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Knots And Crosses

The number one bestselling series that inspired BBC One’s REBUS

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Knots And Crosses

By: Ian Rankin
Narrated by: James Macpherson
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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.

Read by James Macpherson

(p) 2011 Orion Publishing Group©1987 John Rebus Ltd Crime Fiction Detective Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Traditional Detectives Thriller Crime Scary Suspense
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Critic reviews

Ian Rankin is a genius (Lee Child)
No one in Britain writes better crime novels today
Britain's No.1 crime writer
The best and most complex thriller writer in Britain today
Rankin is the thinking man's thriller writer
A master in his field
All stars
Most relevant
With a character driven piece, the key to the Audio book is the narrator, and this one left me really looking forward to more. Very invocative of Edinburgh, and generally an involving and interesting read. Thoroughly enjoyed

Good introduction to Rebus

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Having listened to much grittier books by the likes of Craig Russell and Laura Wilson I was hoping for a lot more from the likes of Mr Rankin.

This is perhaps an opener to the Rebus stories but it certainly didn't grip us. The actual story is a very, very sad second to Rebus' own tale and didn't amount to much at all. James Macpherson is a good narrator but perhaps too singsong for a roughty toughty, down at heel Scottish policeman on a murder team.

I have read other reviews and maybe, just maybe, there is a chance the other books warm up a little but I don't think I am willing to invest our time in them just yet. Thankfully this was a short book for the money, which was quite a surprise to start with, but we can now move on without feeling guilty we didn't give it it's best shot!

One for the return pile I'm afraid.

Not a Strong Story

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Would you listen to Knots and Crosses again? Why?

Not for a while. Excellent start to know Rebus.

What did you like best about this story?

Getting to know Rebus' background

Would you listen to another book narrated by James Macpherson?

Possibly

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Gripping

Any additional comments?

Enjoy all Ian Rankin books and particularly Rebus

Excellent

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Would you try another book written by Ian Rankin or narrated by James Macpherson?

The narrator James MacPherson is very very good I would definitely listen to another book narrated by him but I would only listen to another Ian Rankin book if someone else read it first and told me that it's worth listening to and even then I'm not sure if I would

What was most disappointing about Ian Rankin’s story?

This book is just what Rebus does in his day to day life and then stumbles on the person they are looking for at the end it's supposed to be a crime novel and Rebus is supposed to be a police man he does no detective work at all through the hole book

What does James Macpherson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

James is very good at making you feel what the character feels at the time he puts a lot of feeling into his reading if the character is feeling happy, crazy, drunk, angery, are just doesn't care you feel that to

If this book were a film would you go see it?

NO!!!! It would be pointless and a waste of time

Any additional comments?

Maybe it's because it's Ian Rankin's first novel that it's so weak I don't know maybe they do get better but I won't be wasting my time finding out

No storyline

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I’ve come late to the Rebus books, and I planned to begin at the beginning and read them all in order.
Knots and Crosses is well written and gripping, and the reminder of little details of life in the 1980s are fascinating, but the narrator was irritating.
James Macpherson has a beautiful accent, but much of his reading is chopped into short phrases with staccato syllables rather than presenting the whole sentence fluently. Worst was his constant pronunciation of Rebus, especially at the start of the sentences. He delivered it as Re-bus - question mark - space as though using the rising Australian interrogative, or as he would question an uncertain name if its owner had surprised him. At the start this was so irritating that I considered returning the book, but I put up with it to get on with the story, I notice he is reading the next volume too.
It was well worth it though, and I am looking forward to the next book.

Needs a more fluent narrator

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