Rankin biography inspects Rebus
20.08.09 The Bookseller

John Blake Publishing has acquired an authorised biography of author Ian Rankin and his detective character Inspector Rebus. Due out on 4th January 2010 as a £16.99 hardback, the book is being written by Craig Cabell, who will draw from his "extensive interviews" with the Scottish author. Rankin, who has written some 25 novels, 17 of which have featured Rebus, is currently number one on the UK's official Top 50.

Ian Rankin and Inspector Rebus will look at the author's previous roles as a punk musician and swineherd, as well as his time as a writer. It also looks at the inspiration behind much of his work—Robert Louis Stevenson and his gothic novel, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.
John Wordsworth, editor, said: "Now that Ian has moved on to a new crime series, it is the perfect time to look back over the relationship . . . Although the fictional inspector retired to the backwaters of Edinburgh's dark side in the 2007 novel Exit Music, the books endure and continue to attract new audiences."

The book is due out shortly before Rankin's 50th birthday, which Wordsworth said would make it "a fitting tribute to the series that has made his name".
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