The Return of Rebus

How did John Rebus survive retirement — did he pay the bills,catch a movie,chat with the neighbours? Or did he rush back to doing what he does best?

As soon as Rebus retired,he applied to join the cold cases unit. This is a real-life unit comprising three retired detectives and one active detective. They investigate unsolved cases. So this is what Rebus has been doing ever since he retired.

Tell us about your new book,Standing in Another Man’s Grave,in which John Rebus faces off against the protagonist of your last two novels,Malcolm Fox.

In the new book,Rebus is working as a civilian for the police,investigating cold cases. A woman whose daughter disappeared 12 years ago persuades him that there may be a connection with a current missing persons case. Rebus sets out to investigate. But he has applied to rejoin the police and is himself being investigated by internal affairs cop Malcolm Fox,who believes Rebus to be a liability.

I knew Rebus would re-apply to join (the police) when they changed the retirement age for cops in Scotland (from 60 to 65). And one person who wouldn’t want him back is Fox. Rebus is trouble and Fox doesn’t like that. So the two become adversaries.

There are obvious differences between the two ¯Fox investigates misdemeanors of policemen as part of the internal affairs unit,Rebus is the compulsive rule-bender. How do you compare the two?

Fox tends to play by the rules. Rebus breaks the rules. Fox is jealous that Rebus is allowed to break the rules. So there is antagonism there. Both men have problems with alcohol. Again,Fox resents that Rebus can drink a lot and still function. At heart,they are similar but their lives have taken them in different directions.

Which is the easier man to ‘live with’ when you are writing a novel?

Fox is more like me. He is less confrontational than Rebus and less complicated and troublesome. So he is easier to write about. But Rebus is probably more fun!

Many of your novels deal with an aspect of Edinburgh or Scotland’s economic or political life. Does this one too?

This new book is really about two things: a road trip that gives a sense that each road has a life of its own,a life travellers may not see unless they choose to pause during their journeys; and the question of what happens when someone disappears into thin air — can parents come to accept this or do they create a mythology to explain the disappearance?

How has your relationship with Edinburgh changed over the years?

Many of my books are obsessed with the city or seek to explore some part of the city. But in this new book,I am more interested in Scotland as a whole and I take Rebus out of his comfort zone. There is much more to Scotland than Edinburgh.

How did you decide on the name Rebus?

Rebus means picture puzzle and in the first novel,(Knots and Crosses),he is being sent picture puzzles by an adversary.

Which has been your biggest selling book?

My biggest selling book in the UK is actually Doors Open. It is not a Rebus novel. It has been filmed for TV and a lot of people like it!

Each of your books has,as it were,a soundtrack. How do music and writing come together?

I love music and wish I could have been a rockstar — but I had no musical ability. So I bring as much music into the books as I can,and Rebus is a big music fan. There is always music playing when I write,and many musicians have become fans of the Rebus novels.

What do you think of the burst of Scandinavian crime writing? You weren’t too impressed by Stieg Larsson,were you?

The Stieg Larsson books needed a bit of editing. They weren’t bad but they could have been better! I do like Scandinavian crime fiction though — it is dark and gritty and morally complex. But I am waiting for readers to discover other cultures through crime fiction — why not India?

What explains the wide variety of crime fiction being written across the world?

Crime fiction is a good way of exploring the problems in contemporary urban society. It takes its readers from the dispossessed and disenfranchised to the corporations and corrupt politicians. It tackles big moral questions but does so in an entertaining way. Crime fiction tends to exist mainly in capitalist societies and to deal with crimes which emerge from the iniquities and inequalities of those societies. Why do we humans continue to do bad things to each other? This is the premise of most crime fiction.

Do you plan to visit India anytime soon or base a novel here? Rebus could do with a bit of cheerful sun,no?

Rebus needs some sun,that is true. But I have no plans to visit India soon or to base a book there. But I still think about cricket…and the lack of a good crime novel about cricket.