A review by timsa9cd0
The Papers of Tony Veitch by William McIlvanney

3.5

Second of the Laidlaw trilogy set in Glasgow in the 70s. The “father of tartan noir” (being, among other things, the inspiration for Ian Rankin and his Rebus mysteries set in Edinburgh).  McIlvanney, who died in 2015 (age 79), was a novelist and a poet and wrote “only” the 3 mysteries (the first in 1977 and the last in 1991). Jack Laidlaw, our cop hero, is a university philosophy drop out, holds firmly to his ideals while aching about the sad state of humanity. A death of a wino, Eck, demands the same vigilance in Laidlaw's eyes, as the death of any high roller. His colleagues roll their eyes instead, but are nonetheless in awe of Laidlaw. Eck is dead, and will Jack be able to save the rich kid (a reflection of his youthful self) from the bad ass mobsters of Glasgow? It's a bit much, but not too much. I have the final book, Strange Loyalties, in waiting.