The Second Cut

Louise Welsh Press Reviews

I doubt I'll read a better book this year. Dark, funny and humane, Louise Welsh tells the stories that nobody else dares -- VAL McDERMID

One of the most enjoyable mysteries I've read this year, The Second Cut had me from the word go. Rilke's world feels rife with possibilities for dark doings - and Welsh's writing is fresh, funny, fearless and fun -- JOSEPH KNOX

Richly layered, gloriously carnal, bursting with patter and irresistibly seductive -- CHRIS BROOKMYRE

Getting another look behind the curtain at Rilke's world was a squalid thrill. Louise Welsh reclaims her crown as the queen of Glasgow's grubby glamour -- KIRSTIN INNES

If writing a sequel to a bona fide Scottish classic weighed heavily on Louise Welsh you'd never know. The Second Cut grips from the very opening pages. The Glasgow it portrays is seamy but humane, its cast of characters flawed but endearing. The whole thing is compelling, immersive and brimming with life. A great achievement -- GRAEME MACRAE BURNET

Plunges the reader straight into Glasgow's underbelly. This is hard-boiled Scottish crime writing at its best -- SARA SHERIDAN

This return to the world of Rilke is a masterclass in engaging storytelling. Emotionally complex, and full of dark wit and deviant energy, this is a wonderful examination of the state of our culture today -- DOUG JOHNSTONE

Brilliant -- ALAN PARKS

Twenty years is a long time to wait for a sequel but Louise Welsh has made the wait completely worthwhile. In Welsh's writing, Rilke's world remains recognisably queer - not sanitised, not tidied, not safe before the watershed - and all the better for it -- STELLA DUFFY

Praise for The Cutting Room: One of the most intriguing, assured and unputdownable debuts to come out of Scotland in recent years . . . A stunning work of fiction -Sunday Times