Strange Loyalties (Laidlaw Series #3)

by William McIlvanney

Overview

“So searing it will burn forever into your memory. McIlvanney is the original Scottish criminal mastermind.”—Christopher Brookmyre, best-selling author of the Jack Parlabane Thrillers

The original Jack Laidlaw novels that changed the face of Scottish mystery writing.

When his brother is killed in a tragically banal road accident, Jack Laidlaw sets off on a journey through Glasgow’s underworld. There he will discover the truth about his brother and the city he thought he knew better than anybody. He will face some even harder truths about himself. Alive with wit, suspense, brilliant writing, all leading to a shattering climax, this third book in the acclaimed Laidlaw series does not disappoint.

The greatest examples of Scottish crime writing and the founding novels of what has since become known as Tartan Noir, McIlvanney’s groundbreaking Laidlaw books have earned the status of classic crime fiction.

The third Laidlaw novel from the Father of Tartan Noir explores “the ruin of the body, the corruption of the soul and the shattering of society.”—The Wall Street Journal

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781609452537
Publisher:	Europa Editions, Incorporated
Publication date:	04/07/2015
Series:	Jack Laidlaw Series , #3
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	185,007
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

William McIlvanney is widely credited as the founder of the Tartan Noir movement that includes authors such as Denise Mina, Ian Rankin, and Val McDermid, all of whom cite him as an influence and inspiration. McIlvanney’s Laidlaw books “changed the face of Scottish fiction” (The Times of London). His novel Docherty won the Whitbread Award for Fiction, and both Laidlaw and The Papers of Tony Veitch won Silver Daggers from the Crime Writers’ Association. Strange Loyalties won the Glasgow Herald’s People’s Prize. McIlvanney passed away in December 2015.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for William McIlvanney and the Laidlaw series

“A crime trilogy so searing it will burn forever into your memory. McIlvanney is the original Scottish criminal mastermind.”—Christopher Brookmyre, international bestselling author

“Fastest, first and best, Laidlaw is the melancholy heir to Marlowe. Reads like a breathless scalpel cut through the bloody heart of a city.”—Denise Mina, award-winning author of Conviction

“Compelling... McIlvanney lays bare the soul of Glasgow, capturing every nuance of its many voices.”—Alex Gray, author of the DCI Lorimer novels

“Laidlaw is an enduring hero with the dry wit and insight to make other literary detectives seem two-dimensional. McIlvanney is the razor king of Scottish crime writing.”—Gordon Ferris, author of the Douglas Brodie Investigations

From the Publisher

This extraordinary and beautifully written novel, the third to feature Glasgow police detective Jack Laidlaw ( Laidlaw and The Papers of Tony Veitch are the others), sets a high standard among contemporary thrillers. It begins not with a crime but with Laidlaw's despair at his brother's death in a traffic accident. He has a burning need to make some sense of that death: ``Where did the accident begin? That's what I want to know. In the middle of the road? At the kerbsic ? In the pub before he went out? In the fact that he drank too much? When did the accident begin?'' Jack's inquiries into how Scott Laidlaw came to his untimely end lead to much larger questions about the nature of pain and injustice and--not least of all--about the meaning of his own life and how it encompasses the impending failure of his relationship with the woman he loves. Trying to piece together the events of his brother's final days, Laidlaw embarks upon a journey into moral darkness. The investigation eventually ties in with a case being pursued by Jack's partner in his absence, but the real secret, hinted at in the paintings that Scott left behind, lies in a tragic event long past and in the sadness of Jack's youthful innocence, which he has lost but not forgotten. Strange Loyalties, like its detective hero, is captivating and unforgettable. (May)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly