Paperboy (Hardback)

Callum McSorley has doubled down on what made Squeaky Clean such an amazing debut: his second novel is a cavalcade of gruesome violence, a welter of bodily fluids and a torrent of fantastically filthy language... A brilliant black comedy that repeatedly makes you squirm. Fizzing with energy and full of heart, it's one of those books that you simply don't want to end - Mark Sanderson, The Times, Crime Book of the Month

The vibe is Taggart rewritten by Mick Herron. Gritty gang violence, plenty of black comedy, imaginative plot twists, wonderfully grotesque characters ... and reading them has also expanded my lexicon of insults - Robbie Millen, The Times

Plunges us straight back into the world we were introduced to in the first novel; a world of Weegie gangsters, Glasgow banter and truly horrible deaths. I mean, proper gory deaths. But funny, too. Which means, this is the opposite of cosy crime. The result is very Glasgow and all the better for it - Herald

Extremely funny, exciting and ultimately touching - Literary Review

A Glasgow noir that will thrill and amuse those with a wicked sense of humour and a love of gritty crime fiction - Crime Time Review

Brutally funny and brilliantly plotted, with an engaging cast of characters - Glasgow Evening Times

A terrific mix of twisting police procedural, pitch-black comedy, slapstick, puns and over-the-top violence. And, of course, the dialogue is delivered in Glasgow's finest street slang. Think Mick Herron meets Taggart - Robbie Millen, The Times

The new star of tartan noir - The Times

McSorley consolidates his status among crime fiction's rising stars. Paperboy is energetic, inventive and witty, laying on the tension as it builds to a nerve-shredding finale - Chris Brookmyre

Just when you're thinking Squeaky Clean is probably the perfect crime novel, along comes Paperboy. The biggest laughs, the seediest urban underbelly, the most irreparably flawed yet inexorably engaging cast - Sofia Slater, author of The Serpent Dance

Absolutely loved Paperboy, as dark as a dungeon at midnight but a lot more fun. Sparkling dialogue, startling violence and some truly terrifying villains. And as for Ally McCoist, what can I say? She shoots, she scores! - Trevor Wood, author of 'The Man on the Street'

Magnificent metaphors; dialogue that skips across the page; McCoist with her smart mouth and predilection of getting smashed around the face-there's nothing I didn't love about this brilliant book. The most fun you can have with an industrial paper shredder - Sam Holland, author of 'Puppet Master'

Side-splittingly funny and fascinatingly brutal in equal measure - Scottish Field

Callum McSorley has done it again! Paperboy is a wickedly funny return to Glasgow's underbelly, where the city's renowned wit nestles alongside brutal violence. The beleaguered DCI Alison McCoist is again the perfect protagonist and McSorley is a master of the hapless character drawn into criminal chaos... I can't wait for the next instalment. Cracking! - Heather Critchlow, author of 'Unsolved'

A deliciously gruesome, darkly comic and twisty piece of work. McSorley's Glasgow is an irresistibly dangerous world full of characters you won't easily forget - Tom Newlands, author of Only Here, Only Now

Shows off McSorley's confident street-humour, deft plotting and frequently surprising turns of phrase. The energy coming off this book is enough to power you through any number of late nights. The most fun you can have at a crime scene - Alan Bissett, author of Death of a Ladies' Man

Had me laughing out loud one moment and gritting my teeth the next. It's dark, delicious and desperately funny. If Paperboy was a stick of rock it would have Glasgow's Underworld running right through the middle. Bring on the next anarchic outing for DCI McCoist - Marion Todd, author of Bridges to Burn

Praise for Squeaky Clean: - .

An amazingly accomplished debut - The Times, Crime Book of the Month

Shattered from staying up until the daft hours finishing this. Loved it... A serious talent - Kevin Bridges, author of The Black Dog

A manic tale of blood and suds told with laconic humour and warmly engaging characterisation. Callum McSorley is definitely a talent to watch. I knew within a page that I was in good hands - Chris Brookmyre

An astonishingly good debut. Wonderfully rounded characters, misfits all, who we really care about, in a compelling story laced with humour and humanity. Callum McSorley is an outstanding new writer who is destined to become a very big name in the genre - Peter James

A wonderfully rich and funny new voice in Scottish crime. McSorley has created characters you invest in and plot that keeps you hooked right from the start - McIlvanney Prize judges

An absolute knockout of a debut! Pitch-dark and yet dripping with warmth, Squeaky Clean is a truly fresh take on the classic thriller. Packed with brilliantly drawn characters, laugh-out-loud humour, and lots of blood - what's not to love? Can't wait to see what my new favourite detective does next. - Caz Frear, author of Sweet Little Lies

An uproarious, sardonic noir thriller from the Glasgow depths... Brutal, wonderfully humorous and a great addition to Tartan Noir, this novel unveils a terrific new talent - Crime Time

An outstanding work of tartan noir. McSorley's nightmarish Glasgow with its crime and vice is wonderfully drawn in all its gritty beauty... What a magnificent debut! - Tendai Huchu

McSorley writes with a wonderfully light touch... There is humour on every page, too - this really is a very funny book despite the dark material. Both main characters are works of genius, and I very much hope there will be a sequel - Scotsman

A smart, nasty and really rather heartbreaking thriller set in and around a Glasgow car wash. Our introduction to DI Alison McCoist (yes, yes, she's heard all the jokes) and likely to be the first of many - Herald

Violent and action packed but full of wit and dark humour - I Read With Ghosts

A fantastic new voice in Tartan Noir, it was gritty, bleak and definitely violent but expertly balanced with plenty of dark humour. I was so thrilled that the story was set up perfectly for a sequel - The Butler Did It...

Fresh and vibrant... A superb debut. Callum McSorley is a new kid on the Scottish crime block - Alex J Book Reviews

A fast-paced thriller with a dark sense of humour, a grisly crime caper in the vein of Breaking Bad and Guilt - Sunday Mail

An absolute blast, and only strengthens the Scottish reputation for producing exceedingly good crime thrillers, tinged with laconic wit, and dark, dark, humour... It reads like a brilliant mash up of Irvine Welsh and Alan Parks... I can't recommend this one highly enough - Raven Crime Reads

An account of urban degradation, organised crime, social misery, police corruption and hard men, with a brilliant plot and some wit, both in story and language... Tough and impressive, but will not be waved around by the Glasgow tourist board - The Critic

Gritty, bloody and oozing with the menace of the underworld... McSorley has crafted an accomplished novel that is already being hailed as a classic of the Tartan Noir genre. [Squeaky Clean] cracks along at a rare pace, and combines an easy writing style, an ear for dialogue and a nice line in dry wit... The sort of page-turner which ensures that once you've started, you'll keep going until the final, gripping denouement - Scottish Field