Sir Ian James Rankin OBE DL FRSE FRSL FRIAS (born 28 April 1960) is a Scottish writer and philanthropist, best known for being the author of the Inspector Rebus novels. He has also been published under the pen-name Jack Harvey (Harvey being his wife Miranda's maiden name).
The Rebus books, which are mostly set in Edinburgh, have been best-sellers to the point where it was estimated in 2005 that they accounted for 10% of sales of all crime fiction in the United Kingdom.
In recent years, Rankin has become as noted for his philanthropy as he is for his writing, having set up a trust to support charities in the fields of health, art and education. In 2020, it was reported that he had donated around £1 million to the trust in the previous five years. His knighthood in 2022 was as much for his charity work as it was for his services to literature.
