Where the Dead Men Go by Liam McIlvanney

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Blurb: After three years in the wilderness, hardboiled reporter Gerry Conway is back at his desk at the Glasgow Tribune. But three years is a long time on newspapers and things have changed – readers are dwindling, budgets are tightening, and the Trib’s once rigorous standards are slipping. Once the paper’s star reporter, Conway now plays second fiddle to his former protégé, crime reporter Martin Moir. But when Moir goes AWOL as a big story breaks, Conway is dispatched to cover a gangland shooting. And when Moir’s body turns up in a flooded quarry, Conway is drawn deeper into the city’s criminal underworld as he looks for the truth about his colleague’s death. (Faber & Faber, 2013)

Geoffrey Wansell, The Daily Mail

“McIlvanney evokes the city’s dark underbelly with razor-like accuracy, and the novel roars off the page like a wild beast on the loose … Superb storytelling, a wonderful eye for character, and a passion for dialogue; it announces the arrival of a Scots poet of the thriller.”

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Doug Johnstone, The Independent

“Set against the backdrop of Glasgow’s preparations for the Commonwealth Games and Scotland’s run up to the referendum vote next year, Where the Dead Men Go shows how politicians and big businesses are still dancing to the tune of organised crime, and how Glasgow is still in thrall to its bitter sectarian past. Delivered in lyrical, emotive and often piercing prose, it’s an assured and classy addition to the ranks of Scotland’s crime-writing scene.”

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Marcel Berlins, The Times

“Conway seeks answers in Glasgow’s gangland. Nothing original in that, but McIlvanney tells the story with clarity, terrific dialogue and convincing characters.”