Brilliant, irascible, and frequently frustrating to both his friends and his long-suffering bosses, John Rebus has made the dark places of Edinburgh his home for over two decades. collects all of Ian Rankin's Rebus short stories for the first time, including two never-before-published tales written specifically for this collection. From his beginnings as a young detective constable in ''Dead and Buried'' right up to his dramatic -- but not quite final -- retirement in ''The Very Last Drop,'' Rebus shines in these stories, confirming his status as one of crime fiction's most compelling, brilliant, and unforgettable characters.