unthinkable. When the victim turns out to be the son of a notorious gangster, Rebus realises he is sitting atop a volcano of mayhem - and it's just about to erupt."
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Let it Bleed

Ian Rankin

Orion

1995

An Inspector Rebus novel.

"Struggling through another Edinburgh winter Rebus finds himself sucked into a web of intrigue that throws up more questions than answers. Was the Lord Provost's daughter kidnapped or just another runaway? Why is a city councillor shredding documents that should have been waste paper years ago? And why on earth is Rebus invited to a clay pigeon shoot at the home of the Scottish Office's Permanent Secretary? Sucked into the machine that is modern Scotland, Rebus confronts the fact that some of his enemies may be beyond justice."
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Black and Blue

Ian Rankin

Orion

1997

An Inspector Rebus novel.

"Rebus is juggling four cases trying to nail one killer - who might just lead back to the infamous Bible John. And he's doing it under the scrutiny of an internal inquiry led by a man he has just accused of taking backhanders from Glasgow's Mr Big. As if this wasn't enough, there are TV cameras at his back investigating a miscarriage of justice, making Rebus a criminal in the eyes of a million or more viewers. Just one mistake is likely to mean an unpleasant and not particularly speedy death or, worse still, losing his job."
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Mr. Doyle and Dr. Bell

Howard Engel

Penguin

1997

"The year is 1879 and in Edinburgh, Alan Lambert has been tried, convicted, and sentenced to hang for the murder of a dazzling opera star and her lover. But Lambert's brother believes he's innocent and pleads with Dr. Bell, a celebrated professor of anatomy, to uncover the truth. Bell agrees and sets out to crack the case with his keen powers of deduction and the help of his student, Arthur Conan Doyle."
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Sherlock Homes and the Theatre of Death

Val Andrews

Breese Books

1997

Published electronically by Endeavour Press in 2015.

"Edinburgh, 1911. Renowned illusionist Sigmund Neuberger, known by his nom de théâtre ‘The Great Lafayette’, takes to the stage of the Empire Theatre. Known for his spectacular magical illusions, Neuberger has been touring across Europe with his troupe of fellow magicians and a lion in tow. Little does he know, the curtains are soon to rise and fall on his final spectacle. Whilst in the middle of a performance, a deadly inferno engulfs the stage. A mysteriously locked door bars the escape route, and the blaze brings down the great theatre to ash and rubble. The tragedy claims the lives of several members of the troupe – including The Great Lafayette himself. In the ensuing chaos, the circumstances of the fire remain unknown, as does the whereabouts of Neuberger’s corpse. Holmes and Watson are called upon to help untangle the web mystery shrouding the event."
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The Hanging Garden

Ian Rankin

Orion

1998

An Inspector Rebus novel.

"DI Rebus is buried under a pile of paperwork but an escalating dispute between the upstart Tommy Telford and Big Ger Cafferty's gang gives Rebus an escape clause. Telford is known to have close links with a Chechen gangster bringing refugees into Britain as prostitutes. When Rebus takes under his wing a distraught Bosnian call girl, it gives him a personal reason to make sure Telford goes back to Paisley and pronto. Then Rebus's daughter is the victim of an all too professional hit-and-run and Rebus knows that there is now nothing he won't do to bring down prime suspect Tommy Telford - even if it means cutting a deal with the devil."
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Dead Souls

Ian Rankin

Orion

1999

An Inspector Rebus novel.

"Stalking a poisoner at the local zoo, Inspector John Rebus comes across a paedophile taking pictures of children. When the social workers claim he is there for legitimate educational reasons, Rebus is faced with a dilemma - should he be outed to protect local kids or given a chance to start anew? As the locals begin a hate campaign Rebus gets a call from the past: the son of a friend has gone missing and no one else will make time to ask the right questions. And then a fragment of Scotland's criminal history is repatriated at the end of a life sentence for murder. Once more Rebus's cup of trouble runneth over and the ghosts of past misdeeds return to haunt Edinburgh's streets."
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Set in Darkness

Ian Rankin

Orion

2000

An Inspector Rebus novel.

"Edinburgh is about to become the home of the first Scottish parliament in 300 years. As political passions run high, DI John Rebus is charged with liaison, thanks to the new parliament being resident in Queensbury House, bang in the middle of his patch. But Queensbury House has its own, dark past. Legend has it that a young man was roasted there on a spit by a madman. When the fireplace where the youth died is uncovered another more recent murder victim is found. Days later, in the gardens outside, there is another body and Rebus is under pressure to find instant answers. As the case proceeds, the Inspector finds himself face to face with one of Edinburgh's most notorious criminals."
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A Trust Betrayed

Candace Robb

William Heinemann

2000

A Margaret Kerr novel.

"It is the spring of 1297, and young wife Margaret Kerr is desperately afraid. Her merchant husband Roger has been missing since Martinmas. Has he been caught up in the swelling rebellion against the English? Is he even alive? Jack Sinclair, her husband's cousin and factor, has pledged to try to locate Roger in the city. When he is found stabbed to death, Margaret resolves she must ride to Edinburgh herself to uncover the truth. But Scotland is a country at war, Edinburgh an occupied city. With English soldiers patrolling the streets, it is no place for a woman alone. Margaret's mission is frowned upon, her arrival at her uncle's tavern unwelcome. And when she starts to ask questions she finds a city rife with closely guarded secrets and dangerous loyalties. Soon violence erupts outside the tavern and there is murder on their doorstep. Margaret discovers how little she had known either of Roger or Jack."
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The Falls

Ian Rankin

Orion

2001

An Inspector Rebus novel.

"A student has gone missing in Edinburgh. She's not just any student, though, but the daughter of well-to-do and influential bankers. There's almost nothing to go on until DI John Rebus gets an unmistakable gut feeling that there's more to this than just another runaway spaced out on unaccustomed freedom. Two leads emerge: a carved wooden doll in a toy coffin, found in the student's home village, and an internet role-playing game. The ancient and the modern, brought together by uncomfortable circumstance."
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The Patient's Eyes

David Pirie

Century

2001

Later editions have the subtitle: The Dark Beginnings Of Sherlock Holmes.

"While a young medical student at Edinburgh, Arthur Conan Doyle famously studied under the remarkable Dr Joseph Bell. Taking this as a starting point, David Pirie has woven a compelling thriller, which partners Bell and Doyle as pioneers in criminal investigation, exploring the strange underworld of violence and sexual hypocrisy running below the surface of the Victorian era. The Patient's Eyes moves from Edinburgh and the strange circumstances surrounding Doyle's meeting with the remarkable Joseph Bell to Southsea where he begins his first medical practice. There he is puzzled by the symptoms presented by Heather Grace, a sweet young woman whose parents have died tragically several years before. Heather has a strange eye complaint, but is also upset by visions of a phantom cyclist who vanishes as soon as he is followed. This enigma, however, is soon forgotten as Doyle finds himself embroiled in more threatening events - including the murder of a rich Spanish businessman - events that call for the intervention of the eminent Dr Bell. But despite coming to Doyle's aid, perversely Dr Bell considers the murder of Senor Garcia a rather unimportant diversion from the far more sinister matter, which has brought him south: the matter of the patient's eyes and the solitary cyclist."
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The Night Calls: The Dark Beginnings Of Sherlock Holmes

David Pirie

Century

2002

"While a young medical student at Edinburgh Arthur Conan Doyle famously studied under the remarkable Dr Joseph Bell, who was a pioneer in criminal investigation. The Night Calls chronicles their most frightening and disturbing case - the encounter with the man who was later presented in expurgated form as Moriarty. Beginning with a series of bizarre and outlandish assaults on women in the brothels of Edinburgh, the story moves to the medical facility of the city's university, which is itself being disrupted by the violent struggle for women's educational rights. Here Doyle meets a fellow student, young Elizabeth Scott, who has many enemies, among them a crazed misogynist student called Crawford and the smiling hypocritical patron of the university, Henry Carlisle. Yet slowly Bell begins to realise that the increasingly freakish crimes they are investigating reflect an entirely new and terrifying kind of criminal who is not susceptible to the old methods. The Night Calls takes them from the evil heart of old Edinburgh into what Bell calls their 'fight against the future' and to London itself, where Doyle again faces his nemesis with terrifying results."
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Resurrection Men

Ian Rankin

Orion

2002

An Inspector Rebus novel.

"Rebus is off the case - literally. A few days into the murder inquiry of an Edinburgh art dealer, Rebus blows up at a colleague. He is sent to the Scottish Police College for 'retraining' - in other words, he's in the Last Chance Saloon. Rebus is assigned to an old, unsolved case, but there are those in his team who have their own secrets - and they'll stop at nothing to protect them. Rebus is also asked to act as a go-between for gangster 'Big Ger' Cafferty. And as newly promoted DS Siobhan Clarke works the case of the murdered art dealer, she is brought closer to Cafferty than she could ever have anticipated."
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Beggars Banquet

Ian Rankin

Orion

2002

A collection of 21 short stories, seven of which feature Rebus. The titles are:

  • Trip trap *
  • Someone Got to Eddie
  • A Deep Hole
  • Natural Selection
  • Facing The Music *
  • Principles of Accounts
  • The Only True Comedian
  • Herbert in Motion
  • Glimmer
  • Unlucky in Love, Unlucky at Cards
  • Video, Nasty
  • Talk Show *
  • Castle Dangerous *
  • The Wider Scheme
  • Unknown Pleasures
  • In The Frame *
  • The Confession
  • The Hanged Man
  • Window of Opportunity *
  • The Serpent's Back
  • No Sanity Clause *
  • Death Is Not The End
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A Question of Blood

Ian Rankin

Orion

2003

An Inspector Rebus novel.

"Two seventeen-year-olds are killed by an ex-Army loner who has gone off the rails. The mystery takes Rebus into the heart of a shattered community. Ex-Army himself, Rebus becomes fascinated by the killer, and finds he is not alone. Army investigators are on the scene, and won't be shaken off. The killer had friends and enemies to spare and left behind a legacy of secrets and lies. Rebus has more than his share of personal problems, too. He's fresh out of hospital, but won't say how it happened. Could there be a connection with a house-fire and the unfortunate death of a petty criminal who had been harassing Rebus's colleague Siobhan Clarke?"
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The Fire in the Flint

Candace Robb

William Heinemann

2003

A Margaret Kerr novel.

"Edinburgh, 1297. Margaret Kerr, fiercely loyal to the deposed king John Balliol, has come in search of her absent husband Roger - a man in the service of Balliol's enemy Robert the Bruce. But terrifying raids and a brutal murder bring the wrath of the English to Margaret's door. Roger's sudden disappearance enables Margaret to escape from the city, but she soon suspects that his new-found concern is nothing more than a charade. And then her father returns from Bruges, bringing trouble and discord in his wake. What was it the raiders sought from Margaret's property? And what of her mother's visions, which all sides are keen to interpret? Who can Margaret really trust in these troubled times...?"
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Fleshmarket Close

Ian Rankin

Orion

2004

An Inspector Rebus novel.

"An illegal immigrant is found murdered in an Edinburgh housing scheme. Rebus is drawn into the case, but has other problems: his old police station has closed for business, and his masters want him to retire. But Rebus is stubborn. As he investigates, he must visit an asylum seekers' detention centre, deal with the sleazy Edinburgh underworld, and maybe even fall in love... Siobhan meanwhile has problems of her own. A teenager has disappeared and Siobhan must help the family, which means getting close to a convicted rapist. Then there's the small matter of the two skeletons found buried beneath a cellar floor in Fleshmarket Close. An elaborate stunt - but whose, and for what purpose? And how can it tie to the murder on the housing-scheme known as Knoxland?"
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The Naming of the Dead

Ian Rankin

Orion

2006

An Inspector Rebus novel.

"A murder has been committed - but as the victim was a rapist, recently released from prison, no one is too concerned about the crime. That is, until Detective Inspector John Rebus and DS Siobhan Clarke uncover evidence that a serial killer is on the loose... When Rebus also starts looking into the apparent suicide of an MP, he is abruptly warned off the case, not least because the G8 leaders have gathered in Scotland, and Rebus's bosses want him well out of the way. But Rebus has never been one to stick to the rules, and when Siobhan has a very personal reason for hunting down a riot cop, it looks as though both Rebus and Clarke may be up against their own side."
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Exit Music

Ian Rankin

Orion

2007

An Inspector Rebus novel.

"It's late autumn in Edinburgh and late autumn in the career of Detective Inspector Rebus. As he tries to tie up some loose ends before retirement, a murder case intrudes. A dissident Russian poet has been found dead in what looks like a mugging gone wrong. By apparent coincidence, a delegation of Russian businessmen is in town - and everyone is determined that the case should be closed quickly and clinically. But the further they dig, the more Rebus and DS Siobhan Clarke become convinced that they are dealing with something more than a random attack - especially after a particularly nasty second killing. Meanwhile, a brutal and premeditated assault on a local gangster sees Rebus in the frame. Has the Inspector taken a step too far in tying up those loose ends? Only a few days shy of the end to his long, inglorious career, will Rebus even make it that far?"
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Doors Open

Ian Rankin

Orion

2008

"Mike Mackenzie is a self-made man with too much time on his hands and a bit of the devil in his soul. He is looking for something to liven up the days and settles on a plot to rip off one of the most high-profile targets in the capital – the National Gallery of Scotland. So, together with two close friends from the art world, he devises a plan to lift some of the most valuable artwork around. But of course, the real trick is to rob the place for all it’s worth whilst persuading the world that no crime was ever committed."
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A Darker Domain

Val McDermid

HarperCollins

2008

An Inspector Karen Pirie novel.

"Twenty-five years ago, the daughter of the richest man in Scotland and her baby son were kidnapped and held to ransom. But Catriona Grant ended up dead and little Adam's fate has remained a mystery ever since. When a new clue is discovered in a deserted Tuscan villa – along with grisly evidence of a recent murder – cold case expert DI Karen Pirie is assigned to follow the trail. She's already working a case from the same year. During the Miners' Strike of 1984, pit worker Mick Prentice vanished. He was presumed to have broken ranks and fled south with other 'scabs'… but Karen finds that the reported events of that night don't add up. Where did he really go? And is there a link to the Grant mystery? The truth is stranger – and far darker – than fiction."
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The Complaints

Ian Rankin

Orion

2009

A Malcolm Fox novel.

"Nobody likes The Complaints - they're the cops who investigate other cops. Complaints and Conduct Department, to give them their full title, but known colloquially as 'the Dark Side', or simply 'The Complaints'. Malcolm Fox works for The Complaints. He's just had a result, and should be feeling good about himself. But he's middle-aged, sour and unwell. He also has a father in a care home and a sister who persists in an abusive relationship. In the midst of an aggressive Edinburgh winter, the reluctant Fox is given a new task. There's a cop called Jamie Breck, and he's dirty. Problem is, no one can prove it. But as Fox takes on the job, he learns that there's more to Breck than anyone thinks. This knowledge will prove dangerous, especially when murder intervenes."
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The Impossible Dead

Ian Rankin

Orion

2011

A Malcolm Fox novel.

"Malcolm Fox and his team are back, investigating whether fellow cops covered up for Detective Paul Carter. Carter has been found guilty of misconduct, but what should be a simple job is soon complicated by a brutal murder and a weapon that should not even exist. A trail of revelations leads Fox back to 1985, a year of desperate unrest when letter-bombs and poisonous spores were sent to government offices, and kidnappings and murders were plotted. But while the body count rises the clock starts ticking, and a dramatic turn of events sees Fox in mortal danger."
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Standing in Another Man's Grave

Ian Rankin

Orion

2012

A Rebus / Malcolm Fox novel.

"A series of seemingly random disappearances - stretching back to the millennium. A mother determined to find the truth. A retired cop desperate to get his old life back... It's been some time since Rebus was forced to retire, and he now works as a civilian in a cold-case unit. So when a long-dead case bursts back to life, he can't resist the opportunity to get his feet under the CID desk once more. But Rebus is as stubborn and anarchic as ever, and he quickly finds himself in deep with pretty much everyone, including DI Siobhan Clarke. All Rebus wants to do is uncover the truth. The big question is: can he be the man he once was and still stay on the right side of the law?"
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Saints of the Shadow Bible

Ian Rankin

Orion

2013

A Rebus / Malcolm Fox novel.

"Rebus is back on the force, albeit with a demotion and a chip on his shoulder. A 30-year-old case is being reopened, and Rebus's team from back then is suspected of foul play. With Malcolm Fox as the investigating officer, are the past and present about to collide in a shocking and murderous fashion? And does Rebus have anything to hide? His old colleagues called themselves 'the Saints', and swore a bond on something called 'the Shadow Bible'. But times have changed and the crimes of the past may not stay hidden much longer, especially with a referendum on Scottish independence just around the corner. Who are the saints and who are the sinners? And can the one ever become the other?"
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Dead Woman Walking

Jessica Mann

The Cornovia Press

2013

"Gillian Butler moved away from Edinburgh fifty years ago, or so her friends thought. When her murdered body is found, they must try to remember who last saw her alive. Perhaps it was Isabel, now a novelist and people tracer, or the twice-widowed Hannah, or the psychiatrist Dr Fidelis Berlin, an expert on child abuse, abandonment, abduction and adoption, who had herself been an unidentified infant rescued from Nazi Germany and now hopes to discover her real name at last. Fidelis Berlin and other characters from Mann's earlier books reappear in this tense, gripping tale of vengeance, family ties and the mystery of identity."
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The Beat Goes On: The Complete Rebus Stories

Ian Rankin

Orion

2014

A collection of 29 Rebus short stories comprising previously published and unpublished work.

"From his beginnings as a young Detective Constable in 'Dead and Buried', right up to his dramatic - but as it turns out, not quite final - retirement in 'The Very Last Drop', we see one of the most compelling, brilliant and mesmeric characters of modern times in his every guise and very much in his element."
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The Skeleton Road

Val McDermid

Little, Brown

2014

An Inspector Karen Pirie novel.

"When a skeleton is discovered hidden at the top of a crumbling, gothic building in Edinburgh, Detective Chief Inspector Karen Pirie is faced with the unenviable task of identifying the bones. As Karen's investigation gathers momentum, she is drawn deeper into a dark world of intrigue and betrayal. Meanwhile, someone is taking the law into their own hands in the name of justice and revenge -- but when present resentment collides with secrets of the past, the truth is more shocking than anyone could have imagined."
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Northanger Abbey

Val McDermid

The Borough Press

2014

The second book to be published as part of the Austen Project in which modern authors reimagine the works of Jane Austen.

"For Cat Morland life being home-schooled in Dorset is unendurably ordinary. To cope, she devours as many novels as possible, especially anything supernatural. But if Cat can tear her eyes away from the page, she’s in for a shock: the very stuff of her dreams is about to come true. An invite to the Edinburgh Festival from some wealthy neighbours throws her in the way of a mysterious young man, Henry Tilney; a like-minded friend, Isabella Thorpe; and her odious brother, who threatens to ruin Cat’s chances of adventure. But this heroine is not so easily deterred, especially when she’s singled out by the Tilney family to stay with them at their imposing gothic castle, Northanger Abbey. Turrets and creaking doors there may be, but in the depths of the Scottish Borders Cat is isolated from the outside world, with no phone signal and no internet. She’s all alone in an ancient abbey alive with old secrets and a family who are not quite as they seem. Is real life about to become more terrifying than the world of her imagination?"
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Even Dogs in the Wild

Ian Rankin

Orion

2015

A Rebus / Malcolm Fox novel.

"Retirement doesn't suit John Rebus. He wasn't made for hobbies, holidays or home improvements. Being a cop is in his blood. So when DI Siobhan Clarke asks for his help on a case, Rebus doesn't need long to consider his options. Clarke's been investigating the death of a senior lawyer whose body was found along with a threatening note. On the other side of Edinburgh, Big Ger Cafferty - Rebus's long-time nemesis - has received an identical note and a bullet through his window. Now it's up to Clarke and Rebus to connect the dots and stop a killer."
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Rather Be the Devil

Ian Rankin

Orion

2016

A Rebus / Malcolm Fox novel.

"John Rebus can't close the door on the death of glamorous socialite Maria Turquand. Brutally murdered in her hotel room forty years ago, her killer has never been found. Meanwhile, Edinburgh's dark heart is up for grabs. Young pretender Darryl Christie may have staked his claim on the city's underworld - but has criminal mastermind and Rebus' long-time adversary, Big Ger Cafferty, really settled down to a quiet retirement? Or is he hiding in the shadows until Edinburgh is once more ripe for the picking?"
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A Clash of Spheres

P.F. Chisholm

Poisoned Pen Press

2017

A Robert Carey novel.

"Sir Robert Carey, cousin to Queen Elizabeth from the wrong side of Henry VIII's blanket, remains at his post on the Borders at Carlisle. He has at last been confirmed by his monarch as Deputy Warden, is still deeply in love with Lady Elizabeth Widdrington while despising her elderly, abusive husband (will the man never die?). And he remains estranged from his dour but lethal henchman, Henry Dodd. Sir Robert Cecil, Privy Councillor to the Queen, warns of a new challenge: the King of Spain's 'intentions in Scotland.' Will Cecil be sending a pursuivant to the Borders to suss out, and possibly interrupt, whatever plots are in progress against England? Now it's Autumn. We meet Marguerite, an over-sexed and unhappy wife. Father Crichton, a Jesuit, formerly of Spain. A man who says his name is Jonathan Hepburn but, curiously, thinks in Deutsch. Marguerite's elderly husband Sir David, a Groom of King James' VI's Bedchamber, a jealous man. Various disloyal Scottish Earls. Janet Dodd, wife to Henry, who learns an interesting thing from Mrs. Hogg, the midwife. Hughie Tyndale, a would-be-assassin. Mr. John Napier, a philosopher and mathematician with a revolutionary theory of how the solar system works. Mr. Simon Anricks, a toothdrawer (and philosopher, too) bearing a secret letter from England, who becomes delighted with Mr. Napier. Queen Anne (of Denmark), not yet a mother. And King James, not your usual monarch, plus his court, sycophants, and (former) lover Lord Spynie, who is still plotting revenge. So many spheres of influence or disruption in play. Events come to a head at the King's court in Edinburgh where a great Disputation on the differences between the Ptolemaic and the Copernican systems, and a demonstration of the planets will be staged, a clash of spheres mirroring the same at the human level."
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Last updated February 2018