Knots and Crosses

The Rebus book that started it all

Review by: The Audiobook ReviewWhat can I say about the Rebus series by Ian Rankin that hasn't already been said? I guess instead I should relate my own experience with the novels. It's been longer than I can remember since I read my first Rankin novel - A Question of Blood, I believe it was. Quite late in the series.

Since then I've bought and read through the entire series as books and then e-books, and now I'm working my way through them again from the beginning as audiobooks.

Narrated by James Macpherson, this book sets the groundwork for Rebus and the lifetime of books to follow. Macpherson does a great job voicing Rebus and the others, yet after reading so many of them I had a hard time picturing Rebus with any voice other than the one I'd given him in my mind while reading them myself.

That said, I've no issues with Macpherson's reading, and I'm sure once I'm a few books deep he'll be my go-to voice when I think of Rebus.

The backstory to Rebus is fascinating, and it matches well with his character not only in this book but in the subsequent ones as well. Rankin is a master of laying in details, from the smallest of hints to red herrings that often aren't obvious at first but become clear in time.

I enjoyed this audiobook just as much as the times I've read it myself. Normally I steer towards humorous fiction, but Rankin and Rebus made an impression on me so long ago they're a welcome addition to my library.