The Hanging Garden (novel)

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The Hanging Garden
Author Ian Rankin
Country Scotland
Language English
Genre(s) Detective fiction
Publisher Orion
Publication date 1998
Media type Print
Pages 448 pages
ISBN ISBN 0-7528-7726-7
Preceded by Black and Blue
Followed by Dead Souls

The Hanging Garden is a 1998 novel by Ian Rankin. It is the ninth of the Inspector Rebus novels. It was the second episode in the Rebus television series starring John Hannah, airing in 2001.

[edit] Plot summary

Detective Inspector John Rebus is investigating a suspected war criminal. Rebus helps a traumatised Bosnian prostitute and tries to intercede in a territory war between upstart gangster Tommy Telford and 'Big Ger' Cafferty's established gang. Telford is known to have close links with Newcastle gangster Mr Pink Eyes - a Chechen people-smuggler.

Rebus' daughter Sammie is knocked down in what looks like a deliberate hit-and-run. A Japanese gangster is killed by someone trying to frame Rebus, using his Saab car.

There are some differences between the novel and the TV adaptation - these include the omission of a plot element from the novel in which Rebus recalls events during his Army service in Northern Ireland and wonders whether under slightly different circumstances he himself might have become a war criminal.

The title refers to The Cure's song "The Hanging Garden".