Rebus festival and brew to toast sleuth’s anniversary

CRIME writer Ian Rankin is launching his own music festival to celebrate his creation Rebus’s 30th anniversary.

Top Scottish bands including Mogwai and Belle and Sebastian, who have featured in the books, are tipped to appear.

The line-up, which has yet to be settled, would play in the curmudgeonly detective’s hometown of Edinburgh.

Rankin – who earns more than £250,000 a year – publishes his 21th full-length Rebus novel, Rather Be The Devil, in November.

The 56-year-old will be taking a year off to celebrate his character’s three decades in print.

And he is plotting to release his own special one-off brew to toast the success of the detective.

Rankin said: ‘Rebus’s 30th anniversary is basically happening the whole of next year. We are hoping to put on a few music shows – a music festival in Edinburgh with bands or musicians that are discussed or have been important to the Rebus series.

And Rankin, who like his fictional creation drinks at the Oxford Bar in Edinburgh, said that fans would have something to quench their thirst with.

He said: ‘We may have a limited edition alcoholic beverage of some kind – it’s still being discussed.

‘The whole year is going to be a year of celebrations. There will be various tours, there will probably be special editions of some of the books.

‘There’s an awful lot of planning to do.’