Order of Book Series
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Ian Rankin Books in Order

Ian Rankin has written 74 books, published between 1986 and 2026. The first book is The Flood (1986) and the newest is The Heights (2026). Publication order is the reading order below.

Ian Rankin also publishes as Jack Harvey.

Books
74
Published
1986–2026
Confirmed
74 of 74 titles
Pages on record
17,891 in 55 of 74 books
Reading time
298–447 hours

Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 17,891 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 55 of 74 titles with a page count on record.

See all 74 books in order Printable Ian Rankin checklist
Photo of Ian Rankin, author

Sir Ian Rankin is a Scottish crime writer and philanthropist, born in Fife on 28 April 1960, and the creator of the Inspector Rebus novels. Rankin was the first member of the family to go to university and held several jobs before turning to writing. The Rebus novels belong to the tartan noir genre, have won domestic and international awards and have sold more than 35 million copies. Knots and Crosses (1987), the first Rebus book, placed eighth in a 2016 poll of the best Scottish novels. The catalogue holds 74 Rankin books, from The Flood (1986) to The Heights (2026), including the Malcolm Fox series and Edinburgh-set police procedurals.

How many Ian Rankin books are there?

Ian Rankin has 74 books, released between 1986 and 2026. They include 4 separate series.

Ian Rankin Books in Publication Order

The table lists all 74 Ian Rankin books in the order they were released, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.

  1. Cover of The Flood by Ian Rankin, book 1 of the Ian Rankin Standalone Novels series (1986)
  2. Cover of Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin, book 1 of the Inspector Rebus series (1987)
  3. Cover of Watchman by Ian Rankin, book 2 of the Ian Rankin Standalone Novels series (1988)
  4. Cover of Westwind by Ian Rankin, book 3 of the Ian Rankin Standalone Novels series (1991)
  5. Cover of A Good Hanging by Ian Rankin, book 1 of the Inspector Rebus Short Stories/Novellas series (1992)
  6. Cover of Tooth and Nail / Wolfman by Ian Rankin, book 3 of the Inspector Rebus series (1992)
  7. Cover of Strip Jack by Ian Rankin, book 4 of the Inspector Rebus series (1992)
  8. Cover of Witch Hunt by Ian Rankin, book 1 of the Jack Harvey series (1993)
  9. Cover of The Black Book by Ian Rankin, book 5 of the Inspector Rebus series (1993)
  10. Cover of A Deep Hole by Ian Rankin, book 1 of the Ian Rankin Short Stories/Novellas series (1994)
  11. Cover of Mortal Causes by Ian Rankin, book 6 of the Inspector Rebus series (1994)
  12. Cover of Blood Hunt by Ian Rankin, book 2 of the Jack Harvey series (1995)
  13. Cover of Let It Bleed by Ian Rankin, book 7 of the Inspector Rebus series (1995)
  14. Cover of Black and Blue by Ian Rankin, book 8 of the Inspector Rebus series (1997)
  15. Cover of Death is Not the End by Ian Rankin, book 2 of the Inspector Rebus Short Stories/Novellas series (1998)
  16. Cover of The Hanging Garden by Ian Rankin, book 9 of the Inspector Rebus series (1998)
  17. Cover of Dead Souls by Ian Rankin, book 10 of the Inspector Rebus series (1999)
  18. Cover of Set in Darkness by Ian Rankin, book 11 of the Inspector Rebus series (2000)
  19. Cover of Bleeding Hearts by Ian Rankin, book 3 of the Jack Harvey series (2001)
  20. Cover of Beggars Banquet by Ian Rankin, book 1 of the Ian Rankin Short Story series (2002)
  21. Cover of Resurrection Men by Ian Rankin, book 13 of the Inspector Rebus series (2002)
  22. Cover of Haunted by Ian Rankin, book 10 of the Hellblazer Graphic Novels series (2003)
  23. Cover of Setting Sun by Ian Rankin, book 11 of the Hellblazer Graphic Novels series (2004)
  24. Cover of Fleshmarket Alley / Fleshmarket Close by Ian Rankin, book 15 of the Inspector Rebus series (2004)
  1. 1
    The FloodIan Rankin Standalone Novels #11986 · confirmed 3/4
    1986–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  2. 2
    Knots and CrossesInspector Rebus #11987 · 256 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1987256
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  3. 3
    WatchmanIan Rankin Standalone Novels #21988 · 272 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1988272
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  4. 4
    Hide and SeekInspector Rebus #21991 · 288 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1991288
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  5. 5
    Strange LoyaltiesJack Laidlaw #31991 · confirmed 3/4
    1991–
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  6. 6
    WestwindIan Rankin Standalone Novels #31991 · 480 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1991480
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  7. 7
    A Good HangingInspector Rebus Short Stories/Novellas #11992 · 320 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1992320
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  8. 8
    Tooth and Nail / WolfmanInspector Rebus #31992 · 304 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1992304
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  9. 9
    Strip JackInspector Rebus #41992 · 269 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1992269
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  10. 10
    Witch HuntJack Harvey #11993 · 512 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1993512
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  11. 11
    The Black BookInspector Rebus #51993 · 352 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1993352
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  12. 12
    A Deep HoleIan Rankin Short Stories/Novellas #11994 · 264 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1994264
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  13. 13
    Mortal CausesInspector Rebus #61994 · 278 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1994278
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  14. 14
    Blood HuntJack Harvey #21995 · 518 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1995518
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  15. 15
    Let It BleedInspector Rebus #71995 · 368 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1995368
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  16. 16
    Black and BlueInspector Rebus #81997 · 480 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1997480
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  17. 17
    Death is Not the EndInspector Rebus Short Stories/Novellas #21998 · 73 pages · confirmed 3/4
    199873
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  18. 18
    The Hanging GardenInspector Rebus #91998 · 448 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1998448
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  19. 19
    Dead SoulsInspector Rebus #101999 · 528 pages · confirmed 3/4
    1999528
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  20. 20
    Set in DarknessInspector Rebus #112000 · 528 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2000528
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  21. 21
    Bleeding HeartsJack Harvey #32001 · 485 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2001485
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  22. 22
    The FallsInspector Rebus #122001 · 560 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2001560
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  23. 23
    Beggars BanquetIan Rankin Short Story #12002 · 384 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2002384
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  24. 24
    Resurrection MenInspector Rebus #132002 · 510 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2002510
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  25. 26
    HauntedHellblazer Graphic Novels #102003 · 141 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2003141
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  26. 27
    A Question of BloodInspector Rebus #142003 · 406 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2003406
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  27. 28
    Setting SunHellblazer Graphic Novels #112004 · 96 pages · confirmed 3/4
    200496
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  28. 29
    Fleshmarket Alley / Fleshmarket CloseInspector Rebus #152004 · 576 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2004576
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK
  29. 30
    Rebus's ScotlandIan Rankin Non-Fiction #12005 · 224 pages · confirmed 3/4
    2005224
    Buy at Amazon USAmazon UK

Ian Rankin series and characters in order

The character linked below has its own reading-order page.

Ian Rankin books grouped by series

Each title below is a row in the publication-order table above. A group whose heading is a link has its own reading-order page; the other groups have no page of their own on this site.

Inspector Rebus books in order

25 books by Ian Rankin
  1. 1. Knots and Crosses
  2. 2. Hide and Seek
  3. 3. Tooth and Nail / Wolfman
  4. 4. Strip Jack
  5. 5. The Black Book
  6. 6. Mortal Causes
  7. 7. Let It Bleed
  8. 8. Black and Blue
  9. 9. The Hanging Garden
  10. 10. Dead Souls
  11. 11. Set in Darkness
  12. 12. The Falls
  13. and 13 more in the table above

Hellblazer Graphic Novels in order

19 books
  1. 10. Haunted
  2. 11. Setting Sun
  3. 14. All His Engines
  4. 16. Lady Constantine
  5. 17. Papa Midnite
  6. 22. Joyride
  7. 23. The Laughing Magician
  8. 24. Dark Entries
  9. 25. The Roots of Coincidence
  10. 26. Scab
  11. 27. Hooked
  12. 28. India
  13. and 7 more in the table above

Ian Rankin Standalone Novels

5 books

5 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.

Inspector Rebus Short Stories/Novellas

5 books

5 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.

Ian Rankin Short Stories/Novellas

5 books

5 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.

Jack Harvey in order

3 books
  1. 1. Witch Hunt
  2. 2. Blood Hunt
  3. 3. Bleeding Hearts

Ian Rankin Short Story

3 books

3 titles published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.

Malcolm Fox in order

2 books
  1. 1. The Complaints
  2. 2. The Impossible Dead

Ian Rankin Plays with Simon Reade in order

2 books
  1. 1. Dark Road
  2. 2. A Game Called Malice

Jack Laidlaw in order

2 books
  1. 3. Strange Loyalties
  2. 4. The Dark Remains

Ian Rankin Non-Fiction

1 book

1 title published under this heading without a numbered place in a series.

Mysterious Profiles in order

1 book
  1. 19. John Rebus

Bibliomysteries in order

1 book
  1. 26. The Travelling Companion

Ian Rankin Books in Chronological Order

By publication date, the Ian Rankin books run from The Flood (1986) to The Heights (2026), the sequence in the table above. No separate story order is recorded for Ian Rankin in the book listings this catalogue merges, so publication order is the only order on record.

Do you have to read Ian Rankin books in order?

You only need to read Ian Rankin books in order within each series: the books listed here span 4 separate series, and each series has its own publication order.

What order should you read Ian Rankin books in?

Read them in publication order, starting with Knots and Crosses (1987), the first Inspector Rebus book. The earliest catalogued title overall is The Flood (1986).

What is the newest Ian Rankin book?

The Heights (2026) is the newest Ian Rankin book released so far.

Is there a new Ian Rankin book coming?

No next Ian Rankin book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.

Awards Ian Rankin has won

Wikidata records 4 awards and 3 nominations for Ian Rankin. Each row states whether the title won or was shortlisted, and the year the award was given.

  • Cartier Diamond Dagger2005Won
  • Grand Prix de Littérature Policière2005Wonfor Dead Souls
  • Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel2004Wonfor Resurrection Men
  • Gold Dagger1997Wonfor Black & Blue
  • Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award2009Shortlistedfor Exit Music
  • Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award2006Shortlistedfor Fleshmarket Close
  • Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year Award2005Shortlistedfor A Question of Blood

Ian Rankin at a glance

Still publishing
Ian Rankin published a book as recently as 2026.
Release pace
Ian Rankin books have appeared more than one a year on average.
Length
17,891 pages across the 55 of 74 books with a recorded length, a median of 328 pages each.
Busiest decade
Most Ian Rankin books, 25 of 74, were published in the 2000s.

What the Ian Rankin books are about

61 of the 74 Ian Rankin books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: police is tagged on 26 of 61. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.