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Rebus
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The Rebus books are a series of crime novels and short stories written by Scottish writer Ian Rankin. They centre on Detective Inspector John Rebus, a cynical veteran policeman and former soldier who is divorced. The stories are mostly set in an Edinburgh several steps removed from what the tourists see — although the third book, Tooth and Nail, is set in London and other novels sometimes take Rebus to different parts of Scotland.The books have won numerous awards and are credited with playing a key role in establishing the "Tartan Noir" genre of crime stories.Some of the books were adapted for television (by STV for the ITV network) between 2000 and 2007. Rebus starred John Hannah, and later Ken Stott, in the title role. Rankin wasn't keen on either, and stopped writing novels featuring Rebus for a time until the production company's option on them expired. In 2020, BBC Scotland produced a short film entitled John Rebus: The Lockdown Blues, in which Brian Cox played the character. A new television adaptation, produced by the Swedish streaming service Viaplay, started filming in 2023 with Outlander star Richard Rankin (no relation) playing Rebus.Some of the novels have been turned into radio plays for Radio Four, most of which star Ron Donachie.There have also been two stage plays — Rebus: Long Shadows, which premiered in 2018 starring Charles Lawson, and Rebus: A Game Called Malice which debuted in 2023 with John Michie in the lead role.As of 2022, there are 24 novels in the series, as well as three collections of short stories and three other novels by Rankin which, although they don't feature Rebus as a character, are set in the same universe. | |
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| Rebus / int_1042bae6 | type |
Limited Advancement Opportunities | |
| Rebus / int_1042bae6 | comment |
Limited Advancement Opportunities: Rebus doesn't make it beyond DI, thanks to his joint reputation as Cowboy Cop and Dirty Cop. When he comes out of his 10-Minute Retirement, Rebus winds up demoted to DS, meaning that he's now Siobhan's subordinate. Siobhan falls victim to this as well, as Fox gets Kicked Upstairs to a job she would probably be better at. | |
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| Rebus / int_127fc252 | type |
Creator Cameo | |
| Rebus / int_127fc252 | comment |
Creator Cameo: Sort of. One of the many bands mentioned in the books is the Dancing Pigs, a short-lived student band that Rankin was a member of. In-universe, they made it to the big time to the point where Rebus owns one of their LPs, and they front a Greenpeace charity concert. | |
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| Rebus / int_1501e2dd | type |
Hero Antagonist | |
| Rebus / int_1501e2dd | comment |
Hero Antagonist: In Standing in Another Man's Grave, Malcolm Fox, the protagonist of Rankin's novels about a police Internal Affairs unit, comes after Rebus because he suspects him of being a Dirty Cop due to his ongoing association with Cafferty. | |
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| Rebus / int_1616e13 | type |
Ripped from the Headlines | |
| Rebus / int_1616e13 | comment |
Ripped from the Headlines: Quite a few of the books are this, dealing with Scottish political and social issues ranging from nationalism to illegal immigration to the effects of The Troubles on Scotland. The novels keep in time with Real Life events — Set in Darkness, for example, takes place prior to the re-opening of the Scottish Parliament following the 1997 devolution referendum, while The Naming of the Dead is set at the time of the 2005 G8 summit. Rebus himself is mostly apolitical - it's sometimes mentioned that he's only ever voted three times in his life (once each for Labour, the Tories and the SNP), although in more recent stories it's revealed that he voted "No" in the 2014 independence referendum. The Real Life merger of Scotland's police forces into one national force — Police Scotland — happens in Rebus's universe. After retiring, Rebus takes advantage of a Real Life change to the retirement age to rejoin the police. Rankin had already brought Rebus back as a civilian working in a cold cases unit by that point, but decided that having him become an actual copper again (albeit with a demotion) thanks to a change in the rules was too good an opportunity to miss. A Heart Full of Headstones is set at the time of the COVID-19 Pandemic, specifically in the post-lockdown period. On a lighter note (for those who don't actually live in Edinburgh), roadworks on Edinburgh thoroughfares like Leith Walk and Lothian Road went on for so long that even the characters in the Rebus books started complaining about them. | |
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| Rebus / int_1e883ed3 | type |
Badges and Dog Tags | |
| Rebus / int_1e883ed3 | comment |
Badges and Dog Tags: Rebus was in the Army before joining the police. | |
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| Rebus / int_1f6983f7 | type |
Ambiguous Situation | |
| Rebus / int_1f6983f7 | comment |
He also said he wrote the first novel, Knots and Crosses, to make it deliberately ambiguous to the reader as to whether the killer was actually out there (which he was) or if the killer was actually Rebus himself, although of course the mere existence of the rest of the series means that this is lost on most new readers. | |
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| Rebus / int_1fc8335e | type |
Deal with the Devil | |
| Rebus / int_1fc8335e | comment |
Deal with the Devil: In The Hanging Garden, Rebus strikes one of these with Cafferty, promising to bring down upstart gangster Tommy Telford in return for Cafferty's men finding the hit-and-run driver who knocked down Rebus's daughter Sammy. | |
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| Rebus / int_21e5b9c7 | type |
Failed a Spot Check | |
| Rebus / int_21e5b9c7 | comment |
Failed a Spot Check: Rebus himself in A Heart Full of Headstones, who misses Cafferty's security cameras at a crucial moment. | |
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| Rebus / int_30adeff3 | type |
Defective Detective | |
| Rebus / int_30adeff3 | comment |
Defective Detective: Rebus has all the stereotypical personal problems associated with being a detective, ranging from what looks like PTSD in the earliest novels to excessive drinking and a failed marriage. | |
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| Rebus / int_319e4a2f | type |
Even Evil Has Standards | |
| Rebus / int_319e4a2f | comment |
Even Evil Has Standards: In Even Dogs in the Wild, Cafferty makes it clear to Rebus that his villainy does not extend to sexually abusing teenage boys in care, and he feels real guilt about his part in covering up for a violent abuser. | |
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| Rebus / int_3dd3951e | type |
Cowboy Cop | |
| Rebus / int_3dd3951e | comment |
Cowboy Cop: Rebus is less inclined to use physical violence than your average Cowboy Cop (although he's not entirely above it), but certainly has little place for rules and procedures when they stop him getting his man. | |
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| Rebus / int_3ebc57ac | type |
Going Native | |
| Rebus / int_3ebc57ac | comment |
Going Native: Siobhan Clarke is English, but seems to be in favour of Scottish independence. | |
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| Rebus / int_4f4372e9 | type |
Early-Installment Weirdness | |
| Rebus / int_4f4372e9 | comment |
Early-Installment Weirdness: Rankin has said that Rebus' interests in the early books (jazz music, in particular) were there because Rankin was into those things, and as the novels progressed, Rebus developed more of his own personality. He also said he wrote the first novel, Knots and Crosses, to make it deliberately ambiguous to the reader as to whether the killer was actually out there (which he was) or if the killer was actually Rebus himself, although of course the mere existence of the rest of the series means that this is lost on most new readers. Earlier novels had parts of the story being told from the criminals' points of view. This was largely dropped after Tooth and Nail (Black and Blue being a notable exception). In later novels, the only criminal character whose thoughts the reader could occasionally glimpse at would be Cafferty. Siobhan Clarke does not appear until The Black Book, the fifth novel in the series. In the earlier novels, the sidekick role was filled by Brian Holmes, who leaves the police after suffering a serious injury as a result of a brutal attack which Rebus suspects was orchestrated by Holmes's fiancee, who wanted him to leave the police. However, he cannot prove this. Cafferty is first mentioned in Tooth and Nail (as a criminal Rebus is giving evidence against) and does not become a regular character until The Black Book. | |
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| Rebus / int_50f50a5e | type |
Donut Mess with a Cop | |
| Rebus / int_50f50a5e | comment |
Donut Mess with a Cop: Played with; uniform coppers are sometimes referred to as being fond of Greggs (a real-life British bakery chain) but they go there for the savoury products (steak bakes, sausage rolls, etc) rather than the doughnuts. Actually Truth in Television as far as many British Coppers are concerned. Although one of the ones in the world of Rebus does actually arrest someone in a branch of Greggs — he recognised the man in front of him in the lunch queue as a wanted criminal. | |
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| Rebus / int_518de95b | type |
Always Murder | |
| Rebus / int_518de95b | comment |
Always Murder: Somewhat justified. Rebus deals mostly with murders (well, a few cases start off as missing persons enquiries...) but as a senior detective, that is pretty much what his workload would be. However the short stories have him dealing with more mundane crimes, mainly theft. | |
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Drowning My Sorrows | |
| Rebus / int_52488c54 | comment |
Drowning My Sorrows: Tooth and Nail begins with Rebus on a train to London. Opposite him is an Englishman who went up to Edinburgh for a rugby match between Scotland and England; Scotland won note an allusion to Scotland's famous home victory over England in 1990, although the final score is different in the novel and the Englishman is consoling himself with many beers on the journey home. | |
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| Rebus / int_532a8261 | type |
Bookworm | |
| Rebus / int_532a8261 | comment |
Bookworm: Rebus, in intent at least. His habit of buying books on a variety of subjects that he might one day get around to reading is occasionally touched upon, usually when someone sees the piles of books in his flat. | |
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| Rebus / int_55554032 | type |
Irrational Hatred | |
| Rebus / int_55554032 | comment |
Irrational Hatred: Hatred may be too strong a word, but Rebus takes a dislike to his daughter's boyfriend on account of his name — Ned, which in Scottish slang means a young delinquent. | |
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| Rebus / int_566f1565 | type |
10-Minute Retirement | |
| Rebus / int_566f1565 | comment |
10-Minute Retirement: Rebus retires at the end of Exit Music, and is working for the civilian cold cases unit in Standing in Another Man's Grave. By Saints of the Shadow Bible, he's back on the job again, albeit with a demotion from Detective Inspector to Detective Sergeant. In subsequent novels, he is retired again but still keen to be more involved in cases than many senior officers would like. | |
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| Rebus / int_569a95e9 | type |
The Teetotaler | |
| Rebus / int_569a95e9 | comment |
The Teetotaler: Malcolm Fox, a former alcoholic. | |
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| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_569a95e9 | |
| Rebus / int_5f3bb274 | type |
Late-Arrival Spoiler | |
| Rebus / int_5f3bb274 | comment |
Late-Arrival Spoiler: As stated above, the notion that Rebus may be the killer in Knots and Crosses (in keeping with that novel having been written as a Setting Update of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde rather than as a crime novel) is pretty much nixed by the existence of all subsequent novels. We also have the situation at the end of Exit Music when Cafferty is in a coma after being attacked, and we do not know if he will survive. His reappearance in Standing in Another Man's Grave (published five years later) and in subsequent novels is a giveaway that he did. | |
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| Rebus / int_611a1a5e | type |
Nosy Neighbor | |
| Rebus / int_611a1a5e | comment |
Nosy Neighbor: As Rebus points out in The Hanging Garden: "Edinburgh neighbours know everything. It's just that they most often keep it to themselves". | |
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| Rebus / int_676e942c | type |
We Hardly Knew Ye | |
| Rebus / int_676e942c | comment |
We Hardly Knew Ye: Thanks to his rather distant relationship with his daughter, Rebus did not know his son-in-law well. In A Song for the Dark Times, Rebus investigates his disappearance which, given the novels' use of Seeking the Missing, Finding the Dead, can only lead to one thing. He later expresses regret that he never really got to know the man. | |
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| Rebus / int_6afd1c6 | type |
Seeking the Missing, Finding the Dead | |
| Rebus / int_6afd1c6 | comment |
Seeking the Missing, Finding the Dead: Any missing person investigation will invariably become a murder investigation. | |
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| Rebus / int_6ee09826 | type |
Religious Bruiser | |
| Rebus / int_6ee09826 | comment |
Religious Bruiser: Todd Goodyear, the uniformed constable who gets involved in the investigation in Exit Music, spends his downtime preaching on street corners. In the first few novels, Rebus himself, when he's still a self-identified Christian. | |
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| Rebus / int_71598ac8 | type |
Internal Affairs | |
| Rebus / int_71598ac8 | comment |
Internal Affairs: Malcolm Fox was the protagonist of two novels about this aspect of police work before getting drawn into Rebus's world. Other officers have a tendency to hold this against him. An interesting twist in In a House of Lies is that the two internal affairs cops are also the dirty cops. | |
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| Rebus / int_7a143509 | type |
Shell-Shocked Veteran | |
| Rebus / int_7a143509 | comment |
Shell-Shocked Veteran: Rebus, especially in the early novels when he is traumatised by his time in the Army, which included at least one posting in Northern Ireland and enduring the rigours of SAS selection, the latter of which led to a nervous breakdown. His PTSD is partially cured by undergoing hypnotherapy treatment from his brother (a stage hypnotist) in Knots and Crosses, although he continues to drink heavily and have trouble sleeping. In The Hanging Garden he recalls having been one of several soldiers who took part in an unauthorised action against Catholic civilians in Belfast in retaliation for a comrade having been shot by an IRA sniper. In A Question of Blood, he meets a psychiatrist who tells him that he might want to talk to someone about what happened in the Army. | |
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| Rebus / int_7b8b3def | type |
Celebrity Paradox | |
| Rebus / int_7b8b3def | comment |
Celebrity Paradox: Rebus's favourite pub is the Oxford Bar in Edinburgh's New Town. In real life, this establishment — a favourite of Rankin's — has some Rebus memorabilia dotted around the place, including a photo of Ken Stott (the second actor to play him on TV) on the wall by the bar. | |
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| Rebus / int_7eebe99c | type |
The Alcoholic | |
| Rebus / int_7eebe99c | comment |
The Alcoholic: Quite a few characters have drink problems. | |
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| Rebus / int_80251be3 | type |
How We Got Here | |
| Rebus / int_80251be3 | comment |
How We Got Here: A Heart Full of Headstones opens with Rebus on trial, and the rest of the novel details what got him there. | |
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Rebus / int_80251be3 | |
| Rebus / int_8a9eb844 | type |
Perspective Flip | |
| Rebus / int_8a9eb844 | comment |
Perspective Flip: Doors Open, written after Rebus was retired first time around, is told from the perspective of a group of would-be criminals (art thieves, specifically) rather than the police. Although Rebus himself is not mentioned by name, he is referred to when a CID cop recalls a recent retirement party that he attended, the clear implication being that it was Rebus's one (which occurred at the end of Exit Music). | |
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Rebus / int_8a9eb844 | |
| Rebus / int_8ed5c6e4 | type |
Asshole Victim | |
| Rebus / int_8ed5c6e4 | comment |
Asshole Victim: Quite a few murder victims are not exactly sympathetic characters — among those who get bumped off are pimps, paedophiles, gangsters and in one case, a serial killer. | |
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| Rebus / int_970c790a | type |
Big Bad | |
| Rebus / int_970c790a | comment |
Big Bad: The veteran Edinburgh gangster Morris Gerald "Big Ger" Cafferty is Rebus's main antagonist; their relationship veers between outright hostility and an uneasy partnership which happens whenever one of them needs something from the other (as a result of the latter, some of Rebus's colleagues assume that he's on the take). He's often linked to cases that Rebus and Clarke are investigating, but there is never enough evidence to bring major charges against him although he has done time in prison for some of his more minor crimes. In later novels, he claims to have gone straight although he has actually retained criminal control of Edinburgh from behind the scenes. | |
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Rebus / int_970c790a | |
| Rebus / int_9a1d239e | type |
Been There, Shaped History | |
| Rebus / int_9a1d239e | comment |
Been There, Shaped History: In The Naming of the Dead, John Rebus and Siobhan Clarke have an interesting encounter with an unnamed US president. | |
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Rebus / int_9a1d239e | |
| Rebus / int_9dab0a6e | type |
Continuity Nod | |
| Rebus / int_9dab0a6e | comment |
Continuity Nod: Plenty; previous cases can and do get referred to. Supporting characters sometimes reappear or are mentioned in passing. | |
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Rebus / int_9dab0a6e | |
| Rebus / int_9e622f84 | type |
Stealing from the Till | |
| Rebus / int_9e622f84 | comment |
Stealing from the Till: A few criminal underlings indulge in this; it never ends well, as their superiors (Cafferty and his various rivals) invariably find out and have them killed, thus sending a message to the other underlings that such behaviour is not tolerated. | |
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Rebus / int_9e622f84 | |
| Rebus / int_a4905771 | type |
Double-Meaning Title | |
| Rebus / int_a4905771 | comment |
Double-Meaning Title: Plenty of examples. To begin with, there's the main character's name — a "rebus" is a picture that is also a puzzle. Hide and Seek is about Rebus hunting a killer; the last thing the victim said was: "Hide! Hide!". This leads Rebus to Hyde's, a private members' club with a few secrets its members would rather be kept, well, hidden. The title also alludes to The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. As well as being named after a Rolling Stones album, Black and Blue is an example of this as it alludes to bruising — this novel sees Rebus get roughed up more than once — as well as the fact that those colours are (respectively) synonymous with oil (a key plot element as Rebus's investigation in this novel touches on the North Sea oil industry) and the police. Fleshmarket Close starts out in the Edinburgh street of the same name (so called because it used to be a butcher's market), but goes on to be about two different 'flesh markets'; prostitution and people-trafficking. The Naming of the Dead refers to the ceremony that Siobhan's left-wing parents attend as part of the G8 protests, the list of victims compiled by Rebus and Siobhan during the course of their investigation, and Rebus's grief when he names his friends and relatives who have died (the novel having started with his brother Michael's funeral). | |
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Rebus / int_a4905771 | |
| Rebus / int_a5e2d3fc | type |
Mutilation Interrogation | |
| Rebus / int_a5e2d3fc | comment |
Mutilation Interrogation: In Rather Be the Devil, Ger Cafferty gets information out of a recalcitrant informant by literally nailing him to the floor. | |
| Rebus / int_a5e2d3fc | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_a5e2d3fc | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_a5e2d3fc | |
| Rebus / int_a681bfc6 | type |
Amicable Exes | |
| Rebus / int_a681bfc6 | comment |
Amicable Exes: Rebus and his ex-wife Rhona, for the most part. | |
| Rebus / int_a681bfc6 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_a681bfc6 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_a681bfc6 | |
| Rebus / int_a8559a9f | type |
Real Life | |
| Rebus / int_a8559a9f | comment |
After retiring, Rebus takes advantage of a Real Life change to the retirement age to rejoin the police. Rankin had already brought Rebus back as a civilian working in a cold cases unit by that point, but decided that having him become an actual copper again (albeit with a demotion) thanks to a change in the rules was too good an opportunity to miss. | |
| Rebus / int_a8559a9f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_a8559a9f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_a8559a9f | |
| Rebus / int_aa4cbf9a | type |
My Local | |
| Rebus / int_aa4cbf9a | comment |
My Local: Rebus particularly enjoys spending his spare time in The Oxford Bar, a real pub in Edinburgh which Ian Rankin himself likes to frequent. | |
| Rebus / int_aa4cbf9a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_aa4cbf9a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_aa4cbf9a | |
| Rebus / int_abfa92a3 | type |
Jack the Ripoff | |
| Rebus / int_abfa92a3 | comment |
Jack the Ripoff: Black and Blue gives us a series of murders modelled on the Real Life Bible John killings. This is acknowledged in-universe, with the killer in the novel getting nicknamed "Johnny Bible". | |
| Rebus / int_abfa92a3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_abfa92a3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_abfa92a3 | |
| Rebus / int_add9abb3 | type |
The Missus and the Ex | |
| Rebus / int_add9abb3 | comment |
The Missus and the Ex: Gender-flipped and played straight in The Hanging Garden after Rebus's daughter Sammy gets knocked unconscious by a hit-and-run driver. Rebus's ex-wife Rhona comes up from London with her new partner, Jackie, in tow; naturally, Rebus takes an instant dislike to him. Later on, Rhona runs into Patience Aitken, Rebus's on-off love interest. | |
| Rebus / int_add9abb3 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_add9abb3 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_add9abb3 | |
| Rebus / int_af4d6174 | type |
Setting Update | |
| Rebus / int_af4d6174 | comment |
Setting Update: The first Rebus novel, Knots and Crosses, was written with the intention of having The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde occur in (then) modern Edinburgh, with Rebus as the Jekyll figure (the book implies for a while that Rebus himself is unwittingly the killer he's trying to find). | |
| Rebus / int_af4d6174 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_af4d6174 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_af4d6174 | |
| Rebus / int_b4a6ae4c | type |
Everyone Has Standards | |
| Rebus / int_b4a6ae4c | comment |
Everyone Has Standards: In The Hanging Garden, Rebus's car is stolen and used in a hit-and-run; the perpetrator, who did this to take out a rival and frame Rebus for it, left an empty whisky bottle in the car to make it look like he'd been drinking. Rebus is appalled — but not so much at the insinuation that he'd drink and drive, more at the fact that the perp used a cheap brand of whisky. | |
| Rebus / int_b4a6ae4c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_b4a6ae4c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_b4a6ae4c | |
| Rebus / int_b778066b | type |
Connect the Deaths | |
| Rebus / int_b778066b | comment |
Connect the Deaths: The plot of Even Dogs in the Wild. One of the deaths has only been made to look like it's part of the serial killer's MO, but the others are linked. | |
| Rebus / int_b778066b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_b778066b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_b778066b | |
| Rebus / int_b8dbe475 | type |
Blood from the Mouth | |
| Rebus / int_b8dbe475 | comment |
Blood from the Mouth: This happens to Rebus in Rather Be the Devil, thanks to his developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder after a lifetime of heavy smoking. There's also a spot on his lung. It turns out to be benign. | |
| Rebus / int_b8dbe475 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_b8dbe475 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_b8dbe475 | |
| Rebus / int_bdddc73e | type |
Yakuza | |
| Rebus / int_bdddc73e | comment |
Yakuza: Japanese gangsters take an interest in on the Edinburgh crime scene in The Hanging Garden. | |
| Rebus / int_bdddc73e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_bdddc73e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_bdddc73e | |
| Rebus / int_c3648b87 | type |
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork | |
| Rebus / int_c3648b87 | comment |
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: Rebus and Siobhan Clarke with Malcolm Fox in Saints of the Shadow Bible. And Siobhan and Malcolm in later novels. In Tooth and Nail, Rebus is sent down to London to help track down a serial killer; Detective Inspector George Flight, the Metropolitan Police officer in charge of the investigation, is not happy about having an outsider brought in, although they eventually warm to each other. Although it turns out that Flight was actually the one who requested that Rebus be drafted into the investigation, as he wanted an outsider's perspective and knew of Rebus by reputation. There's also DI Abernethy, a Special Branch officer who appears in a couple of novels and manages to rub all of the Edinburgh cops up the wrong way. | |
| Rebus / int_c3648b87 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_c3648b87 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_c3648b87 | |
| Rebus / int_c75df49a | type |
Shout-Out | |
| Rebus / int_c75df49a | comment |
Shout-Out: A few... Musical references abound; the fact that some of the novels are named after various albums and songs is the tip of the iceberg. Brian Holmes, Rebus's sidekick in the earlier novels, was of course named after Sherlock Holmes. A nod to said detective also comes with the title of the short story "The Three-Pint Problem". The Naming of the Dead has several references to Columbo. In Saints of the Shadow Bible, Rebus recalls his early days in the police, commenting that Life on Mars "felt like a documentary". In A Song for the Dark Times, Siobhan is surprised to learn that Rebus enjoys reading the Jack Reacher novels. | |
| Rebus / int_c75df49a | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_c75df49a | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_c75df49a | |
| Rebus / int_c83cd6b8 | type |
The Nicknamer | |
| Rebus / int_c83cd6b8 | comment |
The Nicknamer: Rebus, at times. In the earlier novels, he is said to have antagonised his boss, DCS Watson, by referring to him by his nickname ("The Farmer") within earshot. Cafferty is one of these as well — he always addresses Rebus as "Strawman" and has an underling who is invariably referred to as "The Weasel". | |
| Rebus / int_c83cd6b8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_c83cd6b8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_c83cd6b8 | |
| Rebus / int_cffafc80 | type |
You, Get Me Coffee | |
| Rebus / int_cffafc80 | comment |
You, Get Me Coffee: One of the junior detectives is invariably assigned to make the tea for the others. In A Song for the Dark Times, it's DC Phil Yeats, and his vital yet mundane role is remarked upon almost to the point of lampshading. | |
| Rebus / int_cffafc80 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_cffafc80 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_cffafc80 | |
| Rebus / int_d68c925d | type |
Creator Provincialism | |
| Rebus / int_d68c925d | comment |
Creator Provincialism: Like his creator, Rebus is originally from Fife. He sometimes visits said county during the course of his investigations. At one point on such a visit, a young witness to an incident says that one of the perpetrators was wearing a Dunfermline Athletic shirt; it takes Rebus a while to figure out that it was actually a Newcastle United shirt, leading him to reflect that only a Fifer would see a black-and-white striped football shirt and automatically assume that the wearer was a Pars fan. | |
| Rebus / int_d68c925d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_d68c925d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_d68c925d | |
| Rebus / int_d7472e4f | type |
Kicked Upstairs | |
| Rebus / int_d7472e4f | comment |
Siobhan falls victim to this as well, as Fox gets Kicked Upstairs to a job she would probably be better at. | |
| Rebus / int_d7472e4f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_d7472e4f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_d7472e4f | |
| Rebus / int_da06866e | type |
Old Cop, Young Cop | |
| Rebus / int_da06866e | comment |
Old Cop, Young Cop: Rebus and Siobhan. In the earlier novels, Rebus and Brian Holmes. | |
| Rebus / int_da06866e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_da06866e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_da06866e | |
| Rebus / int_dc579c91 | type |
Contrived Coincidence | |
| Rebus / int_dc579c91 | comment |
Contrived Coincidence: In A Song for the Dark Times, Siobhan and the Murder Investigation Team in Edinburgh are investigating the murder of a rich Saudi student, while the retired Rebus heads north to look into his son-in-law's disappearance. It so happens that the lord who owns most of the land up north is a business associate of the Saudi. Subverted in the end, though, as that really is just a coincidence. | |
| Rebus / int_dc579c91 | featureApplicability |
-0.3 | |
| Rebus / int_dc579c91 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_dc579c91 | |
| Rebus / int_e70127 | type |
The Mole | |
| Rebus / int_e70127 | comment |
The Mole: Rebus himself in Resurrection Men, in which he gets assigned to a 'retraining' (ie. remedial) unit at the Scottish Police College consisting of undisciplined officers. Although it sounds like the sort of unit a Cowboy Cop like Rebus would fit into, he's actually working directly for the Chief Constable to investigate criminality on behalf of one or more of the other officers assigned to the unit (who are called the Resuurection Men note originally a term used to describe body-snatchers because it is hoped that the retraining will serve to resurrect their careers, at least for long enough to enable them to retire with full pensions). | |
| Rebus / int_e70127 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_e70127 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_e70127 | |
| Rebus / int_eb251937 | type |
Dirty Cop | |
| Rebus / int_eb251937 | comment |
An interesting twist in In a House of Lies is that the two internal affairs cops are also the dirty cops. | |
| Rebus / int_eb251937 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_eb251937 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_eb251937 | |
| Rebus / int_eb7c34cf | type |
Crossover | |
| Rebus / int_eb7c34cf | comment |
Crossover: During the Rebus hiatus, Rankin created a new protagonist, DI Malcolm Fox. Fox starred in two novels, The Complaints and The Impossible Dead. When Rankin brought Rebus back in Standing in Another Man's Grave, Fox appeared too, and has since become a regular character in the Rebus series. Jim Stevens, a journalist who appears in several novels before becoming a murder victim in Dead Souls, also appears in Rankin's non-Rebus novel Watchman, establishing that it is part of the same universe. | |
| Rebus / int_eb7c34cf | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_eb7c34cf | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_eb7c34cf | |
| Rebus / int_f237981e | type |
The Alleged Car | |
| Rebus / int_f237981e | comment |
The Alleged Car: Rebus' Saab 900, particularly in the later books when its increasingly decrepit state parallels Rebus' own aging body. | |
| Rebus / int_f237981e | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_f237981e | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_f237981e | |
| Rebus / int_f951f89b | type |
Bad to the Last Drop | |
| Rebus / int_f951f89b | comment |
Bad to the Last Drop: DCS Watson has a reputation for serving up terrible coffee to anyone who goes into his office. When Gill Templar comments that his coffee has got better of late, Rebus quips that her tastebuds must be getting corroded. | |
| Rebus / int_f951f89b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_f951f89b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_f951f89b | |
| Rebus / int_fdbe36ec | type |
Comic-Book Time | |
| Rebus / int_fdbe36ec | comment |
Comicbook Time: Initally averted; Rebus aged in real time from a young Detective Sergeant in 1987's Knots and Crosses to his retirement as a sixty-year-old Detective Inspector in 2006's Exit Music. However, Rankin says that post-retirement Rebus remains in his sixties, even when 2022's A Heart Full of Headstones is set during Covid. | |
| Rebus / int_fdbe36ec | featureApplicability |
-1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_fdbe36ec | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_fdbe36ec | |
| Rebus / int_ff7f34c5 | type |
Pet the Dog | |
| Rebus / int_ff7f34c5 | comment |
Pet the Dog: Cafferty's behaviour in Even Dogs in the Wild, once he understands the serial killer's motivation. The novel also features a literal example of this trope. Everyone wants to pet the friendly stray terrier who appears outside of Cafferty's house. Eventually, Rebus gives in and adopts him. Brillo, for that is his name, features in subsequent books. Cafferty hires Rebus in A Heart Full of Headstones in order to make peace with a man who had betrayed him. As Rebus figures out, this is a pretext for taking out the interlopers who are on his turf. | |
| Rebus / int_ff7f34c5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_ff7f34c5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_ff7f34c5 | |
| Rebus / int_name | type |
ItemName | |
| Rebus / int_name | comment |
||
| Rebus / int_name | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Rebus / int_name | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Rebus / int_name | |
| Rebus / int_name | itemName |
Rebus |
The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Accent Depundent / int_5946c980 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Antagonist in Mourning / int_5946c980 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Bathroom Stall Graffiti / int_5946c980 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Disowned Adaptation / int_5946c980 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Donut Mess with a Cop / int_5946c980 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Ironic Nursery Tune / int_5946c980 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Literary Allusion Title / int_5946c980 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Long-Running Book Series / int_5946c980 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
My Local / int_5946c980 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Not My Driver / int_5946c980 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Old Cop, Young Cop / int_5946c980 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Purple Prose / int_5946c980 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Retired Monster / int_5946c980 | |
| Rebus | hasFeature |
Turn in Your Badge / int_5946c980 | |
| Rebus | seeAlso |
Rebus |
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Copyright of data TVTropes.org contributors under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.