Knots And Crosses: From the iconic #1 bestselling author of A SONG FOR THE DARK TIMES

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Much of the story follows the familiar path the reader expects, though this early in the series everything is a touch ragged. The accompanying notes suggests that the Rebus character was slow to take off and struggling author Rankin thought of killing him off. Thankfully, for millions of readers and viewers of the TV series, he didn’t. You also understand that Callum's family is the victim of oppression in more than one dimension (his mother was fired from her job, subverting the education of one child - Jude - towards another's. The other in this case being Callum.) Callum and Sephie live in a social climate that makes it very difficult for them to be friends. The story doesn't do it in a way that obviously milks the dramatic contexts. Callum wants an education, though his family pushes him with respect to his achievements. Sephy's in an isolated environment with respect to her father's ranking and everything she does gets put across in a measure of her "privileged" lifestyle. So when Callum, pretty much the closest person she has to a friend, is allowed to attend her school among a small group of Noughts - it hits very close to home in its parallels to what happened with integration of the schools/working against the Jim Crow "separate but equal" measure in our real society. The two are then surprised by the rest of the gang, and Jude and Callum point their guns at each other; Sephy takes advantage of the confusion to flee. The story ends with Callum and Jude shooting at each other. Sephy is smart and courageous – the daughter of a powerful politician. Her relationship with her family, however, is very strained.

I could move my hands and... And. Anything I liked. Caress or strangle. Kill or cure. Her or me. Me or her."Michael Rebus - John's younger brother, rich from following his father's career in stage hypnotism, but with a few secrets to hide. Just remember, Callum when you’re floating up and up in your bubble, that bubbles have a habit of bursting. The higher you climb, the further you have to fall..."

I'm not a blanker. I may be a naught but I'm worth more than nothing. I'm not a blanker. A waste of time and space. A zero. I'm not a blanker. I'M NOT A BLANKER. Persephone "Sephy" Hadley is a Cross and the daughter of a wealthy senior politician, Kamal Hadley, who later becomes Prime Minister. Callum McGregor is a Nought, and they used to play together when Jasmine Adeyebe-Hadley, Sephy's mother, employed Meggie McGregor, Callum's mother, as a nanny. Ever since Jasmine fired Meggie, however, Sephy and Callum's friendship has been secret, as such interracial friendships are frowned upon by society. The story is a sensational (and too elaborate one): a serial killer is kidnapping and then killing young girls in Edinburgh. Callum is intelligent, ambitious and is often angry at the inequality he and other noughts face. He is sometimes conflicted but, in the end, he finds the courage to stand up for what he believes in. While Callie Rose is in hospital, Tobey gets a new job at the Dowds' restaurant. He meets Rebecca, Vanessa Dowd's daughter. Rebecca enjoys his company as he treats her like a person, unlike the other boys who are interested only in her family and money. Tobey eventually goes out with her but is conflicted between her and Callie Rose.

Damned if I haven't met myself coming and going in Knots and Crosses, the first John Rebus novel by Ian Rankin. After sharing a quote from the novel, a friend from the UK responded it seemed I was identifying with John Rebus. An adept observation. However, I felt it more a matter of staring at myself in the mirror reading through this debut of a rather complex character. Considering some of the reviewers' opinions of John Rebus, he's either loved, hated, or merely shrugged off. Fancy that. Aren't we all? In spite of whatever opinion we may have of our own self. Wow, this book is outstanding. I couldn't put it down! As someone who is in her thirties, I wondered whether this book would be too young and the writing immature, but this wasn't the case at all. This is an intelligently and sensitively written story about two friends, Callum, a white-skinned nought and Sephy a dark-skinned Cross and their relationship as they grow up. How society and the prejudices around them moulds them into people they don't really want to be. It's a story filled with tragedy and sorrow but also love and friendship. The story is narrated b Sonny Devlin: A member of Sephy's band. Starts to go out with Sephy, but Sephy decides to end their relationship even though they have feelings for each other. He later murders Nathan due to jealousy. You're a nought and I'm a Cross and there's nowhere for us to be, nowhere for us to go where we'd be left in peace." Alex Mcauley: Main antagonist of Double Cross, a crime boss in a war with the Dowds. He tries to make Tobey join him, but is killed by Dan, who replaces him.

Because you know what is really romantic? Murdering your girlfriend while she sleeps in your arms, apparently. Get me a man like that.Kamal tells Sephy that if she keeps her child, Callum will be hanged, but if she has the abortion, he will serve years in prison instead. Kamal makes a similar offer to Callum, wanting Callum to publicly admit to raping Sephy. Both decide to keep the baby, and Callum is hanged at the gallows. The romance is just, no. Racism is terrible but once one character has harmed another, it's best to no longer run with the romance angle. Storyline dangerously normalizes troubling relationship behaviors. Written for World Book Day 2003, An Eye For an Eye has been republished in a new edition of Noughts & Crosses. It describes one evening while Sephy is pregnant with Callie Rose when her sister, Minerva, visits her. Minerva offers to patch up things with Jasmine, but Sephy tries to get Minerva to leave, as Sephy was worried about being followed by Jude. As Minerva visits, Jude arrives in the apartment after days of following Sephy, intent on killing Sephy. The mother-in-law of the owner of my favorite used bookstore has been on my ass for years to give the Inspector Rebus books a shot. When this one turned up during one of my semi-weekly visits, I decided it was time. What really has surprised me about this book is how it is really aimed towards people in their preteens and teens. Towards the start it seemed like the perfect introduction for the young adult genre for younger readers, but the ending is incredibly graphic (see my comments on the romance and the ending below).