For me, there is one person I'd like to play Rebus in his brilliant TV return - Susan Dalgety

I have just finished Ian Rankin’s latest Rebus novel, ‘A Heart Full of Headstones’, and while I won’t give away the ending, the book starts with our hero in the dock.

A most unlikely twist for a detective who has spent his entire career – and much of his retirement – fighting crime in the capital. Or perhaps not. As his personality has unfolded over the course of 24 books, a complex character has emerged.

Rebus sometimes – nay, often – seems more at ease in the company of criminals than his police colleagues. A melancholy man, he finds some solace in a whisky glass and the Blues but is essentially miserable. Infuriating, stubborn, sure of his talents, unsure of himself.

From his first outing in ‘Knots and Crosses’ to the latest, Rebus has insinuated his way into many of our lives. We think we know him and wouldn’t be surprised if we bumped into him in the Meadows, a tribute to Rankin’s talents as a writer.

As I have said before, I even avoided watching the TV adaptions, fearing that Ken Stott and John Hannah would not live up to the Rebus of my imagination.

But I am tempted by the new series that is about to go into production. Rebus is re-imagined in his 30s but working in contemporary Edinburgh. Screenwriter Gregory Burke will explore “family, morality and class in British society” with a young John Rebus as the central character.

Ian Rankin is “hugely excited” at the project of Rebus’s return to television after a 15-year absence, and so am I. Though of course the casting of the 30-something detective will have to be just right.

James McAvoy – who at 43 could easily play the part – would be my personal choice. He looks like I imagine a young Rebus. Slight, dark, brooding.

Author Ian Rankin says he can't wait for the return of his Rebus creation to the screen - neither can Susan Dalgety. PIC: Neil Hanna

He’s a brilliant actor, so losing his native Glasgow accent for an Edinburgh one won’t cause him too many problems. After all, he made his fame and fortune in the X-Men movies.

These days he spends half his life in Philadelphia with his second wife, Philly-native Lisa Liberati, but I am sure he could be tempted to spend a few weeks in Edinburgh next year to play what could be the greatest role of his life.