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bkdrgn303's review
4.0
I listened to the audio version. Dark and gritty and smart. I've never read McIlvanney but I'm a big fan of Ian Rankin. This is a quick read and leaves you wanting to know more about Jack Laidlaw.
kayleighoneillonwheels's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
smilesgiggle's review
3.0
I wanted very much to love this novel - it just fell short for me.
Detective Constable Jack Laidlaw has been transferred yet again - his blunt approach, searching the streets for information have a tendency to rile his partners and coworkers, not to mention his personality.
Assigned to work a seasoned detective, they arrive at a local pub - the body of missing gangster lawyer Bobby Carter found in the alleyway. Many people wanted him dead - but who would make a move against his boss, Cam Colvin. Could it be their rival, John Rhodes?
The detectives are working hard to solve this case before a gang war breaks out; Cam and John also sending their men out to investigate.
Detective Constable Jack Laidlaw has been transferred yet again - his blunt approach, searching the streets for information have a tendency to rile his partners and coworkers, not to mention his personality.
Assigned to work a seasoned detective, they arrive at a local pub - the body of missing gangster lawyer Bobby Carter found in the alleyway. Many people wanted him dead - but who would make a move against his boss, Cam Colvin. Could it be their rival, John Rhodes?
The detectives are working hard to solve this case before a gang war breaks out; Cam and John also sending their men out to investigate.
jimmypat's review against another edition
3.0
The Laidlaw trilogy is excellent crime fiction. Unfortunately, this book doesn’t quite live up to the originals. Most of the time, it felt like Laidlaw-lite… the writing a little bland, too many clunky references to the other books, not deep enough…. Despite all that, I’m grateful that this book exists and I had another chance to read a Laidlaw book; I only wish it had been completely McIlvanney.
annieb123's review
5.0
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Dark Remains is a retro vibe first case in the perennially popular Laidlaw series by the late William McIlvanney with an assist from Ian Rankin. Released 7th Sept 2021 by Europa Editions on their World Noir imprint, it's 208 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
There has been an ocean of commentary on tartan noir (and Scandi-noir and all the siblings). I have heard Laidlaw (there are three other books in addition to this prequel) referred to as Scottish noir or at least a precursor and while that might be strictly speaking true, and it is certainly gritty and brooding and Scottish, it's much more than that. I love crime novels with imperfect protagonists, Laidlaw has that in spades. This prequel, ghost written from a previously unfinished manuscript, has the vibe and voice and without knowing the background, I wouldn't have pegged it for a collaboration.
One of the things that sets this one apart is that McIlvanney was a remarkably adept writer, precise and masterful. There is not one fumble in the book. There is a spareness to the prose (the author was also quite well known as a poet). The characterizations are rich, varied, and precisely rendered.
The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 6 hours and 31 minutes and is well narrated by Brian Cox. He walks a razor edge, keeping true to the spirit of the Glaswegian accents and at the same time enunciating clearly and well and rendering the whole understandable.
That being said, this is a relentlessly dark book. It's also a beautifully written book. I'm glad to see this new entry being finished in a manner worthy of McIlvanney's oeuvre.
Four and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
The Dark Remains is a retro vibe first case in the perennially popular Laidlaw series by the late William McIlvanney with an assist from Ian Rankin. Released 7th Sept 2021 by Europa Editions on their World Noir imprint, it's 208 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.
There has been an ocean of commentary on tartan noir (and Scandi-noir and all the siblings). I have heard Laidlaw (there are three other books in addition to this prequel) referred to as Scottish noir or at least a precursor and while that might be strictly speaking true, and it is certainly gritty and brooding and Scottish, it's much more than that. I love crime novels with imperfect protagonists, Laidlaw has that in spades. This prequel, ghost written from a previously unfinished manuscript, has the vibe and voice and without knowing the background, I wouldn't have pegged it for a collaboration.
One of the things that sets this one apart is that McIlvanney was a remarkably adept writer, precise and masterful. There is not one fumble in the book. There is a spareness to the prose (the author was also quite well known as a poet). The characterizations are rich, varied, and precisely rendered.
The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 6 hours and 31 minutes and is well narrated by Brian Cox. He walks a razor edge, keeping true to the spirit of the Glaswegian accents and at the same time enunciating clearly and well and rendering the whole understandable.
That being said, this is a relentlessly dark book. It's also a beautifully written book. I'm glad to see this new entry being finished in a manner worthy of McIlvanney's oeuvre.
Four and a half stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
the_coycaterpillar_reads's review
5.0
The Dark Remains is undeniably authentic and a true testament to everything Glasgow was in the ’70s and ’80s. I haven’t had the pleasure of reading the Laidlaw series by the late and great William McIlvanney but I will be rectifying that as soon as possible. Gangland Glasgow and its brutal violence and its territorial wars, the tone was set and it was addictive as it was horrifying. Ian Rankin had massive shoes to fill but he laced them up, took pen to paper, and paid homage to Scotland’s father of Tartan Noir.
The Dark Remains is just that, dark. It doesn’t pull any punches, it doesn’t pretty anything up, it is just straight up potent. Bobby Carter, a notorious lawyer operating under Cam Colvin’s gang is found dead behind a bar on the rival gang’s turf. This discovery is going to cause an all-out war between the rivals, tearing down the streets of Glasgow and all that stand in their way. DC Laidlaw and DS Lilley have to find who the perpetrator is before everything goes to hell in a handbasket. I liked these two as an investigating duo, Laidlaw isn’t particularly likable but his sense of humour drew me to him like a moth to the flame.
The story portrayed Glasgow as a sentient being, the feeling that all is being watched, nothing goes unnoticed, nothing is left to chance. It never forgets. DC Laidlaw is a bit of a loose cannon. He doesn’t dance to the beat of anyone’s drum but his own. He has the measure of his superior officer, DI Milligan. He’s blindly ambitious but sleekit. He won’t think twice about bending the rules to serve his sense of entitlement. He can’t keep tabs on DC Laidlaw, a man that stops at nothing to get his man – even staying in a hotel for the duration of the case leaving his unhappy wife, Ena, and their three children, he’s a one-man-band.
McIllvaney’s view of Glasgow is unapologetic. The sectarianism, misogyny, and street politics are everywhere you turn. DC Laidlaw is a hindrance in DI Milligan making his name and cracking this case, and he doesn’t want him preceding him. Laidlaw is frustrated with the door-to-door house calls that Milligan would have him carry out, so decides to think outside the box. He reexamines the bystanders, who are not immediately obvious, and puts the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle that has pieces scattered throughout the dingy streets of Glasgow.
The Dark Remains is an uncompleted novel by McIlvanney handed over to the publishers and Ian Rankin being asked to complete it. It was an effortless read, you certainly couldn’t tell where one author’s writing finished and one commenced. It is an honest and sincere last hurrah to one of Scotland’s greats. Any crime fan will be in their element.
The Dark Remains is just that, dark. It doesn’t pull any punches, it doesn’t pretty anything up, it is just straight up potent. Bobby Carter, a notorious lawyer operating under Cam Colvin’s gang is found dead behind a bar on the rival gang’s turf. This discovery is going to cause an all-out war between the rivals, tearing down the streets of Glasgow and all that stand in their way. DC Laidlaw and DS Lilley have to find who the perpetrator is before everything goes to hell in a handbasket. I liked these two as an investigating duo, Laidlaw isn’t particularly likable but his sense of humour drew me to him like a moth to the flame.
The story portrayed Glasgow as a sentient being, the feeling that all is being watched, nothing goes unnoticed, nothing is left to chance. It never forgets. DC Laidlaw is a bit of a loose cannon. He doesn’t dance to the beat of anyone’s drum but his own. He has the measure of his superior officer, DI Milligan. He’s blindly ambitious but sleekit. He won’t think twice about bending the rules to serve his sense of entitlement. He can’t keep tabs on DC Laidlaw, a man that stops at nothing to get his man – even staying in a hotel for the duration of the case leaving his unhappy wife, Ena, and their three children, he’s a one-man-band.
McIllvaney’s view of Glasgow is unapologetic. The sectarianism, misogyny, and street politics are everywhere you turn. DC Laidlaw is a hindrance in DI Milligan making his name and cracking this case, and he doesn’t want him preceding him. Laidlaw is frustrated with the door-to-door house calls that Milligan would have him carry out, so decides to think outside the box. He reexamines the bystanders, who are not immediately obvious, and puts the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle that has pieces scattered throughout the dingy streets of Glasgow.
The Dark Remains is an uncompleted novel by McIlvanney handed over to the publishers and Ian Rankin being asked to complete it. It was an effortless read, you certainly couldn’t tell where one author’s writing finished and one commenced. It is an honest and sincere last hurrah to one of Scotland’s greats. Any crime fan will be in their element.
jenniferbirtles's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
daniel_mc_adam's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely fantastic book with brilliant Characters. Ian Rankin has done an amazing job on finishing this Book. William Mc Ilvanney would have been proud.
Read this in two sittings and will definitely be added to my To Be Read Again List.
Read this in two sittings and will definitely be added to my To Be Read Again List.