Ian Rankin has 41 audiobooks on Listento.it, narrated by 18 narrators, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 386 ratings. The most-rated is In a House of Lies.
The Beat Goes On
Summary
Including brand new material, this is the complete collection of Rebus short stories from the Sunday Times Number one best seller. Over the years, Ian Rankin has amassed an incredible portfolio of short stories. Published in crime magazines, composed for events, broadcast on radio, they all share the best qualities of his phenomenally popular Rebus novels. Brought together for the first time, and including brand-new material, this is the ultimate Rebus short-story collection and a must-have book for crime lovers and for Ian's millions of fans alike. No Rankin aficionado can go without it.
©2014 John Rebus Ltd (P)2014 Orion Publishing Group
Even Dogs in the Wild
Summary
Rebus comes out of retirement...to save his nemesis. Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke is feeling the heat. She's investigating the death of a senior government prosecutor, David Minton, who has friends in high places. When one of their own is killed, the powers that be want answers fast. But Clarke is puzzled: If Minton died in a robbery as everyone thinks, why is nothing missing from his home? The answer may lie not in what was taken but in what was left behind at the scene - an ominous note. Malcolm Fox is feeling useless. Shunned by his colleagues because of his past in the Complaints bureau, he's been reassigned to a grunt detail, helping a surveillance team - one that trusts him even less than his own boss does - track a notorious Glasgow crime family. Helping Clarke with the Minton case is the only thing that makes Fox feel like a real cop. Newly minted civilian John Rebus is feeling restless. Being a cop is in his blood, and he's failing miserably at retirement. So when Clarke and Fox ask for his help, Rebus doesn't need long to consider his options. But before he can get his bearings, a call comes from Rebus' old nemesis - "Big Ger" Cafferty. Someone just fired a bullet through his front window - and sent him a note identical to Minton's. The normally unflappable old gangster is on edge, but for the life of him Cafferty can't figure out who he's wronged. And the only man he trusts with his life is Rebus. As the cases collide, it's up to Clarke, Fox, and Rebus to connect the dots and save their unlikely ally, Cafferty, whose past harbors a shocking secret that implicates Minton's friends in an unspeakable crime. Even Dogs in the Wild reunites crime fiction legend Ian Rankin's greatest characters in an explosive story exploring the darkest corners of our desires.
©2016 Ian Rankin (P)2016 Hachette Audio
The Falls
Summary
A student has gone missing in Edinburgh - completely out of character. She's not just any student, though, but the daughter of extremely well-to-do and influential bankers. There's almost nothing to go on, until Detective Inspector John Rebus gets an unmistakable gut feeling that there's more to this than just another runaway spaced out on unaccustomed freedom, or worse. Two leads emerge: a carved wooden doll in a toy coffin, found in the student's home village, and an Internet role-playing game. It's the ancient and the modern, brought together by uncomfortable circumstance and a curmudgeonly detective happier with long playing records than digital technology. In this powerful novel, Rankin, who "moves dialogue with the precision of a chess-master" (Irish Times), brings together past, present and future in a terrifying duel of good, in the persons of DI Rebus and DC Siobhan Clarke, and evil.
©2001 Ian Rankin (P)2001 Orion Publishing Group Ltd.
Exit Music
Summary
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?
©2007 John Rebus Ltd (P)2015 Orion Publishing Group
Mortal Causes
Summary
The last people to die in Mary King's Close had been plague victims. But that was in the 1700s. Now a body has been discovered, brutally tortured and murdered, in Edinburgh's buried city. Inspector John Rebus, ex-army, spots a paramilitary link. It is August in Edinburgh, the Festival is in full swing. No one wants to contemplate terrorism in the thronging city streets. Special Branch personnel are interested, however, and Rebus finds himself seconded to an elite police unit with the mission of smashing whatever terrorist cell may exist. But the victim turns out to be a gangster's son, and the gangster wants revenge on his own terms.
©1994 Ian Rankin (P)2001 Orion Publishing Group Ltd.
Knots and Crosses
Summary
This is the first 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 daughter spirited away by his estranged wife, is one of many policemen hunting the killer. Then, the messages begin: knotted string and matchstick crosses taunt Rebus with a puzzle only he can solve.
©1987 Ian Rankin (P)1999 Orion Publishing Group Ltd.
Doors Open
Summary
The brilliant new crime novel from Ian Rankin, showing all the skills that made Rebus the most popular character in modern crime fiction. For the right man, all doors are open.... 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 perhaps give new meaning to his existence. A chance encounter at an art auction offers him the opportunity to do just that as he settles on a plot to commit a "perfect crime". He intends to rip-off one of the most high-profile targets in Edinburgh: 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. But soon after he enters the dark waters of the criminal underworld, he realises that it's very easy to drown.
©2008 John Rebus Ltd (P)2008 Orion Publishing Group Ltd
Exit Music
Summary
Winner of the Audible Sounds of Crime Award 2008 for best abridged audiobook. It's late autumn in Edinburgh and late autumn in the career of Detective Inspector John 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 high-level delegation of Russian businessmen is in town, keen to bring business to Scotland. The politicians and bankers who run Edinburgh are determined that the case should be closed quickly and clinically. But the further they dig, the more Rebus and his colleague 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 local gangster "Big Ger" Cafferty 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?
©2007 John Rebus Ltd (P)2007 Orion Publishing Group Ltd
Strip Jack
Summary
Gold Dagger-winner and best-selling author in the United Kingdom, Ian Rankin crafts absorbing crime novels with solidly drawn characters and first-rate plotting. In Strip Jack, he portrays a shocking murder investigation that exposes the sordid side of Edinburgh politics and society. Detective John Rebus suspects a set-up when a respected Member of Parliament is caught in a police raid on a brothel—and his flamboyant wife suddenly disappears. After the woman’s badly beaten body shows up, it becomes Rebus’ job to find the killer. Is the MP really self-destructing as circumstances suggest? Or is a bitter enemy out to get him? Suddenly Rebus finds himself facing off with a cunning killer who holds all the cards. Narrator Samuel Gillies’ well-paced performance underscores all the tension in this intriguing read.
©1992 Ian Rankin (P)2001 Recorded Books, LLC
Strip Jack
Summary
Inspector Rebus Book 4 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...
©2011 Ian Rankin (P)2011 Orion Publishing Group Limited
Resurrection Men
Summary
Rebus is off the case, quite literally. A few days into a murder inquiry following the brutal death of an Edinburgh art dealer, Rebus blows up at his superior, DCS Gill Templer, and is sent into purdah - which, in his case, means the Scottish Police College, sited on the edge of a village in central Scotland. Rebus has been sent there for "retraining". In other words, it's his Last Chance Saloon. He is not alone. At the college, he is put into a group of similar officers: people who have a problem with the very institution that houses them. They are given an old unsolved case to work on. It will hopefully teach them the merits of teamwork, while allowing professionals the chance to assess this unholy "wild bunch". But there are those in the team who have their own secrets - secrets not unconnected to the very case they've been given, and they'll stop at nothing to protect them. As if that wasn't enough, the Scottish Crime Squad have a favour to ask of Rebus. They think they've found someone who can deliver the inside info on the east coast's biggest gangster, "Big Ger" Cafferty. All they need is a link-man, someone to act as go-between. They've decided on Rebus, whether he likes it or not.
©2001 Ian Rankin; (p)2001 Orion Publishing Group Ltd.
Tooth and Nail
Summary
FEATURING AN EXCLUSIVE INTRODUCTION READ BY IAN RANKIN. They call him the Wolfman - because he takes a nip out of his victims and because they found the first victim in the East End's lonely Wolf Street. But there's no urban predator that Rebus fears. When Scotland Yard are anxious to find the last serial killer on their patch they look north and soon Rebus is on his way south from the chill of Edinburgh to the rain of London. Dr. Liza Frazer is attractive in more ways than one and Rebus is happy to take her up on her offer of help. But in taking on one ally who doesn't think that everyone achilles heel in the fight against the Wolfman.
©1992 John Rebus Ltd (P)2003 Orion Publishing Group Ltd
Witch Hunt
Summary
Interpol have tried and failed to find her. Now the combined forces of Scotland Yard and MI5 must try the impossible to prevent a major international incident. For Dominic Elder, 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.
©1993 Ian Rankin (P)2001 Orion Publishing Group Ltd
Bleeding Hearts
Summary
A TV reporter is murdered with a single bullet wound to the heart. The twist in the tale is that, this time, it's the man who fired the bullet who's asking all the questions. Michael Weston wants to know why the police were on his tail so quickly. His first task is to find the writer of his pay cheque, the second is to make sure he doesn't get caught. Because one thing's for certain: the longer he sticks around to find out, the bigger the risk of making mistakes, revealing his cover and maybe losing his life.
©1994 Ian Rankin (P)2002 Orion Publishing Group Ltd
The Flood
Summary
This is the book (which is not a crime novel) that began Ian Rankin's phenomenal career. Mary Miller is an outcast, believed by some to have occult powers, and is the mother of a bastard son, Sandy. Mary finds herself caught up in a faltering affair with a local schoolteacher while Sandy falls in love with a strange gypsy girl. As the action moves towards a tense and unexpected climax, both mother and son are forced to come to terms with the past, in the growing knowledge that their small dramas are being played out against a much larger canvas, a drama glimpsed only in symbols and flickering images of decay and regrowth, of fire and water, of the flood.
©1986 Ian Rankin (P)2005 Orion Publishing Group Ltd.
Blood Hunt
Summary
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, and he had a gun in his hand. In the US to identify the body, Gordon comes to realise that his brother has in fact been murdered. What's more, it is soon obvious that his own life is in danger. Once back in Scotland, he finds out that there have been more visitors than usual to his house, and 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. The horror has just begun.
©2001 Ian Rankin (P)2001 Orion Publishing Group Ltd
Dead Souls
Summary
FEATURING AN EXCLUSIVE INTRODUCTION READ BY IAN RANKIN. The 10th Inspector Rebus novel from "Britain's best crime novelist" (Daily Express). 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 he 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' cup of trouble runneth over and the ghosts of past misdeeds return to haunt Edinburgh's streets.
©1992 John Rebus Ltd (P)2003 Orion Publishing Group Ltd
Bookshop Mysteries
Summary
Dead Dames Don't Sing by John Harvey: Looking for a big payday but finding big trouble instead, ex-London-cop-turned-private-investigator Jack Kiley attempts to uncover the true origins of a controversial, pseudonymously written pulp novel. The Travelling Companion by Ian Rankin: A young Scotsman in Paris is drawn into a shocking mystery that resides within the pages of an unpublished manuscript allegedly penned by Robert Louis Stevenson. Mystery, Inc. by Joyce Carol Oates: When an obsessive collector of bookstores discovers a charming new shop, he decides he must have it at any cost - even if he has to commit murder. Remaindered by Peter Lovesey: For some nefarious reason, the widow and former associates of a slain gangster are determined to keep the Precious Finds Bookstore open following the unfortunate demise of the shop's owner. The Book Thing by Laura Lippman: Private investigator Tess Monaghan must help the irascible proprietor of a Baltimore children's bookstore keep her business afloat by unmasking an elusive and utterly ingenious book thief.
©2016 John Harvey ("Dead Dames Don't Sing"); copyright 2015 by Ian Rankin ("The Travelling Companion"); copyright 2014 by Joyce Carol Oates ("Mystery, Inc."); copyright 2014 by Peter Lovesey ("Remaindered"); copyright 2012 by Laura Lippman ("The Book Thing") (P)2021 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books
A Question of Blood
Summary
FEATURING AN EXCLUSIVE INTRODUCTION READ BY IAN RANKIN. A shooting incident at a private school just north of Edinburgh. Two 17-year olds killed by an ex-Army loner who has gone off the rails. As Detective Inspector John Rebus puts it, "there's no mystery"...except the why. But this question 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 - ranging from civic leaders to the local Goths - leaving behind a legacy of secrets and lies. Rebus has more than his share of personal problems, too. He's fresh out of hospital, hands heavily bandaged, and he 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 harrassing Rebus's colleague Siobhan Clarke? Rebus' bosses seem to think so...
©2003 John Rebus Limited (P)2003 Orion Publishing Group Ltd
The Naming of the Dead
Summary
Winner of the British Book Awards, Crime Thriller of the Year, 2007. It's now a crucial time for Rebus. His superiors are getting increasingly impatient with his erratic behaviour, and his relationship with Siobhan becomes ever more complicated. And, most worryingly of all, as Rebus grows older, he is starting to feel closer to the criminals he fights than the force he works for. Set against the backdrop of the explosive 2005 G8 summit, this is Rankin's most hard-hitting novel yet. For among the hordes of protesters filling the streets, a serial killer lurks.
©2006 John Rebus Limited (P)2006 Orion Publishing Group Ltd.