My greatest creation has turned 30 ... and it’s time to celebrate!

Rebus, Rebus: John Hannah and Ken Stott. to some unusual encounters at signing sessions.

“The last time I was in the States I admitted I’d never held or even seen a gun in real life.

“A wee old woman came up at the end, asked if I wanted to see one and her husband, who must have been in his 70s, shuffled over and produced one from his pocket.

“He took the clip out and handed the gun over, but I couldn’t even bring myself to pull the trigger on an empty gun.

“This was in a bookshop in a nice, quiet neighbourhood and it was such a weird experience.”

Despite being one of Scotland’s best- known and richest authors, Ian says he manages to lead a normal, low- key life. He walks everywhere he can in his home city Edinburgh, getting ideas and noting changes – he concedes a Starbucks in the new book has now closed and become a restaurant, too late to include.

And, unlike JK Rowling, he insists he has no issues with the attention or fans. “JK does her best to lead a normal life a n d you se e her and her husband out at bars and restaurants,” says Ian.

“Bu t she has a lot of pressure because her fans are legion.

“I don’t seem to have that. I go to the Oxford Bar, from the books, a couple of times a week and there’s always someone there because of Rebus.

“I pick up my mail there and there are parcels and letters from all over the world.

“There must be a bit of Rebus in me or else I couldn’t keep writing about him for so long. It just happens we both like a quiet life and hanging out at the Oxford.”

Rebus is now past retiral age and is back as a former copper helping on investigations. Ian admits he did think about killing him off but says: “I thought it’d be too cruel after all I’d put him through.”

The book reflects the changes brought about by Police Scotland and Ian sighs as he admits Scotland is too law-abiding for his professional liking.

“The murder rate’s so low it’s kind of depressing for a crime writer,” he laughs. “You’ve got to keep the books realistic so you can’t have a huge body count when there aren’t that many murders.

“The new book has Rebus dusting off a murder that happened in a posh hotel back in 1978.

“Although the case is fictitious I’m using a real hotel, the Caledonian. It’s now the Waldor f Astor i a Caledonian and I actually asked them if I could set a murder there.

“They asked when it happened and when I said it was 40 years ago they said it was fine as they didn’t own it then!”

Rather Be The Devil by Ian Rankin is released on Thursday.

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