Discover how it all began in the very first Rebus novel from 'Britain's No.1 crime writer' Daily Mirror

'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 young daughter spirited away south by his disenchanted wife, is one of many policemen hunting the killer.

And then the messages begin to arrive: knotted string and matchstick crosses - taunting Rebus with pieces of a puzzle only he can solve.

Old crimes don't stay buried...

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

'Ian Rankin is a genius' Lee Child

'A first-rate thriller but also a forensic examination of contemporary Scottish society' INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY

Rebus is back on the force, albeit with a demotion and a chip on his shoulder. A 30-year-old case is being reopened, and Rebus's team from back then is suspected of foul play. With Malcolm Fox as the investigating officer, are the past and present about to collide in a shocking and murderous fashion? And does Rebus have anything to hide? His old colleagues called themselves 'the Saints', and swore a bond on something called 'the Shadow Bible'. But times have changed and the crimes of the past may not stay hidden much longer, especially with a referendum on Scottish independence just around the corner.

Who are the saints and who are the sinners? And can the one ever become the other?

THE BRAND NEW REBUS THRILLER FROM THE ICONIC NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER. ONE OF THE MUST-READ NOVELS OF THE YEAR.

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?

Sometimes murder is the easy way out...
A brilliant Rebus novel from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES.

'Britain's No.1 crime writer' Daily Mirror

'Ian Rankin is a genius' Lee Child

A mugging gone wrong ... or murder?

A dissident Russian poet is found dead - at the same time a delegation of Russian businessmen arrives in town. For some, it is crucial that the case is closed quickly, clinically and with the minimum of attention.

But DI Rebus and DS Siobhan Clarke believe this is something more than a random attack - especially after a particularly nasty second killing. Then, a brutal and premeditated assault on a local gangster puts Rebus in the frame - and he may not survive long enough to solve anything...

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...

In this unprecedented collaboration, twenty-three of the world's favourite crime writers bring you original, co-written short stories featuring their much-loved series characters.

FACE OFF includes the first meeting of Ian Rankin's Rebus and Peter James' Roy Grace; a case for Dennis Lehane's Patrick Kenzie and Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, as well as a page-turning mystery starring Lee Child's Jack Reacher and Joseph Finder's Nick Heller.

Edited by international bestseller David Baldacci, this exclusive page-turning collection is one of a kind. Read on to discover the full list of author and character pairings:

Lee Child's Jack Reacher + Joseph Finder's Nick Heller
Ian Rankin's John Rebus + Peter James' Roy Grace
Michael Connelly's Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch + Dennis Lehane's Patrick Kenzie
Jeffery Deaver's Lincoln Rhyme + John Sanford's Lucas Davenport
Linwood Barclay's Glen Garber + Raymond Khoury's Sean Reilly
Linda Fairstein's Alexandra Cooper + Steve Martini's Paul Madriani
Steve Berry's Cotton Malone + James Rollins' Gray Pierce
Lisa Gardner's D.D. Warren + MJ Rose's Malachai Samuels
T. Jefferson Parker's Joe Trona and John Lescroart's Wyatt Hunt
Heather Graham's Michael Quinn + F. Paul Wilson's Repairman Jack
Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child's Aloysius Pendergast + R.L. Stine's Slappy the Ventriloquist Dummy

THE CLASSIC LOST THRILLER FROM THE ICONIC NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER

The seventh Inspector Rebus novel from the No.1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES.
'Rankin continues to be unsurpassed among living British crime writers' THE TIMES

Struggling through another Edinburgh winter Rebus finds himself sucked into a web of intrigue that throws up more questions than answers.

Was the Lord Provost's daughter kidnapped or just another runaway? Why is a city councillor shredding documents that should have been waste paper years ago? And why on earth is Rebus invited to a clay pigeon shoot at the home of the Scottish Office's Permanent Secretary?

Sucked into the machine that is modern Scotland, Rebus confronts the fact that some of his enemies may be beyond justice...

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 fourteenth Inspector Rebus novel - and No.1 bestseller.

Two seventeen-year-olds are killed by an ex-Army loner who has gone off the rails. The mystery 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 and left behind a legacy of secrets and lies.

Rebus has more than his share of personal problems, too. He's fresh out of hospital, but 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 harassing Rebus's colleague Siobhan Clarke?