Sarah Broadhurst's view...
A simplistic plot, the conclusion easily guessed but you need to start here to better know Detective Sergeant John Rebus. A spate of murders, anonymous letters and a blanked-out past which his brother helps him ‘relive’, form the core to the first in what will become a riveting series. Actually you could start with The Black Book but if you do then I urge you to backtrack at some point to complete the canvas. Rankin’s publisher, Orion has decided to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Rebus by republishing Knots and Crosses in a collectors’ edition in hardcover at the original published price of £10.95. So for a bit of history, 20 years on why not take the plunge and spoil yourself with this beautiful gift hardback. Alternatively, the title is also available in paperback and as an Audiobook in CD format.
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Synopsis
Knots & Crosses - Collectors' Edition by Ian Rankin
The very first Rebus novel from Ian Rankin.
'It was 28th April. Wet, naturally, the grass percolating water as John Rebus walked to the grave of his father, dead five years to the day.'
This is our first glimpse of the Scottish policeman with the puzzling name... before Ian Rankin hit the bestseller lists, before Rebus became a national institution...
A story of the brutal abduction and murder of young girls, at first it seems that Detective Sergeant John Rebus, smoking and drinking too much, his own young daughter spirited away south by his disenchanted wife, is just one of many policemen hunting the killer. Then messages begin to arrive: knotted string and matchstick crosses - taunting Rebus with pieces of a puzzle only he can solve.
So begins the case that introduced the crime world to one of its most compelling characters.
Whether you're turning the pages for the first time, or reliving the mystery, KNOTS AND CROSSES is unmissable reading.
Reviews
'The Rebus series has been uniformly first rate... His is a superbly drawn character; matched by the edgy authenticity of the Scottish locale and dialogue' The Times
About the Author
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Born in the Kingdom of Fife in 1960, Ian Rankin graduated from the University of Edinburgh and has since been employed as grape-picker, swineherd, taxman, alcohol researcher, hi-fi journalist and punk musician.
His first Rebus novel, Knots & Crosses, was published in 1987 and the Rebus books have now been translated into 22 languages and are increasingly popular in the USA.
Ian Rankin has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow, and is a past winner of the prestigious Chandler-Fulbright Award, as well two CWA short-story 'Daggers' and the 1997 CWA Macallan Gold Dagger for Fiction for Black & Blue, which was also shortlisted for the Mystery Writers of America 'Edgar' award for best novel. Dead Souls, the tenth novel in the series, was shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger in 1999. Black & Blue, The Hanging Garden, Dead Souls and Mortal Causes have been televised on ITV, starring John Hannah as Inspector Rebus. His 3-part documentary series on the subject of evil was broadcast on Channel 4 in December 2002. An Alumnus of the Year at Edinburgh University, he has also been awarded two honorary doctorates, one from the University of Abertay Dundee and one, more recently, from the University of St Andrews.
He was awarded the OBE in the Queen's Golden Jubilee Birthday Honours List in June 2002 and is now the UK's number one best-selling crime writer. Ian Rankin lives in Edinburgh with his wife and two sons.
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Categories
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Categories
Mystery / Thriller
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