The Dark Remains

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

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.

Having read the original Laidlaw trilogy , I was thrilled to be able to read this prequel.
Warring gang bosses and mistrust and arguments in each of their camps follow the murder of a shady lawyer in a back street of Glasgow. Jack Laidlaw has his unique methods of investigation which are at odds with those of his police superiors. The novel gives us a mixture of the 70s Glasgow gangland scene and Laidlaw’s early career.
Ian Rankin has taken McIlvanney’s unfinished manuscript and created a perfect crime novel. He writes in McIlvanney’s style and gets to the heart of Laidlaw’s complex character. Snappy dialogue, brilliant characterisation and humour create a slick piece of writing.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC : it was very much appreciated.

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!

This was an absolute joy to read. It was a welcome reminder of just how good MacIlvanney was and how Rankin was influenced in his own writing by the "father of Tartan Noir'. It made me ache for more MacIlvanney writing and so I'm off to re-read his books. Job done Ian, job done!

This is a prequel to the renowned Laidlaw series by William McIlvanney, with an incomplete manuscript being finished by Ian Rankin.

Jack Laidlaw is a relatively new face in the Glasgow police squad, and people aren’t quite sure what to make of him. He’s good at his job but he doesn’t seem to fit in with the rest of team, keeping philosophy books on his desk instead of tabloid newspapers. After the murder of a notable crime figure, Laidlaw sets to work to solve the murder before simmering tensions in Glasgow’s criminal underworld explode, having a catastrophic effect on the city. Along the way he has to contend with warring factions, crime bosses, dancers, football legends and his own wife. Everyone has a story to tell, but in a city like Glasgow, who can you trust?

I am already a huge fan of Ian Rankin and I think he has done a fantastic job of completing this story with a distinctly Glaswegian flavour. I could definitely recognise some aspects of his writing, but thought this was brought together skilfully and written well, there is lots here to please established fans of this character and genre, and plenty for new recruits to get their teeth into. I really enjoyed this and thought it was a great mystery overall!

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a novel about gangs in Glasgow. A top player is missing and the police know this could mean a gang war and nobody wants that.
Lilley and Laidlaw are the detectives doing the legwork, though Laidlaw works to his own rules. Two rival bosses are at war, but who stands to benefit?
A good read.

The Two Fingered Gardener
Product Tester and Garden Writer and Professional Book Reviewer

Book Review. The Dark Remains by William McIlvanney and Ian Rankin.
JUNE 7, 2021 ~ LEAVE A COMMENT
Star rating… 5 stars

Set in the 1970’s amidst the ganglands of Glasgow. this book was actually an unfinished manuscript by William McILvanney. It was discovered by his wife after his death and the publishing company approached Ian Rankin to ask if he thought he could finish this unfinished, and thankfully yes he did and what a superb job he has done with it.

The book is the first case for William McILvanney’s well known and much loved Detective Jack Laidlaw, who is a law unto himself and certainly not a team player. He likes to get results but in his own way, on his own.

After the death of Bobby Carter, right hand man to gang leader Cam Colvin, gangland rivalry threatens to escalate and it quickly becomes a race against time and Laidlaw’s seemingly incompetent boss to solve the grisly murder.

Written with good strong characters and a plot that has many twists and turns. it definitely keeps you on your toes. I figured out the killer a few minutes after it’s apparent that Laidlaw has realised who it is. To me this is the sign of a seriously well written book, leading you to the obvious conclusion without any blindingly obvious clues along the way. You have to piece the clues together and this really makes you feel invested in Laidlaw’s character and you unravel the plot with him. I loved every minute of this book. It kept me wake into the small hours reading “just one more chapter"

I would highly recommend this book. If you are a lover of crime novels, Ian Rankin and great Scottish Crime Drama then this is a must read for you.


Publisher: Cannongate

Publish Date: 02 September 2021
Reviewed: Niki Preston
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I'm a fan of both William McIllvaney and Ian Rankin so just had to read this prequel to the Laidlaw books focussing on gang warfare in Glasgow.. As expected this tartan noir makes excellent reading and definitely to be recommended.

It must be the best part of thirty years since a friend of mine lent me a battered copy of Knots & Crosses, since then Rebus and I have aged together in real time. That loan set me off on reading Scottish crime fiction – from Chris Brookmyre to Stuart MacBride and many others but it was only a couple of years ago that I came across the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish crime fiction. I investigated the man after whom it was named and read the Laidlaw Trilogy in about a week.
So when NetGalley offered me the chance to read an advance copy of The Dark Remains I couldn’t resist. This is Ian Rankin’s realisation of a Laidlaw prequel – composed around notes left by William McIlvanney when he died in 2015.
The plotting is tight and the denouement very satisfying but, in a way, that is the least important part of the book. Rankin brings back McIlvanney’s Glasgow – the pubs, the streets, the tattoos and, of course, the buses. The city, as ever, is the overriding character in the book, but there’s still room for familiar names; Lilley and Milligan on the one side and Rhodes and Colvin on the other. Also new characters such as the splendidly monikered Spanner Thomson.
All the traits of the Laidlaw trilogy are in place here – the grime of the streets, the threat of violence threatening to erupt at any time, the era and the humour, e.g. “He smelled of Old Spice and ambition, neither of which particularly bothered Lilley, though he was an Aramis man himself”
If you are a McIlvanney fan do yourself a favour and read this, if you are coming to this from a Rankin direction – read it then go on to read the original trilogy, they will not disappoint.

The Dark Remains - McIlvanney and Rankin

If the truth's in the shadows, get out of the light . . .

When William McIlvanney died in 2015 he left an unfinished manuscript. Set in 1972 it was intended to be a prequel to his three Glasgow based crime novels featuring loner Jack Laidlaw, the troubled detective with a strong sense of justice.
Ian Rankin, who’s a huge fan of McIlvanney, was asked if he would be interested in completing the novel - he agreed and set to on a detective puzzle of his own, firstly by studying the notes McIlvanney left, then trying to work out how he would have developed the story.
He’s done a great job bringing to life the criminal world of that era in a breathtaking, gritty ‘tartan noir’ novel that’s an absolute belter.
The story opens with the murder of lawyer Bobby Carter who worked for Cam Colvin one of the local gang leaders.
DC Jack Laidlaw has just been transferred to the Glasgow Crime Squad. Unpopular with his superiors they grudgingly admit he has a sixth sense for what’s happening on the mean streets of Glasgow and need to find out who was responsible for Carter’s death before there is an all out war between the rival gangs.
DS Bob Lilley is assigned to work with & report back on Laidlaw though they quickly come to have a respect for each other with Lilley being almost as subversive as Laidlaw on occasion.

What comes across really well in the book is the sense of deprivation and brutality lurking on the streets and the paranoia of criminals never able to take their eye off the ball for one moment. Lots of colourful characters and laugh aloud moments of sardonic humour and at the heart of it Jack Laidlaw
the philosophising unorthodox detective who, to the detriment of his marriage, prefers to sleep in a hotel at night so nothing distracts him from solving the crime which isn’t quite as simple as his superiors suspect…

An extraordinary delight to savour, this is a pitch perfect smart collaboration between the legendary godfather of Scottish Noir, William McIlvanney, who left behind half a manuscript, a prequel of the trilogy featuring the original DI Laidlaw, expertly and authentically completed here by the creator of John Rebus, Ian Rankin. The year is 1972, and a atmospheric picture of the Glasgow of this period is evoked, the grit and the grime, the poverty, high unemployment, alcohol and domestic abuse, the casual brutality and violence, the sectarianism, the gangs, the hard men, the sexism and misogyny. When the dead body of lawyer Bobby Carter, right hand man and consigliere of gangster Cam Colvin, is found in the alley beside the Parlour pub, tensions escalate sky high, the threat of rival gang wars exploding hanging like a dark cloud, as metaphorical lit match thrown on a tinder dry bonfire.

DC Jack Laidlaw is now with the Glasgow Crime Squad, working on the case under the blindly ambitious DI Ernie Milligan. Laidlaw's partner, DS Bob Lilley has been tasked with keeping an eye on him by Commander Robert Frederick. Not known for being a team player, Jack goes his own way, travelling by bus, staying at the Burleigh hotel for the duration of the case, leaving behind his unhappy wife, Ena, and his 3 young children, Moya, Sandra and Jack. With his desk littered with philosophical texts, Jack is no ordinary copper, looking for answers in the nature of humanity, for whom every victim matters. Picking apart Carter's life, he follows a multitude of threads, a dancer, a former footballer, gang leaders and members, utilising informants, but none of it adds up, what is he missing?

This was an utter joy to read, beautifully written, with the force of nature that is the poetry loving Laidlaw believing 'the law is not about justice. It's a system we've put in place because we can't have justice.'. The highlights include the wonderful sense of the 1970s streets of Glasgow, and the stellar characterisation, my favourites including the likes of Lilley, Ena, and crime boss, John Rhodes. This is an unmissable crime treat for everyone who loves the gritty crime and mystery genre, particularly that of Tartan Noir. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

As a massive Ian Rankin fan I was really looking forward to this book and it did not disappoint. A brilliantly written prequel that does not, in anyway, take anything from the Laidlaw trilogy, it simply adds another layer to a superb tale.

As an avid Ian Rankin fan, I'd like to thank him for completing the Dark Remains manuscript, left by William Mcilvanney; who I now see as the master of dark Scottish characters,

Shamefully, I had never come across the Laidlaw series. The prequel so enthralled and intrigued me, it left me needing to know more about the character of Jack Laidlaw. I quickly bought and devoured Mcilvanney's 3 book Laidlaw series, it is an understatement to say I was not disappointed.

Pour yourself a wee dram, snuggle up and enter the shadowy world of Laidlaw, you will not be disappointed.

Five stars, I'd give it more if I could.

My introduction to William McIlvanney, and to the character he created back in the day, DI Jack Laidlaw, the hardbitten, cynical, deep-thinking truth seeker, which set the template for so many that followed, and created a genre which continues to thrive and surprise to this day: Glasgow Noir.

Apparently this is a prequel, based on an unfinished manuscript found after the death of William McIlvanney, and completed and finished by Ian Rankin, so as a newcomer to McIlvanney, I cannot comment on Rankin's literary 'impression' of the original, other to say I found it a compelling read.

There was a flowing narrative which expanded naturally and never ceased to capture and thrill this reader's imagination, set in a very credible rough-and-ready Glasgow of the 70s.

A flawed, angry but essentially moral hero, a brilliant depiction of 1970s Glasgow before it became gentrified, and a plot that weaves and turns convincingly through the mean but also oddly warm streets of a great city.

A very enjoyable and effortless read, perfect holiday reading, or to wind down to at the end of shift. Highly Recommended. 8/10

What can I say? Ian Rankin has done a superb job with McIlvanneys manuscript. This book shows the dark and gritty side of Glasgow in the 70's and I bloody loved it! Laidlaw is such a brilliant character, full of determination and doesn't follow the rules! This book grabbed my attention from the start and held it to the end. A really good read!

Bobby Carter was a notoriously venal lawyer, he was in up to his eyeballs with Glasgow’s criminal fraternity. It had been his job to protect and give guidance to an assortment of miscreants and villains of Glasgow, and now he’s dead - murdered and dumped in a dirty alleyway. The problem is, his killing is likely to cause a vicious war between the two main gangs, so the murder needs solving quickly, before all hell is let loose on the streets of Glasgow.

Investigating officers D.C. Jack Laidlaw and DS Bob Lilley make a brilliant pair - I love the way they bounce off each other. (Laidlaw, on the face of it, isn’t particularly likeable, but he has a wicked sense of humour, and I love that), though he does prefer to do his own investigating without any obstructions, so he often leaves Lilley behind - yes Laidlaw is very much a force of nature. He also isn’t one to furnish his boss with every little piece of information that he comes across, and that can sometimes give him an advantage in extracting said information from the criminals on his patch, who think he’s not like the other coppers, meaning they’re more likely to spill the beans. Another strange quirk of Laidlaw’s is his preference for travelling by public transport, namely the bus, rather than the car, it gives him time to think, and he does a lot of that. He’s a plain talking man, with a philosophical mind, he sees what others don’t, and that makes him a great copper!

Dark Remains is set in 1972 in Glasgow, against a backdrop of hard men, poverty, alcohol abuse, sectarianism, strip clubs and general dens of iniquity.

When Scottish writer William McIlvanney died in 2015, he left behind a half finished manuscript, which was handed to his publisher by his widow, and was then completed by that other wonderful Scottish writer Ian Rankin! What a terrific combination this is, resulting in a fine example of gritty Tartan Noir!

So pleased to have discovered William McIlvanny with the help of Ian Rankin. I have no idea how much Rankin has added to this but the 1970s burst off the page. Love Laidlaw and will now be tracking down all McIlvanney's work. Thanks to Netgalley.

Just finished “The Dark Remains” by William McIlvanney and Ian Rankin and it conjures up perfectly the atmosphere of early 1970’s Glasgow with its gangs and casual violence. DC Laidlaw is a perfect example of a literary maverick detective, going his own way, following his own leads and ignoring his bosses. Laidlaw goes one step further by actively antagonizing his DI who he trained with and believes has only been promoted due to his links to the Freemasons.

If you are of a squeamish nature and don’t relish reading about murder and gang warfare, worry not as the violence is kept to a minimum and is not graphic. The story however moves along at a good pace and kept me interested throughout. I have to confess to never having read any of William McIlvanney’s earlier novels but will be looking out for them in the future.

Scottish crime writing at its best. Rankin has taken McIlvenneys unfinished manuscript and written in his style, to create the perfect crime novel.

My thanks to Net Galley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have not previously read any of William McIlvanney’s Laidlaw books, although know of him as he is often praised by authors I enjoy including Ian Rankin,. Rankin has the task of turning a part started manuscript into a fully fledged novel, in keeping with what McIlvanney’s will be expecting from a Laidlaw novel..

Set in the early 70s Glasgow gangland the book rattles along at a fine pace. In DC Laidlaw's character you can see a bit of influence on Rankin's own creation Rebus. Laidlaw is a maverick winding up superiors whenever he can, yet he gets results and is in tune with how the various gang leaders are thinking.

One of the best crime books I have read this year and I will definitely be seeking out the original Laidlaw novels now.

I’ve been reading crime fiction novels for as long as I can remember. Agatha Christie whodunnits probably started it for me and I’ve never tired of the genre. But I’m almost embarrassed to say that I’d never come across the name William McIlvanney. In fact, it wasn’t until after I’d read this book that I discovered the truth: that Ian Rankin had fairly recently been approached to complete a half written draft of what turns out to be a prequel from a very well know trilogy. Yes, McIlvanney (now deceased) had published his three well received books in the period from 1977 -1991 and had subsequently been crowned ‘the father of Tartan Noir’.

The story involves the murder of a dodgy lawyer, right hand man to the leader of one of Glasgow’s prominent crime gangs. His body had been found in a lane behind a pub, on the turf of a rival gang. And when we’re introduced to the local flatfoots who are charged with investigating the case, the least senior of which is DC Jack Laidlaw, I’d assumed that it would be one of the senior officers who we’d be tracking as the investigation is set in train. But no, it’s Jack who take prominence on the pages that follow, and what an interesting character he proves to be.

The story is set in 1972 and as someone of a certain age the references to music, television and news items of the time all brought back memories for me. I think some of this will be lost on younger readers but I don’t see this as a significant drawback. The language is raw and the actions often ruthless as answers are demanded by gangland thugs on the mean streets of this city – is this killing going to kick off a battle between the gangs? That’s the fear the cops have as they chase around the same streets seeking the same answers, albeit in a slightly more civil manner.

Laidlaw, though, is the star of the show. A deep thinker and a reader of philosophical texts, he has his own way of doing things. He has a testy relationship with the lead cop on this case, due to events that happened some years back, and this merely cements his desire to do his own thing. Although he is married, with three young children at home, he immerses himself in the city: using buses for transport and moving into a centrally located hotel for the duration of the case. He absorbs the mood and the chatter and seeks out people of interest, testing them out with provocative questions and leaving no stone unturned.

The resolution is a satisfying one but as in many books of this type it’s the journey that matters. I loved the atmosphere the book created – it felt authentic and morbidly exciting –and the characters were all brilliantly brought to life. The dialogue is top-notch too and I was left to wonder how much of all of this was present in McIlvenny’s draft and what proportion was reliant on Rankin’s deft touch. It was all over too soon but at least I now have three more books added to my pending list – and I have a feeling they’ll soon be edging their way towards the top.

This is a blistering prequel to McIlvenney’s Laidlaw series. It’s his first case and the half written manuscript has been completed, after McIlvenney’s untimely death, by Rankin.

This is a visceral gangland crime story. Glasgow in the 1970s was a law unto itself, with different crime lords ruling their territory and to transgress was to court retribution and revenge. This centres on the death of a dodgy lawyer and Laidlaw as a DC using his unique approach to solve the crime. Rankin is probably the best author to complete the unfinished work. His style matches the fast pace, the dark humour and he really brings the character and events to life. It’s a brilliant mix and it works. Very highly recommended.

My thanks to the publisher for a review copy via Netgalley.

A great read about the gangland crimes of 1970’s Glasgow and we are introduced to DC Laidlaw , this is a prequel to the Laidlaw series . This is tartan noir at its finest , easy to read and left me reading late in to the night.
Laidlaw is a complex character with a dry sense of humour and an analytical mind that would put Poirot to shame! He is able to irritate and annoy his colleagues without trying m he is more of a loner than a team player but he gets the results that are needed.
Bobby Carter is a gangland lawyer and he is found dead behind a pub owned by a rival crime boss , this leads to taxis being torched , pubs being fire bombed and an escalation of the war between the rival factions, or is it as it seems?
The writing is excellent and the story is fast paced and I can’t recommend this book highly enough!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher.

The Dark Remains is the prequel to McIlvanney's Detective Constable Jack Laidlaw series and was unfinished at the time of his death in 2015; now, bestseller Ian Rankin brings to life the untold story of Laidlaw's formative years in law enforcement set, as always, against the gritty, richly atmospheric backdrop of Glasgow city, in October 1972. You could even say this is the godfather of Tartan Noir, McIlvanney's, final (highland) fling. A war between rival gangs is set to explode on the streets of Glasgow after the stabbing of a local foot soldier. A fragile equilibrium that has been keeping the city relatively safe for many months is at risk. The death toll could be high, and the impact on the lives of innocent people calamitous. D.I. Jack Laidlaw is beginning to suspect that kingpins John Rhodes and Cam Colvin are being manipulated into a confrontation. His superiors, however, are quick to chalk the violence up to the usual gangland rivalries. Perhaps too quick. Then fraught tensions across the city get even worse when a local lawyer who dealt with money laundering and specialised in representing mob bosses, in particular Cam Colvin, is reported missing by his wife, Monica, and is later found stabbed to death behind the pub known as The Parlour by proprietor Conn Feeney.

Feeney immediately recognises him as Bobby Carter, but the fact that he was found on John Rhodes’s territory has both Glasgow residents and the police in fear that it could spark a turf war between Rhodes and Colvin who both control a third of the city each. Everyone including young Laidlaw, who is a new recruit to the Glasgow Crime Squad but just as troublesome to his bosses then as he is in the original trilogy, wants to know who murdered him as it's not likely that a guy up to his neck in the dirty business of the mob would just be let go with all of those sinister secrets rattling around his head. With the police supervisor in charge of the investigation primarily concerned about keeping the peace between the rival gangs rather than finding the killer, Laidlaw decides to go rogue to discover the origins of the dispute, try to solve it and identify and locate the murderer in the process. This is a scintillating and exhilarating treat for any crime enthusiast and Rankin’s result is gobsmacking. It’s Laidlaw at his very best – white-knuckle plotting, real-life complexity and writing sharper than a gangster’s blade.

I relished the return to McIlvanney's Glasgow, with its gangs, organized crime bosses, crooked politics, corrupt police, hard men and innocent battlers caught in the crossfire. In the midst of this melee stands D.I. Jack Laidlaw, as memorable and distinctive a noire character as has ever been created. He is like a diamond in the rough who knows he must strive for justice even though he knows justice is simply not possible. It's a gritty and essential book for fans of either author, and I was extremely impressed that it was so beautifully compiled that it was impossible to tell who wrote what. The mean streets of ’72 Glasgow are portrayed with a richly atmospheric authenticity and are ripe with abject poverty, loveless marriages, gang warfare, drunken aggression, sectarian bile, sexism, misogyny, rampant domestic abuse and peopled by a diverse cast of gangs fighting gangs, informants selling out former allies, bosses threatening their underlings and married partners arguing over each other's betrayals. An exquisite and unmissable crime novel that I cannot recommend highly enough.

Bobby Carter. A lawyer who worked for the wrong kind of people has just been found murdered and the suspect pool is not a small one. A man who had quite a few enemies but he also had some very notoriously powerful friends.
DC Jack Laidlaw is a man who doesn’t play well with others. He has a reputation that precedes itself, a sixth sense that has served him well throughout his controversial career on the streets of gangland Glasgow and has the knack to solve cases others can’t. This time it’s no different as he will have to solve the case to stop a war between two of the biggest gangs in the city.
A master class of tartan noir fiction by two of the greatest writers to put pen to paper.
A hard gritty prequel to the Laidlaw series.
A story that captures the period perfectly with seamless writing and a brilliant atmosphere throughout. A book I absolutely loved and couldn’t put down until its incredible ending and one I highly recommend.