It’s 30 years since the hard-boiled Inspector Rebus was given his first airing in Knots & Crosses by Ian Rankin; twenty-one installments later Rebus is still on the case, still living in Edinburgh, but is seemingly off the fags. Rankin’s work encompasses not only Tartan Noir, but short stories, a graphic novel and a play. He is the recipient of four Crime Writers’ Association Dagger Awards, the Grand Prix du Roman Noir (France), and the Deutscher Krimi Prize (Germany). He is in conversation with Mark Sainsbury.