A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES

By Ian Rankin

Synopsis

When his daughter Samantha calls in the dead of night, John Rebus knows it's not good news. Her husband has been missing for two days. Rebus fears the worst - and knows from his lifetime in the police that his daughter will be the prime suspect. As leaves to drive to the windswept coast - and a small town with big secrets - he wonders whether this might be the first time in his life where the truth is the one thing he doesn't want to find...

Sample Player

Narrator	James MacPherson
Length	11hrs
Catalogue No.	14386
Publisher	Orion Audio; 2020

Other audiobooks by Ian Rankin

BEGGAR'S BANQUET

A collection of short stories, including seven which feature Inspector Rebus, from a modern-day master of crime writing.

BLACK & BLUE

Rebus is juggling four cases trying to nail one killer - who might just lead back to the infamous Bible John. And he's doing it under the scrutiny of an internal inquiry led by a man he has just accused of taking backhanders from Glasgow's Mr Big. As if this wasn't enough, there are TV cameras at his back investigating a miscarriage of justice, making Rebus a criminal in the eyes of a million or more viewers. Just one mistake is likely to mean an unpleasant and not particularly speedy death or, worse still, losing his job.

BLEEDING HEARTS

When a TV reporter is murdered by a single shot, Michael Weston wants to know why she was killed. But Michael is not a policeman, he is the killer and he needs answers. Was the job a set-up and how were the police on his tail so quickly? As he searches for the man who paid him he realises that his own life might be at risk.

THE COMPLAINTS

Nobody likes The Complaints - they're the cops who investigate other cops. It's where Malcolm Fox works, and in the midst of an aggressive Edinburgh winter, the reluctant Fox is given a new task. There's a cop called Jamie Breck, and he's dirty. The problem is, no one can prove it. But as Fox takes on the job, he learns that there's more to Breck than anyone thinks.

A COOL HEAD

Gravy worked in the graveyard - hence the name. He was having a normal day until his friend Benjy turned up in a car Gravy didn't recognise. Benjy had a bullet hole in his chest, but lived just long enough to ask Gravy to hide him and look after his gun...

THE DARK REMAINS

In this scorching crime hook-up, number one best seller Ian Rankin and Scottish crime-writing legend William McIlvanney join forces for the first ever case of DI Laidlaw, Glasgow’s original gritty detective. Lawyer Bobby Carter did a lot of work for the wrong type of people. Now he’s dead, and it was no accident. Besides a distraught family and a heap of powerful friends, Carter’s left behind his share of enemies. So, who dealt the fatal blow? DC Jack Laidlaw’s reputation precedes him. He’s not a team player, but he’s got a sixth sense for what’s happening on the streets. His boss chalks the violence up to the usual rivalries, but is it that simple? As two Glasgow gangs go to war, Laidlaw needs to find out who got Carter before the whole city explodes. William McIlvanney’s Laidlaw books changed the face of crime fiction. When he died in 2015, he left half a handwritten manuscript of Laidlaw’s first case. Now, Ian Rankin is back to finish what McIlvanney started. In The Dark Remains, these two iconic authors bring to life the criminal world of 1970s Glasgow and Laidlaw’s relentless quest for truth.

DEAD SOULS

Stalking a poisoner at the local zoo, Inspector John Rebus comes across a paedophile taking pictures of children. When the social workers claim he is there for legitimate educational reasons, Rebus is faced with a dilemma - should he be outed to protect local kids or given a chance to start anew? As the locals begin a hate campaign Rebus gets a call from the past: the son of a friend has gone missing and no one else will make time to ask the right questions. And then a fragment of Scotland's criminal history is repatriated at the end of a life sentence for murder. Once more Rebus's cup of trouble runneth over and the ghosts of past misdeeds return to haunt Edinburgh's streets.

A DEEP HOLE

From the bestselling author of the Rebus detective series, a road worker is called on for a favour by the local loan shark.

EVEN DOGS IN THE WILD

Retirement doesn't suit John Rebus. So when DI Siobhan Clarke asks for his help on a case, Rebus doesn't need long to consider. Clarke's been investigating the death of a lawyer whose body was found along with a threatening note. Meanwhile, Big Ger Cafferty - Rebus's long-time nemesis - has received an identical note and a bullet through his window. Now it's up to Clarke and Rebus to connect the dots and stop a killer.

THE FALLS

A student, the daughter of an influential banker, is missing. Two leads emerge for Inspector Rebus and his team, an old carved doll in a six inch coffin, and an Internet game run by a cyber guru. Whilst Rebus works on the historical material he leaves DC Clarke to take her chances with the virtual Quizmaster.

FLESHMARKET CLOSE

An illegal immigrant is found murdered in Edinburgh, is this a racist attack? Rebus is drawn into this investigation. Meanwhile Siobhan is investigating the disappearance of a teenager, which draws her uncomfortably close to a convicted rapist.

THE FLOOD

Mary Miller had always been an outcast - burnt in a chemical mix as a young girl. Now, years later, she is a single mother, caught up in a faltering affair with a local teacher. Both mother and son must face a dark secret from their past, glimpsed only in symbols and flickering images - of decay and regrowth, of fire and water - of the flood.

A GOOD HANGING AND OTHER STORIES

Edinburgh is a city steeped in history and tradition, known as the 'Athens of the North.' But here Detective Inspector John Rebus can expect gang warfare, murder and assault at the very least. In this collection he investigates the hanging of a student actor during the Festival, an arson attack on a bird watcher and the witnessing of an apparent miracle...

A HEART FULL OF HEADSTONES

John Rebus stands accused: the once legendary detective is on trial, facing the rest of his life behind bars. How does a hero turn villain? Or have times changed, and the rules with them?Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke tackles Edinburgh's most explosive case in years, as a corrupt cop harbouring huge secrets goes missing. But is her loyalty to the police or the public? And who can she trust when nobody is truly innocent - including her former mentor Rebus - and a killer walks among them?As the time comes to choose sides, it becomes clear: after a lifetime of lies, the truth will break your heart...

THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD

A major inquiry into a neighbouring police force sees Malcolm Fox and his Internal Affairs department unsure of territory, protocol, or who they can trust. An entire station-house looks to have been compromised, but as Fox digs deeper he finds there are secrets buried in the past, and reputations on the line.

IN A HOUSE OF LIES

A missing private investigator is found dead, locked in a car hidden deep in the woods. After a decade without answers, Detective Inspector Siobhan Clarke is part of a new inquiry, combing through the mistakes of the original case. It seems everyone involved has something to hide, and everything to lose. But there is one man who knows where the trail may lead - and that it could be the end of him: John Rebus.

LET IT BLEED

Struggling through another Edinburgh winter Rebus finds himself sucked into a web of intrigue that throws up more questions than answers. Was the Lord Provost's daughter kidnapped or just another runaway? Why is a city councillor shredding documents that should have been waste paper years ago? And why on earth is Rebus invited to a clay pigeon shoot at the home of the Scottish Office's Permanent Secretary? Sucked into the machine that is modern Scotland, Rebus confronts the fact that some of his enemies may be beyond justice...

MIDNIGHT AND BLUE

John Rebus spent his life as a detective putting Edinburgh's most deadly criminals behind bars. Now, he's joined them... As new allies and old enemies circle, and the days and nights bleed into each other, even the legendary detective struggles to keep his head. That is, until a murder at midnight in a locked cell presents a new mystery. They say old habits die hard... However, this is a case where the prisoners and the guards are all suspects, and everyone has something to hide. With no badge, no authority and no safety net, Rebus walks a tightrope - with his life on the line.

THE NAMING OF THE DEAD

DI Rebus, investigating the apparent suicide of an MP, finds that a serial killer may be on the loose. Meanwhile the G8 leaders are gathering in Scotland and Siobhan Clarke is looking for the riot cop who assaulted her mother.

A QUESTION OF BLOOD (X Rated)

An ex-Army loner kills two teenagers at a private school and then shoots himself. DI Rebus needs to find out why. At the same time a petty criminal who has been stalking DS Clarke is found burnt to death, and Rebus is just out of hospital, with his hands heavily bandaged! X rated, contains offensive language.

RATHER BE THE DEVIL

Forty years on, the death of Maria Turquand still preys on John Rebus’ mind. Murdered in her hotel room, Maria's killer has never been found. Meanwhile, in the dark heart of Edinburgh, has old-time crime boss Big Ger Cafferty really given up the ghost, or is he biding his time until Edinburgh is once more ripe for the picking?

RESURRECTION MEN

With a group of other misfits, Inspector Rebus is sent back to Police College for retraining. Once there the group is given an unresolved case to investiagte. As Rebus is familiar with the victims and the suspects, he believes that they are being set up.

SAINTS OF THE SHADOW BIBLE

Inspector Rebus is back on the force, albeit with a demotion. A 30-year-old case is being reopened, and Rebus's team, who called themselves 'the Saints', and swore a bond on something called 'the Shadow Bible', are suspected of foul play. But times have changed and the crimes of the past may not stay hidden much longer...

SET IN DARKNESS

Scotland is about to have its own parliament after three hundred years. When the body of a prospective MSP is discovered, the powers that be demand instant answers from Inspector Rebus.

STANDING IN ANOTHER MAN'S GRAVE

It's five years since John Rebus retired. But 2012 sees his return, investigating cold cases. Not only is Rebus as stubborn and anarchic as ever, but he finds himself in trouble with Rankin's latest creation, Malcolm Fox of Edinburgh's internal affairs unit.

STRIP JACK

Gregor Jack’s successful career as an MP is threatened after a police raid on a notorious Edinburgh brothel. Then his wife disappears and two dead bodies are discovered.

TOOTH AND NAIL

The Wolfman could be the toughest case yet for John Rebus - a serial killer named by the press due to a terrifying trademark of taking a bite from each victim. So when Rebus is offered a psychological profile of the murderer by an attractive lady psychologist he is happy to accept. But in finding an ally, he may have given his enemies an easy means of attack.

WATCHMAN

Miles Flint, a low level intelligence operative, is satisfied with his watching brief. But with IRA bombs wreaking havoc on the British mainland, Miles is sent to Belfast where his job is much more than watching people. The stakes are very high and he soon finds himself with all kinds of problems.

WESTWIND

After his friend suspects something strange going on at the launch facility where they both work - and then goes missing - Martin Hepton doesn't believe the official line of "long-term sick leave"... Refusing to stop asking questions, he soon uncovers a shocking secret that everybody wants to stay hidden...

WITCH HUNT

Originally written under the pseudonym Jack Harvey. Interpol have tried and failed to find the terrorist called Witch. Now the combined forces of Scotland Yard and MI5 must try the impossible to prevent a major international incident. It is only when an MI5 novice and his French counterpart piece together the smallest of clues, that Witch suddenly looks vulnerable . . .