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Eck Adamson, an alcoholic vagrant, summons Jack Laidlaw to his deathbed. Probably the only policeman in Glasgow who would bother to respond, Laidlaw see in Eck's cryptic last message a clue to the murder of a gangland thug and the disappearance of a student. With stubborn integrity, Laidlaw tracks down a seam of corruption that runs from the top to the bottom of society. ** ### Review “The good news is that Laidlaw is back” — Observer “The Laidlaw books changed the face of Scottish fiction. Because of what arrived in their wake, it’s hard to comprehend how radically different William McIlvanney’s novels were from anything that had preceded them. But rereading them for the third or fourth time, I remain entranced. From the opening chapter of *Laidlaw*, I knew I’d never read a crime novel like this. Patricia Highsmith had taken us inside the head of killers; Ruth Rendell tentatively explored sexuality; with *No Mean City*, Alexander McArthur had exposed Glasgow to the world; Raymond Chandler had dressed the darkness in clever words. But nobody had ever smashed those elements together into so accomplished a synthesis…McIlvanney harnessed the vigour of vernacular Scots speech and made it sing…Without his books, there might not have been tartan noir. He kicked the door open so the likes of Ian Rankin, Denise Mina and me could sneak through behind him. But they’re much more than a monument. They’re still a bloody good read.”—Val McDermid, author of *The Mermaids Singing* “McIlvanney is the razor king of Scottish crime writing, carving out crackling prose and pounding storylines. His Laidlaw is an enduring hero with the dry wit and insight to make other literary detectives seem two-dimensional.’ Gordon Ferris “The Laidlaw books are like fine malt whisky—the pure distilled essence of Scottish crime writing.”—Peter May “William McIlvanney paints a world of harsh reality, but does so in language that is strangely beautiful and hauntingly poetic. His work defies pigeonholing in any genre: this is simply great writing from a master of his craft.”—Craig Russell “I have seldom been so seized by a style, or so taken by a character as I was by the angry and compassionate Glasgow detective, Laidlaw…McIlvanney has broken new ground, and is to be congratulated on his talent and his daring.”—Ross McDonald “McIlvanney’s prose is simultaneously sparse and lyrical. Short sentences, paragraphs and, indeed, chapters give the feel of a thriller to some beautiful writing.”—Killing Time Crime “A crime trilogy so searing it will burn forever into your memory. McIlvanney is the original Scottish criminal mastermind.”—Christopher Brookmyre, author of *When the Devil Drives* ### About the Author William McIlvanney is credited with being the founder the Tartan Noir Movement that includes authors such as Denise Mina, Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, all of whom cite him as an influence and an inspiration. The Laidlaw trilogy "changed the face of Scottish fiction." His *Docherty *won the Whitbread Award for Fiction. *Laidlaw *and *The Papers of Tony Veitch *both gained Silver Daggers from the Crime Writers' Association. *Strange Loyalties *won the Glasglow Herald's People's Prize.