Knots and Crosses (Inspector John Rebus Series #1)

by Ian Rankin

Overview

Knots and Crosses introduces gifted mystery novelist Ian Rankin, a fascinating locale and the most compellingly complex detective hero at work today.

Inspector 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 John Rebus served in Britain's elite SAS. Now he's an Edinburgh cop who hides from his memories, misses promotions and ignores a series of crank letters. But as the ghoulish killings mount and the tabloid headlines scream, Rebus cannot stop the feverish shrieks from within his own mind. Because he isn't just one cop trying to catch a killer, he's the man who's got all the pieces to the puzzle....

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312536923
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/16/2008
Series:	Inspector John Rebus Series , #1
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	50,447
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.90(d)

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.

Hometown:

Edinburgh, London and France

Date of Birth:

April 28, 1960

Place of Birth:

Cardenden, Scotland

Education:

Edinburgh University

Website:

http://www.ianrankin.net

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One

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.

Afterwards, he went to the drawer and took from it a ball of string. He used a pair of sharp nail-scissors, the kind girls always seem to use, to snip off a length of about six inches, then he put the ball of string and the scissors back into the drawer. A car revved up outside, and he went to the window, upsetting a pile of books on the floor as he did so. The car, however, had vanished, and he smiled to himself. He tied a knot in the string, not any special kind of knot, just a knot. There was an envelope lying ready on the sideboard.

Excerpted from Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin.

Copyright © 2006, 1987 by Ian Rankin.

Published in 1987 by St. Martin’s Press

All rights reserved. This work is protected under copyright laws and reproduction is strictly prohibited. Permission to reproduce the material in any manner or medium must be secured from the Publisher.

Table of Contents

Contents

Title Page,
Copyright Notice,
Dedication,
Prologue,
Part One: "There are Clues Everywhere",
Part Two: "For Those Who Read Between the Times",
Part Three: Knot,
Part Four: The Cross,
Part Five: Knots & Crosses,
Epilogue,
Acknowledgements,
St. Martin's Paperbacks Titles by Ian Rankin,
Praise for Ian Rankin and Knots and Crosses,
Copyright,

Editorial Reviews

His is a superbly drawn character; matched by the edgy authenticity of the Scottish locale and dialogue.” —Marcel Berlins, The Times

“Suspenseful riddling, with exemplary eye to the plod of police through civic jungle.” —Sunday Times

From the Publisher