Knots And Crosses - Softcover

Rankin, Ian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0752877186 ISBN 13: 9780752877181

Publisher: Orion, 2005

Synopsis

'A gripping and sinister tale...The plot is complicated as is the author's exploration into the psychology of guilt, revenge and fear' Independent 'Tough and authentic-sounding thriller...unlikely to be endorsed by the Scottish Tourist Board, but highly recommended to anyone weary of the tartan' Literary Review Once John Rebus was a Para, served in the elite SAS. Now he's an Edinburgh policeman who spends time evading his memories and missing promotion opportunities. Then there is the small matter of the brutal abduction and murder of two young girls and a third missing. Detective Sergeant John Rebus, smoking and drinking too much, his own daughter spirited away by his estranged wife, is one of many policemen hunting the killer. Then .the messages begin: knotted string and matchstick crosses taunt Rebus with a puzzle only he can solve.

About this title

About the Author

Ian Rankin has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow; and is also a past winner of the prestigious Chandler-Fulbright Award, as well as two CWA Daggers for the year's best short story and the Gold Dagger for Fiction for Black and Blue. He lives in Edinburgh and is married with two sons. Bill Paterson is an award winning actor who has appeared in many TV, film and theatre roles including The Singing Detective, Licking Hitler, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, The Killing Feilds and Comfort and Joy. Bill Paterson is one of the media's best-known voices. He is an award-winning actor, who has worked in many TV, film and theatre roles and productions including Marriage Play and Death and the Maiden. Television work includes Wives and Daughters, Auf Wiedersehen Pet, The Singing Detective and Licking Hitler and films include The Killing Fields and Truly, Madly, Deeply.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

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.

About this edition

• Publisher: Orion
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0752877186
• ISBN 13: 9780752877181
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256