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doobyus's review against another edition
3.0
This is a decent debut noir. I enjoyed it well enough, despite a couple of things which seemed a little out of place, discordant... did anyone refer to people as 'peeps' in 1973? I dont know. I was there and i dont recall it.
Despite that, the hero, McCoy, is an excellent construct. Flawed but inherently decent. Believable. Likeable.
I think I'd have felt more positive about this if i hadnt just finished Liam McIlvanney's 'The Quaker', which was just outstanding. That being said, i liked it enough to have bout the second book in the series.
Despite that, the hero, McCoy, is an excellent construct. Flawed but inherently decent. Believable. Likeable.
I think I'd have felt more positive about this if i hadnt just finished Liam McIlvanney's 'The Quaker', which was just outstanding. That being said, i liked it enough to have bout the second book in the series.
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
5.0
When Harry McCoy is summoned to Barlinnie Jail and told by an inmate that a girl will be killed in the morning he is skeptical but follows it up. The next morning the girl is killed and her killer shoots himself. McCoy is then drawn into a complex case which brings him face-to-face with a couple of old adversaries. McCoy is also trying to fight his connections to Cooper, a local crime kingpin who wants to take control of the burgeoning heroin trade in Glasgow. In the first few days of 1973, drugs, prostitution and murder are a to the fore and McCoy is trying to stem the tide.
This is a debut novel and is it bodes well for the future. Set in the early 1970s, Parks is able to summon up the sense of time and place without becoming pastiche. A cultural reference here, a song there, a geographical hint etc, it speaks of knowledge/research but added in with such a light touch. The story is complex with twists and turns aplenty and lots of concurrent themes, it reads like an episode in a long-running series, so convincing are the hints of backstory - what happened to Harry's baby and why did his wife/partner leave him, how did he end up with Janey and what will happen to her, where will the Dunlop storyline end? This is such a refreshing new voice in Scottish Noir, brutal and unyielding but brilliantly written.
This is a debut novel and is it bodes well for the future. Set in the early 1970s, Parks is able to summon up the sense of time and place without becoming pastiche. A cultural reference here, a song there, a geographical hint etc, it speaks of knowledge/research but added in with such a light touch. The story is complex with twists and turns aplenty and lots of concurrent themes, it reads like an episode in a long-running series, so convincing are the hints of backstory - what happened to Harry's baby and why did his wife/partner leave him, how did he end up with Janey and what will happen to her, where will the Dunlop storyline end? This is such a refreshing new voice in Scottish Noir, brutal and unyielding but brilliantly written.
mariavazquezsolaun's review against another edition
4.0
Enero Sangriento nos traslada a la ciudad de Glasgow de los años 70. El asesinato de una mujer por parte de un joven en una estación de autobuses sirve como detonante para presentar al detective McCoy, encargado del caso, y a toda una serie de personajes con mejor y peor suerte.
En este thriller con buen ritmo, a veces trepidante, la propia ciudad se descubre como un protagonista mas. Gracias a la pluma de Alan Parks uno es capaz de recrear las calles de Glasgow, frías y oscuras, aunque blancas por la nieve en pleno invierno, y advertir matices entre sus zonas ricas y pobres. De la misma forma resulta sencillo respirar el ambiente de sus garitos y dibujar a sus habituales. Y eso te permite estar de alguna forma mas presente en cada escena.
Su personaje principal, McCoy, es un agente hecho a la ciudad, mas amigo de aquellos que sobreviven en la misma que de los que ocupan posiciones de poder, lo que le causa problemas. Un hombre atormentado debido a su pasado, que no siempre toma las mejores decisiones o las mas éticas, pero que a su manera, tiene un gran sentido de la justicia. Un personaje bien construido alrededor del cual giran muchos otros: camellos, prostitutas, drogadictos, madames, policias corruptos... y un joven compañero Wattie, que con su inocencia e inteligencia se convierte en un gran contrapunto.
Probablemente sea la novela negra que mas he disfrutado en el último año. Es ágil, es entretenida, esta bien construída... asi que no descarto hacer otra incursión en la obra de este autor en unos meses.
En este thriller con buen ritmo, a veces trepidante, la propia ciudad se descubre como un protagonista mas. Gracias a la pluma de Alan Parks uno es capaz de recrear las calles de Glasgow, frías y oscuras, aunque blancas por la nieve en pleno invierno, y advertir matices entre sus zonas ricas y pobres. De la misma forma resulta sencillo respirar el ambiente de sus garitos y dibujar a sus habituales. Y eso te permite estar de alguna forma mas presente en cada escena.
Su personaje principal, McCoy, es un agente hecho a la ciudad, mas amigo de aquellos que sobreviven en la misma que de los que ocupan posiciones de poder, lo que le causa problemas. Un hombre atormentado debido a su pasado, que no siempre toma las mejores decisiones o las mas éticas, pero que a su manera, tiene un gran sentido de la justicia. Un personaje bien construido alrededor del cual giran muchos otros: camellos, prostitutas, drogadictos, madames, policias corruptos... y un joven compañero Wattie, que con su inocencia e inteligencia se convierte en un gran contrapunto.
Probablemente sea la novela negra que mas he disfrutado en el último año. Es ágil, es entretenida, esta bien construída... asi que no descarto hacer otra incursión en la obra de este autor en unos meses.
jiayuanc's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Drug abuse, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic friendship, Blood, Violence, Murder, Rape, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
Moderate: Drug use, Physical abuse, Murder, Misogyny, Blood, Confinement, Sexual assault, Drug abuse, Death, Addiction, Violence, Sexism, Rape, and Infidelity
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Pregnancy, Pedophilia, Child death, Alcoholism, Addiction, and Domestic abuse
jo_the_bookworm's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
scottiesandbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Bloody January is exactly what I needed this January. An easy, atmospheric and unashamedly Glaswegian crime novel that will grip you til the last page.
If you know anything about 1970s policing, especially in a place like Glasgow you know of the history of corruption, drug abuse and the streets being dominated by gang culture. So to see this in a novel is nothing new…. BUT it is one of the most entertaining I’ve came across.
Do we have the usual bad boy main protagonist with a drinking problem and a dodgy past? Yes of course we do. But what we also have is a look into the treatment of women as a commodity by men of all backgrounds: police, upper class and Glasgows usual gangsters. We have a look at upper class families having the police in their back pockets, the introduction of opium abuse to the streets of Glasgow and the victims of all of this: women.
I particularly loved the inclusion of Susan a woman who is very vocal about the use of women as a commodity, sexism in the police force and isn’t scared to speak her mind. I think some of the parts Parks has written for her are some of the strongest of the novels and highlight the change in society starting in the 1970s.
This book series reminds me of Louise Welsh’s The Cutting Room and is sure to fill the Rilke shaped hole in my heart. It really brings Glasgow to life, the streets the smells, the atmosphere and more importantly the people.
February can’t come quick enough so I can pick up number two!
If you know anything about 1970s policing, especially in a place like Glasgow you know of the history of corruption, drug abuse and the streets being dominated by gang culture. So to see this in a novel is nothing new…. BUT it is one of the most entertaining I’ve came across.
Do we have the usual bad boy main protagonist with a drinking problem and a dodgy past? Yes of course we do. But what we also have is a look into the treatment of women as a commodity by men of all backgrounds: police, upper class and Glasgows usual gangsters. We have a look at upper class families having the police in their back pockets, the introduction of opium abuse to the streets of Glasgow and the victims of all of this: women.
I particularly loved the inclusion of Susan a woman who is very vocal about the use of women as a commodity, sexism in the police force and isn’t scared to speak her mind. I think some of the parts Parks has written for her are some of the strongest of the novels and highlight the change in society starting in the 1970s.
This book series reminds me of Louise Welsh’s The Cutting Room and is sure to fill the Rilke shaped hole in my heart. It really brings Glasgow to life, the streets the smells, the atmosphere and more importantly the people.
February can’t come quick enough so I can pick up number two!
andrew61's review against another edition
3.0
A new series to me set in early 1970's Glasgow. Harry McCoy is a troubled police officer who has to investigate the inexplicable shooting of a young woman in the centre of Glasgow. McCoy has to navigate a sensitive path between local powerful people and his oldest friend, a psychotic local gangster.
An enjoyable start and will definitely try more.
An enjoyable start and will definitely try more.
mandylovestoread's review against another edition
3.0
The language in this book really put me off. I know that it fits with Glasgow in the 70s but it was a bit excessive. I enjoyed the story and the writing but the swearing was too much.
Thank you to Netgalley and Cannongate Books for the chance to read and review this book
Thank you to Netgalley and Cannongate Books for the chance to read and review this book
mazza57's review against another edition
1.0
Not my cup of tea. Morea dissertation on sleaze and alcohol abuse than an investigation into murder. Corrupt drunk and drug intoxicated police, bent coppers backhanders more description that storyline and a real haul to get through
annarella's review against another edition
4.0
An impressive and dark thriller set in 70s Glasgow. It's a book that keep you hooked since the beginning and involves you in its dark plot.
It's well written with interesting characters and a bleak and fascinating setting.
Recommended.
Many thanks to World Noir and Edelweiss
It's well written with interesting characters and a bleak and fascinating setting.
Recommended.
Many thanks to World Noir and Edelweiss