WILLIAM McILVANNY AND IAN RANKIN COMBINE IN ANOTHER GLASGOW COP DRAMA

 Book Review

Title.                      The Dark Remains

Authors.                 William McIlvanney

                                    Ian Rankin

Published by.         Canongate

I lifted The Dark Remains off the shelf feeling that I needed to give myself a lift as I had not read a novel for weeks. It was the best choice I could have made. I knew the history of this book in that William McIlvanney - a Scottish crime writer of repute - died in 2005 before it could be completed. So, what better a choice could be, when Ian Rankin finished the job. Seamlessly, I feel, although I could make a guess at one or two places when Rankin did took over.

I think that when a reader is introduced to any crime story set in Scotland then it should include a warning about what to expect. These two authors, including Val McDermid, know how to bring violent characters into play. Yes, there is violence and make no mistake it’s ‘not nice’. However the criminals are portrayed as people who have had traumatic pasts and that evil has stayed with them. Power, money and control of others is top of their list.

But, of course, they are only one half of the story as on the other side are ‘the polis’. You need tough intelligent beings to thwart the dark side of Glasgow and one man especially drives this novel at a furious pace. That is DC Jack Laidlaw who does his own thing! I loved the way McIlvanney portrays him as a loner that’s sharper than the rest. He has a partner too and the two are like two dissimilar book ends! Add into that a ‘knob’ of a detective inspector and the conflict is added to between detectives as well as between villains. It makes the story bound along rapidly to a conclusion.

Interestingly, there is acrimony with Jack Laidlaw’s home life and this is well dealt with by our story tellers. I could say that Jack and Ena, his wife, are different sides of two coins. I won’t spoil by giving away any more detail, but I felt sadness with what was in print. I loved the honesty in here when McIlvanney states that Jack is not a Mason. Hurray, I say and there is no hint of any corruption here either. 

If you are looking for a well run murder investigation then forget it. But you should love the unorthodox Jack Laidlaw as he got the answers right. 

It is about a killing, several domestic situations and competing gangs in Glasgow. I enjoyed every line in this fast moving story. It’s not banter as such but sharp dialogue and I liked that. A great choice and the right time for me.