Edinburgh Noir Meets Yorkshire Moors

As of June 2026, Patina's crime fiction shelves carry rotating preloved editions of both Rankin and Robinson — the moody Edinburgh procedurals and the Yorkshire moorland mysteries. Here's what's worth grabbing.

Black and Blue — Ian Rankin

Quick Verdict: The Rebus novel that won Rankin the Gold Dagger and cemented his reputation as Britain's heir to Raymond Chandler. Edinburgh's hosting the G7 summit, and Rebus is drowning in overtime while a killer who calls himself Bible John resurfaces after twenty-five years. Rankin layers three timelines — the 1969 unsolved murders, a current spate of killings, and Rebus's own unraveling — into a novel that reads like noir with a Glasgow edge. The prose is lean, the city is a character, and Rebus is at his self-destructive best. This is the book that elevated British crime fiction from cozy whodunnits to something darker and more literary. Explore our current copy of Black and Blue or browse more Crime books at Patina.

Exit Music — Ian Rankin

Quick Verdict: Rebus's original swansong — mandatory retirement looming, one last case involving exiled oligarchs and Edinburgh's underbelly. Rankin wrote this as Rebus's finale in 2007 (he'd later reverse the decision), and it shows: the prose is elegiac, the stakes are personal, and the case — a Russian poet murdered after a slam — pulls Rebus into a web of gangsters, diplomats, and the kind of high-level corruption that makes local cops irrelevant. It's Rankin at his most atmospheric, with Edinburgh's Old Town feeling like a noir set piece. The ending hit harder when readers thought it was the last time they'd see Rebus. Now it reads as a perfect coda to the first 17 books. Explore our current copy of Exit Music or browse more Crime books at Patina.

The Falls — Ian Rankin

Quick Verdict: Rebus chases a serial killer who leaves elaborate clues at crime scenes — a coffin with a doll inside, cryptic messages, the works. A student vanishes, and Rebus finds himself working a case that feels more like a puzzle than a procedural. Rankin leans into the Gothic here — Edinburgh's underground vaults, occult symbols, a killer who stages crime scenes like art installations. It's one of the series' more cerebral entries, with Rebus playing detective-as-decoder rather than detective-as-brawler. The tension between his methodical colleague Siobhan Clarke and his own booze-soaked instincts drives the book. Explore our current copy of The Falls or browse more Crime books at Patina.

The Naming of the Dead — Ian Rankin

Quick Verdict: The G8 summit descends on Edinburgh, and Rebus investigates a murder while the city erupts in protests and riot police. Rankin's at his most politically engaged here — the 2005 G8 summit is the backdrop, and he uses it to explore surveillance, state power, and the erosion of civil liberties. Rebus is supposed to be keeping the peace, but a suspicious death pulls him into a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of government. It's one of the series' angrier books, with Rankin using the crime novel framework to interrogate post-9/11 Britain. The riot scenes are visceral; the procedural work is tight. Explore our current copy of The Naming of the Dead or browse more Crime books at Patina.

The Flood — Ian Rankin

Quick Verdict: Rankin's 1986 literary debut — fragmented, experimental, nothing like the Rebus novels that would follow. Written when Rankin was 25, this is a postmodern coming-of-age story about a man returning to his Scottish hometown and confronting buried trauma. It's deliberately difficult — stream-of-consciousness passages, shifting perspectives, unreliable narration. Rankin called it "unreadable" in later interviews, but it's fascinating as an artifact: you can see the writer learning to build tension, even if the prose hasn't found its crime fiction rhythm yet. Worth grabbing if you're curious about how a literary novelist became Britain's best procedural writer. Explore our current copy of The Flood or browse more Crime books at Patina.

Gallows View — Peter Robinson

Quick Verdict: The first DCI Banks novel — a peeping tom case in a small Yorkshire town that escalates into violence and murder. Robinson introduces Banks as a newly transferred detective from London, trying to adapt to the slower pace of Eastvale while investigating a series of voyeuristic crimes that turn deadly. The novel is quieter than Rankin's work — less booze, more introspection — but Robinson's strength is in character detail. Banks is a jazz lover, a reader, a man who notices things. The Yorkshire setting is less noir than pastoral-with-menace, and the procedural work is meticulous. This is British crime fiction in the Ruth Rendell tradition, not the urban grit of Rankin. Explore our current copy of Gallows View or browse more Crime books at Patina.

Past Reason Hated — Peter Robinson

Quick Verdict: A woman is murdered two days before Christmas in a scene so staged it's almost theatrical — candles, music, blood. Robinson uses the Christmas setting to contrast cozy domesticity with violence, and the case forces Banks to navigate Yorkshire's class divides and a closeted lesbian relationship that nobody wants to talk about. The procedural work is patient — Robinson doesn't rush the investigation, and the novel's strength is in how it peels back layers of respectability to reveal small-town hypocrisy. It's one of the series' more character-driven entries, with Banks quietly wrestling with his own failing marriage. Explore our current copy of Past Reason Hated or browse more Crime books at Patina.

Wednesday's Child — Peter Robinson

Quick Verdict: A seven-year-old girl vanishes from a council estate, and Banks navigates a case where nobody's telling the truth. This is Robinson at his most socially conscious — the missing child case pulls Banks into the underclass world of benefit fraud, dodgy social workers, and a cult that may or may not be involved. The tension comes from Banks trying to hold onto empathy while everyone around him lies, deflects, or plays games. Robinson's prose is restrained — he doesn't oversell the emotion — but the novel's anger at systemic neglect is palpable. It's one of the series' darker entries. Explore our current copy of Wednesday's Child or browse more Crime books at Patina.

Strange Affair — Peter Robinson

Quick Verdict: Banks's brother Roy vanishes, someone tries to murder Annie Cabbot, and the case spirals into organized crime and personal betrayal. This is the most personal Banks novel — his estranged brother is missing, his colleague and ex-lover is in hospital, and the investigation forces him to confront family dynamics he's avoided for years. Robinson layers a standard procedural with emotional stakes, and the result is one of the series' most propulsive entries. The organized crime angle is handled deftly, and the ending refuses easy resolution. Explore our current copy of Strange Affair or browse more Crime books at Patina.

Friend of the Devil — Peter Robinson

Quick Verdict: Two murders — one in a burning boat, one in a remote cottage — and Banks doesn't believe in coincidences. Robinson writes dual investigations here, and the pleasure is in watching Banks and his team piece together connections that shouldn't exist. The prose is methodical, the Yorkshire setting is bleak (reservoirs, moors, isolated farms), and the procedural work is Robinson's best: patient, intelligent, grounded in real detective labour. It's the seventeenth Banks novel, and Robinson knows exactly how to pace a mystery by this point. Explore our current copy of Friend of the Devil or browse more Crime books at Patina. Rankin's Edinburgh is rain-soaked, whisky-fueled, and politically charged. Robinson's Yorkshire is quieter, more pastoral, but no less brutal when violence erupts. Both authors spent decades refining the British procedural, and their best work holds up against anything coming out of Scandinavia or the US. Shop all Crime books at Patina Paperbacks →

What's the difference between Ian Rankin's Rebus novels and Peter Robinson's DCI Banks series?

Rankin's Rebus books are set in Edinburgh and lean into urban noir — darker, angrier, more politically engaged. Robinson's Banks novels are set in Yorkshire and prioritize character depth and methodical procedural work over atmosphere. Both feature middle-aged detectives with personal baggage, but Rebus is self-destructive and confrontational while Banks is introspective and quietly observant. If you want hard-edged British crime fiction, go Rankin. If you want thoughtful, character-driven mysteries, go Robinson.

Where should I start with Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus series?

Most readers start with Black and Blue (1997), the Gold Dagger winner that's widely considered Rankin's breakthrough. It's the eighth Rebus novel, but you don't need backstory — Rankin writes tight, self-contained mysteries. If you want the full arc, start with Knots and Crosses (1987), but be aware the early books are rougher. Exit Music (2007) works as both an entry point and a finale if you want to see Rebus at his most elegiac.

Are Peter Robinson's DCI Banks novels still in print in Australia?

Yes, but availability shifts between publishers — some titles are easier to find secondhand than new. Patina stocks rotating preloved editions of the Banks series, usually UK or Australian paperback printings. Check current Crime stock here. The TV adaptation (ITV, 2010–2016) boosted the series' visibility, so secondhand copies circulate widely.

Which Ian Rankin novel won the CWA Gold Dagger?

Black and Blue (1997) won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger, the UK's most prestigious crime fiction prize. It's the novel that elevated Rankin from genre writer to literary heavyweight, and it's still the entry point most critics recommend. The book layers three timelines — a 1969 serial killer case, a current spate of murders, and Rebus's own unraveling — into a tight, atmospheric procedural.

Can I read Peter Robinson's DCI Banks novels out of order?

Yes, mostly. Each novel is a standalone mystery with a resolved plot, so you won't be lost jumping in mid-series. That said, Banks's personal life (his marriage, his relationships with colleagues) evolves across the series, and reading out of order means you'll miss emotional beats. If you care about character continuity, start with Gallows View (1987) or pick a thematic entry point like Past Reason Hated (1991) and read forward from there.