Rilke is an auctioneer with Bowery Auctions in Glasgow. At work he is professional and committed. His private life is more complicated.

Rilke and his boss, Rose, are worried that the business is not doing too well, so when a contact offers Rilke the details of a big house clearance full of antiques and valuables to pursue, it seems their problems could be over for a while. In fact, their problems are just starting.

This is a very descriptive book, with a flowing narrative. The characters are so well introduced that it’s seems as though you know them, which, I’m glad to say I don’t! They were a mixed bunch, from the crazy and bizarre to the quietly menacing.

The story is deep and dark, and though the plot line meanders and weaves it definitely keeps the reader on their toes. The only scenario I thought unnecessary was the introduction of Danny, couldn’t quite see the point of that part of the story.

This book was not what I was expecting, and as I hadn’t read the prequel, I had no idea how graphic it would be. This is a good read, very thought provoking, but not for the faint hearted!

Thank you NetGalley.

Thanks to Louise and NetGalley for allowing me to read The Second Cut before publication date.

Having read 10 chapters, I have to say that I am not the target audience for this book.

As such, it would be unfair of me to review the book.

I wish Louise all the best for the launch.

This is the first book by Louise Welch I have read and it is a subject that would not draw me to the book. But I have to say in the hands of Welch's craftsmanship this setting came to life in a way that drew me in and would encourage me to read outside of my comfort zone again. Rilke is an intriguing character and painted so well here I could visualise him and the setting and hope it does make it to screen someday. The fact that the book is right up to date was appealing, first I have read set after the pandemic and this is done well also. Not overkill but enough reference to make you realise the characters have lived through the last two years with us the reader.
All told an enjoyable read, deserves to be on screen and hope to read and/or see more adventures with Rilke and co into the future.


Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

This is the first Louise Welsh book I had read, so I was unsure what to expect. It is well written and it did not matter that I had not read the prequel.

The story unfolds at a good pace and the characters are well drawn. It deals with the seedier side of life in a city – in this case Glasgow. Drugs, orgies, homosexuality, murder, people trafficking, gangsters are all topics covered. Even so, I never felt this was a crime book and there was never any sense of jeopardy in the escapades of the main protagonists.

I found occasional references to mask-wearing and Covid a bit strange. I guess an attempt to show it is set in the present day but surely the measures/restrictions in place in Scotland were far mor rigorous than depicted here? They added nothing to the story.

Seriously one of my fave books of the year. Fresh, funny but also malevolent and dark. This book completely lives up to Welsh's first book and I so enjoyed it. The characters are incredibly well drawn and she had a perfect way of establishing dialogue that blew me away. Loved it.

‘I’ve long given up questioning the logic of Mr Rilke’s actions.’
This is the seventh book by Louise Welsh that I have read, and I really like her style, whether the early crime stories or the more recent near future Plague Times trilogy. What I have yet to feel is that she has truly told a great story, her narratives just don’t quite make it, but I keep reading her books because I want to read the book when she does perfectly marry narrative, subject and style.
The Second Cut is set in Glasgow and Scotland, and has Rilke (from an earlier book, The Cutting Room) as the protagonist. The book starts with two stories:
• A meeting with Rilke’s friend/acquaintance Jojo, who is on a downwards trajectory and is found dead in a Glasgow doorway the next morning, probably of a drug overdose.
• Jojo has passed a note of a potential house contents sale to Rilke, and so he, and his antiques auction room boss, Rose, head out of the city to the countryside, Galloway. Jojo’s tip is a good one, as Ballantyne House is full of genuine antiques being sold by the nephew and his cousin on behalf of an absent elderly aunt/mother.
And you anticipate that these two disparate storylines are going to have to be connected, Jojo’s drug related death and the dodgy nephew and cousin.

I think my sense of self preservation is too different from Rilke’s (as well as lifestyle choices). You know that Rilke is going to proceed as he does, but it strained my sense of credibility, as he takes reckless actions, too reckless.
Welsh writes beautifully, she conjures up an interesting milieu to read about and the various stories are lovingly tied up at the end. However, this is not a perfect narrative and I was railing against the stupidity/unbelievability of Rilke’s character/actions at various times. So this is still not Welsh’s masterpiece, but it was a good read and I already await her next book. I live in hope.

I received a Netgalley copy of this book, but this review is my honest opinion.

This is an intriguing book. It is very well written and covers issues unusual in this kind of fiction. It is a return book for auctioneer Rilke and his boss Rose. He is part of the Glasgow sex and drugs scene which is used brilliantly as the background for the story. The story is mainly about the death of Rilke’s sort-of-friend Jojo who is found dead in a doorway, drugged and drunk. That, though, is only part of the interest of the book. The involvement of the auction house in the sale of Ballantine House Involves Rilke in other issues which test his morality and conscience. There are several themes to this book and each will keep you reading. If you happen to know Glasgow, it will compel you even more. It is an unusual book, drawing attention to important issues. I recommend it.

Another walk on the Glasgow Wild Side with Rilke..3.5 rating

I have to say (thankfully) that this second outing, decades after the publication of the first appearance of Rilke, Welsh’s saturnine, antihero auctioneer, is more reined back than the no holds barred splurgefest of grimy blow by blow job detail which marked The Cutting Room.

I had read that first, shortly after requesting this one, realising this was a sequel, so I thought I should read the first. Which seemed overdone, both in rather self-conscious literary sections, and in graphic descriptions of sexual encounters without intimacy. Very much ‘excess of spirit in a waste of shame’. I really disliked it, and was very much regretting my request of this one, sure it would be a did-not-finish. I was wrong:

Rilke is of course still drawn to the seamier, anonymous side of sexual connection. The difference is that Welsh no longer seems to be trying so hard for noir shock and edge. And has reined in the over literary episodes

This makes for a more absorbing thriller, which, yes, had me far more interested in her characters, both those on a second outing, and new ones. Current social issues also made this a far more relevant read than the previous novel.

Antique dealer, Rilke, gets a tip from his dodgy friend, JoJo. A day later, JoJo is found dead. When the police aren't concerned, Rilke sets about sleuthing in some dark and grim places. I read The Cutting Room years ago but this second story featuring Rilke works as a standalone. Ideal for fans of the grittiest mysteries and dour humour.
With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy.

This is the first time that I have read anything by Louise Welsh and so haven't met the characters before although I understand that they have appeared in previous works.. i wasn't initially attracted to the storyline, a mixture of the Glasgow underworld and gay scene but it is very well crafted, fast moving with witty dialogue and I read the whole book in a few short bursts. I actually enjoyed it so much that will now seek out Louise Welsh's previous works. Very good.

I have not read The Cutting Room, Louise Welsh's earlier thriller featuring Rilke and Rose Bowery, but I now have every intention of doing so! I have absolutely loved this book, for its literary prose - so unlike the run-of-the-mill thrillers which usually get attention - and for its descriptions of a louche and alternative scene of queerness. She makes each character believable, no matter how larger-than-life. I can't recommend this highly enough.

This book is centred around a middle aged gay auctioneer in Glasgow.
The seedy underworld of drugs and gangsters. LGBTQ+ is the theme and how things have changed and been accepted.
However there is a good story attached to the book.
I did enjoy reading it but I felt there was also something missing although not sure what.

Gritty, Dark, Stupendous…
When friend JoJo turns up dead, Auctioneer Rilke is determined to find out why and who did it. The Police are no help, another question that needs some answers. After all, if Rilke won’t investigate who the heck will? Gritty and dark with a fast moving, gripping plot, bursting with atmosphere, laced with edgy humour and characters that leap from the page. This has nerves jangling and on edge for the very first page to the very last. Stupendous.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Cannongate Books for an advance copy of The Second Cut, the second novel to feature Glasgow auctioneer Rilke, twenty plus years after his first appearance in The Cutting Room.

Rilke is trying his best to concentrate on his job at Bowery Auctions and avoid trouble, but times are hard, so he’s pleased when his friend Jojo lets him know about a high end house clearance. By the next day Jojo is dead and nobody seems to care, including Rilke, but he drags Rilke into his troubled world anyway.

I have not read Ms Welsh’s work before, so I was interested to be offered a copy of The Second Cut. After all, what’s not to like in the premise, my home town of Glasgow, its seedy underbelly and a mysterious death? I was rubbing my hands in anticipation.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Second Cut, which is not the traditional crime novel I kind of expected. It is told in the first person from Rilke’s point of view, in a world weary tone that has seen it all and survived. He is cynical, occasionally funny and somehow moral and optimistic, despite the world he lives in. He has a very distinct voice and world view that can be disconcerting but always encourages the reader to keep going.

I like the ambiguity surrounding Jojo’s death as nobody seems to know or want to take the time to investigate. Rilke finds himself unwillingly dragged into the mess that Jojo left behind and then his curiosity takes over and he finds himself looking into something entirely different. It’s like life, A isn’t necessarily followed by B.

There is crime in the novel, even a gang lord, but it’s not just a crime novel. It’s as much about the characters and their lifestyle and interactions as it is about investigation. I found it interesting and instructive as I don’t know much about non heterosexual lifestyles or how auctions work.

This is a rough novel, not in the writing and execution which are excellent, but in the characters and themes. Casual sex, orgies, drugs, selfishness and callousness to name but a few, so it will not be for every reader. I suppose I should have said gritty rather than rough, but rough suits the characters and setting better. It’s typically Glaswegian, take no prisoners, get your retaliation in first and if you don’t like it, tough.

The Second Cut may not have been what I was expecting, but I have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

This is such a brilliant book. It was my introduction to Louise Welsh, and I ordered her previous books as soon as I finished it. It's a really good crime/police thriller, but written from the perspective of Rilke, an auctioneer, whose friend Jojo dies unexpectedly and Rilke tries to find out how and why.
Rilke gets helped and hindered by various characters in the book, with lots of twists in the plot. The main characters are great, all larger-than-life personalities, each of whom stays true to type throughout the book. There's a lot of humour in it. All the plot strands are wrapped up at the end, some in unexpected ways.

An absolute masterpiece in writing life as it really is for Glasgow's marginalised cultures, and those hovering around the cusps of respectability. Perfectly structured and plotted, with colourful and lively characters, this has been the best book I have read this year.
Absolutely recommended.