Ian Rankin is perhaps the UK's foremost crime writer, best-known for his extensive series of novels set in Edinburgh and featuring Detective Inspector John Rebus. Christopher Nicol's SCOTNOTE study guide examines one of Rankin's most popular works, the award-winning Black & Blue. The complex, multilayered narrative is untangled, the characters studied and the novel's social and psychological undercurrents explored. This guide is suitable for senior school pupils and students at all levels.