ðɪ ˈɜːli jˈɪɹz, ɹˈæŋkɪn sˈɛz ðɪs wʌz hɪz sˈɛkənd ɐtˈɛmpt æɾ ʌpdˈeɪɾɪŋ ɹˈɑːbɚt lˈuːi stˈiːvɛnsənz dˈɑːktɚ. dʒˈɛkɪl ænd mˈɪstɚ. hˈaɪd ˌɪntʊ ðˈɛnmˈɑːdɚn ˈɛdɪnbʌɹə"wˈʌn ɹᵻvjˈuːɚ ɡˈɑːt ɪt", ænd wɪð ðɪs bˈʊk hiː bɪɡˈæn tə lˈaɪk ɹᵻbjˈuːz æz ɐ kˈæɹɪktɚ ænd θˈɔːt hiː kʊd jˈuːz hˌɪm æz ɐ ɹᵻkˈɜːɹɪŋ mˈaʊθpiːs fɔːɹ stˈoːɹiz ɐbˌaʊt hɪz vjˈuːz ˌɔn skˈɑːtlənd.
The Early Years, Rankin says this was his second attempt at updating Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde into then-modern Edinburgh ("one reviewer 'got it'"), and with this book he began to like Rebus as a character and thought he could use him as a recurring mouthpiece for stories about his views on Scotland.