When Rilke, a dissolute auctioneer, comes upon a hidden collection of violent and highly disturbing photographs, he feels compelled to discover more about the deceased owner who coveted them. Soon he finds himself sucked into an underworld of crime, depravity and secret desire, fighting for his life.
Louise Welsh's writing is stylish and captivating; she combines aspects of a detective story with shades of the gothic. The result is a page-turning and deliciously original debut. The Cutting Room has won the Crime Writers Association award for debut crime novels, the John Creasey Memorial Dagger, and has been longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award.
Publisher: Canongate Books
ISBN: 9780857860866
Number of pages: 320
Weight: 223 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 19 mm
Edition: Main
One of the most intriguing, assured and unputdownable debuts to come out of Scotland in recent years . . . A stunning work of fiction. - The Sunday Times
I was hooked from page one. Rilke is not Welsh's only great creation. The huge supporting cast of misfits and outsiders . . . are equally memorable. And Glasgow becomes a character in itself: it is oppressive, foreboding - a dark place for a dark tale. - The Guardian
What makes The Cutting Room so gripping is the combination of suspense and character as the story unfolds through the unusual eyes of Rilke . . . His horror, like the reader's, lies in the terrible intimacy, impersonality and irreversibility of what he witnesses. - The Herald
In Louise Welsh crime fiction has one of its few real literary writers. The Cutting Room is a hugely commendable debut, assured and memorable. Crime fiction may have its prize-winner at last. - Independent
Welsh upturns tropes and adds depth, seedy detail and Gothic lyricism to the page-turner framework. - Holly Kyte, Telegraph
Scottish author Welsh's debut remains one of her most intriguing works, an atmospheric tale of death and desire in Glasgow - i
This is a fine tale that is captivating from its first few pages.
Innovative setting, unusual plot, twists, turns and some graphic, challenging scenes ... all ruined for me by some of the most appalling proofreading...
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I began to read this novel with great enthusiasm as the sense of place was excellent. However I became tired of graphic description of the protagonists sexual habits as I felt that they were somewhat gratuitous. I... More
I LOVED this. I've already started the sequel. But what's it about you say? Well - a gay Glaswegian auctioneer stumbles across a series of snuff photographs that appear to depict a woman's death. He... More
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