Strange Loyalties

By William McIlvanney

Book Three in William McIlvanney's Laidlaw Trilogy

From William McIlvanney, “the father of 'Tartan Noir’,” comes the third book in the groundbreaking Laidlaw series, one that explores “the ruin of the body, the corruption of the soul and the shattering of society” (Wall Street Journal).

This third book in the series begins with Jack Laidlaw’s despair and anger at his brother’s death in a banal road accident. But his nagging doubts about the dynamics of his brother’s death lead to larger questions about the nature of pain and injustice and the greater meaning of his own life. He becomes convinced there is more to his brother's death. His investigations will lead to a confrontation with his own past and a harrowing journey into the dark Glasgow underworld.

The Laidlaw books are widely considered to be among the greatest achievements of Scottish crime writing and the founding novels of what has since become known as the school of Tartan Noir, whcih includes autors like Val McDermid, Denise Mina, and Ian Rankin.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: Apr 7, 2015
• ISBN: 9781609452636

William McIlvanney

William McIlvanney is widely credited as the founder of the Tartan Noir movement that includes authors such as Denise Mina, Ian Banks, and Val McDermid, all of whom cite him as an influence and inspiration. McIlvanney’s Laidlaw trilogy “changed the face of Scottish fiction” (The Times of London), his Docherty won the Whitbread Award for Fiction, and his Laidlaw and The Papers of Tony Veitch both gained Silver Daggers from the Crime Writers’ Association. Strange Loyalties won the Glasgow Herald’s People’s Prize. William passed away in December 2015.

Reviews for Strange Loyalties

[jw1949-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really like McIlvanney as a writer - the subject matter was not great but as I'm from Glasgow, the locations and the atmosphere were very familiar and friendly indeed.

[jkdavies · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I was a little thrown to start with by the change to first person narrative, but thouroughly enjoyed this tale of Laidlaw coming to terms with his brother's death, and digging into what went wrong in his life. The writing, excellent as always, manages to be both personal and universal.