Knots & Crosses by Ian Rankin

The discussion between 9 members of our group wasn't really a debate but it flitted between positives and negatives throughout. So, I think it's fair to say the response to reading this book was mixed even in the minds of some individual readers.

Opening comments included: different, refreshing, irritating, unsatisfactory, enjoyed it, didn't enjoy it, not really my genre but...and so on - see, mixed!

It is an easy (to) read book that can be speed-read but should not be read on holiday. It is NOT an easy subject as this story is about a nasty, child related crime and the subject matter was a hurdle to get over. When one of our members requested the book from a local library she was offered only a large print version and told all other copies were already on loan from prison libraries. We chose, en masse, to believe that popularity among inmates is because the story involves a shocking catalogue of police errors.

This was the first in a series about DS John Rebus and those of the group who had read Ian Rankin before felt his later Rebus stories were much better than this one so recommended we all try another some time.

Of the characters, we felt:

• John Rebus is a self-pitying man
• Jim Stevens was a ghastly man
• Michael Rebus - loved the image of him in his see-through socks

Although it gives a sense of the darker side of Edinburgh, it's seedy bars, cigarettes, whisky, beer and sex, this is not a book of depth and description. It is hard to get lost in the story, you just read it. As one of our group aptly put it "I felt less involved than in other crime novels'. 

So, as I said earlier, we were mixed and our discussion around the book was short (we made up for that by reflecting on books we have read and enjoyed previously).

Would we recommend it? mixed - so let's go with these two responses:
"Yes, because I have read other Ian Rankin books."
AND
"No, because I have a big pile of books I want to read more."

Our next book and meeting dates is on Thursday 15th May 2014 when we will be discussing The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon. We will meet at 8.00pm in The Hundred of Ashendon and have decided to have no host as the pub now is not really one that is easy to have a nibbles in, so eat before or perhaps try a bar snack at the pub?