1. Black and Blue  

The first of the REBUS programmes introduces the Scottish Detective Inspector John Rebus as he untangles the various strands of the interwoven web of criminal intrigues from Leith, Edinburgh to Aberdeen and Glasgow and points between. A serial killer of young women of the past, known as 'The Preacher' appears to have a copycat murderer dubbed 'The Disciple', who is repeating the modus operandi. But is it 'The Preacher' who has returned to continue his work of death? Or it is truly another serial killer at work? Intermingled with the workings of the CID Edinburgh to solve these problems, Rebus is pulled off the case to pursue a strange death of what appears to be unintentional suicide. This strand of the web takes Rebus through more suicides, murders, drug trafficking, money laundering, exposure of dirty cops and questionable liasons between a couple of the suspects. The stressed-out Rebus manages to reach the centre of the web and skillfully gets the tangles sorted out in this fast-paced presentation.

2. The Hanging Garden  

Drugs, gang warfare, bombings, prostitution and white slavery are just some of the activities which two gang leaders have in common. And Rebus hits the streets to sort out the conflicts and bring justice to the city. A pharmaceutical factory appears to be the major supply source of cocaine over which a gun battle is being planned by the upstart gang leader and his group of thugs. Rebus' old friend and workmate, DI Jack Morton is on an undercover assignment at the drugs plant when the attack is made, and he receives fatal gunshot wounds. Another victim of these criminals is a young mother, Candice, who was kidnapped from Cosovo to work as a prostitute, and time is of the essence if Rebus going to help her see her young son again. Sammy, Rebus' 19-year-old daughter, provides a safe-house for Candice. Then shortly after the young refugee moves in, Sammy becomes the victim of a hit-and-run accident and is in a coma in hospital. Her father is convinced that she was a deliberate target because of his efforts to keep Candice safe and bring down the two gangs. Rebus and his ex-wife spell each other keeping watch over Sammy at the hospital. This story line offers the viewer better insight into Rebus as a man and father, and the softer side of the tough crime-fighting police officer.

3. Dead Souls  

Rebus is confronted with baffling questions of pedophiles, child abuse, missing persons, a former sweetheart, fire bombs, mobs, a gay cross-dresser, and all amid the personal loss of an excellent friend and co-officer, to what? Suicide? Or murder? Detective Inspector John Rebus has his plate filled, again, with the evils of human misdeeds and personal trials. His emotions are drawn like a tight rope over the death of a man he most admired and respected, counterbalanced by the arrival on the scene of old friends seeking his assistance in finding their missing adolescent son. The old sparks catch fire with the woman he loved 20 years before, but he manages to keep all of the pressures of his work sorted out and resolves the multitude of issues facing him. But where will his reclaimed love leave him?

4. Mortal Causes  

The motto of the Scottish kings - Nemo mi impune lacessit ("Don't Mess With Me") sets the tone for this story. It's payback time for DI John Rebus in his pact with the crime underlord Morris Gerald Cafferty for his finding the person who put Rebus' daughter in a life-threatening coma, the result of a hit-and-run accident. This time, it's Cafferty's illegitimate son who was "six-packed" and killed, and Cafferty is calling in his chips from Rebus. Rebus has to cope with a backdrop of gun running, jailbreaks, left- and right-wing extremists, nationalists and other splinter groups who are spouting racist philosophies, and imported white-power fanatics who are perpetrating hate crimes.