Der Anwalt Bobby Carter wird tot in einer Gasse hinter einem Pub aufgefunden, der unter dem Schutz eines lokalen Gangsterbosses steht. Damit gerät das fragile Gleichgewicht, das Glasgow seit Monaten zu einer relativ sicheren Stadt macht, ins Wanken. Neben einer verzweifelten Familie hinterlässt Carter vor allem viele Feinde. Aber wer profitiert wirklich von seinem Tod? Ermittler Jack Laidlaw hat einen sechsten Sinn für die Straße und bezweifelt, dass hinter dem Mord rivalisierende Gangs stecken. Dafür muss er aber den wahren Mörder von Bobby Carter finden – und zwar bevor es zu offenen Straßenschlachten in Glasgow kommt ... »Das Dunkle bleibt« ist ein von Ian Rankin vollendetes Laidlaw-Manuskript aus McIlvanneys Nachlass und ein literarisches Ereignis.
William McIlvanney Book order
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.






- 2022
- 2021
F the truth's in the shadows, get out of the light... Lawyer Bobby Carter did a lot of work for the wrong type of people. Now he's dead and it was no accident. He's left behind his share of enemies, but who dealt the fatal blow? DC Jack Laidlaw's reputation precedes him. He's not a team player, but he's got a sixth sense for what's happening on the streets. As two Glasgow gangs go to war, Laidlaw needs to find out who got Carter before the whole city explodes.
- 2020
The Papers of Tony Veitch
- 320 pages
- 12 hours of reading
The CWA Silver Dagger-winning masterpiece from the godfather of Scottish crime fiction
- 2020
Strange Loyalties
- 384 pages
- 14 hours of reading
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.
- 2015
Fremde Treue
Kriminalroman
»McIlvanneys Laidlaw-Trilogie: Landmarke europäischer Kriminalliteratur.« Tobias Gohlis, KrimiZeit Bestenliste Scott Laidlaw ist tot. Der tragische Autounfall seines Bruders erschüttert Jack Laidlaw schwer – in tiefer Trauer und mit dem ihm eigenen Durst macht er sich auf in die schottische Provinz, um herauszufinden, was wirklich geschah. Während Laidlaw versucht, die letzten unglücklichen Tage seines Bruders zu rekonstruieren, wird ihm schnell klar, dass die Abgründe hinter der dörflichen Fassade mindestens ebenso tief sind wie in der Glasgower Unterwelt und in seiner Vergangenheit, in die ihn seine Recherchen unweigerlich zurückführen … Laidlaws dritter und – bisher – letzter Fall!
- 2015
Die Suche nach Tony Veitch
Eine Jack Laidlaw Ermittlung
Jack Laidlaw wird von einem stadtbekannten Säufer an sein Sterbebett gerufen, wahrscheinlich wurde er vergiftet. Aus dessen letzten kryptischen Worten erfährt Laidlaw außerdem Hinweise auf den Mord an einem berüchtigten Gangster der Stadt und das Verschwinden eines Studenten – Tony Veitch. Was hat er mit den beiden Morden zu tun? Mit der ihm eigenen Dickköpfigkeit kämpft sich Laidlaw durch das Geflecht an Korruption und Gewalt, das ganz Glasgow durchzieht.
- 2014
Laidlaw
- 250 pages
- 9 hours of reading
Book One in the Laidlaw Trilogy "Laidlaw...'is not just an inspector of crime; he's an inspector of society.'"--Allan Massie, "The Father of 'Tartan Noir'," Wall Street Journal Introducing Jack Laidlaw, the original damaged detective. The Laidlaw novels, a groundbreaking trilogy that changed the face of Scottish fiction, are credited with being the founding books of the Tartan Noir movement that includes authors like Val McDermid, Denise Mina, and Ian Rankin. Says McDermid of William McIlvanney: "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." In Laidlaw, the first book of the seies, readers meet Jack Laidlaw, a hard-drinking philosopher-detective whose tough exterior cloaks a rich humanity and keen intelligence. Laidlaw's investigation into the murder of a young woman brings him into conflict with Glasgow's hard men, its gangland villians, and the moneyed thugs who control the city. As the gangsters running Glasgow race Laidlaw for the discovery of the young woman's killer, a sense of dangerous betrayal infests the city that only Laidlaw can erase.
- 2013
Laidlaw, English Edition
- 304 pages
- 11 hours of reading
"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.
- 2013
The Papers of Tony Veitch. Die Suche nach Tony Veitch, englische Ausgabe
- 298 pages
- 11 hours of reading
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.
- 2013
Strange Loyalties. Fremde Treue, englische Ausgabe
- 376 pages
- 14 hours of reading
Detective Inspector Jack Laidlaw blunders his way through ruined lives and frustrated relationships investigating his brother's murder and a drug pusher in Glasgow.




