Author:Alan Parks
This is the third novel in this crime thriller series set in 1970s Glasgow, and featuring Detective Harry McCoy and his childhood friend and now sometime nemesis Stevie Cooper. It’s also partly the tale of a local boy made good rock star, the Bobby March of the title, whose fortunes are now somewhat on the wane, and who is found dead from an overdose in his hotel room after a homecoming show. The story of his career is told throughout the book in a series of flashbacks, running alongside two current investigations involving missing girls, one official, the other off the record. Throw in plenty of drugs, gang violence, links to terrorism and a rather jaundiced view of the rock scene, and you’ve got all the ingredients for a damn good read! I got through this in one sitting on a long train journey and loved every page, hoping I could finish it before I reached my final destination. I suppose you’d describe it as being part of the ‘tartan noir’ genre, but the closest comparison I can give is that it’s like one of Stuart MacBride’s Logan McCrae novels but set forty years or so ago. If you enjoy that type of book then you should certainly seek this one out. Although it’s a standalone novel, I do think it works best if you’ve already read the previous two stories in this series to follow the development of the main characters and their individual storylines. Personally, I’m already looking forward to the next instalment.
Length of Read:Medium
Might appeal to people who enjoyed…
Fans of tartan noir or crime thrillers in general – if you want to try a new author in that field I’d recommend you give this a go.
One thing you’ve learned
The author appears to be something of an Exile era Rolling Stones fan.
Kaisfatdad says
Sounds like a treat. I will get my paws on the first in the series and take it from there.
Tartan Noir tends to hit the spot for me. Rankin and Brookmyre are consistently reliable.
Lodestone of Wrongness says
MacBride is yer man!!
Vulpes Vulpes says
I’m suffering from a Rankin drought; what’s the title of the book to start with in MacBride’s world please?
bigstevie says
I think the 1st in the Logan McCrae series is ‘Cold Granite’.
I used to love his writing….not so much now, as it just seems samey. Anyway, the first half dozen at least are great.
Actually, I remember my mother read one of them and told me she thought it was ridiculous, because if the police acted that way, then they’d never catch anybody. I told her that I thought it was exactly what happened in the police force.
Bargepole says
The first two titles in this series are only around the £3 mark on Kindle at the moment if anyone wants to dip their toe in.
Vulpes Vulpes says
Bloody January ordered. Let’s see if I get pulled in like I was wi’ Big Ger, Siobhan and Rebus.
Bargepole says
I believe a new Rebus is coming in the autumn.
SteveT says
@Bargepole you are doinng my head in. That’s Alan Parks and Pete Paphides over one weekend.
My bank manager wants to know where you live.