Born in Cardenden, in Fife, Ian Rankin was educated at Beath High School before studying literature at the University of Edinburgh.
He had a variety of jobs before becoming a full-time writer, with his first book featuring Inspector John Rebus, Knots and Crosses, published in 1987 (his first novel, The Flood, was published the year before).
He’s now one of Britain’s bestselling writers, with 25 novels, two short-story collections, one original graphic novel, one novella, and a non-fiction book under his belt to date - earning him a host of awards and a Knighthood.
His latest Rebus book, Midnight & Blue, will be released later this year, and the character will be appearing in a six part BBC series, simply entitled Rebus, later this month.
Here are 13 of the author’s most memorable quotes.
5. Ian Rankin on...whodunnit
"When I'm writing, I won't know whodunnit until maybe two thirds of the way through. Until then, I know as little as my detective. I just make it up as I go along. It's nerve-wracking, actually. You'll be half through and not know your conclusion. You worry one of these days the ending won't come. I'll be left with only two-thirds of a novel." | TSPL
6. Ian Rankin on...money
"I grew up in a family that was working-class, which taught me to be careful with money." | National World
7. Ian Rankin on...education
"Being working class, my parents thought, 'Ian's going to uni, the first in the family,' and I'd do dentistry or accountancy. I was going to do accountancy; then I got a C in Economics and thought, 'Why am I doing this?' The only thing I was interested in was books and literature." | Getty Images
8. Ian Rankin on...writers
"I don't think I have one particular favourite writer. I have many whose works I will always buy or reread - Muriel Spark, Anthony Powell, Robert Louis Stevenson, Ruth Rendell, James Ellroy, William McIlvanney, Kate Atkinson, John Burnside, Louise Welsh, Iain Banks." | AFP via Getty Images