So Miss Jean Brodie took me to this guy William Brodie, and that took me to Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.

And Stevenson’s nurse maid would tell him the story of this guy who was both good and evil.

“Now, Robert Louis Stevenson, when he was a child, had a wardrobe in his bedroom that had been made by William Brodie. He was also a carpenter, and he built the scaffold that he was eventually hanged on when he was caught. He was a gentleman by day, but by night, he was a crook, and he would break into your house and steal your valuables. What she doesn't tell you in the book is that Brodie was a villain. Her most famous creation, Miss Jean Brodie, tells the reader that she is descended from a guy called William Brodie, who was a real-life Edinburgh character. Knots & Crosses came to me via that doctoral thesis, because the thesis was focusing on the novelist, Muriel Spark. But mostly, I was sitting in the library writing my own books.

He lives in Edinburgh, Scotland, with his wife and their two sons.Ian Rankin’s Inside Story: “ Knots & Crosses was written in 1985 when I was a PHD student at the University of Edinburgh, doing a doctoral thesis in Scottish literature. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1982. He has been elected a Hawthornden Fellow, and received the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his contributions to literature. He has won an Edgar Award, a Gold Dagger for fiction, a Diamond Dagger for career excellence, and the Chandler-Fulbright Award. Jonathan Kellerman About the Author Ian Rankin is the worldwide #1 bestselling writer of the Inspector Rebus mysteries, including Knots and Crosses, Hide and Seek, Let It Bleed, Black and Blue, Set in Darkness, Resurrection Men, A Question of Blood, The Falls and Exit Music. The Boston Globe A novelist of great scope, depth, and power. The New York Times Book Review Ian Rankin, you cannot go wrong. San Francisco Chronicle A superior series. Rankin gives his inspector a refreshing personality. Review Quotes A police procedural for readers weary of those stuffy cops who lack a sense of humor and spirit. Strip Jack is a stellar entry in Ian Rankins Inspector Rebus series, which The New York Times calls A superior series. Now Rebus is on a new quest-to find a killer who holds all the cards. When Jacks flamboyant wife Elizabeth disappears, Rebus uncovers a full-house of orgies, drunken parties, an incestuous Pack of deceitful chums.and ultimately Elizabeths badly beaten body.

Enter Detective John Rebus: he smells a set-up. When hes caught in a police raid on an Edinburgh brothel, his house of cards begins to topple. Book Synopsis Gregor Jack has it all: young, wealthy, and charming, hes a highly respected member of Parliament, with a beautiful wife-and a closet bursting with skeletons.

Ian rankin knots and crosses review