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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Were you always a writer?IAN RANKIN:I was.
When I was a little kid I wrote comics and cartoons.
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I wanted to be a pop star, so I wrote lyrics for bands that didnt exist.
When I arrived at Edinburgh University I was writing poetry.
And then I thought, I want to write a novel about the darker side of Edinburgh.
I thought a cop would make a good character because hes got an all-access pass to the city.
And they said, Whats your book about?
So they sat me down and grilled me.
That must have put you off your police research.It did!
A few mistakes started creeping in.
And I said, Thats because I cant go near you guys!
So he helped me with the details.
Hed say, You should meet this lawyer, this cold-case detective, this social worker.
He took me along to the pathology department.
It was a steep learning curve.
But the books began to get more realistic.
Rebus reminds me a little bit of Bosch, Michael Connellys iconic detective.Its weird, isnt it?
Michael and I, weve known each other for years, since the start of our careers.
You know how Bosch has that saying, Everybody counts or nobody counts?
Rebus feels that as well.
Hes a force for good.
Hes got an anarchists soul, I guess.
Rebus walks right up to the line.
And sometimes he edges his toe over.He does things I would never do.
Hes my way of exploring the world.
He always has been.
Why does crime exist?
Why does it go on existing?
We lock people up, and crime doesnt go away.
Im interested in that.
Eventually, of course, the two investigations dovetail.
But its fascinating to watch Rebus work.
He doesnt have a badge.
Hes so old school hes meeting people in bars, cultivating sources.Hes a dinosaur.
Hes the last of that kind of cop.
Going into bars, talking to people,thatshow you pick up information.
But as Rebus as finding, more and more in each book, that data pipe is falling apart.
Hes not politically correct.
Because for Rebus, its 24/7.
For these old cops, the cases that got awaythey never let them go.
They say it shouldnt get to you on a personal level, but it does.
If you care about the job, you care about people, wellits never just a case.
Theres a character in the Matt Scudder novels named Mick Ballou, whos an old criminal.
Theres a bit of that with Rebus and Cafferty.
Cafferty represents all the bad stuff in the worldbut also the old way of doing the bad stuff.
Hes got a code of ethics.
It might not be a code you agree with, but hes got lines he wont cross.
The younger gangsters hes surrounded by are much more venal.
He feels himself being pushed aside as he gets older.
And Rebus is feeling the same thing.
So youre never sure: Will they become friends?
Will they betray each other?
It could go any way.
