William McIlvanney was a Scottish author celebrated for his fusion of gritty realism and poetic prose. His novels, often set against the backdrop of 1970s Glasgow, delve into themes of resilience and moral complexity. Regarded as the progenitor of 'Tartan Noir,' McIlvanney's influence is profound, particularly in crime fiction where his detective Jack Laidlaw embodies deep psychological insight. Through his distinctive voice and powerful sense of place, McIlvanney captured the essence of Scottish identity and social realities.
When his brother dies stepping out in front of a car, Jack Laidlaw is determined to find out what really happened. Laidlaw begins an emotional quest through Glasgow's underworld, and into the past. He discovers as much about himself as about the brother he has lost, in a search that leads to a shattering climax.
'The finest Scottish novelist of our time' Telegraph
Detective Inspector Jack Laidlaw blunders his way through ruined lives and frustrated relationships investigating his brother's murder and a drug pusher in Glasgow.
'A superb collection: a series of brief lives which McIlvanney passes through the eye of a very sharp needle' Literary Review
McIlvanney's first novel, winner of the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize Charlie Grant, an intense young student at Glasgow University, watches his father die. Overwhelmed by the memory of this humble yet dignified death, Charlie is left to face his own fierce resentment for his adulterous mother. With shades of Hamlet and Camus, William McIlvanney's first novel is a revelatory portrait of youth, of society, and of family.
'Like Docherty, another masterpiece' The Scotsman
At the end of 1903, in working-class town in the West of Scotland, Tam Docherty's youngest son, Conn is born. Tam is determined that life and the pits won't swallow up his boy the way it has him. Courageous and questioning, Docherty emerges as a leader of almost indomitable strength, but in a close-knit community tradition is a powerful opponent.
"When a young woman is found brutally murdered on Glasgow Green, only Laidlaw stands a chance of finding her murderer from amongst the hard men, gangland villains and self-made moneymen who lurk in the city's shadows"--Publisher's description.
McIlvanney once again sets out on the dark side of Glasgow with Detective Jack Laidlaw. "The wine he gave me winsy wine" were the final words of Eck Adamson to Laidlaw, his only friend. Laidlaw is convinced the Eck was murdered and that an elusive young student, Tony Veitch, holds the key to the mystery.
Featuring the same family, two generations on, as DochertyTom Docherty was 17 in the summer of 1955. With school behind him and a summer job at a brick works, Tom had his whole life before him. Years later, alone in a rented flat in Edinburgh and lost in memories, Tom recalls the intellectual and sexual awakening of his youth. In looking back, Tom discovers that only by understanding where he comes from can he make sense of his life as it is now.
