The Papers of Tony Veitch

A bloody good read -- VAL McDERMID The pure distilled essence of Scottish crime writing -- PETER MAY A crime trilogy so searing it will burn forever into your memory. McIlvanney is the original Scottish criminal mastermind -- CHRISTOPHER BROOKMYRE It's doubtful I would be a crime writer without the influence of McIlvanney's Laidlaw -- IAN RANKIN In a class of his own * * Guardian * * The good news is that Laidlaw is back * * Observer * * He kicked the door open so the likes of Ian Rankin, Denise Mina and me could sneak through behind him -- VAL McDERMID Fastest, first and best, Laidlaw is the melancholy heir to Marlowe. Reads like a breathless scalpel cut through the bloody heart of a city -- DENISE MINA McIlvanney is the razor king of Scottish crime writing, carving out crackling prose and pounding storylines. His Laidlaw is an enduring hero with the dry wit and insight to make other literary detectives seem two-dimensional -- GORDON FERRIS The Laidlaw books are not just great crime novels, they are important ones. McIlvanney proved that crime writing could have both perfect style and huge ambition. Most of us writing crime fiction today are standing on the shoulders of giants. McIlvanney is one such giant -- MARK BILLINGHAM

William McIlvanney is the author of the award-winning Laidlaw trilogy, featuring Glasgow's original maverick detective. Both Laidlaw and The Papers of Tony Veitch gained Silver Daggers from the Crime Writers' Association, while the third in the series, Strange Loyalties, won the Glasgow Herald's People's Prize. He died in December 2015. The Papers of Tony Veitch is the second book in the Laidlaw Trilogy.