The sequel to The Quaker begins with a warehouse arson attack that causes the deaths of two, a young mother and her child. Is it gang warfare? That’s what DI Duncan McCormack thinks, and he’s been asked to put an end to it. Approximately five years on from catching a serial killer – the one they called The Quaker – Duncan, after a brief time in London, is back in Glasgow and the Serious Crime Squad. It is 1975 and while the city is constantly evolving, some things remain the same. There are those within the force who aren’t happy with Duncan’s return, including someone who works very closely to him. The 1970s is vividly brought to life in this story, as Duncan begins to piece together all the clues to lead them to who’s responsible for the city’s devastation. Expect numerous threads of a highly plotted tale, plus a few unexpected turns that will keep you on your toes. Gritty in parts, it reads very realistic.

Glasgow in the 1970s.


The story starts with a fire, destroying not just a warehouse but a tenement where a young mother, her daughter, and her neighbour get burned to death. It’s going to take a lot of intelligence to solve it. DI Duncan McCormack is convinced that the man he’s been chasing – without success – Arthur Maitland – the head of the main gang in Glasgow – is responsible but how is he going to prove it? Especially as Maitland always seems to be aware of everything his team are planning in their endeavour to finally put him behind bars.

Liam Mcilvanney has created an extraordinary protagonist in McCormack. He is gay and must keep it hidden from his colleagues (it’s the 1970s). McCormack had left Glasgow and spent several years in London, but his old mentor had asked him to return to Glasgow to help set up a new division, the Serious Crime Squad, unfortunately, his mentor is not around to help him, instead his superior is DCI Haddow who hates him. Besides McCormack, the team is made up of three others; DS Derek Goldie, near retirement age, DC Liz Nicol, as the token female and DC Iain Shand, who has been specially chosen for the team by Haddow. Has he any hope of success in solving not only the murders from the fire but also the murder of a man found among the piled-up rubbish (it was in the time of the strikes).

When I started reading the novel, I found the language quite distasteful, however, I don’t think the story would have had the depth or credibility without it. Liam Mcilvanney has absolutely captured the streets, the people, and the landscape in this very intense, extremely exciting storyline. I look forward to seeing McCormack targeting his next villain. I’m hoping he’s going to find dirt on one of the characters portrayed in The Heretic!

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

The Heretic

I read the first book in Liam McIlvanney's _Duncan McCormack_ series, _The Quaker_ back in 2019 and thoroughly enjoyed it. As soon as I saw a sequel was coming out I added it to my TBR and was lucky enough to get an advance copy through NetGalley. It's just as good as the first book, if not better.
Before I get into my thoughts, a word of caution. The publicity material for the book describes it as a standalone, I'm not sure I agree with this. Certainly, McIlvanney does a great job of summarising the events of the first book so that new readers can catch up, but also in a way that won't bore returning fans of the series. You could definitely read and enjoy _The Heretic_ without having read _The Quaker_ but I wouldn't recommend it for two reasons. Firstly, I can pretty much guarantee that when you've finished it you'll want to read the first book, and the sequel will spoil it for you. Secondly, there is an overarching element to these books that means they deserve to be read and appreciated in order. More on that in a moment, but I would like to say I think the publishers are doing McIlvanney a bit of a disservice by encouraging readers to start with this book.
Set in Glasgow 1976, _The Heretic_ describes the investigation into the murder on an unknown man who has been tortured. Glasgow in the 1970s was a famously violent place, with gangs transforming themselves into organised crime enterprises. Just as in the first book, that backdrop plays a really important role in the story as it unfolds.
Most crime series have imperceptible or at least undocumented gaps between the books. Even if the series is written over decades, the detectives barely age and references to the passage of time are asides. McIlvanney has done something really bold here and set _The Heretic_ seven years after the first book. I reached out to him on Twitter and he confirmed that book three will be set in 1981, a further five years on. For me that is the genius of what he is doing here and the reason why these books should be read in order. They're great tales anyway, but by stretching out the timeline, McIlvanney is giving himself a much bigger canvas to tell his story. He is documenting the criminal and social history of a city, as well as the life of one man, his lead, McCormack.
But even without that, this would be an instant recommendation from me. It's a twisting, thrilling mystery from the shoe leather school, with a number of different threads that come together beautifully. In McCormack, his female partner DC Nicol, and the various villains it has convincing, three dimensional characters that really leap off the page. It has a wonderful sense of place and moment of blistering, hugely tense action. Most memorably of all, at its heart it has a passionate cry for justice for the disadvantaged in society.
It's a great book and you should read it. After you've read _The Quaker_.

I'm thinking of reading the Quaker as I loved this dark, twisty and riveting crime thriller.
It started with a bang and it never stopped being an adrenaline fuelled and gripping read.
I loved McCormack and his team, well developed and great characters.
The atmosphere was fascinating as it brought me back to a time when there was no DNA, computer, and cell phones.
The author is a talented storyteller and I hope to read soon other books featuring this character.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book brings the return of DI Duncan McCormack, previously lauded as a ‘hero’ detective, having brought a notorious serial killer to trial and conviction. Unfortunately for him, he also brought down a bent cop in the process, which has not endeared him to his fellow officers, when he is transferred to work in Glasgow. He is tasked with investigating the Maitland family of master criminals, with no help or cooperation from his colleagues.
Set in 1970s Glasgow, this tale is as grim and gritty as it gets, dealing with gang culture, prostitution, poverty and sectarianism, all of which were rife in the city then.
It is a gripping read, though I did not enjoy it quite as much as The Quaker.
My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy of this title.

I found this book quite difficult to read at times, as some of the words and language used were very 'Glaswegian' so I found myself trying to look them up to find out what they meant!! Which was a job in itself I can tell you!!
Apart from that I found the book gritty and quite exciting!!
Set in the 70's, it was a nice to read an old fashioned detective story for a change!!

EXCERPT: 'DI Duncan McCormack, Serious Crime Squad,' McCormack said, though both of these men would know who he was. Both would resent him. This had been their murder. Now it was his.

McCormack dropped to his haunches, tugging the knees of his trousers. It was a physical act he repeated at the scene of every murder he'd attended and it brought them all flashing through his mind, all the corpses he'd scrutinised - beaten, choked, shot, stabbed.

ABOUT 'THE HERETIC': McCormack has returned to Glasgow after a stint with the Metropolitan Police in London. The reason for his return is left a lurking mystery throughout. He is investigating a series of murders that seem at first to be the result of random bouts of violence among Glasgow’s poor and destitute. McCormack, however, has insight into Glasgow’s underground that many of his colleagues don’t. He has a secret of his own that he guards carefully but that takes him places and introduces him to people that prove essential to his investigations.

MY THOUGHTS: McCormack is stuck between a rock and a hard place, but he's not averse to a few well placed sticks of virtual dynamite to garner some wriggle room. His boss, Haddow, resents and despises him for blowing the whistle on a fellow crooked cop, Levein. He is determined to make McCormack's life as difficult as possible while plotting to get rid of him. His unit is largely made up of waifs, strays and others who have incurred Haddow's displeasure: the fat, blond DS Derek Goldie who used to be McCormack's offsider; a cocky young pretty-boy dipshit, DC Iain Shand; and DC Elizabeth Nicol, the token female newly required in every four-strong unit in the bright new dawn of integration in 1976.

Forensics are basic, as are methods of communication. No DNA, no mobile phones, no GPS, no NPR, no computers. Everything is written on paper. It really all comes down to a battle of wits between the police and the criminals, with bribery and corruption rife and often, the criminals seeming to have all the advantages.

Just as Haddow wants to nail McCormack, McCormack wants to nail Walter Maitland, one of the two warring local crimelords. He believes Maitland to be behind an arson attack that caused four deaths, one of them a young girl. They also have the murder of a tortured and mutilated body, thought to be that of a homeless man, to solve. There is a car bombing outside a pub, and a man looking for his sister, who is known to have had connections to Maitland.

McIlvanney paints a grim picture of the 1975/6 edition of Glasgow; of people living in rubbish and rodent infested condemned buildings, of bigotry and sectarianism, of poverty that forces women into prostitution, of terror and acceptance.

Grim and gritty, full of atmosphere, McIlvanney held me enthralled throughout.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.5

#TheHeretic #NetGalley

I: @harpercollinsuk

T: @HarperCollinsUK

#crime #detectivefiction #historicalfiction #murdermystery #scottishnoir #thriller

THE AUTHOR: Professor Liam McIlvanney, the son of novelist William McIlvanney, was born in Kilmarnock in Ayrshire, and studied at Glasgow and Oxford Universities. After ten years lecturing in Scottish and Irish literature at the University of Aberdeen, he moved to Dunedin in New Zealand to teach at the University of Otago. He lectures in Scottish literature, culture and history, and on Irish-Scottish literary connections, and holds the Stuart Professor of Scottish Studies chair at the University. He lives in Dunedin with his wife and three children.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins UK via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Heretic by Liam McIlvanney for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

This is a police procedural set in the early 70s. Duncan McCormack is working in Glasgow and looking to break a gang headed by the Maitland family. The story is plot driven and full of bent coppers, violence and gang warfare. The story moved with a good pace and wasn’t easily anticipated although was easy enough to follow. A decent read and accurate to its time with its misogyny within the police force and its ‘rogue’ policemen. Having lived in Glasgow I identified with the catholic/Protestant divide and felt this was accurately presented.

What a belter of a book.

Gritty and dark with great characters, excellent example of Scottish Noir and I highly recommend to any crime thriller readers.

This is the second outing in the McCormack series but can be read as a stand alone novel.
Set in 1975/1976.
After the serial killer The Quaker terrorized Glasgow in 1969,,he moved to London to work for the Metropolitan police.
But when he was needed back in Glasgow to help catch the notorious crime boss Walter Maitland, he couldn't refuse.
But how many lives will be lost?
This is a compelling and exciting read that once started you will find hard to put down.

This crime novel was darkly authentic and had a grit that kept you reading.

The characters were engaging and the story was told at an appropriate pace.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

The Heretic is the excellent sequel to The Quaker by Liam McIlvanney, following our flawed hero DI Duncan McCormack through the mean streets and derelict tenements of 1970's Glasgow. I was glad to have read The Quaker first as the previous case definitely echoes through the new book.

An exciting and engaging read, with plenty to think about as McCormack deals with moral dilemmas while he's trying to put away the bad guys. Highly recommended!

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy in exchange for honest feedback.

DCI Duncan McCormack is back in Glasgow having spent some time in London with the Metropolitan police after a harrowing case known as "The Quaker" in 1969.

This second book in the series is set in the summer of 1975 where he heads the "Serious crime squad" made up of DS Derek Goldie whom he had worked with on the earlier case, DC Liz Nicol and DX Iain Shand He is not exactly welcomed with open arms by his boss DCI Haddow who bears grudges around the faulout from the earlier "Quaker" case.

The story focuses on the gang culture that existed during that time with the "Quinns" and the "Maitlands". A warehouse is subjected to arson with the deaths of 4 innocent people in a neighbouring building. In addition the body of a former MP and local Councillor and now wealthy businessman, Sir Gavin Elliot is found murdered among the rubbish in glasgow whilst the city is undergoing a "bin strike"

These 2 crimes are linked and DCI McCormack and his officers out to find the perpetrators and in particular to link Walter Maitland to the crimes and have him put away for a long time.

I particularly liked how the author did not pull any punches in showing the reader the key differences in policing and attitudes in general in 1975 compared to the present day. Highlighting prejudices, struggles and bigotry that we all know existed at that time and not only in the police force.

This is my first novel by this author and I did not realise it was the second book in the Duncan McCormack series. I tend to read books in order but it is not essential but I will go back and read the first book in the series "The Quaker" to understand the earlier crime referenced in this second in the series. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Netgalley UK and the publishers HarperCollins UK for an advanced ARC copy of this bbook in exchange for an fair and honest review.

The follow up book to The Quaker and I'd say if you liked that then you'll like this. Gritty and bleak in its portrayal of a Glasgow of the past and its subject matter. Not for everyone and not if you want a nice pleasant read but as long as you aren't squeamish and like the non straightforward, complex detective then you'll likely like this. I think it is an acquired taste though.

McCormack returns to Glasgow after leaving for London. Unliked because of his part in bringing down a bent copper he is not returning to open arms. As he chases a local gangster three crimes occur. A deadly fire at a warehouse, a brutal murder and an abandoned body and an explosion that kills one of his officers. Are they connected and why? Does this all lead to the local gangster. The book weaves between different "plots" making this a book I really couldn't put down. Brilliant from start to finish would recommend.

The Heretic, at its heart is a crime novel but it also covers a vast array of thematic content dealing with sectarian divides, sexual exploitation, and police corruption. McIlvanney has created a complicated detective in McCormack complete with troubled past, complicated love life and distrust. Although this is nothing new in the genre of detective fiction the pace and plot twists do keep the reader locked in to the narrative as the story unfolds. There are plenty of last minute revelations and a bloody denouement that encourage the reader to look out for McIlvanney's next instalment, although don't worry if you haven't read the first book in the series..

You can take the man out of Glasgow, but, thank goodness, you can’t take Glasgow out of the man. Liam McIlvanney’s The Heretic is a smasher of a book. It crackles and zings with the life and spirit of Glasgow, good, bad and truly terrible; with the violence that belongs in that city’s history, could we only contain it there.

Set in 1976, amid the rubbish strikes, it is seven years since Detective Duncan McCormack took down the serial killer known as The Quaker and with him someone who made McCormack deeply unpopular among many of his own colleagues.

With a lot of great press after his achievement, McCormack went back to the Met as part of the Flying Squad, and now has returned to Glasgow to head up the Serious Crime Unit. But between his accepting the appointment and coming back, things have changed somewhat and his new boss, DCI Alan Haddow is already not his biggest fan. In his team are DS Derek Goldie, DC Elizabeth Nicol and DS Iain Shand. Derek Goldie, left behind when McCormack went South, has been something of a pariah in his own neck of the woods for the last seven years and has suffered some of what should really have come McCormack’s way. DC Liz Nicol, was part of the now disbanded women’s section and is holding her own well in this team. It is DS Ian Shand who is the unknown quantity and early on his trustworthiness comes into question.

It’s clear that McCormack has come back for reason of his own, though it takes a while for those to emerge. What we do know, however, is that Detective McCormack is keeping a secret that he can’t afford anyone to know about.

McCormack is on a mission to bring down gangland boss Walter Maitland, but Haddow, who is determined to stop McCormack becoming crowned in glory yet again, pulls him off that case and orders him to investigate the body of a supposed tramp, found in a midden in a back close.

Now, there’s no denying that there are a good few murders in this book and it deals with gangland violence, corruption, prostitution, arson and torture. These are extremely well plotted murder mysteries and McIlvanney’s taut execution of plot is one reason why this book works very well. It’s dark and authentic and his characterisation is excellent. The sense of the era is terrific, too. The ‘Troubles’ in Northern Ireland are never far away from the events in The Heretic and McCormack’s own Catholic background comes into the way he is perceived in the gang war between Maitland (Protestant) and Quinn (Catholic).

This is a book you really will not want to put down. It’s engaging, the story is compelling and the characters fascinating.

I read through this book with the hugest grin on my face because McIlvanney has encapsulated everything about the city so well. He wears his knowledge lightly, but with incredibly erudition and that’s what makes this book quite so rewarding.

The Heretic is not just a great crime thriller, it’s also got some fabulous characters. Duncan McCormack is the ultimate outsider by geography, orientation and mind-set. Liz Nicol is a great addition to his team. She is perceptive, not afraid to speak her mind and well up to the challenges of her job. Even the villains are three dimensional.

I found myself smiling as I recognised the reference to the ‘wee lassie from Garfield Street who had done so well’ and at one point I shouted out ‘the Crocodile Rock’ as I solved part of McCormack’s mystery trail. I learned how to say ‘evil bastard’ in Gaelic, which will, I’m sure, come in handy and I laughed with pleasure when Duncan McCormack went to visit an old friend at F Division’s Cumberland Street. McIlvanney writes with pace and pleasure and that transfers itself to the reader in spades.

Verdict: If you’re a fan of the Scottish Crime Thriller genre then this will be a must have addition to your library. If you’re new to the ‘Tartan Noir’ genre, this and its predecessor, The Quaker, are a great place to start. Either way, The Heretic is a stand out, brilliant read that I am highly recommending. The writing alone makes it a must read book.

This is the follow up to the brilliant The Quaker, this author's breakout novel. I would recommend you read that book first for continuity, character development, and as it is referenced quite a bit. Also it's a darned good read so... why not!?
So, we are now in the 70's, set a few years after the events of book one, and DI Duncan McCormack has returned to Glasgow from the Met Police in London. I say returned, but he has really run away, you'll find out just why as you read the book. His colleagues are still a little spiky with him after the way he left and what he exposed, but he has his uses, and they do respect that, he has links with the criminal fraternity and can go places others fear. But he still has a bitter relationship with his superior who tries to undermine him at every turn, adding to his frustration.
So... McCormack and his team are investigating an arson where 4 people sadly died. Started in a warehouse, it moved to the next door flats. They are convinced it was ordered by the current crime boss and they are worried about retaliation. Meanwhile, they also discover the body of a tramp, only to find out that he was actually a wealthy former MP which brings them all sorts of interest and pressure.
For me, this book hit the ground running, kept the tension high throughout, spitting me out at the end, exhausted but wholly satisfied. There is a lot going one, a lot to juggle, but the author manages to keep all the balls in the air very well, all the way through. The way he sets the scene, and the time. You really feel that you are actually there with the characters. I do love books set in the past as its refreshing to see coppers rely on things other than technology to solve the crimes. Grit and gut, mostly!
It's both plot and character driven. I do like McCormack as a character, especially his no nonsense attitude and tenacity. He is backed up with a good team, mostly, all of whom know what is expected. The plot is tight and well executed and gets on with itself at a fair lick.
All in all, a great follow up to a cracking series opener. Roll on book three... My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

In 1969 Glasgow, DI Duncan McCormick, solved the case of the serial killer known as the Quaker; and incidentally got the ACC Peter Levein sent down for corruption. Six years later, McCormick, who has been working in the Met, has returned to head the Serious Crimes Squad (SCS). Their task is to arrest Walter Maitland, the local crime boss but he is clever, doesn’t get his hands dirty, and is protected by the fear which permeates the city. Duncan’s boss, DCI Haddow, hates him and works to undermine him where he can. When there appears to be no progress with this investigation, Haddow assigns the SCS to other, apparently minor, cases: an arson fire at one of Maitland’s warehouses which accidently burnt down an adjacent tenement killing four people including a mother and child, and the dumped body of a man who had been beaten and tortured for days. McCormick does not believe in coincidence and sets out to solve both of these. On the face of it, these are basic police procedural cases, but we quickly become enmeshed in a complex maze of old and new cases spanning the last six years, involving corruption, child abuse, murder, sex, PTSD, guilt. McCormack and his team eventually resolve all of the pathways and the ending is very satisfactory.
The story is set in Glasgow in 1975, mostly in the West End of the city stretching from the North bank of the river to the district of Maryhill. As it happens, I lived in that area during that time period and can attest to the accuracy of the language, geography and social interactions which underpin the writing. These factors are integral to the plot but they don’t obscure it, rather they give it additional strength helping to propel it at a good pace and keeping the reader engaged with the characters and their actions and motives. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an arc of this book. This is Liam McIlvanneys 2nd book featuring DI Duncan McCormack. His first novel featuring McCormack, "The Quaker" won the 2018 Scottish Crime Book of the Year but you do not have to have read it to enjoy "The Heretic". Set in Glasgow in the mid 70's it captures the era so well. Gangs, violence, corruption and poverty feature strongly in this well written book. There are lots of twists and turns to the plot which make it an exciting and unputdownable must read.