Tartan Noir: Scotland's Crime Fiction

What Is Tartan Noir?

American crime writer James Ellroy is credited with coining the term Tartan Noir in the late 1990s, in a cover endorsement that crowned Ian Rankin king of the genre. The name stuck, and it's now used for the wave of Scottish crime fiction that Rankin's Inspector Rebus novels helped popularize starting in 1987 — atmospheric, character-driven mysteries rooted in Scotland's cities and landscapes. Val McDermid is another of the genre's best-known names.

Where to Start

The two authors most closely associated with Tartan Noir, and the books that introduce their signature detectives.

1987 · Series Debut

Knots and Crosses — Ian Rankin

The book that introduced Detective Sergeant John Rebus, the brooding Edinburgh cop at the center of Rankin's now 25-book series. Rankin published one earlier novel, The Flood, a year before this, but Knots and Crosses is where Tartan Noir as a genre really begins.

Now known for: Inspector Rebus, adapted for TV multiple times, most recently as Rebus (2024)

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2003 · Series Debut

The Distant Echo — Val McDermid

The first Karen Pirie novel, following a cold case murder investigation into the death of a young barmaid in Fife decades earlier. Karen Pirie is a minor character in this first book but became the lead on screen, adapted as the ITV drama Karen Pirie, now streaming on BritBox.

Now known for: Karen Pirie, adapted for ITV and streaming on BritBox

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