The Naming of the Dead
The number one bestselling series that inspired BBC One's REBUS
Published on 1. January 2026
Book
Paperback/Softback
544 pages
978-1-3987-2933-9 (ISBN)
Description
The world is watching.
And a killer is waiting...
When Detective Inspector John Rebus starts looking into the apparent suicide of an MP, he is abruptly told to drop the case.
Why? Because the leaders of the G8 are gathering in Scotland, and Rebus' bosses want him well out of the way. But Rebus never was one to follow orders...
With the help of Detective Sergeant Siobhan Clarke - who has a very personal reason for hunting down a riot cop - both Rebus and Clarke are set on a collision course against their own force.
And - with the eyes of the world on them - they soon uncover evidence that a serial killer may be waiting in the wings...
'Staggering ... At the top of his game' Daily Mail
'Masterly ... Rankin's finest novel' Scotsman
'The best crime novel you'll read this year' Sunday Telegraph
And a killer is waiting...
When Detective Inspector John Rebus starts looking into the apparent suicide of an MP, he is abruptly told to drop the case.
Why? Because the leaders of the G8 are gathering in Scotland, and Rebus' bosses want him well out of the way. But Rebus never was one to follow orders...
With the help of Detective Sergeant Siobhan Clarke - who has a very personal reason for hunting down a riot cop - both Rebus and Clarke are set on a collision course against their own force.
And - with the eyes of the world on them - they soon uncover evidence that a serial killer may be waiting in the wings...
'Staggering ... At the top of his game' Daily Mail
'Masterly ... Rankin's finest novel' Scotsman
'The best crime novel you'll read this year' Sunday Telegraph
Reviews / Votes
Rankin is without doubt Britain's best crime novelist * DAILY EXPRESS * They call his work crime fiction, but the adjective is superfluous ... these novels are totally absorbing. Once I start reading one, all else goes by the board till I have finished it * SPECTATOR * A master in his field * SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY * Rebus and Rankin are on the top of their form * MAIL ON SUNDAY * He has taken a momentous few days in recent British history (not just the G8 and the protests, but also the success of the Olympic bid followed a day later by the London bombings) and effortlessly interwoven the political and the criminal * SUNDAY TIMES * Unquestionably a best from Rankin, The Naming of the Dead goes way beyond the scope of even the greatest crime thrillers to become an essential state-of-the-nation take on 21st century Britain. This is possibly the best novel you will read in your life full stop. Yes, it is that good * NEWS OF THE WORLD * Rankin's home provided him with a brilliant backdrop for a crime novel: Edinburgh during the crazy week in 2005 when the G8 came to town * LITERARY REVIEW * The Naming of the Dead is Ian Rankin's Exile on Main Street: dark, murky and less immediate than his other novels, but still zinging with wit and his inimitable gift for plot. His richest and most complex work to date, it comes close to trascending genre fiction * SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY * Not only an intriguing murder-mystery but an excellent piece of reportage. Ian Rankin, despite his dodgy musical tastes, has produced yet another class act * EVENING STANDARD - Mark Sanderson * Crime writing at its best * WOMAN AND HOME * Rankin brings his characters to life with precision, and handles the novel's complex thematic relationships with his usual skill * TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT * Rankin just gets better. The topicality and eye for detail are awesome * THE OBSERVER - Books of the Year - Jilly Cooper * Just as Rebus keeps getting his man, Rankin keeps not only hitting his mark, but defining it * TIME OUT *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Orion Publishing Co
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 130 mm
Thickness: 42 mm
Weight
380 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3987-2933-9 (9781398729339)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
09/2008
Orion (an Imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd )
€5.99
Available for download
Person
Ian Rankin is the multimillion-copy worldwide bestseller of over thirty novels and creator of John Rebus. His books have been translated into thirty-six languages and have been adapted for radio, the stage and the screen.
Rankin is the recipient of four Crime Writers' Association Dagger Awards, including the Diamond Dagger, the UK's most prestigious award for crime fiction. In the United States, he has won the celebrated Edgar Award and been shortlisted for the Anthony Award. In Europe, he has won Denmark's Palle Rosenkrantz Prize, the French Grand Prix du Roman Noir and the German Deutscher Krimipreis.
He is the recipient of honorary degrees from universities across the UK, is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Edinburgh and a Fellow of The Royal Society of Literature, and has received an OBE for his services to literature.
Website: IanRankin.net
X: @Beathhigh
Facebook: IanRankinBooks
Rankin is the recipient of four Crime Writers' Association Dagger Awards, including the Diamond Dagger, the UK's most prestigious award for crime fiction. In the United States, he has won the celebrated Edgar Award and been shortlisted for the Anthony Award. In Europe, he has won Denmark's Palle Rosenkrantz Prize, the French Grand Prix du Roman Noir and the German Deutscher Krimipreis.
He is the recipient of honorary degrees from universities across the UK, is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Edinburgh and a Fellow of The Royal Society of Literature, and has received an OBE for his services to literature.
Website: IanRankin.net
X: @Beathhigh
Facebook: IanRankinBooks