Interview With Ian Rankin, Author of The Naming of The Dead - Page 2

In our prior interview you said that a common mistake/question was that you are just like Rebus. In your new book the Live 8 event is the backdrop and Rebus seems quite skeptical about the impact of the event and the motivations of its leaders. Do you share that cynicism? What did you really think of the event?

At the core of The Naming of the Dead is a pretty basic question: What difference do we make in the world?  Rebus is cast as the aging cynic, while his colleague Siobhan is younger and more idealistic. So while Rebus is dismissive of the power of rock stars to change the situation in Africa, Siobhan is hopeful.  Can concerts alter world events?  Can marches and protests change politicians' minds?  Can the individual make a difference?  Rebus is beginning to realise that during all the years he's been a cop, and for all the bad people he's put behind bars... crime is always with us.  As for my own view on all the above... it's somewhere between Rebus and Siobhan!

You make a few passing references to the incredibly popular CSI series. What do you really think of those series?

CSI is well-made, dramatic television.  But there are no crime scene labs like it in the UK… and probably very few like it in the real USA.  'Civilians' now think the police should be able to solve any crime, just by using science and technology, because they've seen it happen on TV. But it ain't like that.  Each police investigation comes with a budget attached, and you can't always afford to do the expensive analyses and experiments.  But hey, it's still great TV.

I noticed there is a series of video programs about the character Rebus but I decided not to watch them because I prefer to imagine for myself what he is like. Do you encourage readers to watch those programs or stick to their own imaginations? This topic came up recently when I interviewed Robert Crais who said he resists efforts for movies to be made about his recurring characters for the reasons I just articulated. What are your thoughts on that argument?

Article Author: Scott Butki

Scott Butki was a newspaper reporter for more than 10 years before making a career change into education.

He is an in-house media critic, a recovering Tetris addict and a proud uncle.

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