A huge Ian Rankin fan, I was delighted to be approved for an early look at this book. And I loved it. A pacey prequel that I could not put down.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first flurry into William McIlvanney’s world and that combined with Ian Rankin’s brilliant writing definitely made for an entertaining read! I loved the main characters and how the scene/location was portrayed through the writing. It must have been a hard task for Rankin to take on, but I feel that he did this with dignity and respect for the characters McIllvanney created!

William McIlvanney’s three Laidlaw novels are classics of the crime genre, the touchstone for ‘Tartan Noir’, gritty, realistic depictions of Glasgow’s criminal underbelly. The Laidlaw novels have inspired many crime-writers, including Val McDermid, Alan Parks, one of my current favourites, whose Harry McCoy series really takes up the Laidlaw mantle, and, of course, Ian Rankin, whose Rebus novels can stand alongside McIlvanney’s on the top plinth. That said, I was still nervous about Rankin reviving Laidlaw. I should not have worried.

THE DARK REMAINS takes us back to Laidlaw’s early days, some time before LAIDLAW, when McIlvanney’s DI is just starting out. Ian Rankin apparently worked from notes and drafts left by William McIlvanney when he sadly passed and is is to his credit that it is impossible to tell just how much of each author is in the finished book. I suspect that there may be more Rankin than McIlvanney but I could be completely wrong, because this feels like a Laidlaw novel; the tone is the same; 1970s Glasgow feels exactly the same; the dialogue is as witty and the humour as dark as in the original trilogy. Laidlaw is younger, less sure of himself, but he is recognisably the same character, albeit feeling his way into his career, setting out on his mission, bending the rules where necessary.

The city of Glasgow is as much a character in the novel as Rebus’s Edinburgh is in Rankin’s own series, and he captures it perfectly, the grime, the poverty, a Glasgow unsure of its direction prior to the City of Culture cleanup. Jack Laidlaw is a complicated character, driven, playing by his own rules, tortured by his calling, literate yet tough; I love the character and revisit the Laidlaw novels often. It is tribute to Ian Rankin that I will be including THE DARK REMAINS in my regular re-reads.

Atmospheric, vividly drawn, and compelling detective series set in 1970s Glasgow.

This prequel to William McIlvanney's "Laidlow" series has been seamlessly completed by Ian Rankin, creator of "Rebus", building on McIlvanney's half-written draft.

Even before arriving in his new post, DC Jack Laidlow has a reputation for not being a team player. He doesn't have time for the secret handshakes which oil careers and prefers to do his policing investigating and following up the leads he uncovers, not behind a desk or following orders from a lackluster boss who has been promoted for who he knows not what he knows.

Although Laidlow does not have time for people's opinions of him, by the end of this book it's clear that he has a great detective mind and doesn't mind making known his disdain for those who don't cut the mustard.

A new series to me and I very much look forward to reading more.

Jack Laidlaw is an unconventional Glaswegian detective. When Bobby Carter, a shady lawyer, is murdered, Jack is on the trail of a killer who seems keen to stoke the gang wars between rival crime bosses Cam Colvin and John Rhodes.

DI Ernie Milligan, a man described by Laidlaw as someone who "couldn't find s**t in a cowshed" is too busy throwing his weight around to notice the details. Laidlaw thrives on details, and getting his head around the doors of every person he has reason to suspect might know something.

Laidlaw's rules are not necessarily straight out of the police detective training manual, but they are nonetheless effective, and the truth about Bobby Carter's death emerges slowly but surely.

I hadn't come across Jack Laidlaw before and will explore William McIlvanney's other books featuring his character. McIlvanney didn't finish this book, sadly, but fellow crime writer Ian Rankin stepped in to ensure it was a fitting prequel to the books that followed.

We can see on these pages the detective that has already formed, and something of the man, trodden down by domestic life, preferring to work a case from a hotel room rather than going home each evening to his wife.

Early 1970s Glasgow is well evoked, a visceral and unforgiving environment, where knowing your way around could prove vital. Jack Laidlaw traverses Glasgow, whether on foot or by bus, preferring to observe than be tied to a desk reporting to a man he neither likes nor respects.

This was a gripping and immersive read and I will definitely return to this writer.

I received a digital ARC of this book via Canongate, in return for an honest appraisal.

The Dark Remains William McIlvanney Ian Rankin
This book didn't do it for me, so was a dnf unfortunately.

I enjoyed the book but wasn’t gripped by it. Had everything I’d expect from Ian Rankin; gritty gangsters and hardened policemen in pubs. Worth a read for fans of the genre.

This book left me breathless. Amazing.
Very well written, brilliantly put together. 5 stars definitely not to be missed!
Thank you to netgalley and the publishers and the author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion

Great plot, characters weren’t too likeable but you wanted to find out more about them. Was a good read as the writing just flowed. Satisfied with the ending!

Really enjoyed this as a fellow Glaswegian and its references to Glasgow areas.

I have not ready any of the Laidlaw books but was aware that McIlvanney has passed and Ian Rankin finished off this novel. I cannot think of any other author who could have done it. The book is seamless and does not read like two authors have written it.

I also didn't feel like I was missing any important information about the characters which is always a bonus when reading a random book out of a series.

A great detective drama which reads well, with a great flow and enough intrigue to keep you going (I read this in one day).

Thanks so much for this great ARC.

It would always be a hard task to complete an unfinished novel by McIllvanney but Rankin does a great job
Maybe it was better that I read the Laidlaw trilogy first and enjoyed the enigmatic character that Laidlaw is but I thoroughly enjoyed being taken back to 1970's Glasgow with this twisting crime thriller
I would definitely recommend this book

This was an amazing fast paced read from the Kings of Scottish crime/detective books Ian Rankin and William McIlvanney. Set in Glasgow in the 1970s, it follows a group of local gangsters who run the estates. Problem is one of there's has turned up murdered outside a rival pub and before a street war happens the local police detectives have to solve the crime.
In steps 2 unlikely partners and they have an uncanny ability to not take orders and solve crime their own way.
This is the absolute definition of gritty crime. Set in the back streets of Glasgow - and I'm willing to bet this area actually exists- it wasn't hard to imagine these gangs of middle aged men in the 1970s wandering around.
I particularly loved how The godfather was being shown in cinemas and these guys were all asking if each other had seen it!
Only a 280 page book but it sure packs a punch - or a spanner...
4.75 stars

The Dark Remains is undeniably authentic and a true testament to everything Glasgow was in the ’70s and ’80s. I haven’t had the pleasure of reading the Laidlaw series by the late and great William McIlvanney but I will be rectifying that as soon as possible. Gangland Glasgow and its brutal violence and its territorial wars, the tone was set and it was addictive as it was horrifying. Ian Rankin had massive shoes to fill but he laced them up, took pen to paper, and paid homage to Scotland’s father of Tartan Noir.

The Dark Remains is just that, dark. It doesn’t pull any punches, it doesn’t pretty anything up, it is just straight up potent. Bobby Carter, a notorious lawyer operating under Cam Colvin’s gang is found dead behind a bar on the rival gang’s turf. This discovery is going to cause an all-out war between the rivals, tearing down the streets of Glasgow and all that stand in their way. DC Laidlaw and DS Lilley have to find who the perpetrator is before everything goes to hell in a handbasket. I liked these two as an investigating duo, Laidlaw isn’t particularly likable but his sense of humour drew me to him like a moth to the flame.

The story portrayed Glasgow as a sentient being, the feeling that all is being watched, nothing goes unnoticed, nothing is left to chance. It never forgets. DC Laidlaw is a bit of a loose cannon. He doesn’t dance to the beat of anyone’s drum but his own. He has the measure of his superior officer, DI Milligan. He’s blindly ambitious but sleekit. He won’t think twice about bending the rules to serve his sense of entitlement. He can’t keep tabs on DC Laidlaw, a man that stops at nothing to get his man – even staying in a hotel for the duration of the case leaving his unhappy wife, Ena, and their three children, he’s a one-man-band.

McIllvaney’s view of Glasgow is unapologetic. The sectarianism, misogyny, and street politics are everywhere you turn. DC Laidlaw is a hindrance in DI Milligan making his name and cracking this case, and he doesn’t want him preceding him. Laidlaw is frustrated with the door-to-door house calls that Milligan would have him carry out, so decides to think outside the box. He reexamines the bystanders, who are not immediately obvious, and puts the pieces together like a jigsaw puzzle that has pieces scattered throughout the dingy streets of Glasgow.

The Dark Remains is an uncompleted novel by McIlvanney handed over to the publishers and Ian Rankin being asked to complete it. It was an effortless read, you certainly couldn’t tell where one author’s writing finished and one commenced. It is an honest and sincere last hurrah to one of Scotland’s greats. Any crime fan will be in their element.

When William McIlvanney died, his widow found the bones of a book and passed them to his publisher. They approached Ian Rankin and he wrote this book based on those notes. It is a prequel to the Laidlaw books and tells the story of the murder of Bobby Carter, a lawyer on the fringes of the Glasgow gang scene. I grew up in Lanarkshire in the 70’s and went to uni in Glasgow and I do like the Laidlaw books and I do like the Rebus books. This is a decent attempt by Mr Rankin and I’m glad the story has been told.

Somehow though, for me, something was missing, and I think it is because I maybe knew that Mr McIlvanney was dead and this was only his rough jottings and ideas and he might never have written the book and if he had would be it be like this. Too much in my head to really lose myself I think. The book is well written and the plotting and time frame is handled with mastery but as I say, it just didn’t capture me completely.

I was given a copy of the book by Netgalley

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. Set in Glasgow this is an atmospheric read and blends crime, betrayal, politics and more. Well written with good characters. A good read!

A first class novel, with Ian Rankin's seamlessly interwoven with that of William McIlvanney. Highly recommended for fans of Scottish noir.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I have always enjoyed books by McIlvanney and Rankin and was not disappointed here. The book is set in Glasgow in 1970s and has just the right crime family feel about it. Laidlow is as expected and there is sufficient querkiness in the character to keep the reader's interest. An enjoyable read where the story does not disappoint.

I have never read any of William McIlvenney’s stuff.
And even though we nearly share a last name and I buy my mum his books religiously every Christmas, I’ve also never read any of Ian Rankin’s.
Your gal went in blind with this one. Here’s what you’re in for with The Dark Remains:

✨ Scottish AF
✨ 1972 detective grit
✨ GANG LOOOORDS partaking in fisty-cuffs with knives
✨ Tartan Noir (which is a thing apaz)

Right so you’ve got this one guy, Jack Laidlaw, who keeps getting chucked from police station to station because he rubs people up the wrong way. Something about his mannerisms just don’t match up with the 1970s lad vibes which causes a few issues on cases. As a chaotic force of nature who very much likes to work on his tod, he can often be found flapping away somewhere leaving his partner Bob Lilley in the dust trying to figure out wtf just happened.

So what are these wee scamps investigating? A dodgy as hell lawyer going by the name of Bobby Carter has just been found stabbed (and very dead) down a dirty alleyway. Whilst most people are probably thinking ‘ah one less asshole on the streets’, it comes with a slightly bigger issue. The dumping of the body will lead to an all-out gang war if they don’t solve it as quickly as their little crime-solving fingers will let them.


I found this hard to get into – I like a good thriller but something didn’t quite gel for me. Perhaps it’s the Scot in me that finds reading Scottish words hard (only a thing in my head), but I’m also very aware that I am very much in the minority here.

Now this book is a little different – it was started by McIlvanney who sadly died in 2015. Ian Rankin was asked to pick up the mantle (and the manuscript) and pull the story to life. Not something I’d ever want to do because screw trying to match someone else’s style, but if I didn’t know it was written by two people, I’d honestly have no idea.

Perhaps die-hard McIlvanney/Rankin fans can, but eejit mcplebface over here was none the wiser.

The Dark Remains is the prequel to McIlvanney's Detective Constable Jack Laidlaw series and was unfinished when he died in 2015. It is the story of Laidlaw's formative years in law enforcement set against the atmospheric backdrop of Glasgow city in October 1972, brought to the reader by Ian Rankin, the creator of John Rebus. A gem of a novel, it is a marvellous Scottish mob crime story with some terrific characters.

When the dead body of lawyer Bobby Carter is found in the alley beside the Parlour pub, tensions rocket, the threat of rival gang wars threatening to explode. Laidlaw is a loner who likes winding up his superiors but he gets results. This is an exhilarating treat for any crime enthusiast with its gangs, organised crime, betrayal and dodgy politics, and Ian Rankin’s result is a very worthy read.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Canongate via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

I haven't read either author before - shameful admission from a prolific Scottish reader. Not sure I'd have guess it was written by established and much loved authors. I enjoyed the book - it's fascinating to read crime stories set in 70s Glasgow - the grit and the violence abound, showing a completely different city to the one I know and love. This has tempted me to read the Laidlaw books, I want to see where he goes from here - an interesting mix of old school copper and one who thinks deeply. Thanks for the chance to read this #netgalley #thedarkremains