I am in charge of our Senior School library and am looking for a diverse array of new books to furnish their shelves with and inspire our young people to read a wider and more diverse range of books as they move through the senior school. It is hard sometimes to find books that will grab the attention of young people as their time is short and we are competing against technology and online entertainments.
This was a thought-provoking and well-written read that will appeal to young readers across the board. It had a really strong voice and a compelling narrative that I think would capture their attention and draw them in. It kept me engrossed and I think that it's so important that the books that we purchase for both our young people and our staff are appealing to as broad a range of readers as possible - as well as providing them with something a little 'different' that they might not have come across in school libraries before.
This was a really enjoyable read and I will definitely be purchasing a copy for school so that our young people can enjoy it for themselves. A satisfying and well-crafted read that I keep thinking about long after closing its final page - and that definitely makes it a must-buy for me!

How is it possible to add another Scottish crime writer, and still add something else to general panorama of Scottish fiction.
60's Glasgow. Real evocative stuff. The gangs, and organised crime. City versus highlands. Catholic versus Protestant. Sexism, corruption. Cynicism and heart. This book has it all. Liam welcome to the panoply of Scottish Crime writers. A welcome addition.

I admit I initially found it hard to read, I’m glad I continued as I read more I was caught up in the characters the turns in the evidence , the extremes people go to , I couldn’t read to the end quick enough to find out how the plot would finish, with some unexpected results fantastic storyline well thought out

As someone who lives in Edinburgh I remember Bible John and the terror in the Barrowlands. I was captivated by this very well written book. Plenty interesting characters and a fast moving read. One point I would make is that there are no magistrates courts in Scotland. However it did paint a vivid picture of Glasgow in the 1960s. I look forward to reading more from Liam McIlvanney.

Whilst I found this to be a good story it was a bit slow in places especially at the beginning. I found that as it got nearer the 2nd half of the book the pace and storyline picked up and I started to enjoy reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the review copy. This is an unbiased review of the author's work and style. If you want plot lines and spoilers please see the publishers blurb and other reviewers' reports.

Liam McIlvanney's Quaker is based loosley on the true life story of "Bible John" this ploy has given this excellent writer the freedom to produce a gripping tale but also maintain an underlying sense of a documentary.

A clever and interesting approach to life and death in Galsgow of the late 60s and one that evokes those days of change and the darkness of the police's job restraining their normal working practices and turning their frustration in on themselves.
A good tale and one that deserves five stars.

A real ‘ripper-esque’ story of serial murder and a police force’s tireless struggles to bring the killer to justice set in Glasgow. Tired and running out of leads, the force draft in a hot shot DI from London who originated from the city and who brings resentment to the current squad.
I enjoyed the pace and style of writing in the book. The characters interacted well and the plot worked.
I didn’t feel to was different to anything I’d read before but a good read nonetheless.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to review this book.

A serial killer is at large in Glasgow. Despite following every lead they are no closer to getting to the truth. DI McCormack comes in to see what he can find. At the same time a small group of criminals plan a robbery. A fourth body is found. How is it all linked and will they find the killer. What does the robbery have to do with the killings, or is there no connection. Plenty of twists and turns, right to the very end. Would really recommend.

A 'whodunnit' with a difference. Set in Glasgow in the '60's when being a polisman was different. No computer searching for information, just the library and good old fashioned legwork.

Glasgow in the '60's was going through changes with lots of empty and derelict tenement buildings spread across the city.

It was also a time when The Quaker made females scared to go out for fear that they would become the next victim of this brutal murderer.

For McCormack The Quaker was a defining case, his last case in Scotland and his catalyst to a new life in the freedom of England.

A great read and a rapid page turner.

Set in 1969 Glasgow and loosely based on the Bible John Murders, with strong similarities particularly in regard to the victimology and modus operandi, The Quaker is not your average thriller.
DI Duncan McCormack arrives in Glasgow from the Highlands to evaluate the police department's work on the Quaker cases. As more women are murdered and the pressure from the media and the public mounts, a suspect is arrested. Everyone is elated, and only DI McCormack believes the arrested suspect is not the Quaker. McCormack continues to investigate against orders, making him even less popular than to begin with. Only DI Goldie becomes somewhat of a trusted ally. But in crime-ridden Glasgow, alliances become apparent that threaten to impede justice and reveal McCormack's personal secret, which could cost him dearly.
Set against the backdrop of redevelopments in the city, mass migration and a harsh winter, this gritty and at times brutal thriller reflects the times.

Overall enjoyable, the book was a bit slow at the beginning and it took me a while to get into it. Once I got immersed in the plot, I enjoyed the book. I still think the whole book and in particular the perspectives of the victims could have been shorter.
There were quite a few unexpected twists at the end, which I thoroughly enjoyed. It was interesting to read up on the Bible John murders and theories about Peter Tobin and other suspects.

Probably the best book I’ll read this year.
I couldn’t put it down and was left feeling angry, happy, sad and wanting more!

I really enjoyed this, a really strong and gritty thriller that really gives you a sense of Glasgow and brings the city to life. I think it's really well suited to any fans of Val McDermid and of dark Scottish thrillers.

I enjoyed this book as I’ve grown up in Glasgow and I love how the city has been brought to life with references to lots of the most popular areas.
This is a police crime novel that is set in the early 60s with a ‘bible John’ type killer that the police are trying to find.
This book will definitely appeal more to people who have grown up in Glasgow or know the city well due to various references made, however it’s a very good novel.

A good read set in the late sixties in Scotland.

A killer who picks up women in a nightclub and then kills them is on the loose and the police can't seem to crack it. They decide to bring in fresh eyes from the highlands in a young DI McCormack and he is to look at what they have done so far and report back.
Not the best position to be in as he is between a rock and a hard place as he tries to win hearts and minds but they know he is there to report on what they may have missed or done wrong.
The killings kick off again and he gets drawn in to the investigation as they all try to find links to find the killer.

This is a well written book and the characters and scenes just draw you in. You can feel the dislike the new DI has in the station as he reviews the case and the mistrust they have of him. He of course will be the one to follow the clues to discover what is going on. It is not as straight forward as it appears and there is a twist to it.

Worth the read and I for one will be reading the next one.

Dark 1960s Scottish crime with a 'Bible John' type serial killer and a brooding detective. Great atmosphere and strong characters, Glasgow is almost another character within the book.

I loved this book! It has a superb 60's feel, a brilliant storyline, a talented but some might say flawed central character, and a cast of excellently-drawn supporting players. The meshing of the various storylines works beautifully.

I found the book hard to put down, and I am now a confirmed McIlvanney fan!

I highly recommend this to all lovers of the police procedure/crime genres!

I usually enjoy crime and in particular true crime but this one failed to capture my attention. I thought it was a complex storyline and poorly explicated. The author uses gaelic/ dialect and police lingo which meant i had to keep going to the online dictionary to find out what he was talking about. This certainly didn't help with the pace. I was fully half way through the book before i had a real handle on what was going on. I felt the characterisation was poor, i didn't really feel any affinity to any character. I am not sure i would want to follow the series

When the local Glasgow police force become the brunt end of jokes by the press and locals it was time to bring in someone to observe the officers conducting the investigation into a serial killer nick named The Quaker. The Quaker had now brutally murdered three local women after each of them had left the same night club in a matter of weeks. Six months on the three investigating officers were still no closer to finding the killer.
The year is 1969, forty years off the technical advancements of today, so policing was vastly different. DI Duncan McCormack is simply an observer brought into ensure what has been done is enough to move this investigation into the cold case files that have not been solved. The existing team is not only frustrated at the lack of progress that they have been able to make but also that this whiz kid of a DI is there to find fault not help the situation. That is until another woman is murdered, then it is game on.
This is a very haunting read, with the murdered victims having their say in the story after they have died. How they met this man, the night out and their subsequent murders, even how they saw past the time of their deaths and reaction of their loved ones. Very cleverly done, very touching and emotional. It made the deaths of these at first faceless women, real and more personal. A real clever touch.
I took to McCormack straight away as he wasn't prepared to just roll over to get a conviction like some were chasing. It mattered to him that the right man should be brought to justice. For McCormack it was like shaking a tree to see how many bad apples would fall off. This story is set in 1969, with not just technology that was out of sync with today. McCormack has to make a huge personal decision too, One that could have made this series into a stand alone.
Very much looking forward to more from this author, Excellent story and characters.

I enjoyed the story line of this book but I found there were too confusing names of people to remember who was who.

This crime thriller takes a bit of time to get started, but when it does, it really takes off. This gritty and atmospheric police procedural from the 1960s set in Glasgow, on the trail of a serial killer, is illuminating in terms of how the city was gripped by fear, and fast losing patience with the police force’s seeming inability to catch the killer after many months. It illustrates effectively just how different police procedures were at that time, without the benefit of DNA profiling and CCTV coverage, to name but two innovations which have changed policing immeasurably.
The introduction of a seemingly unconnected high-stakes burglary means that the story takes a turn where this reader began to wonder where it was all going. But the merging of the crimes means it is well worth the wait, and the story really ramps up several gears. At this point it becomes utterly compelling , and I read far into the night to finish it.
The central police character MacCormack has demons of his own to deal with, apart from trying to track down The Quaker, which brings a further twist to this intriguing story.
Crime writing and storytelling at its very best, I look forward to more from Liam McIlvanney.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my advance copy of this book.