This is my first foray into the world of Harry McCoy and it seems that I have a lot of excellent scottish crime fiction waiting for me to bring me up to speed!
May God Forgive is the 5th in the series so there are back stories that I may not have fully grasped but there was plenty of story for me to get stuck into, and what a story it was. 1970s Glasgow and tensions are high following an arson attack on a hairdressers that has caused multiple injuries. The story opens as the teenagers accused of the arson attack are coming to trial - there are crowds of people waiting for them, jostling the van and calling for them to be hanged. The court case is moved but the investigations are ongoing, and McCoy and his contacts uncover plenty of hidden secrets and allegiances that could change everything.
Menacing, gripping, tense reading- bring it on!

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book. I am not familiar with Alan Parks series of novels and this didn't disappoint. Many reviewers have given a synopsis so I will not repeat that. Suffice to say...give it a go !

My first Alan Parks as far as I can remover at least and I was very impressed with his style of writing. So engaging despite the actual theme and location being more gritty than I normally like. I think McCoy was an easy to follow character but I like my goodies to be good and my badges to be bad and McCoy didn’t quite behave how I wanted him to. Satie somewhat redeemed it all for me so a winner in the end.

Alan parks delivers again, a brilliant addition to the Harry Mc Coy series and set in Glasgow in 1974. Gangs, pubs and cigarettes all abound in this well written crime novel! I love the character of Mc Coy, he's a truly hardened detective with severe stomach issues due to an ulcer. This book is atmospheric, full of tension and interesting characters. It's definitely not for the faint hearted. but I absolutely loved it. A fantastic tale of gangland Glasgow, an easy 5* read from me and I highly recommend it. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Superb piece of tartan noir and at the centre is unconventional policeman Harry McCoy. Harry at the edge of 32 is spent and worn out, a body abused by drugs and alcohol but still determined to see justice done. With the body counting mounting and the fallout of a burnt hairdresers to be solved, together with the kidnapping of the 3 boys suspected of the arson, Harry must use his best endeavours and possibly the law, to solve the crimes before more murders are perpetrated. Many thanks to NG and the publisher for and early copy of this brilliant novel in return for an honest review and that is what I have written. Highly recommended.

May God forgive by Alan Parks is the fifth book in the Harry McCoy series. Even though you can read this as a standalone book, as I have not read any of the other books in the series. I would advise to start from the beginning to get the back story of the characters.
Glasgow May 1974. Harry McCoy has barely recovered after being in hospital for a bleeding Ulcer. When he decided to go back to work. He is faced with a tough case of and Arson attack on a hairdressers where three women and two children perished. The town is baying for blood when the perpetrators, three teenage boys are leaving the courthouse to be sent to prison. It is stopped by a van where they are kidnapped. The next day one of the boys bodies are found with a note saying Two to go. Harry McCoy is leading the case to find the others before more bodies are found.
Like I advised from my opening statement, I did enjoy this book from Alan Parks. This is a gritty, atmospheric tale set in Glasgow. Where tensions are high and the city is riddled with gangs. But because I had not read the previous books in the series. I felt that for me personally, I felt that there was something missing. For me It was lacking the full picture of what was going on and the kind of person Harry McCoy was. But the other side of it. This is an easy read and the writing flowed effortlessly. 4 stars from me.

Such a beautifully written book and one that I devoured in a few sittings.

McCoy is an engaging, flawed character. Shaped by his appalling life growing up, he has created and maintained relationships with the public and criminals alike.

His dogged approach to getting result pays off as his health suffers. Glasgow's rainy weather is almost a separate character in the story - relentless and soggy, McCoy keeps going.

Definitely a character I would like to read about again

Well, thank you #NetGalley for the opportunity to review this before it’s published in paperback next month.

I started reading Alan Parks McCoy series on Pigeonhole and knew that this was going to be a great series. Now, I think it’s exceptional. This is the Glasgow I grew up in, although it wasn’t my experience. McCoy is a copper in a difficult time when business and gangsters, local politicians and of course the church rubbed along rather too closely together ( Glasgow Council was notoriously Catholic and the Catholic Church had a huge influence, but it was not alone, the Church of Scotland also went places that perhaps it should not - not least as it held most of the positions in power in the police and the justice system)

Three young lads set fire to a hairdressers and women and children die. Then the boys are rescued, or are they….when they start to turn up dead, it appears to be a vigilante crime. Of course the hairdressers is in an area run by a Glasgow gangster, who is in a turf war with another gangster and McCoy’s boyhood pal and all round gangster,, good old Stevie Cooper is waiting to see who comes out tops, a turf war does him no harm at all. But Stevie Cooper has a vested interest even he doesn’t realise, which complicates everything.

A well plotted novel, a seemingly unrelated murder of a young girl, the relationship between church and men of dubious repute with money, it all gets very murky.

Throw in delights from my teenage years growing up in this city - Galbraith, Lite Bites (from the much missed City Bakeries) Equis, the Muscular Arms, Clouds etc etc and it’s hard to resist the draw of this series, which just gets stronger with each outing. More than can be said for the ‘hero’ McCoy who I’m seriously worried won’t see out the year, as his health is shot. We also get a heart breaking insight into his childhood in this book. We knew it was difficult but I cried when he cried and I cried again towards the end.

This is a gritty setting for a book and it’s not without its moments of real empathy. This is the fastest I’ve read a book in ages, I literally couldn’t put it down. I lived every moment and my heart was in my mouth knowing that at least one baddie was masquerading as a good guy. Justice is not always served legally in Parks’ Glasgow but it’s often served. Not necessarily entirely satisfactorily but then that just makes it more realistic.

I read a lot of crime, and increasingly lots of Scottish crime which is, in my view, setting the standard. Park is, again in my view, streets ahead of most of the competition. I love these books, the fact they are set in 1970”s Glasgow makes them even more interesting and compelling.

I have June to review, need a short break to breathe again…and then I can’t wait to get into it.

I cannot recommend this series highly enough and each one just gets better. May God Forgive is a tour de force.

May God Forgive won the McIlvanney prize at Bloody Scotland last year and it's easy to see why. This is a realistic crime thriller set in gang ridden Glasgow in the seventies that keeps you turning the page wanting to read more. It's the fifth in the Harry McCoy series. I haven't read any of the others so I can safely say that this works as a standalone read even if it is probably better if you read them in order.

McCoy has problems. He has an ulcer, should be in hospital but has chosen to leave and go back to work. Glasgow is in turmoil. Three women and two wee girls have been killed in a fire at a hairdressers. Three young men have been arrested for the crime but on leaving court the lorry taking them to prison is rammed and they escape. Except that they don't. One of them soon turns up dead with clear evidence of having been tortured. Police have to find the others before the same happens to them.

I really enjoyed this book. It's set in 1974 and the detail about that time is superb. There are a multitude of characters all brilliantly depicted. But it is McCoy who draws you in with his difficult past. A book to savour. And for me, a new series to seek out. Thanks to Canongate and NetGalley for the ARC.

Feedback previously given on this book as it was read a few weeks ago and re-requested in error.
Recommended

This is another solid entry in Parks' series of gritty Glasgow police dramas.

Harry McCoy returns as the 70s detective who isn't afraid to wander over to the other side of the law in pursuit of his own sense of justice, all while showing a vulnerability which is rare in this kind of character. This time, he is hunting down a group of young arsonists who have fallen foul of a horrific form of vigilante justice, but inevitably all is not as it seems.

This is the fourth of them that I've read and I've consistently enjoyed each one to the same level. I think Parks makes the same mistake again of relying too heavily on chance discoveries to push the plot forward, yet the investigation remains the right side of satisfying. It isn't easy to write this kind of tartan noir novel without keeling over into unnecessary violence and brutality. Parks treads the line well and I'm excited to see what he gives McCoy to get his teeth into next.

Excellent Tartan noir.
Detective Harry McCoy, just returned to work from sick leave, witnesses the ambush of the security van carrying the suspects in an arson/murder case from court.
The arson attack was thought to be part of a gang turf war, so McCoy uses his underworld contacts to investigate. He also gets assigned to report on a suicide, who turns out to be an acquaintance of his. The two incidents are seemingly unrelated, but as the investigation proceeds, all the characters involved have contributed to events. The plot features, murder, torture, child sex abuse, pornography and exploitation. It is extremely violent in places.
McCoy successfully unravels the case through all the twists and turns. Very satisfying, I really enjoyed this.

A really good book, I’ve not read any books from the author previously but I really enjoyed it, I’m looking forward to more in the future

Harry McCoy #5
It’s May 1974 and Glasgow is a violent place with vicious rival gangs and tension you could cut with a knife. If it’s possible, the tension further escalates with an arson attack on a hairdressers salon in which 3 women and two children die. When the three young men charged with the despicable crime are brought to court a crowd block the entrance chanting ‘Hang them’ which soon gets out of control. Harry is newly released from hospital and “in recovery “ from a bleeding ulcer which hospitalised him for a month. He’s clearly still unwell but arrives at the scene and witnesses the prison van heading to Barlinnie Prison being rammed by a lorry, the three suspects are released and driven speedily away. Who is behind this audacious act? The hunt is well and truly on and McCoy is assigned tasks on the case. Two days later the body of the boys is dumped in the street, horribly tortured and bearing a sign “One Down, Two to go”. Twisted or what? As if that’s not enough especially given his poor health, McCoy is asked to investigate the apparent suicide of ‘Dirty Ally’ - Alistair Drummond.

This series is absolutely brilliant, it’s Tartan Noir at its best. McCoy is a fascinating character, he’s as hard as 70’s Glasgow, he shouldn’t drink but he does, he’s carrying many a demon from his past, in fact, he’s a tortured soul. He’s straight talking (ie often rude!), he’s not above using unconventional methods to get the job done but underneath that hard exterior he cares about getting things done and about the people who fall through the many cracks within the city.

Apart from the excellent portrayal of a flawed detective, 1970’s Glasgow positivity oozes atmosphere. The author paints an evocative dark picture and to me the city is a character in its own right. It’s a tough, uncompromising place, it’s deprived and poverty stricken and violence is often a means of survival. How could you not have colourful characters bestriding this environment and they all feel very authentic as does the distinctive Glaswegian dialect. Many of these characters are ruthlessly exploited in the turf war between gangland bosses Dessie Caine and Johnny Smart, both aiming to be ‘respectable ‘ but by doing so leave “reeks of misery” in their wake. As for the plot, it’s totally riveting with many a layer. The cases are tough with the impact felt far and wide. The storytelling barrels it’s way at fast pace through many twists and turn, it’s tense and suspenseful, gritty, dark, very noir, it’s an intense tale which transfixes and grips to a powerful ending with justice served one way or another.

It can easily be read as a stand-alone but the series is outstanding and one I highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this eARC.

This is my first read by this author and I really enjoyed it. It is the fifth in a series and in my opinion can be read on it’s own, although I will definitely be reading the previous books when I can. I found this to be a very compelling and thrilling read. I really liked the main character McCoy who is investigating the murder of a teenage girl and a fire which killed 5 people. Is there a connection between the two investigations? The book takes place in the 70’s in Glasgow over a short space of time. I loved the authors writing style here, it is very descriptive and I could picture the characters, the era in my mind when reading. McCoy is very tenacious leaving no stone unturned in his police investigations. I felt like I was unwrapping layer upon layer of secrets here, once I’d got used to one then the next just followed. The story follows gangland rivalry, vigilantes, has scenes of excessive violence, all of which make May God Forgive a very moreish and cracker of a read, and I think the author made his characters jump out of the pages and at the same time captured a true picture of life was like in the 70’s. I’d recommend this book, although I’d say read them in the correct order to know the characters from the beginning.

4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Harry McCoy was in hospital recovering from his burst ulcer when Dolly’s hair salon in Royston was the subject of an arson attack. Three women and a little girl died and another little girl is barely clinging on to life. Tobago Street detectives arrested three boys very soon after a tip off but they’re an odd set of friends. One is a known fire setter, one is the son of a wealthy builder and the other’s family is on the poverty line. On Harry’s first day back at Stewart Street in Glasgow Police a thunderous crowd awaits the boys outside the Sheriff Court, all baying for blood. As the prison van departs again, a well-planned hijack sees the boys escape. At first it is thought someone has helped them but when one is found dumped outside Dolly’s ruined premises, savagely tortured to death, it seems help was the last thing they received, especially when the police are left with a tape of the boy’s chilling forced confession. So is this the start of a turf war, with the attacking gang making sure the boys they employed are unable to talk, is it the salon’s real owner taking revenge on the arsonists or is it something far more sinister? A grim bible verse is quoted – burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. Saving the other two boys will be a huge test for the police, headed by Chief Inspector Murray who is trying to run both Stewart and Tobago Street stations, since most of the public will be overjoyed to see the boys dead and are unlikely to want to help the police. In the meantime, Harry and Wattie are also investigating the murder of a teenage girl with a link to Stevie Cooper’s son, and also the strange suicide of Dirty Ally, someone with a very unexpected past, but little do they realise the depths their investigations will take them to.
Harry McCoy is known all over Glasgow, good and bad places, good and bad people. Sometimes this is why he ends up caught between them, and this story is no exception. Although I’m sure you can enjoy this as a stand-alone, you really need to read the books in order to understand properly the dynamic and shared history between Harry and Stevie Cooper. Many of the old faces, like Jumbo and Charlie the Pram are back again, together with Wattie, Mary, Phyllis and of course Stevie, and this time there is less by way of introduction or explanation of the history between them all. These books can't be faulted and you can almost taste the grime and poverty of some of the back streets and pubs in Glasgow, with their wealth of colourful and very believable characters. Dark, atmospheric and totally absorbing! I have been a huge fan of this series right from the start and it just gets better and better. I cannot wait to see what June brings. 5*

Alan Parks delivers a blistering addition to his Detective Harry McCoy series, set in 1974 in a Glasgow where tensions are running sky high after an arson attack on Dolly's Hairdressing Salon results in the death of 3 women and 2 children. Even so, the police are taken aback and caught on the hop when a riotous large crowd assembles with ugly scenes playing outside the courthouse when the 3 boys charged with the heinous crime arrive in a prison van. Harry has discharged himself from hospital early despite the fact he has clearly not recovered from his painful stomach ulcers, he is at the scene meeting Chief Inspector Murray, hoping to be allowed back to work. He witnesses the audacious grab of the boys when a lorry rams the prison van, and finds himself ordered to conduct a background investigation of the case as Murray doubts that Tobago Police are up to the task, and overseeing that Wattie is competently managing the case of a unidentified murdered young girl found at Sighthill Cemetery.

Additionally, McCoy finds himself at the scene of an apparent suicide of a man he knows, Alastair 'Dirty Ally' Drummond known to sell scud mags at his stall, finding himself inexorably drawn deeper as he discovers that Ally had been threatened and had gone into hiding. The pressure racks up when the horrifically tortured body of one of the abducted boys is found with a note saying 'one down, two to go'. There is no way Murray will countenance vigilantism and mob rule, and with the clock ticking, the hunt is on to find the remaining boys, but they have no leads. Harry calls on his network of contacts amongst Glasgow's criminal underbelly and the terrifying hard men gangsters fighting over turf, with Jimmy Smart seeking legitimacy through his businesses, and Dessie Kane through the church and photographed with the city's establishment through the charity social circuit, both men now with much further to fall should anything go wrong. Harry reconnects with Stevie Cooper, a brutal and volatile crime boss, looking for his son, Paul, as he wonders if it is possible all the cases are linked.

With his body buckling under his health issues, McCoy tests it further by doing the very things that exacerbate matters by taking to drink and drugs as he encounters and is confronted with sights no human being should see, and the demons in his past raise their heads to haunt him when he finds himself unexpectedly encountering his homeless and alcoholic father, George, a man whose monstrous failures resulted in his traumatic and emotionally damaging childhood. This is a superb addition to Park's stellar Scottish noir series, atmospherically evoking a dark and mesmerising picture of a 1970s Glasgow with its wideranging cast of characters, with a flawed McCoy willing to do whatever it takes to get some form of justice for those who slipped through the cracks. A brilliant read, but not for the fainthearted, that I recommend highly. Many thanks to the publisher.

May God Forgive is the fifth book in the Harry McCoy series by British author, Alan Parks. May 1974, and DS Harry McCoy returns to work after a month is hospital that did little for his perforated ulcer but bored him intensely. He happens to be watching as a truck ploughs into the prison van carrying three teenaged boys. Their arson attack at a hair salon had mortally injured three women and two children.

The mob at the court house had been ready to string them up, but now a car swiftly takes them away, and the police assume it’s done to avoid them standing trial. McCoy’s CI, Hector Murray assigns him two tasks: he’s to help DS Doug Watson progress his cases and, on the quiet, to check with his informants what the word on the salon fire is.

When an old acquaintance, Paddy’s Market porn retailer Dirty Ally, commits suicide, a quiet chat with a roommate has McCoy wondering exactly what Ally was so afraid of that he would jump off a roof; the suicide doesn’t bear official investigation, but Harry can’t help wanting to take a look.

Wattie’s problem case, an unidentified fifteen-year-old, dressed for a night out, found strangled in a cemetery, is not yielding to his logic, and also has McCoy guessing, until they focus on a strip of booth photos in her purse.

When one of the arsonists’ bodies, clearly tortured, is deposited, with a biblical reference and a sickening cassette tape, in front of the burnt-out salon, it begins to look like a vigilante action. But then ownership of the salon points to possible aggression between rival gangs.

Parks easily conveys his setting, and that largely being mid-seventies underworld Glasgow, it necessitates quite a lot of graphic descriptions of violence, liberal use of expletives, hard drinking, and drug use, in some of which Harry indulges, despite medical advice. Both evidence uncovered in his investigations, and an encounter with his estranged father, take Harry reluctantly back to an unfortunate, neglected youth.

Most of the story takes place over ten days, with Harry doggedly pursuing every lead in an effort to prevent further vigilantism. This involves plenty of red herrings and enough twists to recommend pre-booking a chiropractic appointment. Once again, excellent gritty Glasgow noir and it will be interesting to see what Parks has in store for Harry in the “June” title.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Canongate.