NEWS: Rebus Roaming

MARK McLAUGHLIN
Evening News (Edinburgh)
June 4, 2010, Friday


IT DOESN'T take a detective to follow Ian Rankin around Edinburgh but those who need a helping hand will soon be able to follow him on their phone.

The Rebus author is currently recording content for a new online tour of the Capital for the Apple iPhone.

With almost hourly updates of his movements on social networking site Twitter, regular television and newspaper tours and his favourite pubs littering the pages of his Rebus novels, he is not shy of letting fans know where he likes to hang out.

But the new application will give fans another window into his favourite haunts, and those of his most popular character John Rebus.

Mr Rankin said: "When fans visit Edinburgh they will be able to find out more information about the locations in the books while walking around the city.

"I do get a lot of feedback from fans from outside Edinburgh who tell me they want to know more about the places that I write about, so anything that helps them to get a handle on the city is a good thing.

"Not everyone has time to go on the Rebus Walks, so this will allow them to do it in their own time."

The exact locations that will be featured in the Rankin App are still being finalised but Mr Rankin said he would endeavour to take fans where they wouldn't normally visit - such as the quiet banks of the Water of Leith - as well as the most popular destinations in his novels.

Julie MacBrayne, Orion marketing manager for paperbacks, said: "The app is still in the early stages, but we hope to have it up in time for the Festival.

"It's essentially going to be the Ian Rankin tour of Edinburgh. Ian is very much involved and it's going to be driven by his experiences of Edinburgh.

"He will be the unique selling point, especially amongst fans looking for an inside look at the places he visits and a behind the scenes look at his books.

"International fans will still be able to download the app and access its content, but they won't really get the full effect unless they walk the streets with him. We've got such a wealth of material from Ian already.

"It's the first time we've tried this with any of our authors. He's one of our bestselling authors and Edinburgh is the driving force behind all of his work so he was the obvious choice to launch this app."