Ian Rankin
The Iconic Number One Bestseller

‘Whatever he writes, it will be worth reading … Rankin has redefined the genre’
Guardian

‘Rankin is a phenomenon’
Spectator

‘Britain’s No.1 crime writer’
Mirror

‘One of Britain’s leading novelists in any genre’
New Statesman

‘Worthy of Agatha Christie at her best’
Scotsman

‘Quite simply, crime writing of the highest order’
Express

‘Unmatched in the field of British crime fiction’
The Times

‘Delightful, impossible-to-fault crime writing from a virtuoso of the craft’
Daily Mail

Dedication

For my sisters,
Maureen and Linda

Title Page

Contents

Ian Rankin The Iconic Number One Bestseller

Dedication

Title Page

Epigraph

Introduction

Part I

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

Part II

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

Part III

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

Part IV

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

About the Author

Also by Ian Rankin

Copyright

Epigraph

West wind, wanton wind, wilful wind, womanish wind, false wind from over the water.

George Bernard Shaw, St Joan

Introduction
By The Author

Westwind was originally published on Thursday March 1 1990. My diary entry for that day announces the fact thus: ‘Yes, Westwind was published to ONE review (in the Guardian and very small). Jesus. A flop from the word go.’

As you can see, I was not in what is these days referred to as ‘a good place’ in the early months of 1990, as my diary of the time regularly records. Here’s Wednesday February 28: ‘I was wondering today, when will Westwind be published? I knew it was scheduled for March and books are always published on a Thursday. But it can’t be tomorrow surely – Barrie & Jenkins (my publisher at the time) would have been in touch re possible sources of publicity. Surely my author’s copies should have arrived? But on returning home a gift bottle of whisky greeted me. Must be tomorrow then – with so little ceremony!’