The Papers of Tony Veitch
(Noir Mystery)
By William McIlvanney
ISBN #978-1609452247
Price $16.00
274 Pages
Rating 5-Stars
“The Formula Is Tough, And So Is Jack Laidlaw.”
Glasgow Detective Inspector Jack Laidlaw is called to
the deathbed of Eck Adamson, a old wino he had once befriended. In the hospital
he learns that the old man was poisoned, and Eck mumbles something about it
being in his wine. Who would kill an old bum that had never harmed anyone? A
piece of paper contains a poetic message in an educated writing, while Eck
wrote names on the same paper. These names lead Laidlaw and his partner,
Detective Constable Brian Harkness into the underworld and to people living in
mansions. Is the murder of a gangster and a missing university student tied
into the same mystery?
Jack Laidlaw is a maverick within the Glasgow police
department, following his own instincts instead of police procedural. Where the
police know the names of city streets, Laidlaw knows the city. It is part of
him, and he of it. He’s not afraid to venture into the badlands if it will
bring him information to a murderer, and he knows the underworld as well as
himself.
The author doesn’t just write mysteries, his stories
penetrate the lives of the people involved.
Jack Laidlaw is human, he feels the loss of life, the waste of humanity
in the dark side streets where men kill, and others struggle to survive. He’s not perfect, as he is estranged from his
own family, and struggles with his own failings. But like a bloodhound, he
keeps to the trail until the case is solved, and a killer is brought to
justice. Mystery fans will love the Jack Laidlaw noir series.
Tom Johnson
Detective Mystery Stories
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