McIlvanney shifts our viewpoint from chapter to chapter, sometimes telling it from the viewpoint of the young copper who's been assigned to assist Laidlaw and sometimes from the viewpoint of minor characters, like a wannabe gangster who winds up in waaaaay over his head and pays dearly for that mistake. The psychological insights that McIlvanney brings to these POV shifts tend to be astonishing, particularly one chapter that takes the viewpoint of a brutal, yet oddly principled gangster whom Laidlaw treats as an equal if not a friend (shades of Rankin's own character Morris "Big Ger" Cafferty). Another one, which takes the POV of a character who's openly homosexual, seems way ahead of its time.

Postgraduate students may book individual rooms on Level 13 of the Edward Boyle Library. Book a postgraduate room En esta novela aparece el cuerpo de una mujer joven en un parque de Glasgow. Enseguida conoceremos al autor porque lo que interesa en esta historia es conocer el entorno de la víctima y del asesino. El odio religioso protestantes/católicos, el deseo de venganza o la homosexualidad, que en esa época estaba muy mal vista, forman parte de la trama. There are bookable group study rooms in all the libraries, individual postgraduate study rooms on level 13 of the Edward Boyle Library, and accessible study rooms are also available. Book a group study space What you need to know

Reading the book historically (as in I’m reading it today and it was written then) there is also a bit of a problem with knowing if some of the police elements were accurate. There are numerous excellent set pieces. One cop/criminal hard man scene in a dodgy pub in the East End of Glasgow has strong echoes of that classic De Niro and Pacino restaurant scene in Michael Mann's Heat despite this novel obviously predating that film. It's a carefully choreographed dance with the rules changing as it happens and the realisation that the men have more in common than may first appear, and a grudging mutual respect. Jaw droppingly good. Laidlaw (1977) by William McIlvanney is the first of a trilogy, and is cited as the book that invented tartan noir. McIlvanney also inspired Ian Rankin to become a writer This is a Scottish Noir written and set in the 70s. Although not a contemporary story, it has aged well. The characters are skillfully written and have stood the test of time. The plot is a bit complex, but becomes easier to understand the more you read.

Maybe there is an extra frisson in reading mysteries set in places you've been to, that are familiar on more than tourist terms - perhaps that's why I haven't loved some of the Scandis as much as expected. This is a book that feels so much of its city, the cast of toughs and of working-class characters who are far sharper and more intellectual than southerners would ever have assumed on hearing the accent; the spartanness that seems in the very flesh of the place even whilst it's debauching; and the sectarianism (something I heard about more than saw) which makes its first cunning appearance through simile: still following the relentless parade of his own thoughts, like an Orange March nobody dare cut across. McILvanney had previously written 3 Laidlaw novels and I can't wait to read these novels as I much preferred this book to the Rebus novels.

Publication Order of Poems/Short Story Collections

I’m not sure it’s such a good idea for the work of one famous writer to be finished by another famous one, especially when the former was the inspiration for the latter. Laidlaw was the character that helped McIlvanney establish himself as the genius who defined the tartan noir genre. Through his Laidlaw character, McIlvanney infused his knowledge of Glasgow and it’s old-school cultural misogyny, class angst, rugged masculinity, and an environment that is decaying by the hour to create the dark- noir-theme novels that became hugely popular. The resolution is a satisfying one but as in many books of this type it’s the journey that matters. I loved the atmosphere the book created – it felt authentic and morbidly exciting –and the characters were all brilliantly brought to life. The dialogue is top-notch too and I was left to wonder how much of all of this was present in McIlvenny’s draft and what proportion was reliant on Rankin’s deft touch. It was all over too soon but at least I now have three more books added to my pending list – and I have a feeling they’ll soon be edging their way towards the top. This is a gripping and extraordinary murder / mystery novel produced by William McIlvanney and Ian Rankin.

Lynch said she was “overjoyed to be able to share Willie’s last words with his beloved readers and introduce Laidlaw to a new generation”. When Scottish writer William McIlvanney died in 2015, he left behind a half finished manuscript, which was handed to his publisher by his widow, and was then completed by that other wonderful Scottish writer Ian Rankin! What a terrific combination this is, resulting in a fine example of gritty Tartan Noir! All cities are riddled with crime. It comes with the territory. Gather enough people together in one place and malignancy is guaranteed to manifest in some form or another. It's the nature of the beast."

Publication Order of Jack Laidlaw Books

McIlvanney is not the first author whose character has continued after their death: Sophie Hannah has written a number of new Hercule Poirot novels; Anthony Horowitz, Sebastian Faulks and Jeffrey Deaver have continued the James Bond thrillers; and Eoin Colfer wrote a final novel in Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide series. It's hard to comprehend how radically different William McIllvanney's novels were from anything that preceded them: ( Val McDermid). What we don't know is how the plot will then spin and twist and turn as Laidlaw tries to catch the murderer, and in doing so beat several other people to the solution before they can mete out revenge or something like it. When I heard about this new novel written by Ian Rankin and the late William McIlvanney joining forces for the first ever case of D.I. Laidlaw, Glasgow’s original gritty detective I just couldn’t resist reading it. I am very familiar with Ian Rankin’s work and enjoy the Rebus series but have never read any of Mcllvanney’s books. Mcllvanney’s widow found the unfinished manuscript of The Dark Remains and approached the publisher with it, who in turn asked Ian Rankin if he would be interested in finishing it. This really is a combined effort and Rankin does a good job in adopting the same feel for the novel, so much that I was unable to see the join.

Laidlaw may be one of the ur loner detectives, yet he, his colleagues and adversaries come with more insights than most later examples. Especially into working with a difficult cross-section of the public whilst not feeling as different from them as most colleagues (the public might be easier to understand than philistine colleagues). And into rarely articulated situations like the abject and divisive isolation of being stranded in the company of a partner and their parents. Yet Laidlaw is also the consciously mythologised noir hero facing similarly larger-than-life villains.The technique of indirect presentation works very well, with the aided bonus of also easing the reader into the more unsavoury elements of Glasgow criminal gangs ('tearaways' in the local jargon). There are several more changes in the point of view, done in an unobtrusive and convincing way, mostly fleshing out secondary characters like the girl's abusive father, the mentally unbalanced killer, several bosses and underlings of what looks to me a criminal structure almost as well organized as the infamous Mob. Each of the many people who walk through the story has a set of goals and issues, and McIlvanney gives us hints of their depth no matter how short a time they’re on the stage. There’s Laidlaw’s partner in the case--a relative newbie to the profession; his understandably cranky wife; his nemesis on the police force; the perp; the victim; the perp’s parents; the victim’s parents; crime bosses; the perp’s lover … One feature is the extent to which the perspective switches. At some point we see the world through the eyes of almost every character. It’s extremely effective, and some of the scenes are very powerful, one in particular when family and neighbours gather in the house of the victim, men in one room, women in another. Most novels in this category tend to offer good guys and bad guys. McIlvanney refuses to offer the reader that comfortable choice. The character in the book who receives the most negative portrayal, and the most enmity from Laidlaw, is one of his fellow policemen. That character is someone who divides the world into good and evil, and Laidlaw detests him for that.