Ian Rankin reveals tantalising plot detail as first chapter from new Rebus novel Midnight and Blue published

John Rebus is to tackle his next case behind bars in Ian Rankin’s latest novel, the author has revealed.

The former detective has been jailed for the attempted murder of long-term nemesis Morris ‘Big Ger’ Cafferty at the start of the latest book in the best-selling series. The first chapter of the 25th novel, Midnight and Blue, has been revealed to fans via Rankin’s latest newsletter.

Rebus author Ian Rankin. Picture: John Devlin | National World

The opening of the book sees Rebus six months into a new life in Edinburgh’s Saughton prison, where gangland figure Darryl Christie is also being held.

The previous novel, A Heart Full of Headstones, ended with a cliffhanger with Rebus in dock in court about to face trial. Midnight and Blue begins with the discovery of a body of his fellow prisoners.

Sir Ian Rankin’s new Rebus novel Midnight and Blue will be published in October. Picture: Neil Hanna | Neil Hanna/National Library of Scotland

Details of the plot for the new book, which Rankin will launch at the Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh on October 7, have also been revealed in publicity material for the new book.

It reveals the character will find himself at the centre of a case “where the prisoners and the guards could all be suspects”.

Rankin has also put together a special Midnight and Blue playlist as a teaser for the new book. Tracks include Fish in the Jailhouse by Tom Waits, I Shall Be Released by Bob Dylan, We Gotta Get Out Of This Place by The Animals and Doing Time by Rory Gallagher.

The synopsis for Midnight and Blue states: “They say there is nowhere more dangerous for a cop than prison. John Rebus is about to find out just how true that is. John Rebus’s appeal is stalled and his lawyers have stopped calling, as he hopes for the best, but fears the worst.

"As the days bleed into each other, and the nights stretch before him, even the legendary detective struggles to keep his head. That is, until a murder in a locked cell presents a new mystery. They say old habits die hard. Everyone else is about to find out just how true that is too.”

The new book will launched in Edinburgh weeks after former Coronation Street star Gray O’Brien makes his debut as Rebut in a stage play co-written by Rankin. Rebus: A Game Called Malice will be visiting the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh, His Majesty’s in Aberdeen and the Pavilion in Glasgow in the run-up to the publication of Midnight and Blue.

Discussing the new novel earlier this year in an appearance at the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh, Rankin admitted he had found it "difficult" to write Midnight and Blue.

He said: "I thought naively when I was younger that it would get easier, that it would be a bit like stripping a car engine. But writing a book ain’t like that.

"Number one, you're up against yourself all the time and you can be your own harshest critic. You want each book to be better than the book before and different from the book, but your publishers and your readers don't want it to be that different from the book before.

"I can go for months and months without writing. Then the panic sets in because there is a deadline looming, the adrenaline gets going and I start to write very quickly. I write every single day because I don’t want to forget what is going on. It's not planned or plotted, it’s just in my head. I need to write quickly before I lose it.

“When I start writing a book, it's got quite a linear plot and it's quite straightforward. But as I start to write it the plot starts to just chuck stuff in at me. and it gets incredibly complex. By the end of the process, I'm just barely hanging on to this convoluted story, hoping it's going to make sense at the end and there will be some form of conclusion.

"The latest one I found difficult. I found it hard for various reasons. It's not getting any easier, but it probably shouldn't get any easier. If it gets easier, it’s a sign that you're not testing yourself enough.”