A Heart Full of Headstones: Pre-Order The Brand New Must-Read John Rebus Thriller Now

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Literary agent Jon Wood, who was involved in the deal for the new Rebus books, added: “I'm delighted that Ian's long — and hugely successful — association with both Orion and John Rebus continues this year. Well, it’s always going to be five star for my favourite detective of all time and yes, I have read all 24! I can't help but think that once you get to a certain age most of us will have one or two headstones in our heart. And some will have more than others. Fmr. Officer Haggard has been threatening to bring all those hidden sins out in the open if charges against him for domestic abuse are not dropped. Then he is found murdered in an apartment he could ill afford. How did Haggard afford that apartment and who rented it to him? More important is who killed him and why?

Rebus’ future? In the 1990s I was a fan of two British television shows, The Bill and The Minder. However, I was not saddened when they were wound up as they had run their course and I thought it was best that they finish on a high rather than fading into insignificance. Hopefully that will happen with Rebus. But after reading A Heart full of Headstones he’s not there yet. This was one that I couldn’t stop reading. As soon as my eyes were rested, I’d start another chapter. Yet it wasn’t a fast thriller. With its large cast of characters, I probably would have been lost except that I had been reading the Rebus novels for more than two decades, so many of the recurring players and their past interactions were well fixed in my memory. 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, and opted to receive the prize in his home city of Edinburgh, where he lives with his partner and two sons.I’ve enjoyed the recent crime fiction coming from Australia: books by Jane Harper, Chris Hammer and Hayley Scrivenor. My favourite of their detectives is Hammer’s Nell Buchanan. She first appears in Opal Country as an inexperienced young investigator supporting homicide detective Ivan Lucic in the remote mining badlands. She comes into her own in Dead Man’s Creek, a richly textured novel in which events of the past play out in the present in the place where Nell grew up. It's a genius combination that delivers every time. I've also waited too long to find out what happens next.” More than 30 million copies of Rankin’s Rebus novels have been sold around the globe and they have been published in at least 36 languages. Big Ger Cafferty (Rebus’ longtime nemesis) surveys the vista of Edinburgh through a telescope from the prized position of his penthouse unit. Keeping his eyes firmly peeled on the City he once ruled with drugs and fists. There is subtly in the title and in some scenes where Rebus is listening to music. The reader might find it interesting to research the singer Jamie Leven the Scottish singer and his relationship with Rankin and Rankin’s use of Leven’s lyrics.

In secondary school, a teacher mentioned that the deduction techniques detailed in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s work had been so well crafted that they influenced the policing of the day. That fiction could change the world was a powerful idea, and one I wanted to be part of. Conflicted, driven and an alcoholic … Matt Scudder played by Liam Neeson in A Walk Among the Tombstones. Photograph: Momentum Pictures/Sportsphoto/Allstar Ian Rankin There is one scene where Rebus leaves Siobhan Clarke and as he walks away, she observes a weathered stooped, old man. She reflects on how once he was a figure of strength, feared by many. It was a sad poignant point in the story.It is a complex character filled story; however, the reader can follow the participants and their roles the story never gets too complicated. This is definitely a great book for long time fans, as the repeat characters show the paths they’ve chosen. And where their loyalties lie. By the end, we know what crime Rebus is accused of committing, but we don’t know the outcome of the trial, and there are still some miscreants who have not been charged. So this is part one of a two-part story—a fact that has some readers unhappy. Not me. I can’t wait for the next instalment. Will Rebus escape once again, or will he finally end his career? He is physically unwell—if not jail, is his death in the future?

I’m not saying other things didn’t crop up. My Rebus stage play, A Game Called Malice, written during Covid, found a theatre and will have its world premiere in Hornchurch early in February. There has also been good news on the TV front and the streaming service ViaPlay hope to have Rebus on our screens some time in 2024 – filming is due to commence in the spring.The title and plot of the next Rebus thriller however are being kept top secret for now, with people urged to "keep an eye out" over the next coming months. This is the 24th Rebus novel by Ian Rankin and, like previous books in the series, it is well-written, well-plotted and smart with plenty of twists and turns. And, of course, like his previous books, there’s plenty of references to music including the title. The Rebus series has been one of my favourites over the years and A Heart Full of Headstones definitely doesn’t disappoint.