Published: 09/06/2022
McIlvanney’s pioneering Laidlaw series of crime novels proved an immense inspiration to Ian Rankin and now the creator of Rebus completes his idol’s last, unfinished novel - and Laidlaw's origin story - in reverent yet typically compelling prose.
Waterstones Scottish Book of the Month for June 2022
Winner of The British Book Awards 2022 Crime & Thriller Book of the Year
In this scorching crime hook-up, number one bestseller Ian Rankin and Scottish crime-writing legend William McIlvanney join forces for the first ever case of DI Laidlaw, Glasgow's original gritty detective.
If the truth's in the shadows, get out of the light...
Lawyer Bobby Carter did a lot of work for the wrong type of people. Now he's dead and it was no accident. He's left behind his share of enemies, but who dealt the fatal blow?
DC Jack Laidlaw's reputation precedes him. He's not a team player, but he's got a sixth sense for what's happening on the streets. As two Glasgow gangs go to war, Laidlaw needs to find out who got Carter before the whole city explodes.
Publisher: Canongate Books
ISBN: 9781838854140
Number of pages: 320
Weight: 215 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 19 mm
Edition: Main
MEDIA REVIEWS
'Two maestros for the price of one! All fans of quality crime fiction are in for a rare treat. McIlvanney and Rankin at the very height of their powers' -Peter James
'Fantastic - like witnessing Scottish noir's Big Bang creation in the company of its greatest living exponent' - Lee Child
'McIlvanney and Rankin are the dream team. To have Rankin completing an unfinished McIlvanney novel is a crime fiction fan's dream come true' - Mark Billingham
'The journey through 1970s Glasgow, its grotty tenements and genteel suburbs, makes for a gripping and atmospheric novel' - The Times
'Absolutely brilliant. I was excited by this partnership the moment I heard it was happening, and it absolutely lives up to expectation. The Dark Remains is a triumph' - Mick Herron
'The personality of the tough, intelligent Laidlaw leaps off the page as readily as it did in the first novel that bore his name' - Financial Times
'Mean, moody and menacing. Perfect synchronicity from two of the best crime writers of our time' - Sue Black
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“Interesting”
Never a fan of authors finishing others work or building on established classics this was one of the exceptions. I felt it was very easy to see where Rankin took over from McIlvanney the later chapters were more... More
“A seamless collaboration”
"Whatever else happens, the dark remains."
From the moment I heard about this book I've been stalking various websites, scheming how to get my hands on it. Turns out I didn't have to kill anyone,...
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“"A one-off in a world of mass production."”
It was almost an impossible task, completing a novel written by the man single handedly responsible for not only creating Tartan Noir but seemingly the blueprint for every British crime novel to be written in the... More
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