Detective John Rebus: His city is being terrorized by a baffling series of murders...and he's tied to a maniac by an invisible knot of blood. Once...
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Apr 03, 2008
Dfordoom
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Knots and Crosses is the first of Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus novels, although in this one he’s still Detective-Sergeant Rebus. It’s almost impossible because of the way the plot is structured to say anything meaningful about the story without the rusk of giving away any spoilers. All I’ll say is that Rebus is an ex-army guy now a cop who finds himself involved in the investigation of the kidnapping/murders of several girls in Edinburgh. It’s one of those crime novels that focuses in the det
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Oct 17, 2011
AnEyeSpy
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"Knots and Crosses" by Ian Rankin are scraps of string and broken matchsticks in anonymous crank messages to Edinburgh detective John Rebus during a serial kidnapping of girls around 12, his daughter's age. Or is it a tic-tac-toe game? Constantly overcome by memories of elite corps army training, he smokes, drinks, and sleeps around like a 70s divorced lonely dad, until his brother finally hypnotizes him to reveal his bitter past hiding the murderer. Either I read this before or the su
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Sep 14, 2009
Rose
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Knots & Crosses takes place in Edinburgh, Scotland, a city that gets in your bones, much like the chilly, damp air that envelopes it during the fall & winter months. It has history, majesty, and real beauty. But this is not the Edinburgh of Rankin's novels. In fact, Rankin paints a picture of a cold, gothic city teeming with dark secrets. The case Rebus is working is horrific: his investigation of the disappearance and gruesome murder of a child soon turns into the scrambling search to find
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Oct 15, 2008
Emily
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I will admit to wanting to read this book in part because I heard the author on NPR about a year ago and he is Scottish and I have a big weakness for Scottish accents. But! In my defense, I was actually intrigued by what he said (and not just how he said it!).
Having finally read the book, I have to say, it was a great read. I realized about a third of the way through that it has been a long time since I've read both an apt and original metaphor and this was chock full of them. Being More...
Having finally read the book, I have to say, it was a great read. I realized about a third of the way through that it has been a long time since I've read both an apt and original metaphor and this was chock full of them. Being More...
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May 29, 2010
Bettie
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Feb 06, 2008
Auntie M
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The first in Rankin's long-running Rebus series, this hard-boiled detective knows the ins and outs of criminal Edinburgh as no one else, and is not above looking beyond the law to settle his disagreements with the inhabitants of the seamy side of town.
I had the good fortune to interview Rankin in person years ago for "Mystery Scene" magazine, and he is every bit as complicated as his protagonist. Both are hard-drinking, chain smoking guys with a tough, cynical eye of the world More...
I had the good fortune to interview Rankin in person years ago for "Mystery Scene" magazine, and he is every bit as complicated as his protagonist. Both are hard-drinking, chain smoking guys with a tough, cynical eye of the world More...
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May 16, 2008
Kim
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My latest favorite mystery/crime fiction sleuth, Edinburgh's Inspector John Rebus has more than his fair share of demons to match his unwavering focus on justice, and both have a way of putting him at odds with the powers that be. In this first book of the series, the clues to the identity of the serial killer dubbed "The Edinburgh Strangler" lie in Rebus's buried past. I particularly love the complexities of the juxtapositions between Rebus's cynical dark thoughts and his inability to
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Mar 23, 2009
Julie
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It was OK. Not great but I've read much worse too. I think my beef with it is that it was written over 20 years ago and seems dated. (Not obviously dated, like no one has a cell phone) but the plot devices seem dated. Our protagonist has a big blank spot in his memory about his time spent in the SAS and has never given it much thought. (Huh?) A serial killer is sending him clues in the mail, which he also doesn't give much thought too, brushing it off as a crank. (Really??) Then the killer
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Jan 09, 2012
Paul
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Well, this is definitely a departure in my reading patterns. This novel, Knots & Crosses by Ian Rankin, is my first dive into the genre of pure detective fiction. And what an exhilarating first plunge - like a swan dive into an empty pool, but in a very good way.
This is the first novel in the long and well known (to those into detective fiction that is) Rebus series. Actually touted on the cover as “Rankin and Rebus” so people like myself will know what to look for on the bookstore she More...
This is the first novel in the long and well known (to those into detective fiction that is) Rebus series. Actually touted on the cover as “Rankin and Rebus” so people like myself will know what to look for on the bookstore she More...
Dec 22, 2011
Madonna
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After having read reviews of Rankin's John Rebus series--always good, I decided it was time to start it myself. I thought I'd find a complicated story, but I was surprised to find such a simple mystery. Of course, Rebus is far more complicated. I'll continue reading the series to find out more about Rebus and how his past continues to show up in his present. I'd have to agree with the reviews that Rebus is a most interesting character and that Rankin tells a good story. I'm glad I started t
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Sep 12, 2011
J
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Loved it. I've read the Rebus books out of order. This installment is way early in the saga - Goodreads told me it is actually Rebus #1!
John is youngish, considered handsome and sexy, though already divorced.
I wonder why they didn't rename it "Tic Tac Toe" for Americans -- they didn't think we Americans could understand "Close" as a street designation, so they changed that Rebus title to say "Alley" instead -- remember?
But I guess they More...
John is youngish, considered handsome and sexy, though already divorced.
I wonder why they didn't rename it "Tic Tac Toe" for Americans -- they didn't think we Americans could understand "Close" as a street designation, so they changed that Rebus title to say "Alley" instead -- remember?
But I guess they More...
Jun 17, 2011
Caren
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I visited Edinburgh earlier this spring, and then returned in the pages of this first in the Inspector Rebus series by Scottish author, Ian Rankin. The older library copy I read had a picture of Edinburgh's Caltan Hill on the cover, which is why I checked the book out. I was not disappointed. Although the scenes in the story are not the typical tourist attractions, they do depict the moody atmosphere of this lovely city. The title is a play on the words "noughts and crosses", which is
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Apr 21, 2011
Alistair
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Knots & Crosses is more about the protagonist John Rebus than the solving of the crime itself.
To solve the crime Rebus, with the help of his brother hypnotist, revisits a past he has largely succeeded in forgetting. Rebus must investigate his own past rather than that of other characters to solve the crime. Rarely with detective fiction have I come across a detective with such a personal connection to the case. Generally the detective is a professional brought in to sort things More...
To solve the crime Rebus, with the help of his brother hypnotist, revisits a past he has largely succeeded in forgetting. Rebus must investigate his own past rather than that of other characters to solve the crime. Rarely with detective fiction have I come across a detective with such a personal connection to the case. Generally the detective is a professional brought in to sort things More...
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Mar 12, 2011
Ensiform
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The first Inspector John Rebus novel: the Scottish detective and ex-SAS man plods rather unsuccessfully through a child killer case, focusing on repressing some nasty memory from his past while trying to keep a handle on his own relationships with his adolescent daughter, divorced wife, romantic entanglements, and wealthy hypnotist brother. A series of anonymous letters that are clearly from the killer himself come to Rebus’ home, but he’s too thick to realize any connection until it’s almost t
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Dec 30, 2010
Knots and Crosses, by Ian Rankin, A. Borrowed from the National Library Service for the Blind.
This is the first of the Rhebus series, published in 1987 and for which Rankin received an Edgar. Rhebus is fairly new to police work but is already proving that he stands out from the norm. He was in the special services unit in the army prior to going into police work and refuses to talk much about it. IN fact, he won’t even think about it. But apparently something happened then which More...
This is the first of the Rhebus series, published in 1987 and for which Rankin received an Edgar. Rhebus is fairly new to police work but is already proving that he stands out from the norm. He was in the special services unit in the army prior to going into police work and refuses to talk much about it. IN fact, he won’t even think about it. But apparently something happened then which More...
Nov 10, 2009
Tony
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Rankin, Ian. KNOTS AND CROSSES. (1987). *****. Rankin is one of the best mystery writers writing today, and this is one of his earlier books that provides more background on his series character, Inspector John Rebus. Rebus is going through a crisis. He is divorced from his wife. He doesn’t get to see his daughter, Samantha, very much – at least not as much as he would like. His police work is getting to him. His past in the SAS keeps coming back to him in chronic outbreaks of mental tu
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Apr 21, 2009
Liz
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This is the start of a series about a Detective Inspector John Rebus who works in Edinburgh. He deals with the "real" Edinburgh that the tourists don't see. It is, as anyone who lives in an area frequented by tourists knows, not as pretty and can be rather dreary.
This book finds Rebus at a rather down beaten time in life. He’s divorced his wife, his daughter Samantha lives with her, he works his job seemingly just because he has to work and this job is as good and bad as an More...
This book finds Rebus at a rather down beaten time in life. He’s divorced his wife, his daughter Samantha lives with her, he works his job seemingly just because he has to work and this job is as good and bad as an More...
Dec 30, 2010
Vanessa
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This book is the first of Rankin's series on Inspector Rebus (although he's still a detective sergeant in this outing.) The good news is that if you end up liking this book, you have 16 more to follow up with.
The story involves Rebus, along with most of the available staff, placed on special assignment to investigate the abduction and strangling of young girls in Edinburgh. Rebus is recently divorced, misses his own young daughter and is still recovering from a top-secret training exer More...
The story involves Rebus, along with most of the available staff, placed on special assignment to investigate the abduction and strangling of young girls in Edinburgh. Rebus is recently divorced, misses his own young daughter and is still recovering from a top-secret training exer More...
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Jun 07, 2011
Brad
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I had low expectations going into this. Being a big fan of Scottish lit, I've always kept Rankin at arms length, thinking that he'd be too pulpy and pop culturey to be worth reading. I'm comfortable enough to own my snobbery.
Lately, though, I've felt Rankin's pull, especially since Henning Mankell's Wallander books reignited my interest in crime fiction. I have a thing for those damaged, brooding, middle aged, drink-too-much detectives, whose world view is so beaten and jaded by wha More...
Lately, though, I've felt Rankin's pull, especially since Henning Mankell's Wallander books reignited my interest in crime fiction. I have a thing for those damaged, brooding, middle aged, drink-too-much detectives, whose world view is so beaten and jaded by wha More...
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May 19, 2010
Dorothy
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This was a quick read because I found that once I got into the story, I didn't really want to put it down until I had finished it. I had never read any of Rankin's work before, but he's a good writer. He played fair with the clues and he maintained the suspense throughout.
His main character, Detective John Rebus, is a troubled man. He's not what you would probably think of as a typical policeman and he has to be practically hit over the head before he figures out the clues and d More...
His main character, Detective John Rebus, is a troubled man. He's not what you would probably think of as a typical policeman and he has to be practically hit over the head before he figures out the clues and d More...
Apr 20, 2010
Joyce
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Introducing Detective Sergeant John Rebus of the Edinburgh police.[return][return]Rebus' past, which he can not remember, haunts him in dreams and even in waking life, with screams of "Don't leave me". Divorced, on good terms with his 12 year old daughter Samantha whom he adores, Rebus is caught up in a case of pre-teen girls who are strangled but not sexually assaulted, a puzzling type of serial murder. In addition, he receives a number of what he dismisses as crank notes, first a
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Jan 11, 2010
Nikki
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I read a couple of Ian Rankin's books a while ago, probably three or four years ago now. This one hadn't faded entirely out of memory, so I didn't find anything too surprising about it. Ian Rankin's own observations about it, in the introduction, about how obviously it's a first novel and how inexperienced he was, are true. It shows sometimes, not that I think it's necessarily bad writing -- just, Ian Rankin is still finding his feet in this book. I might actually have enjoyed it more if I hadn'
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Oct 30, 2011
Kurt
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I'd read Ian Rankin's Black and Blue some years ago and barely remember it, except that I wasn't so blown away by it that I had to find more. This book was given to me as a freebie and after it sat on a shelf for a couple years I decided to give it a try.
This is the first in the Inspector Rebus series and probably the best place to start with the John Rebus character. He's the textbook flawed character: demon-haunted, drinks too much, divorced, the works. A killer is lurking the str More...
This is the first in the Inspector Rebus series and probably the best place to start with the John Rebus character. He's the textbook flawed character: demon-haunted, drinks too much, divorced, the works. A killer is lurking the str More...
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Jan 08, 2012
Steve
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We are introduced to Detective Sergeant Rebus of the West Lothian police force. He is hot on the heels of a serial killer that seems to strike at random, with seemingly no connection between his victims. Well, he s knocking on doors asking for information and searching through dusty old records, not chasing the killer down the main street, but he s definitely on the case& [return][return]This is the first book in the Inspector Rebus series, and it is very good, making you want to read more, ev
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Dec 31, 2008
Kirsty
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This was my first Ian Rankin and so I wasn't really sure what to expect from the book. I'd had recommendations from friends but had always found something I wanted to read more than this.
I'm glad I picked it up. The pace at the beginning was a little slow for me and it took me a while to get into it, however from page 100 or so onwards I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting.
I like the depth in which the central character - Detective Sergeant Rebus - is explored More...
I'm glad I picked it up. The pace at the beginning was a little slow for me and it took me a while to get into it, however from page 100 or so onwards I couldn't put it down and read it in one sitting.
I like the depth in which the central character - Detective Sergeant Rebus - is explored More...
Aug 26, 2010
Dasha
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I was very excited to read this. I'd been meaning to read Ian Rankin and finding myself in a used bookshop in Inverness finally bought the first two books of the series [I think the shopkeeper was very excited that I wanted to read their own Scottish wonder - he won a main prize last year at the Edinburgh book festival.:]
However found it a little disappointing - straightforward plot [that sounds ridiculous perhaps - because it is requisitely twisty - but in a way that if you've read more t More...
However found it a little disappointing - straightforward plot [that sounds ridiculous perhaps - because it is requisitely twisty - but in a way that if you've read more t More...
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Sep 07, 2009
Emily
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I bought this on a recent trip to Edinburgh. I've been meaning to start this series for a while. Looking forward to it!
It took me a bit to get into this one (I can't wait to see how Ranking grows as a writer through the series); it took me by surprise. It sucked me in and held on till the very last page, just a like a great mystery should. I've rarely read an author who does atmosphere the way Rankin does: dark, heavy and very Scottish, so much so that I felt the damp creeping in aro More...
It took me a bit to get into this one (I can't wait to see how Ranking grows as a writer through the series); it took me by surprise. It sucked me in and held on till the very last page, just a like a great mystery should. I've rarely read an author who does atmosphere the way Rankin does: dark, heavy and very Scottish, so much so that I felt the damp creeping in aro More...
May 17, 2008
Zombieaps
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I loved it. It may be his first time out with Inspector John Rebus but I forgive any short comings of the book. It was a fast read and a nice break from all the heavy dense stuff I've been reading. I'm going to plow through this series and would recommended it to anyone that likes Noir, Scotland or sharp writing.
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Sep 13, 2011
Phil
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The first Rebus novel was relatively interesting but has all the hallmarks of an early novel from a subsequently prolific author.
There is little this novel has to offer in terms of improving or innovating within the genre and some of the highbrow literary allusions smack more of the author than Rebus himself which can make sections of this seem incongruous with the setting and principle character; however, the plot, whilst not especially surprising or original, nips along at a crack More...
There is little this novel has to offer in terms of improving or innovating within the genre and some of the highbrow literary allusions smack more of the author than Rebus himself which can make sections of this seem incongruous with the setting and principle character; however, the plot, whilst not especially surprising or original, nips along at a crack More...
Jun 27, 2008
Joe
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I can't remember where I heard about this series, but I was looking for stuff to read on planes and buses and beaches and whatnot, and this totally filled the bill.
"What's that you say? A whole series of crime/mystery novels set in Scotland with a grumpy drunk for a protagonist? I'm in."
"What's that you say? A whole series of crime/mystery novels set in Scotland with a grumpy drunk for a protagonist? I'm in."
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