When an 18-year-old boy shoots a young woman dead in the
middle of a busy Glasgow street and then commits suicide, McCoy knows it can’t
be a random act of violence. With a newbie partner in tow, McCoy uses his
underworld network to build a picture of a secret society run by Glasgow’s
wealthiest family, the Dunlops. Drugs, sex, incest; every nefarious
predilection is catered to, at the expense of the lower echelon of society, an
underclass that includes McCoy’s best friend from reformatory school – drug-Tsar
Stevie Cooper – and his on-off girlfriend, a prostitute, Janey. But with
McCoy’s boss calling off the hounds, and his boss’ boss unleashing their own,
the Dunlops are apparently untouchable. McCoy has other ideas.
Bloody January (World Noir)
By Alan Parks
Europa Editions
ISBN #978-1609454487
Price $17.00 (paperback)
Price $8.69 (Kindle)
331 Pages
Rating 3-Stars
I was given a copy of the book from the publisher for an
honest review. Detective Harry McCoy doesn’t always play by the rules, but he’s
a tough cop, and won’t stop his investigation once on the scent. Receiving a
tip about an upcoming murder, he dives in only to be met with obstacles from
the rich and influential, as well as his own superiors in the “shop”.
This is Glasgow in 1973, and the author paints a picture of
its citizens and seedy byways in a panorama of visual scenes and characters in
the turmoil of drugs, sex, incest, and murder, where it’s difficult to
distinguish the upper class from the sewer rats.
This was a good mystery, with good characters, but I can’t
help thinking it could have been handled with more finesse. We have bright,
intelligent, educated characters that have trouble speaking words longer than
four letters, and the profanity was above board in my opinion. The story could have used a little less
profanity, and a bit more intelligent thought, perhaps.
Tom Johnson
Author of THE MAN IN THE BLACK FEDORA
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