Editors Reads Verdict
The beginning of what became the defining Scottish crime series — Rebus is not yet fully formed here, and the novel is more psychological than procedural, but the Edinburgh atmosphere and Rebus's contradictions are already present. An essential starting point.
What We Loved
- Edinburgh is rendered with genuine specificity — the class geography, the weather, the social divisions are all present
- Rebus's psychological damage is established as the series' central subject
- The SAS backstory gives the novel a psychological depth the later, more procedural entries sometimes lack
Minor Drawbacks
- As a first novel, the writing is less assured than the later series
- The mystery plotting is less sophisticated than in Rankin's mature work
Key Takeaways
- → Rebus is established as a man whose past (SAS service, a failed marriage, drinking) makes him effective at understanding criminals precisely because he understands damage
- → Edinburgh's respectable surface and its hidden violence is the series' persistent subject — a city that presents differently than it is
- → The police procedural form is used to examine class and power rather than simply to solve crimes
| Author | Ian Rankin |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Orion |
| Pages | 240 |
| Published | January 1, 1987 |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Crime Fiction, Mystery |
| Difficulty | Beginner |
| Best For | Readers of British crime fiction and fans of place-specific detective series — the starting point for the Rebus series. |
The First Rebus
John Rebus is a detective constable in Edinburgh who drinks too much, sleeps badly, and cannot sustain relationships. He has SAS service in his past and a breakdown that followed it. These are the facts from which Rankin constructs one of British crime fiction’s most durable series characters.
Knots and Crosses is the beginning — shorter than the mature Rebus novels, more psychological thriller than police procedural, but with all the series’ essential materials present. Edinburgh as a city of respectable facades and violent secrets. Rebus as a man whose damage makes him effective precisely because he understands the damage of others.
The City
Rankin’s Edinburgh is not the tourist Edinburgh of the Royal Mile and the castle. It is a city of council estates and pub closing times, of class divisions that are felt but rarely acknowledged, of violence that exists just below the surface of respectability. Every Rebus novel is partly a sociological portrait of the city.
Our rating: 4.0/5 — The series begins — Rebus and Edinburgh at their darkest, before Rankin found his full range.
Reading Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "Knots and Crosses" about?
Edinburgh detective John Rebus investigates a series of murders of young girls while receiving taunting messages from a person who seems to know his past. The first Inspector Rebus novel — shorter and darker than the later series, more psychological thriller than police procedural.
Who should read "Knots and Crosses"?
Readers of British crime fiction and fans of place-specific detective series — the starting point for the Rebus series.
What are the key takeaways from "Knots and Crosses"?
Rebus is established as a man whose past (SAS service, a failed marriage, drinking) makes him effective at understanding criminals precisely because he understands damage Edinburgh's respectable surface and its hidden violence is the series' persistent subject — a city that presents differently than it is The police procedural form is used to examine class and power rather than simply to solve crimes
Is "Knots and Crosses" worth reading?
The beginning of what became the defining Scottish crime series — Rebus is not yet fully formed here, and the novel is more psychological than procedural, but the Edinburgh atmosphere and Rebus's contradictions are already present. An essential starting point.
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