The Papers of Tony Veitch (Laidlaw Series #2)

by William McIlvanney

Overview

Jack Laidlaw returns in the groundbreaking series. “The Laidlaw books are like fine malt whiskey—the pure distilled essence of Scottish crime writing” (Peter May, international bestselling author).

In this second book in his monumental Laidlaw series, McIlvanney tells the tale of Eck Adamson, an alcoholic vagrant who summons Jack Laidlaw to his deathbed. Probably the only policeman in Glasgow who would bother to respond, Laidlaw sees in Eck’s cryptic last message a clue to the murder of a gangland thug and the disappearance of a student. With stubborn integrity, Laidlaw tracks down a seam of corruption that runs through all levels of Glaswegian society.

★ “Excellent... McIlvanney, the undisputed grandfather of tartan noir, gives reader a complex, existential hero struggling to right myriad wrongs.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The good news is that Laidlaw is back.”—The Observer

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781609452247
Publisher:	Europa Editions, Incorporated
Publication date:	09/02/2014
Series:	Jack Laidlaw Series , #2
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	351,190
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

William McIlvanney is widely credited as the founder of the Tartan Noir movement that includes authors such as Denise Mina, Ian Rankin, and Val McDermid, all of whom cite him as an influence and inspiration. McIlvanney’s Laidlaw books “changed the face of Scottish fiction” (The Times of London). His novel Docherty won the Whitbread Award for Fiction, and both Laidlaw and The Papers of Tony Veitch won Silver Daggers from the Crime Writers’ Association. Strange Loyalties won the Glasgow Herald’s People’s Prize. McIlvanney passed away in December 2015.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“The good news is that Laidlaw is back” — Observer
 
“The Laidlaw books changed the face of Scottish fiction. Because of what arrived in their wake, it’s hard to comprehend how radically different William McIlvanney’s novels were from anything that had preceded them. But rereading them for the third or fourth time, I remain entranced. From the opening chapter of Laidlaw, I knew I’d never read a crime novel like this. 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…McIlvanney harnessed the vigour of vernacular Scots speech and made it sing…Without his books, there might not have been tartan noir. He kicked the door open so the likes of Ian Rankin, Denise Mina and me could sneak through behind him. But they’re much more than a monument. They’re still a bloody good read.”—Val McDermid, author of The Mermaids Singing
 
“McIlvanney is the razor king of Scottish crime writing, carving out crackling prose and pounding storylines. His Laidlaw is an enduring hero with the dry wit and insight to make other literary detectives seem two-dimensional.’ Gordon Ferris
 
“The Laidlaw books are like fine malt whisky—the pure distilled essence of Scottish crime writing.”—Peter May
 
“William McIlvanney paints a world of harsh reality, but does so in language that is strangely beautiful and hauntingly poetic. His work defies pigeonholing in any genre: this is simply great writing from a master of his craft.”—Craig Russell
 
“I have seldom been so seized by a style, or so taken by a character as I was by the angry and compassionate Glasgow detective, Laidlaw…McIlvanney has broken new ground, and is to be congratulated on his talent and his daring.”—Ross McDonald
 
“McIlvanney’s prose is simultaneously sparse and lyrical. Short sentences, paragraphs and, indeed, chapters give the feel of a thriller to some beautiful writing.”—Killing Time Crime
 
“A crime trilogy so searing it will burn forever into your memory. McIlvanney is the original Scottish criminal mastermind.”—Christopher Brookmyre, author of When the Devil Drives

Editorial Reviews

★ 02/16/2015
At the start of Edgar-finalist McIlvanney’s excellent second entry—first published in 1983—in his Laidlaw trilogy, Det. Insp. Jack Laidlaw receives a summons to a Glasgow hospital from a homeless man he knows, Alexander “Eck” Adamson. The alcoholic Eck is largely incoherent, but before he expires, Laidlaw is able to make out one repeated statement: “The wine he gave me wisny wine.” Among Eck’s few possessions is a piece of paper with a handwritten note that appears to be some sort of philosophical manifesto. Two names also appear on the paper. Laidlaw and his partner, Det. Constable Brian Harkness, discover that one of those named, a well-known thug, has recently been murdered. When they examine Eck’s possessions more thoroughly, Laidlaw and Harkness wonder who helped Eck write his mini manifesto, and this leads them to well-to-do Tony Veitch. New evidence soon proves that Eck didn’t drink himself to death; he was poisoned. Veitch becomes the prime suspect for both murders, despite Laidlaw’s doubts that he’s actually the killer. But forces beyond Laidlaw’s control, on both sides of the law, try to thwart his investigation at every turn. McIlvanney, the undisputed grandfather of tartan noir, gives reader a complex, existential hero struggling to right myriad wrongs. Agent: Laura Mamelok, Susanna Lea Associates. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

The Laidlaw books are like fine malt whiskey—the pure distilled essence of Scottish crime writing.”—Peter May, international bestselling author of the Lewis trilogy

“Fastest, first and best, Laidlaw is the melancholy heir to Marlowe. Reads like a breathless scalpel cut through the bloody heart of a city.”—Denise Mina, award-winning author of Conviction

“This extraordinary and beautifully written novel… Captivating and unforgettable.”—Publishers Weekly

“One of the finest things in modern fiction, in the Chandler and Simenon class.”—Spectator

“Starts on the streets and ends up in the soul.”—The Daily Telegraph

“Allan Guthrie probably comes closest to McIlvanney in his mix of humor and compassion, but even that top-flight crime writer doesn’t do it with the same concentration.”—Peter Rozovsky, Detectives Beyond Borders

“The Laidlaw books are not just great crime novels, they are important ones. McIlvanney proved that crime writing could have both perfect style and huge ambition. Most of us writing crime fiction today are standing on the shoulders of giants. McIlvanney is one such giant.”—Mark Billingham, author of Sleepyhead

“McIlvanney’s prose is simultaneously sparse and lyrical. Short sentences, paragraphs and, indeed, chapters give the feel of a thriller to some beautiful writing.”—Killing Time Crime

 

From the Publisher