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Author Ian Rankin Makes Crime Pay Nicely, Thanks

By Liane Hansen

Published April 22, 2007 at 4:00 AM CDT

The latest John Rebus novel is out: The Naming of the Dead opens with the hard-bitten Scots detective sitting in the front pew at a family funeral, but before long the action is playing out on a wider stage: A delegate to a G8 conclave plummets to his death from Edinburgh Castle, and soon Rebus finds himself confronting dangers political as well as physical.

Author Ian Rankin's Rebus novels are regular features on the London best-seller lists; he joins us to discuss his books, the genesis of the Rebus character and finding fictional inspiration in "the creepiest tourist attraction I've ever been to."

Liane Hansen

Liane Hansen has been the host of NPR's award-winning Weekend Edition Sunday for 20 years. She brings to her position an extensive background in broadcast journalism, including work as a radio producer, reporter, and on-air host at both the local and national level. The program has covered such breaking news stories as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the capture of Saddam Hussein, the deaths of Princess Diana and John F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Columbia shuttle tragedy. In 2004, Liane was granted an exclusive interview with former weapons inspector David Kay prior to his report on the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The show also won the James Beard award for best radio program on food for a report on SPAM.

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