Strange Loyalties

This third book in the series begins with Jack Laidlaw’s despair and anger at his brother’s death in a banal road accident. His questions as to the dynamics of his bother’s death lead to larger questions about the nature of pain and injustice about meaning of his own life. Laidlaw is determined to learn more about the circumstances surrounding Scott Laidlaw’s death. His investigations will lead to a confrontation with his own past and a harrowing journey into the dark Glasgow underworld.

Strange Loyalties (Murder Mystery/Scottish Noir)

By William McIlvanney

Europa Editions www.europaeditions.com

ISBN #978-1609452537

Price $13.35 (paperback)

256 Pages

Rating 5-Stars

Jack Laidlaw is trying to come to terms with his brother’s death. Apparently, while drunk; Scott Laidlaw walked in front of a car, some saying suicide, others that it was just an accident, but Jack wants to find out what led up to that night, and his brother’s rendezvous with sudden death

His investigation starts uncovering problems in Scott’s life, including a failed marriage, and a mysterious night in college when Scott’s life seemed to change to a darkness that Jack never suspected. While he’s on a personal search, his police team is searching for a killer that may connect in some way back to Scott.

This was another interesting look into the Glasgow underworld where drugs and murder are the normal way of life, and where Jack seems to be pulled deeper into it’s bottomless pit of darkness and inhuman savagery, while his own family drifts apart. Although most of the story surrounds Jack’s family and friends, the book kept my interest, and is another deep look into the dark underworld of Glasgow. Highly recommended.

Tom Johnson

Detective Mystery Stories