When I saw that Ian Rankin had completed an unfinished manuscript by the late William McIlvanney, D.I. Ladlaw’s first case, I thought, “I’m in.” Bloody Scotland’s McIlvanney Prize, awarded to the Scottish Crime Book of the Year, is named for William McIlvanney. His Laidlaw trilogy won two CWA Silver Dagger Awards. A prequel is the perfect way to discover a character. And, I could count on Ian Rankin to do justice to McIlvanney. If you like gritty police novels featuring murder and organized crime, check out The Dark Remains.

D.I. Jack Laidlaw is the new guy on Commander Robert Frederick’s Glasgow Crime Squad. Laidlaw arrives with a reputation for having a sixth sense for the streets, but he’s not a team player. So, the Commander asks Detective Sergeant Bob Lilley to keep an eye on Laidlaw.

For one week in October 1972, Laidlaw is on the prowl. Bobby Carter has disappeared. He’s a very clever lawyer who protects and guards criminals. The Commander knows Carter’s disappearance could mean trouble in Glasgow. Organized crime in the city is controlled by three men who divide up Glasgow. Carter is Cam Colvin’s right hand man, and if anything has happened to him, there could be war in the city. When Carter’s body is found behind a pub in John Rhodes’ territory, the police know the city could be in trouble. While Lilley and Laidlaw are assigned to work the case, it’s only when they are given wrong information that they find out they’re reporting to Milligan. And, even the gang leaders know how dumb Milligan is. Laidlaw has no respect for the man, so he goes rogue.

Laidlaw doesn’t mind putting himself in front of the leaders of the city’s three gangs. He confronts mobsters and their men, and he questions them. It takes him almost a week to learn the truth, but he blames Milligan for playing games and delaying the answer, a delay that could allow Glasgow to blow up. But, it takes a lot of travel and a lot of questions to uncover what Laidlaw sees as an obvious truth.

The Dark Remains is an introduction to Laidlaw even more than it’s an introduction to Glasgow. In some ways, he’s a stereotypical police officer whose work takes him away from his family and causes issues in his marriage. However, Laidlaw pushes those boundaries more than most cops, staying at a hotel .He says it’s so he can be closer to work, although he seldom shows up in the office when others are there. But, Laidlaw is a cop who reads literature and philosophy. It’s Lilley who sees through him. “You’re a bit more idealistic than you let on.” He says it’s a weakness that Laidlaw believes in justice and fair play. He might be “guilty of overthinking things”.

As I said, The Dark Remains is a solid introduction to McIlvanney’s Glasgow and Jack Laidlaw. You just might want to discover Laidlaw’s Glasgow, and the man himself. It’s Bob Lilley who summarizes Laidlaw. “He’s a man who happens to be a copper, and he carries that weight with him everywhere he goes.”

Ian Rankin’s website is https://www.ianrankin.net/
William McIlvanney died in 2015.

The Dark Remains by William McIlvanney & Ian Rankin. World Noir, 2021. ISBN 9781609457198 (hardcover), 256p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a .PDF to review for a journal.