Shortlisted for the Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2014.
One of our Books of the Year 2013.
Maxim Jakubowski's November 2013 Highly Recommended.
The first volume in a gritty trilogy set in the Glasgow crime underworld (the following volumes are HOW A GUNMAN SAYS GOODBYE and THE SUDDEN ARRIVAL OF VIOLENCE), this is Tartan noirer than noir with a cast of characters who range from grey to black and all ambiguous shades in between and a considerable dark achievement, and establishes Calum MacLean, a hired killer with hidden depths, and dogged local cop Michael Fisher as memorable, opposing characters who will stay in the readers' mind for ages. A particularly bracing read.
Winner of the CWA Crime Thriller Book Club Best Read 2013.
Malcolm MacKay said: “It’s a huge honour and thrill to win. To be included in such a strong list of nominees is a wonderful thing for any young writer.”
CWA Judges' comment: “Tartan noirer than noir with a cast of characters who range from grey to black and all ambiguous shades in between, this is a refreshing tour through the dark side of Glasgow and the promising initial volume in a trilogy that could mark the crime landscape for years to come.”
Shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey Dagger 2013.
Totally enthralling new crime series set in a grim Glasgow underworld where a young hitman, Calum, is beholden to no-one. He is hired to take out a small-time drug dealer, Lewis Winter, and gets involved in a scam that backfires. This is full of nasty, violent people trapped in a nasty, violent world and features one of the best new present tense voices I've read for a long time. In short, sharp sentences with a deliberate absence of drama, this paints a dark world of corruption in a very impressive first novel. Volume two is to follow into paperback in just six months time.
| Primary Genre | Thriller and Suspense |
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