The comfort of the familiar is important during lockdown

Turning the pages of the latest Rebus novel is like meeting an old friend, writes Janet Street-Porter

Books can provide a welcome distraction during lockdown (Getty /iStock)

I’m not one of those people tackling War and Peace or learning another language during lockdown. Comfort comes with the familiar, which is why Ian Rankin’s new Rebus is so timely.

A Song for the Dark Times marks the 24th time Detective Inspector John Rebus has been drawn into a complex murder where nothing is as it seems.

Fans were anxious that Rankin might tire of his creation once Rebus was forced to reluctantly retire, but luckily he’s been allowed to continue to interfere in criminal investigations from a distance – this time they involve a mysterious student found knifed to death beside his Aston Martin.

Over the decades, Rebus has aged along with me – we both share dodgy knees. He’s refusing surgery and along with Brillo the dog has moved to a ground floor flat in the same Edinburgh tenement.

If you can’t meet friends during lockdown, then it’s good to meet old faces through the pages of fiction. Three cheers for Rebus, may he never fully retire.