Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin
TThings aren’t going well for the army return, Detective Sergeant John Rebus when we first meet him. He’s smoking and drinking too much, trying to soak in the facts of his broken marriage with Rohana, who has taken their daughter Samantha along. The story unwraps with the scene of a small kid being strangled. Yes, Edinburgh has a serial killer on the loose, kidnapping and killing young kids. And you guessed it right! Rebus, along with Gill Templer and many others, is posted to investigate. Just like his name, an enigmatic puzzle, Rebus has been portrayed as a troubled man, “a flawed hut humane detective”. Something haunts Rebus, recurring visions and dreams. But no clue to this peculiar behaviour is reviled until the end. Apart from this, the inspector has also been receiving random notes, with knots or crosses along. Is this some kind of prank played by a weirdo? Or has it anything to do with the murderer? Nonetheless, Rebus chooses to ignore them. It takes a while until he realizes that this series of murders are in fact intensely personal. What is the connection between the abducted kids and Rebus? Is Michael, his blood-brother involved? Who is “his” next target? Hold on to knots and crosses till the end to get this ‘enigmatic puzzle’ explained!
About the Book: Published in 1987, the crime thriller Knots and Crosses was Ian Rankin’s key to Inspector Rebus series.
The story is spun around John Rebus, a detective sergeant who is introduced as being messed up and lonely. A postgraduate student at the University of Edinburgh, Rankin most certainly has highlighted a different side to the picturesque city - a quick explosion of flavors of crime and action.
About the Author: Ian Rankin (Jack Harvey) is a celebrated Scottish crime novelist who is best known for his works of John Rebus. He is one of the writers who contribute huge proportions of crime novels sold in the UK. He has won copious prizes, including the honored Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger. His works have been translated to over 30 languages.