Knots & Crosses [Paperback]

Ian Rankin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2, 2004

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.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

THE SCOTSMAN interviewed Ian in Orkney about the special Highland Park Rebus20 Whisky. This ran as a double page interview with Susan Mansfield on 23 November. In the same issue they ran a news story about the future of Rebus The announcement of the special Rebus20 whisky was coveraged in DAILY EXPRESS (23 Nov). THE SCOTSMAN ran a double page interview feature on Saturday 27 January to cover the announcement of the special Rebus20 ale from the Caledonian Brewery. WHISKY MAGAZINE ran a competition to win a bottle of Rebus20 and a signed copy of limited Collectors Edition of Knots and Crosses THE PUBLICAN ran a feature on the beer and whisky in the 27 March issue THE INDEPENDENT ran a news piece about the 20th anniversary mentioning the collector's edition and the beer and whisky Ian wrote a piece 'Why I Love Pubs' for THE PUBLICAN magazine 18 Jan MYSTERY SCENE (spring 07) ran cover story and 3-page feature on 20th anniversary. INDEPENDENT ON SUNDAY ran a feature on 20th anniversary and Edinburgh for travel pages. This will be cover story on 25 March. SCOTTISH FIELD (1 May) ran feature on Ian choosing Highland Park for Rebus20 THE SCOTSMAN have run a week long charity auction from Saturday 17 March to raise money for Ian's favourite charity, Edinburgh-based SNIPS. This offers an array of prizes which readers can bid for on-line on Friday 23 March. The week was launched with an interview with Ian in the paper plus a feature on the Top 10 books that inspired his writing. There was also a free Highland Park miniature given away to all readers and full page adverts for the charity auction. The special Rebus 20 week culminates with a special free Ian Rankin short story book (also trailed with full page ad in Sat 17 March edition) given away with the Saturday 24 March edition. The week-long campaign has been supported by TV advertising by THE SCOTSMAN and has been heavily trailed in previous editions. TIMES ONLINE have recorded a podcast with Ian in Edinburgh about 20th anniversary and Edinburgh. R5 SIMON MAYO interview 19 March BBC RADIO SCOTLAND Fred Macaulay interview 19 March R2 'STEVE WRIGHT' did plug and giveaway EDINBURGH EVE NEWS ran piece on 29 May about Writers Museum Exhibition --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Ian Rankin is the worldwide #1 bestselling writer of the Inspector Rebus books, including Hide and Seek, Let It Bleed, Black and Blue, Set in Darkness, Resurrection Men, A Question of Blood, The Falls and Exit Music. He is also the author of The Complaints and Doors Open. He has won an Edgar Award, a Gold Dagger for fiction, a Diamond Dagger for career excellence, and the Chandler-Fulbright Award. He has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow, and received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contributions to literature. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982. He lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, with his wife and their two sons. 

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Orion Paperbacks (August 2, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752865579
• ISBN-13: 978-0752865577
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (57 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,474,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Knotty problems from Ian Rankin, March 29, 1998

By 

Abigail Weed Howard ([e-mail]) (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Knots and Crosses (Detective John Rebus Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

What a pleasure it is to discover an untapped mystery series. It was almost purely by chance that I picked up Ian Rankin's Knots and Crosses, but it will be with eagerness that I pursue the other books about John Rebus of the Edinburgh police force.

Knots and Crosses is in part a classic police procedural that takes place in the seamy side of Edinburgh that guidebooks never show and that tourists never suspect. The hunted criminal is a serial killer - "But here, in Edinburgh. It's intolerable." The book is also a fascinating psychological mystery with the events of the present rooted in the past and shaped by the meetings of minds. The intricate but never stretched plot is full of unexpected interconnections among the cast of characters.

The chief joy in reading the novel comes from the writing itself. As the title and the detective's name hint, we're in for word play and words loaded with meaning. Thrown in is some hypnotism, excesses of tobacco, sex, and alcohol, a love of books and literature, and love.

As the investigation heats and the killer has the "police force tied in knots," Rebus "was feeling like the detective in a cheap thriller and wished that he could turn to the last page." We are lucky; this is not a cheap thriller and we enjoy every page up to the very satisfying last.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Getting To Know The Inspector, April 2, 2005

By 

B. Merritt "filmreviewstew.com" (WWW.FILMREVIEWSTEW.COM, Pacific Grove, California United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Knots and Crosses (Detective John Rebus Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Oh the pain of trudging through a bad detective mystery! Ouch! Ugh! Grrr! I recently finished reading some horrifically bad novels by a few American authors and then (happily) stumbled upon this weird guy's books, known collectively as the Inspector Rebus series. Ian Rankin, a Scottish writer, is the creator of this series . . . and I'm REALLY glad I found him!

Like a jigsaw puzzle, Mr. Rankin overlaps every vital piece of information into the vibrant plot, from the military and Rebus' family, to excessive smoking and drinking. Add to this fact that the author makes me feel right at home in a country (Scotland) I've never visited, and you've got me hooked.

The story revolves around the life of Detective John Rebus, a hard-living, fast-drinking, oft-womanizing cop whom the author ultimately makes you care about. Rebus has plenty of problems, too: he's divorced, has a young daughter approaching teenhood, has terrible nightmares about his time in the British special forces (SAS), and wants desperately to be left alone. But a murderer is on the loose, and our flawed detective has to work the case . . . and he is soon drawn into the killer's web of murder. The brutality of Edinburgh (showing an underbelly that most tourists never see, nor want to hear about) comes slithering off the pages. (Example from Chapter 1: "The girl screamed once, only the once. Even that, however, was a minor slip on his part. That might have been the end of everything, almost before it had begun. Neighbours inquisitive, the police called in to investigate. No, that would not do at all. Next time he would tie the gag a little tighter, just a little tighter, just that little bit more secure.").

Detective John Rebus was introduced to the world in this first novel back in 1987, and Mr. Rankin hasn't let up over the intervening years. The London Times and other British periodicals have lavished him with stunning reviews ever since, but the true test is whether or not his books can withstand rigorous readings from those of us on the other side of the Atlantic.

Ian Rankin's Detective Rebus, I'm happy to say, has found a comfy home on my shelves (and many others from what I've read online and in the papers). Kirkus, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and many others, have given this book - and the remainder of his series - a very appropriate welcome into the States. An added bonus, too, is that Rebus, an appropriately dark (in tone) television series, was shot on location in Edinburgh, produced by the BBC, and can be seen from time to time on cable station BBC America.

Although this is only the first of the seventeen Rebus novels, I intend to read them all. In fact, I've already started on my next dose of Rebus. Congratulations, Mr. Rankin. You've found yourself another reader of your excellent novels.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dry, dark, humorless police procedural, July 26, 2001

By 

Carol Peterson Hennekens (Colorado Springs, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Knots and Crosses (Detective John Rebus Novels) (Mass Market Paperback)

Recent installments of the Rebus series (Black & Blue, Dead Souls and Set in Darkness) have garnished a fair amount of critical acclaim and awards. I thought I'd check out the series from the beginning. It may be a long time before I get to the books that won the awards.

Knots & Crosses is a competently written police procedural set in Scotland. It was, at least for me, a bit of chore to read. The bleakness was the difficulty. A nasty child murderer is sought. Rebus is a bit too stereotypical - divorced, alienated, chain smoking loner with a past that the reader has to guess about. With the exception of some tourist info (meaningless to me, having never been there), there just is no relief for the reader. While everything is resolved in the end, the reader doesn't get many clues to chew on in the process of the novel.

Bottom-line: I'd give this two and a half stars if the system allowed. Fans of British police procedurals may like this better but I'd rather read Daziel & Pascoe or Inspector Barnaby.