Search Results for: A Song For The Dark Times

No one knows Kitty’s a werewolf – until she starts a midnight radio show for the supernaturally disadvantaged and finds she may have bitten off more than she can chew.

Kitty Norville is a midnight-shift DJ for a Denver radio station – and she also happens to be a werewolf. One night, sick of the usual lame song requests, she accidentally starts ‘The Midnight Hour’, a late-night advice show for the supernaturally disadvantaged. Almost immediately she’s deluged by calls from desperate vampires, werewolves and witches from all across the country, wanting to share their woes and ask her advice.

Kitty’s new show is a raging success, but it’s Kitty herself who could use some help, not least because her monthly change is a deep and dark secret to all but a very special few.

And when she finds one very sexy werewolf-hunter on her tail, not to mention a few homicidal undead, she realises she may just may have bitten off more than she can chew …

‘Enough excitement, astonishment, pathos and vioctory to satisfy any reader’ Charlaine Harris

‘Edgy and irreverent’ Romantic Times

‘Fun, fast-paced adventure for fans of supernatural mysteries’ Locus

The second Inspector Rebus novel from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES.
‘Ian Rankin is a genius’ Lee Child

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…

The third Inspector Rebus novel from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES
‘No one writes better crime novels’ EVENING STANDARD

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.

The fourth Inspector Rebus novel from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES – ‘unmatched in the field of British crime fiction’ THE TIMES.

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…

The fifth Inspector Rebus novel from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES
‘Ian Rankin is a genius‘ Lee Child

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…

The sixth Inspector Rebus novel from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES.
‘An outstanding creation’ SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

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.

The tenth Inspector Rebus novel from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES.

‘Britain’s best crime novelist’ DAILY EXPRESS

‘No one in Britain writes better crime novels today Evening Standard

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.

The eleventh Inspector Rebus novel from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES

‘Ian Rankin is a genius’ Lee Child

‘Britain’s best crime novelist’ DAILY EXPRESS.

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…

The twelfth Inspector Rebus bestseller – a powerfully gripping novel where past and present collide…
From the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES

‘This is, quite simply, crime writing of the highest order’ DAILY EXPRESS

‘The unopposed champion of the British police procedural’ GUARDIAN

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…

The thirteenth Inspector Rebus novel from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES

‘No one in Britain writes better crime novels‘ Evening Standard

‘This is Rankin at his best, and, boy, that’s saying something’ TIME OUT

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…

The fifteenth Inspector Rebus novel from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES

‘It’s another Rebus novel you can’t put down, and Rankin at his most powerful’ CHOICE

‘Rankin is superb’ DAILY MAIL

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?

The sixteenth Inspector Rebus novel from ‘Britain’s best crime novelist’ DAILY EXPRESS and No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES

‘Rankin just gets better. The topicality and eye for detail are awesome’ Jilly Cooper

‘This is possibly the best novel you will read in your life full stop. Yes, it is that good’ NEWS OF THE WORLD

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…

The book that began Ian Rankin’s phenomenal career.
From the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES


‘The themes that would come to dominate the Rebus books are already here … the blurred boundaries between good and evil; the pull of superstition and myth; the difficulties in escaping and resolving one’s past; the emotional complexities of the male of the species; and, not least, a good mystery‘ TIME OUT

Mary Miller had always been an outcast. Burnt in a chemical mix as a young girl, sympathy for her quickly faded when the young man who pushed her in died in a mining accident just two days later. From then on she was regarded with a mixture of suspicion and fascination by her God-fearing community.

Now, years later, she is a single mother, caught up in a faltering affair with a local teacher. Her son, Sandy, has fallen in love with a strange homeless girl. The search for happiness isn’t easy. Both mother and son must face a dark secret from their past, in the growing knowledge that their small dramas are being played out against a much larger canvas, glimpsed only in symbols and flickering images – of decay and regrowth, of fire and water – of the flood.

The ninth Inspector Rebus novel from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES.

‘Masterly’ SUNDAY TIMES
‘Ian Rankin is a genius’ Lee Child

DI John Rebus is hard at work on multiple cases. Not only is he on the trail of a WWII war criminal – he’s also become entangled in a dangerous battle between two rival gangs.

But when his daughter is the victim of an all too professional hit-and-run, there’s nothing Rebus won’t do to bring down the prime suspect.

Even if it means making a deal with the devil . . .

‘This book is heaven. Elspeth Barker writes like no one else’
OLIVIA LAING

‘Deserves to be permanently on the bedside table – to cheer, reassure and inspire’
OBSERVER

‘Gothic, poetic and exuberantly funny. What a pleasure it was to read’
ESTHER FREUD

‘Joyous, startling, funny, lush, dark and complex’
THE TIMES

In Notes from the Henhouse, you will find:

A Gothic castle, a draughty Norfolk farmhouse and a malevolent Aga

A pet pig, Portia with a penchant for drama, an obsession with geraniums and an addiction to wine (the Bulgarian vintage)

George Barker, poet and beloved husband, warbling cowboy songs into his glass and declaiming Hopkins and Houseman in The Drinking Room

Five entrancing baby cherubimos, rolling and bouncing about in a big brass bed, before growing up at breakneck speed

The ecstasy of writing, the dither of procrastination, and the endless adventures to be had in the wild realms of the imagination

The outrage of death, the loneliness of widowhood, and then the surprising joys of dereliction: of moving very slowly round the garden in a shapeless coat, planting drifts of narcissus bulbs for latter springs.

This collection of autobiographical essays from the inimitable Elspeth Barker, author of the beloved modern classic O Caledonia, is a delightful portrait of a riotous, rapturous, remarkable life.

A fantastic stand-alone heist thriller from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES.

‘You won’t be able to turn the pages fast enough’ RED

‘DOORS OPEN is a lot of fun. It’s pacy, witty, full of action, twists and splendid dialogue. And Rebus does make a subtle appearance when an officer describes his police station as “a damn sight quieter since you-know-who retired” ‘ THE TIMES

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 its worth whilst persuading the world that no crime was ever committed…

‘Unmissable Rankin, as gripping and involving as any Rebus story’ CHOICE; ‘A brilliant book’ GUARDIAN

From the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES

‘On the evidence of THE COMPLAINTS it looks as if Fox will be just as sure-footed a guide to the city as his grizzled predecessor’ DAILY EXPRESS.

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.

What price will he pay to get his old life back…?

From the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES

‘This is British crime-writing of the finest, lasting quality‘ DAILY MAIL

‘Genius … Rankin once again proves himself to be the consummate master of crime‘ SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY

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?

A brilliant thriller from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES

‘No one in Britain writes better crime novels today’ Evening Standard

Interpol have tried and failed to find the terrorist, Witch. Now the combined forces of Scotland Yard and MI5 must try the impossible to prevent a major international incident.

Dominic Elder carries her autograph wherever he goes. Witch is his passion, his obsession. And being retired is no bar to his willingness to restart the hunt. MI5 know that the man who wrote the Witch file is the key to catching their quarry. But the truth isn’t easy to spot. And it is only when an MI5 novice and his French counterpart piece together the smallest of clues, that Witch suddenly looks vulnerable…

What happens when a killer becomes the target…? A gripping tale from the No.1 bestselling author A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES

‘Rankin is without doubt Britain’s best crime novelist’ Express

The death of a journalist from a single bullet to the heart makes for a dramatic story – but the twist in the tale is that this time, it’s the man who fired the gun who’s asking all the questions…

The assassin, Michael Weston, knows he has carried out his assignment successfully. One mistake was enough, a long time ago, when a young girl had accidentally received the fatal bullet. Her father hired a PI named Hoffer to track him down. Every time Weston completed a job, Hoffer was not far behind. But why had the police been on the scene so quickly? Weston has to find out – even if it means coming face to face with Hoffer…

The horror has just begun… A brilliant thriller from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES.

‘No one writes more gripping stories than Rankin’ TLS

It begins with a phone call. Gordon Reeve’s brother has been found dead in his car in San Diego. The car was locked from the inside, a gun was in his hand. In the US to identify the body Gordon realises that his brother has been murdered. What’s more, it’s soon obvious that his own life is in danger.

Once back in Scotland he finds out his home has been bugged by professionals. But Reeve is a professional too. Ex-SAS, he was half of a two-man unit with someone he came to fear, then to hate. It looks like his nemesis is back…

‘An epic tale, told the way it should be’ RECORD COLLECTOR

‘The book he was born to write’ CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE

‘An entertaining read for long-standing fans and newcomers alike’ GUITARIST

The final word on the only name synonymous with heavy metal – Black Sabbath.

Way back in the mists of time, in the days when rock giants walked the earth, the name Ozzy Osbourne was synonymous with the subversive and dark. Back then, Ozzy was the singer in Black Sabbath, and they meant business. A four-piece formed from the ashes of two locally well-known groups called The Rare Breed (Ozzy and bassist Geezer Butler) and Mythology (guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward), all four founding members of the original Black Sabbath grew up within half-a-mile of each other.

This biography tells the story of how they made that dream come true – and how it then turned into a nightmare for all of them. How at the height of their fame, Sabbath discovered they had been so badly ripped off by their managers they did not even own their own songs. How they looked for salvation from Don Arden – an even more notorious gangster figure, who resurrected their career but still left them indebted to him, financially and personally. And how it finally came to a head when in 1979 they sacked Ozzy: ‘For being too out of control – even for us,’ as Bill Ward put it.

The next 15 years would see a war break out between the two camps: the post-Ozzy Sabbath and Ozzy himself, whose solo career overshadowed Sabbath to the point where, when he offered them the chance to reform around him again, it was entirely on his terms. Or rather, that of his wife and manager, daughter of Don Arden – Sharon Osbourne.

A classic Ian Rankin from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES
‘No one in Britain writes better crime novels today’ Evening Standard

‘Ian Rankin is perhaps the best and most complex thriller writer in Britain today’ Daily Telegraph

Bombs are exploding in the streets of London, but life seems to have planted more subtle booby-traps for Miles Flint. Miles is a spy. His job is to watch and to listen, then to report back to his superiors, nothing more. The job, affording glimpses into the most private lives of his victims, appeals to Miles. He doesn’t lust after promotion, and he doesn’t want action. He wants, just for once, not to botch a case. Having lost one suspect – with horrific consequences – Miles becomes too involved with another, a young Irish woman. His marriage seems ready to crumble to dust. So does his home.

But Miles is given one last chance for redemption – a trip to Belfast, which quickly becomes a flight of terror, murder and shocking discoveries. But can the voyeur survive in a world of violent action?

Prison changes a man. Sometimes in ways you can see. Usually in ways you can’t.

Henry Quinn only survived three years inside because of Evan Riggs, a one-time country singer, one-time killer, now serving a life sentence, no parole. On the day he gets out, Henry promises Evan he will find his daughter, the daughter he never met, and deliver a letter.

A free man, Henry heads to the small Texan town where Evan grew up and where his brother Carson is Sheriff. There’s no sign of the girl, and her uncle claims to know nothing of her whereabouts. But Henry isn’t about to give up.

Carson’s behaviour towards him grows threatening, and Henry realises that there are dark secrets buried at the heart of this quiet town. What terrible thing drove the brothers apart, and what happened to Evan’s daughter?