Laidlaw by William McIlvanney

Canon Gate Books

Book Review

 

This book starts off with the murder of a young woman in Glasgow, Scotland.  We know immediately who the murderer is, where he is hiding and who is trying to help him and why.  Each character that we meet, leads us to another character until we find ourselves caught in an intricate web where numerous story lines intersect.     

Most of the individual characters are sad personae from a hard gloomy neighbourhood.  Not the least of these is Jack Laidlaw, one of the detectives assigned to the case.  He is somewhat of a philosopher and his thinking gives him an insight into people that the other policemen don’t grasp.  He uses wits and intuition to navigate the moral code of the hard men and low life that live in the shadows of the city.  Think part Inspector Morse, part the Singing Detective and part Kierkegaard.  

The moral concerns and social issues encountered weigh down Laidlaw and his partner Harkness. I found they could also make for heavy reading.  Overall, this is an intriguing book and I would recommend it.  The Scottish English, while it made for tedious reading in some places (at least for me) also adds an authenticity to the atmosphere and you feel as if you are right there.