Set in late 1960s Glasgow's city centre and east end, this is a police detective story relying more on hard graft and clever thinking than all the modern gadgets and tests that help so much in solving crime today. The crime here is the brutal and shocking killings of three women who have all been at the local dance hall for a night out. Local CID are struggling to catch him and he casts a grim shadow of fear over the city as the public wonder whether he will ever be caught or will he strike again? The book is slower paced than some and more thoughtful in places, with other crimes and problems running along side the main theme. The author paints a great picture of a grim dark time in the city with sights and smells that are almost real to the senses and probably still live on in some readers' memories. As DI McCormack, originally brought in to report on the handling of the case, becomes involved in trying to solve the case himself there are many twists and turns before the conclusion is reached. Overall a very clever and well told story which I can highly recommend.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’m glad I did.
As my husband is from Glasgow, the setting appealed to me and I really liked the main character, McCormack. When a murder inquiry seems to be going nowhere, he is called in to make a report and wind the investigation down. Despite the antagonism from the team, he is drawn into the inquiry and uncovers a web of corruption and dirty dealings.
This is a very well written crime novel, which doesn’t rely on twists and turns to engage the reader, just good police work.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this copy.

Nearly gave up on this book several times l found the constant Gaelic quite annoying although understand why it was used but l feel the description of the area and main character was enough to illustrate where we were so yes I carried on but not sure I would read another in a series too much hard work

The Quaker, a serial killer in the Scottish city of Glasgow, has evaded the police and captured and killed his victims with seeming ease. DI Duncan McCormack joins the murder squad to ascertain why the Quaker hasn't been identified - is there a reason besides incompetence and/or bad luck, and has the Quaker finished his killing spree?

Using 1960s Glasgow as a backdrop, McIlvanney weaves an evocative, gritty crime novel. There are some of the usual crime tropes - the 'maverick outsider' main character for example - but they work well here. I enjoyed reading it and would be happy to read more in the series. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who loves gritty crime dramas.

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, HarperCollins UK, for the opportunity to review an ARC.

The story is set in Glasgow in 1969 and is loosely based the true story of killer Bible John. The Quaker is a bible quoting killer who seems to be the perfect gentleman, courteous and polite. Three women are raped, beaten and murdered close to home after a night at the Barrowlands Ballroom.

The police seem unable to catch him and the city is gripped by fear. DI Duncan McCormack, a leading light is drafted in to close the case down and write a report. There is a fourth murder which is similar but not the same as the previous ones and the police wonder if a copycat killer is at large.

Alex Paton, a peterman based in London arrives in his home city to take part in an auction house heist. He's set up to lie low in an abandoned slum flat which will be torn down in a few weeks as part of the city regeneration. But he seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and the police want to nail him as The Quaker.

McCormack is a brilliant and tenacious character (who I'm looking forward to meeting again in book #2). He's willing to risk all at great personal cost to see those guilty sent to prison. A great read which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Super murder mystery set beautifully in late 1960's Glasgow. The hunt for a triple murderer seemingly bogged down a fresh set of eyes brought in to look at then close the investigation down is told in parallel with a seemingly unconnected large burglary. The two are cleverly knitted together with the discovery of a fourth victim. The pace is relentless and even our hero has his own dark secret. Splendidly evocative of a time gone by this is a brilliant yarn.

This is the first book by Liam McIlvanney which I have read.

I found the geographical and recent historical settings used in this crime novel, very enjoyable.
The author has created a wide range of interesting characters.
The plot moves swiftly. All the way through there are new and exciting strands added to the story.

In consequence there are plenty of twists in the plot and a veritable shoal of red herrings to keep the reader engaged.

In all this is a multiple murder mystery with some clever contemporary police procedural elements. Not to mention a couple of very interesting twists in the conclusion.

When reading an author who is new to me, I always ask myself, would I read other books?. In this case the answer is yes.

I give my thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for a copy in exchange for this review.

Set in 1960’s Glasgow the author descriptions took me into the heart of city and East End. I have no knowledge of Glasgow and my knowledge of the 1960’s and the police is a mish mash of the television programmes Call a Midwife, Heartbeat and vague recollections of Inspector George Gently and a hint of Life on Mars but Liam McIlvanney made it real. I could taste the whisky, smell the cigarette smoke and hear the music of the dancing halls as he took me into the slums and condemned buildings and murky criminal underworld.

The story follows DI McCormack as he deals with the backlash and resentment from murder team after he arrives because they have been unable to crack the case. He is deep, thoughtful and has is own secrets. I enjoyed the tension and relationship between him and Goldie who takes the role of his antagonist.

Liam McIlvanney wove the threads murders, backstories and gangsters together to produce a novel I struggled to put down. It may not be fast paced like some crime novels where action follows action but the strength of character and plot made me want to read one more chapter. He produced twists I did not see coming which left me wanting to read more of his work and I truly hope this book will not be the only time I meet DI McCormack.

Set in the 1960's, with a killer on the loose and no sign of being caught, DI McCormack is sent in to review the case and close it down. However, when a suspect is charged, McCormack realises that the real killer is still on the loose.

After a fairly slow start, I was soon hooked and really wanted McCormacks character to be developed more - hopefully this will lead to a series.

I haven't come across Liam McIlvanney before, but based on how much I enjoyed The Quaker, I'll look out for more. This story is really convincing. I'm sure there are elements of fact; there was a serial killer in Scotland at the time and some of his victims had been to the infamous Barrowland dance hall.

This is a really well written crime thriller which really captures policing at the time and the era in general. In the early section, the dedicated hard graft of officers involved in a major investigation really comes across, particularly the front station at lack of progress and a killer still on the loose. The relationships between the team, the tensions, language and near contempt for some senior colleagues is well depicted. The thread of a sub plot around a gallery theft runs through as a separate story and keeps the plot and pace moving. Quite a few chapters end on a cliffhanger and the narrative moves to a different part of the story leaving you desperate to know what happens next.

I liked the way each of the victims were given their own voice and described events. All the characters are well rounded, the use of language and dialect adds to the tale and the hunt to bring The Quaker killer to justice is convincing. Really enjoyed this.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

Glesga Ripper

As someone who calls the Dear Green Place home, I was keen to read this novel. Even when the subject matter is as dark as this, there's something pleasing in understanding all of the streets and venues mentioned and understanding the Glaswegian Scots patter. Very pleased I live in the city as it is today, rather than in the 1960s - this book paints a grim, yet from what I understand, accurate past.

In many ways, this is a book about basic human rights. I'm sure it won't be sold as such, but it recognises the danger to women when they choose to do nothing more than go to a simple dance hall for a night out and when people make life choices that don't accord with others' belief systems.

The details are in part gory, as the victims "re-live" the nights of the crimes involved and I found myself wanting things to end differently, even though I knew what was going to happen.

The pace of the book was wonderful - really kept me wondering how it was going to finish and I think that, given the ending, we'll be seeing more of McCormack!

Many thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins UK and Liam McIlvanney for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

THE QUAKER by Liam McIlvanney is an atmospheric Thriller that grips the imagination in the harshness of a 1969 Glasgow. The attention to detail is breathtaking. I could smell the cigarette smoke, the damp, and the sweat. I felt totally immersed in the story.

The lead character, DI McCormack searches for the truth in a case that sees women dying in terrible circumstances. The writing is refreshing and gritty.

Thank you to #Netgalley and #HarperCollins for the opportunity to review this book. #THEQUAKER

★★★★★ 5 STARS

I have never read anything by Mcllvanney before but I will definitely read more.
I was totally absorbed in this tale, loosely based on a real life event that happened in Glasgow in the 1960’s, DI Duncan McCormack is set the task of investigating a series of murder a that happened several months previously. A fast paced , gritty and terrifying read. Highly recommend.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HarperCollins UK, HarperFiction for an advance copy of The Quaker, a standalone police procedural set in Glasgow, 1969.

DI Duncan McCormack is sent to assess the work of The Quaker murder enquiry seven months after the last murder. The team is working hard but has still to find a suspect but when a fourth body is found McCormack joins the hunt and soon finds some leads.

I enjoyed The Quaker which is a police procedural with its roots in true crime. No Glaswegian of a certain age can fail to recognise The Quaker as a thinly disguised Bible John, the real life serial killer who murdered three women and disappeared. Almost fifty years later his identity and fate are still a mystery and the subject of much debate, making him fertile ground for fiction writers ready to spin their own ideas and theories with Mr McIlvanney being the latest.

The novel is slow to start in an investigative sense with the fourth body not turning up till about 40% in. This means that most of the first half is scene setting with very little happening. It's not as bad as that sounds because it gives Mr McIlvanney the opportunity to fully develop his characters and environment, in fact I don't think I've ever read a better or more detailed evocation of Glasgow in the sixties and it makes for a fascinating read as, although I was a child at the time, it brings back many memories. All that is missing is the black humour. Once the final body is found the action and tension ramp up as the author abandons his faction and moves to straight fiction. The plotting is imaginative and believable and widens to something much more than the hunt for a serial killer. This is the first time I've read Mr McIlvanney's work and I'm impressed.

Duncan McCormack is an interesting character. As a Highlander he's an outsider in the Glasgow City Police, but not as much as you might imagine as there was a long tradition of Highlanders joining up so it's more his nature, he's not very collegiate and the novel hints that he's gay which was illegal in Scotland at the time. When he joins The Quaker team as an assessor he's the outsider on the team as well and relations are necessarily strained. I thoroughly enjoyed the skirmishing which is well done and seems authentic and the way he gradually develops a good working relationship and trust with his main antagonist, DS Goldie.

The Quaker, while slow to start, is a good read which I have no hesitation in recommending.

Liam McIlvanney is not an author I had any knowledge of before discovering "The Quaker". I usually am aware of crime/thriller/mystery writers and fantasy authors even if I haven't read anything by them. Apparently he is an award-winning author so that certainly got my attention.

The setting also had an impact on my decision to read the book. It is based in Glasgow and I have found in the past that some of the very best crime novels are either based in Scotland, written by a Scot or both. I live just over the border into England and I know the location well which was appealing to me too.

Set in Glasgow in 1969, Liam McIlvanney’s "The Quaker" is loosely based on the murders of the real – and never caught – serial killer “Bible John”, who is believed to have raped and strangled three women after meeting them in the city’s Barrowland Ballroom. DI Duncan McCormack is drafted in from the flying squad to review Glasgow CID’s failing investigation. A parallel narrative concerning safe-cracker Alex Paton, who travels home from London to take part in an auction house heist, is skilfully dovetailed as the plot thickens and McCormack gets drawn deeper into both cases.

This is the first book in the DI Duncan McCormack series and was an excellent opener in my opinion. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for the #2 and plan to go back and read other McIlvanney novels. A solidly crafted and satifying detective novel with a claustrophobic atmosphere that lingers throughout. Recommended for fans of gripping, gritty thrillers.

Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Set in 1960s Glasgow The Quaker is based loosely on true events. It's a gritty read, not for the faint hearted!

McIlvanney draws on the true crime history of Bible John in his creation of The Quaker, a bible quoting serial killer roaming the streets of Glasgow in 1968-69. He has killed three women feeding the climate of fear and horror infesting the city. The police have no clue as to his identity, and the media have turned against the police, painting them as a laughing stock of uselessness. DI Duncan McCormack is riding high in the Flying Squad, having just nailed an important member of John McGlashon's criminal gang. He is ordered to go in to Glasgow's Marine Station, to write a report on DCI George Cochrane's investigation, close it down as it seems The Quaker has stopped.

Glasgow is engaged in slum clearances and big redevelopment projects amidst the harshest of winters. McCormack faces a battle amidst the rampant hostility aimed at him from the Glasgow police team, getting no credit for his past successes. The murdered women are given a voice in the narrative. There are a number of factors they have in common, a secret boyfriend, have children, danced at the Barrowland Ballroom and menstruating at the time of their death. Alex Paton is a peterman involved in big heists, he comes to his childhood home of Glasgow for a planned auction heist. McCormack finds himself leading the investigation when, out of the blue, another woman, Helen Thaney is murdered with a similar MO. However, there are key differences, enough to raise doubts whether it is The Quaker, but an arrest has the senior police wanting to close down McCormick looking into Thaney's murder any further. McCormick is not a man to give up, as he gets closer to the truth, even when he is threatened with revelations about his personal life being made public.

This is a wonderful piece of historical crime fiction set in a crime ridden Glasgow of hard men and gangsters, and the prejudices of that period. McCormack makes an appealing central figure, caught between the hatred of the Glasgow police, although eventually begins to form a close partnership with DS Goldie, and the demands of his superiors. He is not a man to take the path of least resistance, even if it costs him dear, justice is far more important to him. I hope we hear more from him, and that this is the first in a series. Many thanks to HarperCollins for an ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this publication in return for a honest and unbaised review. As someone who loves this genre of books and a resident of Glasgow, this publication was of immediate interest.
I have to say that the first few chapters didn't exactly grab me right away, but once it got going this was an excellent read with a more than a few large twists, some of which I saw coming, others I didn't.
Don't want to give away the plot, but think it is likely that there will be a follow up featuring some of the characters.
A definite FIVE STARs and thank you very much.

This is superb. The story has everything you could want in a crime novel. The background of Glasgow,the gangster city,is perfect for the serial murders. The characters are well drawn and the lead detective is a character that draws your support and affection. You want him to win. He does, of course,but rather differently from what the reader might guess. This is high quality writing and will be a huge success.

Fifty years ago, an unknown killer terrorized Glasgow. His clean-cut visage, an artist’s impression from witness statements, stared from newspaper front pages. ‘Bible John’ butchered three women who’d been enjoying nights out at a local dance hall, and left the police chasing smoke. He was never caught.

Literary professor and award-winning novelist Liam McIlvanney explores the effect of those killings on his home city in The Quaker, a novel with strong echoes of Glasgow’s real past. He shows a deft touch for character and setting throughout this absorbing, atmospheric read. Duncan McCormack is the man tasked with sorting out the long-stalled investigation into the murders of three women. He’s parachuted into the ‘Quaker’ investigation from the elite Flying Squad, with instructions to work out what’s gone wrong and why the Quaker hasn’t been caught. It’s a test for the fast-rising copper from the Highlands, and a poisoned chalice. His new colleagues are tired, frustrated, and dislike him on sight, the bosses are demanding certain outcomes for political purposes, and he’s harbouring dangerous secrets of his own.

McIlvanney has crafted a superb tale with a vivid sense of time and place. 1960s Glasgow was a different era, but he also brings some modern sensibilities by giving the female victims a voice, rather than being inert props for the male cops and criminals. The Quaker is an evocative slice of the past that’s populated with an array of intriguing characters, tough issues, and some nuanced interplay between them.