Midnight and Blue
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}
{{short description|2024 novel by Ian Rankin}}
{{Infobox book|
| name = Midnight & Blue
| illustrator =
| image =
| caption = First UK edition
| author = Ian Rankin
| cover_artist =
| country = Scotland
| set_in = Edinburgh
| language = English
| series = Inspector Rebus
| genre = Detective fiction
| publisher = Orion Books
| release_date = October 2024
| media_type = Print (hardback & paperback)
| pages = 352 pp
| dewey =
| congress =
| isbn = 978-1398709423
| oclc =
| preceded_by = A Heart Full of Headstones
| followed_by =
}}
Midnight and Blue (also Midnight & Blue) is the 25th novel in the Inspector Rebus series by Scottish author Ian Rankin. It also exists as an audiobook, narrated by James MacPherson.
Plot
The novel carries on directly from A Heart Full of Headstones, which culminated in Rebus' conviction for the attempted murder of his old nemesis, Big Ger Cafferty.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-08 |title=Midnight and Blue by Ian Rankin review: the devil's in the details |url=https://www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/books/midnight-and-blue-by-ian-rankin-review-the-devils-in-the-details-4815953 |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=The Scotsman |language=en}} Now, Rebus himself is behind bars. Two parallel investigations follow: one set in Saughton Prison (HMP Edinburgh), in which a prisoner is found murdered in a locked cell, a case which is taken over by Christine Esson, with Rebus as a possible suspect. The second follows DI Siobhan Clarke, as her investigation into the disappearance of a schoolgirl leads her into a world of 'online pornography, pseudo-celebrities and exploitation.' Meanwhile, Edinburgh's underworld struggles to fill the vacuum left by the death of Ger Cafferty, and we see the return of DCI Malcolm Fox, first introduced in The Complaints, as well as a number of other returning characters, including the psychopathic drug lord Darryl Christie, who seems to offer unlikely support for Rebus in his new environment.
Themes
Like A Heart Full of Headstones, Midnight & Blue deals with the themes of the past, the grey areas between good and evil,{{Cite web |date=2024-12-08 |title=Ian Rankin's Rebus returns in Midnight and Blue |url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/536035/ian-rankin-s-rebus-returns-in-midnight-and-blue |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=RNZ |language=en-nz}} past mistakes and taking responsibility for them, as well as those of ageing and mortality.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-14 |title=Midnight and Blue by Ian Rankin {{!}} The Arbuturian |url=https://www.arbuturian.com/culture/books/midnight-and-blue-by-ian-rankin |access-date=2025-03-05 |language=en-US}} Ian Rankin has described Rebus, ageing alongside him in real time, as a kind of proxy, saying: 'He takes on all the aches and pains... that are waiting around the corner for me. I give all that stuff to him so I don’t have to worry about it so much.'{{Cite web |last=Brennan |first=Marjorie |date=2024-10-25 |title=Author interview: Rankin and Rebus raise a glass to their silver anniversary |url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/lifestyle/artsandculture/arid-41501246.html |access-date=2025-03-05 |website=Irish Examiner |language=en}}
Reception
The novel was enthusiastically received, with Kirkus Reviews praising the 'vividly detailed portrait of the labyrinthine corridors of power in the prison,'{{Cite book |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ian-rankin/midnight-and-blue/ |title=MIDNIGHT AND BLUE {{!}} Kirkus Reviews |language=en}} and The Guardian calling it 'An expertly plotted... addition to a standout series.'{{Cite news |last=Wilson |first=Laura |date=2024-10-18 |title=The best recent crime and thrillers – review roundup |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/oct/18/the-best-recent-and-thrillers-review-roundup |access-date=2025-03-05 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}