The Papers of Tony Veitch

By (author) William McIlvanney

Eck Adamson, an alcoholic vagrant, summons Jack Laidlaw to his deathbed. Probably the only policeman in Glasgow who would bother to respond, Laidlaw sees 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 a seam of corruption that runs from the top to the bottom of society.

Reviews of The Papers of Tony Veitch

* Glittering — VAL McDERMID * Brilliant … grips like a mangling handshake Sunday Times * The good news is that Laidlaw is back Observer * A crime trilogy so searing it will burn forever into your memory. McIlvanney is the original Scottish criminal mastermind — CHRISTOPHER BROOKMYRE * The Laidlaw books are not just great crime novels, they are important — MARK BILLINGHAM * It's doubtful I would be a crime writer without the influence of McIlvanney — IAN RANKIN * Enthralling … an unsual, unique rendition of a city and a society Scotsman * In a class of his own Guardian * The Laidlaw books are like fine malt whisky – the pure distilled essence of Scottish crime writing — Peter May * A messy plot of corruption is on the brew for Laidlaw to cope with in his disillusioned but brilliantly expressed way Sunday Telegraph * 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 * 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 * Compelling … McIlvanney lays bare the soul of Glasgow, capturing every nuance of its many voices — Alex Gray * 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 * Fiercely evocative and witty with it … McIlvanney renders absurd the traditional distinctions between novelists and writers of detective fiction Literary Review