The Naming of the Dead
On sale
1st January 2026
Price: £10.99
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
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Reviews
Just as Rebus keeps getting his man, Rankin keeps not only hitting his mark, but defining it
Rankin just gets better. The topicality and eye for detail are awesome
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
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
Rankin brings his characters to life with precision, and handles the novel's complex thematic relationships with his usual skill
Crime writing at its best
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
A master in his field
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
Rebus and Rankin are on the top of their form
Rankin is without doubt Britain's best crime novelist
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
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
