The crime novel titled ‘The Dark Remains’ was recently completed by Ian Rankin based on an unfinished manuscript written by the late William McIlvanney.

It captures the grittiness of Glasgow gang warfare in the 1970s and kept us hooked. It focuses on how DC Laidlaw, a maverick detective with utter contempt for following protocols, navigates tensions between two rival gangs in order to successfully solve his first murder case. This gripping novel draws on the vernacular throughout.

While not everyone in our group likes crime fiction, everyone found this book to be well written, especially the character descriptions, and gave it a positive review.

The novel is a must-read for fans of detective stories and is a prequel to McIlvanney's trilogy about Inspector Laidlaw, whom we may choose to read more about in the future!