Ian Rankin

From Ian Rankin's Q & A with Janette Currie:

J:- The Impossible Dead is set in contemporary Scotland with much of the plot looking back to the social and political scene of the 1980s, the same time that you published your first novel, The Flood. If you could travel back in time, what advice would you give to your younger self?

IR:- Don’t drink so much. A lot of blank spaces back then where memories should be. Maybe that’s why I couldn’t remember all the domestic Scottish terrorism that was going on. A lot of the period 1980-85 seems to have passed me by.

J:- Who would you invite to your Come Dine with Me Dinner and what would you serve them?

IR :- I watch that show. I’m not a great cook but I do have a few ‘bankers’. Maybe a rich beef and wine stew. Or a chilli con carne. Plenty of good white and red wine. To start: smoked salmon. Cheese and oatcakes for afters. Around the table would be arranged Robert Louis Stevenson (so I can ask him about the first draft of Jekyll and Hyde – the one he’s supposed to have thrown on the fire), Frank Zappa (he might even play a few licks – I never got to see him in concert), and Billie Holiday.

J:- Your house is on fire! Your family and record collection are safe but you only have time to save one book – what is it?

IR:- My...[read on]

Learn about Ian Rankin's five favorite literary crime novels and the best selling book he wishes he'd written.

--Marshal Zeringue