Rather Be the Devil

October 1978. Maria Turquand.
Strangled in room 316 of the Caledonian Hotel.

Rankin and Rebus. As booksellers, few phrases are as evocative: simply put, it’s the promise of a master at work in his narrative heartland.

Ian Rankin debuted his most enduring fictional creation, Detective Sergeant John Rebus, in his 1987 novel Knots and Crosses. Rankin’s seemingly effortless control of labyrinthine plot and sublime sense of place swiftly pushed him to the top tier of British crime writing, bagging award after award in a career that has only ever moved toward ever-greater maturity. By now, Rankin is properly perceived as one of the country’s greatest writers in any fictional medium.

Rather be the Devil is the 21st Rebus thriller. Forty years may have passed, but the death of the beautiful, promiscuous Maria Turquand still preys on the now-retired Detective’s mind. Murdered in her hotel room on the night a rock star and his entourage were staying there, Maria's killer has never been found. Now Rebus has his own reasons to begin turning over stones, but the risks have never been greater...

‘Rankin has spent nearly three decades in the company of Rebus, about 10 years longer than Chandler with Marlowe, and this relationship shows no sign of medical emergency… more recent cast members now feel as credible as Rebus himself and the sparks of their interaction create an atmosphere as rich as the plot, boding well for the future.’ – The Guardian