Ian Rankin: A Rebus for the Dark Times

We have all become familiar with living through these strange times but for Ian Rankin 2020 has been unusual in more ways than one. For starters, even though the number one bestselling writer thought he was taking a year off, he found himself topping the charts with a book he once hoped would ‘never see the light of day again.’ That book is Westwind, first published in 1990 in an edition of just 1000 copies, but strikingly relevant today in its brand-new edition.

What’s more, his new Rebus novel, finished just a few months ago, carries a prescient (Brecht-inspired) title despite not being about the COVID-19 pandemic at all. A Song for the Dark Times is released in October and sees John Rebus travelling to the north of Scotland to help his daughter, who is in a spot of bother. Rankin joins us for a conversation, in our Edinburgh studio, with leading Scottish journalist Ruth Wishart about Westwind, and a hint of the Dark Times to come. Part of the 2020 Edinburgh International Book Festival Online.

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