Knots And Crosses - by Ian Rankin

Having read and enjoyed other books in this series, I was looking forward to this one. My only reservation was that it was the very first and the author's second published book. Overall, it is a good read, with reasonably well defined characters and a well thought out story that kept be on board. I wonder whether the original ending, where Rebus is killed, might have been more powerful, but there would be the obvious downside of no further books.

Some of the writing is a little klunky - Rankin has sharpened his act tremendously since this book was written. It is not bad writing - it just needs some attention to detail. For example, some words over-dramatise situations - he "escaped" instead of left is one instance. Rebus's SAS background is quite interesting, but essentially believable. However, having a father and brother who were stage hypnotists does challenge credibility a bit.

If I had not seen Rankin's work before, would I read more on the strength of this? Yes, I think I'd give him a chance.