The Edinburgh Detective Files
When conspiracy meets logic in Edinburgh, stories begin.
Edinburgh Castle illuminated at night, a setting where mystery meets memory. Used with BY-CC 2.0 license.
About the project
The Edinburgh Detective Files is a multimedia narrative project that explores the relationship between urban and detective fiction. Through immersive non-fiction stories and interactive design, the project explores how Edinburgh’s literary, architectural, and cultural characteristics shape the hero in detective fiction, trying to reveal how the city becomes both a stage and a puzzle.
This is the site’s creator and owner, Shangqi Yu.
Welcome to explore the detective world of Edinburgh with me!
Why are we still reading Sherlock Holmes in 2025? I have been thinking about this question repeatedly.
He is cold, rarely emotional, except when investigating cases; he never cries, struggles with socializing, is full of superiority, and can sometimes be a little mean. For modern readers, he seems to be an old-fashioned character.
…
“Rebus is out there right now, on some Edinburgh Street,” Ian Rankin said in an interview.
Detective Inspector John Rebus, created by the Edinburgh author Ian Rankin, is not a reasoning genius who “fights for truth and truth” like Sherlock Holmes. He is more rebellious, stubborn, rude, and even corrupt, but he is also more real and more “Edinburgh”…
