History Literature / Rebus

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: An interesting example occurs in ''Black and Blue'' -- an ''unidentified serial killer'' is a minor character. The killer in question is the man known as Bible John, who murdered three women in Glasgow in the late 1960s and was never caught. In the novel, which is set in the then-present (ie. the mid-1990s), Edinburgh is rocked by a series of [[JackTheRipoff copycat killings]], and the original Bible John killer (identified to the reader via a series of internal monologues) is not happy about having an imitator. [[spoiler: Rebus eventually works out that the character in question is Bible John, but by the time he has done so, the man has vanished. And murdered his imitator. Given that Bible John is never mentioned in later novels, other than when Rebus's interest in historical crimes is referred to, it must be assumed that Rebus never caught him.]]

* LateArrivalSpoiler: As stated above, the notion that Rebus may be the killer in ''Knots and Crosses'' (in keeping with that novel having been written as a SettingUpdate of ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDoctorJekyllAndMrHyde'' rather than as a crime novel) is pretty much nixed by the existence of all subsequent novels.

Some of the books were adapted for television (by STV for the Creator/{{ITV}} network) between 2000 and 2007. ''Rebus'' starred Creator/JohnHannah, and later Creator/KenStott, in the title role. Rankin [[DisownedAdaptation wasn't keen on either]], and stopped writing novels featuring Rebus for a time until the production company's option on them expired. In 2020, BBC Scotland produced a short film entitled ''John Rebus: The Lockdown Blues'', in which Creator/BrianCox played the character. A new television adaptation, produced by the Swedish streaming service Viaplay, started filming in 2023 with ''Series/{{Outlander}}'' star Richard Rankin (no relation) playing Rebus.

* DatingWhatDaddyHates: A minor example, but Rebus does not take kindly to any to any young man who goes out with his daughter Sammy.

* ContinuityNod: Plenty; previous cases can and do get referred to. Supporting characters sometimes reappear, or (as is the case with George Flight, who evidently keeps in touch with Rebus after the events of ''Tooth and Nail'') are mentioned in passing.

* ContinuityNod: Plenty; if minor characters do not reappear in subsequent novels, they do sometimes get referred to. George Flight, the Met DI in ''Tooth and Nail'', is a case in point.