William McIlvanney is acknowledged as not only the "Godfather of Tartan Noir" but virtually the whole gamut of modern British crime fiction with his iconic Laidlaw trilogy. Those who cite his work as an inspiration read like a Who's Who of crime fiction,not least Ian Rankin. Two years before the first Rebus book was published Rankin met McIlvanney at the Edinburgh Book Festival and told the great man that he was writing a novel that was, "Like Laidlaw but set in Edinburgh", without Laidlaw we might well not have had Rebus either.

When McIlvanney died in 2015 his widow found the unfinished manuscript to a prequel to the Laidlaw books,Ian Rankin was offered the chance to finish it and the result is ,"The Dark Remains".

And what a great job Rankin has done,I'm not a fan of Sophie Hannah's Poirot ,any of the later "non-Fleming" James Bond books or the Van Lustbader Bourne books but Ian Rankin has absolutely nailed Laidlaw.

Set in 1970's Glasgow the story begins with Gangland lawyer Bobby Carter being found dead in an alley behind a pub. While the police try to work out who did it and why .so too are the local criminal gangs....and coming up with different ideas, ideas that threaten to blow up into all out war on the streets. Upsetting everyone on both sides of the law is Laidlaw, a man of few word with a failing marriage and a career seemingly heading in the same direction.

There's a great sense of time and place with the Shipyards beginning to wind down ,Laidlaw getting around the city on Buses and the police still frustrated about not catching Bible John.
Some of the references younger readers might miss, the Toledo one of the characters drives is a Triumph not a SEAT,many might even not remember Triumph making cars at all ,Jimmy Clitheroe is mentioned,a name I don't think I've heard since the 1960's and there's talk of String bags that many readers will have to ask their Grandparents about.....though why they've not made a comeback now plastic carrier bags are almost taboo I can't imagine.

This is the combined work of 2 masters of their trade and a fitting memorial to William McIlvanney. I'm guessing sales of the original Laidlaw books will take off on the back of this.

As a fan of MacIvanney's Jack Laidlaw books and of Ian Rankin, I was worried my expectations of this book would be too high. I should not have feared - Rankin has penned a wonderful Laidlaw prequel, completing the original work so that there is no obvious change in tone or voice. The description of Glasgow in the early 70's was fascinating and showed how much it has changed since then, The younger Laidlaw clearly shows the roots of the character attributes that would mature in the later books. It was great!

When I heard about this new novel written by Ian Rankin and the late William McIlvanney joining forces for the first ever case of D.I. Laidlaw, Glasgow’s original gritty detective I just couldn’t resist reading it. I am very familiar with Ian Rankin’s work and enjoy the Rebus series but have never read any of Mcllvanney’s books. Mcllvanney’s widow found the unfinished manuscript of The Dark Remains and approached the publisher with it, who in turn asked Ian Rankin if he would be interested in finishing it. This really is a combined effort and Rankin does a good job in adopting the same feel for the novel, so much that I was unable to see the join.

The novel is set in 1972 in Glasgow and introduces a gritty detective called D.I. Laidlaw.

Bobby Carter is a lawyer who was not adverse to working for villains so when he is found murdered there are plenty of suspects. DC Jack Laidlaw needs to find the killer before two Glasgow gangs go to war and the city is set alight with violence. Laidlaw is a gritty detective who doesn’t mix well and prefers to work his own case but he gets results.

I found this book a decent read but I didn’t feel it was the best crime novel I have read this year. I am glad I read it but struggle to get as excited about it as some of the other reviewers. I realise that it is based in 1972 but though many of the dated tv references would not be understood by younger readers. A great effort and Laidlaw would probably grow on me in time.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Canongate for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I've read plenty of tartan noir books,yet the father of them all,has somehow escaped me,until now.
I was drawn to this book because of Rankin,and I'm so glad he did that.
Laid law is a very interesting character,that I feel you might never really fully understand. The classic deep,dark and possibly dangerous to know.
He gets in there,and he gets results his own way.
Whilst others faff about around him,he's working out the hows and whys without really bothering to show up at all for briefings and tasks.
Cracking book.

Glasgow in the 1970s.

Bobby Carter is a lawyer who works for the wrong people. And when his body is found in a back alley, it look as though it will be the catalyst for gangland turf warfare.

DC Jack Laidlaw can smell trouble instinctively. But can his less than orthodox operational methods and his reputation for not being a team player get to the truth before the city explodes?

Just brilliant