Product Description

'And in Edinburgh of all places. I mean, you never think of that sort of thing happening in Edinburgh, do you...?' 'That sort of thing' is the brutal abduction and murder of two young girls. And now a third is missing, presumably gone to the same sad end. Detective Sergeant John Rebus, smoking and drinking too much, his own young daughter spirited away south by his disenchanted wife, is one of many policemen hunting the killer. And then the messages begin to arrive: knotted string and matchstick crosses - taunting Rebus with pieces of a puzzle only he can solve.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3165538 in Books
• Published on: 2007-05-16
• Format: Large Print
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 341 pages

About the Author
Ian Rankin has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow; and is also a past winner of the prestigious Chandler-Fulbright Award, as well as two CWA Daggers for the year's best short story and the Gold Dagger for Fiction for Black and Blue. He lives in Edinburgh and is married with two sons. Bill Paterson is an award winning actor who has appeared in many TV, film and theatre roles including The Singing Detective, Licking Hitler, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, The Killing Feilds and Comfort and Joy. Bill Paterson is one of the media's best-known voices. He is an award-winning actor, who has worked in many TV, film and theatre roles and productions including Marriage Play and Death and the Maiden. Television work includes Wives and Daughters, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, The Singing Detective and Licking Hitler and films include The Killing Fields and Truly, Madly, Deeply.

Customer Reviews

The first Rebus, flat and hesitant
The first of the Rebus novels and interesting as a source of background for the more developed character who would emerge in later works. This is a very limited piece of writing - the sort a teacher might describe as "showing promise". Rankin goes on to much better work, and his growth in literary maturity and confidence will shine through.

Rankin uses a simple, direct plot. He imports clichés - serial killer, revenge, the policeman and his family under threat. He hasn't made up his mind whether to write a police procedural or a thriller. He doesn't really nail his colours to the mast, so the plot and the characterisation drift innocuously in places. Even the background colour of Edinburgh is sparse - as if it might be a marketing mistake to make the book too Scottish ... or as if no one could believe evil would visit Edinburgh.

Indeed, Rankin does agonise at places in the book, reminding the reader that Edinburgh has its own history of grave robbers and murderers, that the city might present itself as a tourist, cultural, and political centre, but it is also a city which experiences violence, drugs, poverty. And it's the city of Stevenson, the source, perhaps, of his Jekyll and Hyde.

So "Knots and Crosses" is a bit coy. There is little use of Scots languages - it's a very English novel in that sense. This is far removed from, say, "Trainspotting". It introduces Rankin, a police sergeant who believes in god but who can't find a church he quite believes in. He's a man with a failed marriage, a fragile relationship with his daughter, and a successful brother. And Rebus is a man with a military past who is now being plagued with anonymous letters which distract his attention from a spate of murders which have begun to trouble the city.

The plot is a bit simplistic, it doesn't take much effort to work out whodunnit, the conclusion lacks tension and drama, the characters are a bit flat ... and Rebus' military background is provided courtesy of reading a book on the SAS. Rankin doesn't really get inside the man. Instead, he toys with a stereotype.

He resolves this in later novels. Rankin does grow enormously as an author in his later works, and it is well worth persevering. Reading "Knots and Crosses" helps you understand the development of the author rather than the character, but it does give insights into the series. However, I would advise you to buy "Rebus: The Early Years", which offers an anthology of the first three Rebus novels ("Knots and Crosses", " Hide and Seek", and " Tooth and Nail"). This is far better value, and it will help you see the growth and maturity in Rankin's writing rather than just dismissing him because of the limited nature of his first creation.

A good place to start
I was recommended to Rankin's works by a very well read friend of mine, who, fortunately, warned me that the Rebus novels improve with each subsequent book.

Having now read the next three books I can confirm that that statement is true, but I would strongly advise that anyone wanting to 'get into' Rebus should most definately read them in order as there are themes that run through the books, and you really do start to build up a very good mental picture of the inspectors life, loves, work colleagues and family.

The First Book in the Rebus Series
'Knots and Crosses' is the first book in Rankin's Rebus series. Several young girls have been kidnapped and murdered in Edinburgh and the murderer seems intent on getting Rebus to pursue him by sending Rebus cryptic notes. All the notes contain either a knotted piece of twine or two crossed matches. To solve the case, Rebus must confront aspects of his past that he would much rather forget.

The introduction to the novel is really interesting as Rankin reflects on his work and points out the flaws that he now sees. It's fascinating to watch the progression of a novelist from their own perspective.

I liked the novel very much. It's short and pacey, but I think that the character develops much further in later novels and is more psychologically and intellectually realistic later on which is why I've only given it three stars. Nevertheless, recommended.