Resolution

Ray Lennox #3

by Irvine Welsh

"The truth is what we say the truth is . . . "

Former detective Ray Lennox is determined to start a new life. He has left Edinburgh Police behind for a fresh career and a fresh relationship in Brighton. Then he meets Mathew Cardingworth. Rich, smooth-talking and immaculately dressed, he is seemingly a pillar of the local community - yet he soon draws Lennox back to a past that he's desperate to forget. As Lennox identifies the links between Cardingworth, a series of violent attacks and the disappearances of a group of foster care boys, he is forced to ask what must he sacrifice to expose the truth?

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Thriller, Scotland, Audiobook, Collections, Mystery

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2024

About the author

Probably most famous for his gritty depiction of a gang of Scottish Heroin addicts, Trainspotting (1993), Welsh focuses on the darker side of human nature and drug use. All of his novels are set in his native Scotland and filled with anti-heroes, small time crooks and hooligans. Welsh manages, however to imbue these characters with a sad humanity that makes them likable despite their obvious scumbaggerry. Irvine Welsh is also known for writing in his native Edinburgh Scots dialect, making his prose challenging for the average reader unfamiliar with this style.

Reviews

[Adam McPhee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Better than the rush job that was the second book in this series, but still not Welsh's finest hour. A bit more pulpy than previous efforts, but with a convoluted and low effort ending in which good guys and bad guys are screaming their motivations and machinations at one another. And even then there's still need for a followup email outlining it all.

Welsh is great at creating characters who are war with themselves but who are fun to spend time with. His Ray Lennox is one of his better protagonists, and Resolution is interesting in that he seems to have made progress on himself from previous efforts. And it is fun to just hang around with him in Brighton: I'd've loved to see more of him and George scamming companies into buying their security systems. Alas...

One final note, unless I missed it, there are no cameos from any of Welsh's other novels, which is a shame because I always look forward to them. Though one of his previous books does get mentioned in a very out of context way at the novel's climax, and I guess that's amusing.

Overall this one just felt a bit low effort.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed this novel and kept you gripped until the end

[Ubik 2.0 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tunnel senza fondo

Questa volta Welsh mette da parte Renton, Begbie, Spud e Sick Boy, i personaggi edinburghesi prediletti da noi lettori e, immagino, anche da lui stesso, se non altro per il successo planetario che gli hanno regalato, ma per nostra fortuna è già all’orizzonte in attesa di traduzione un nuovo capitolo con l’inimitabile banda di Trainspotting.

Rinunciare ad essi significa perdere gran parte dell’ironia, uno degli ingredienti principali della narrativa dell’autore, e lasciare così il campo alla brutale violenza che qui è ben rappresentata da una pletora di brutti ceffi e criminali. Nemmeno il tormentato protagonista Ray Lennox, benché a sua volta edinburghese d.o.c., possiede un carisma paragonabile alla “Trainspotting gang”, anche perché questo episodio è in gran parte ambientato dalla parte opposta del Regno Unito, a Brighton dove si è trasferito per provare a raddrizzare la sua incasinata esistenza.

Ex detective, Lennox è il protagonista cui Welsh ricorre quando ha voglia di dedicarsi al poliziesco; dopo le (dis)avventure dei precedenti “Crime e “I lunghi coltelli” ha abbandonato la polizia ma non il vizio delle indagini pericolose, soprattutto se gli consentono di fronteggiare i fantasmi nel tunnel del suo passato, non importa se a scapito della moderata serenità conquistata nel presente.

E’ ormai un sottogenere molto frequentato quello dell’ex poliziotto dalle maniere spicce e dallo stile di vita borderline che, dopo eseere uscito dal giro redento e pacificato, ricade nel gorgo della violenta lotta ai peggiori delinquenti senza essere più vincolato dalle regole dell’uniforme o dal controllo di un Dipartimento Affari Interni.

Welsh si butta a capofitto in questo filone trascurando gli stilemi propri del genere poliziesco per scatenare la sua prosa cruda dal ritmo martellante e accumulare vicende più o meno sordide, salti nel passato, voci narranti che si sovrappongono ad ogni capitolo, brutalità e vendette che culminano in un finale esagerato e confuso, dove si concentrano in poche pagine rivelazioni, tradimenti, rese dei conti, redenzioni e voltafaccia: troppi e spinti ben oltre la soglia della credibilità.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some authors you leave fallow and return to once a fresh back-catalogue has sprung up. So with Irvine Welsh. (The last book of his I read was Skagboys.) No novel of his to date has ended, ‘He had a cuppa, did a crossword, and went to bed early.’ Nor does this one.

The novel is about Ray Lennox, the rookie member of the Edinburgh ‘polis’ first introduced in Filth, presently struggling with more demons than a double-booked Mephistopheles. Though often self-consciously ‘shocking’, Welsh’s observational skills serve him better than ever - and the virility of his social satire deserves wider praise. I can honestly say no scenes in British fiction this year made me guffaw louder than the text exchanges between Ray, his girlfriend Carmel, and Ray’s subsequent daydreaming- which I am not spoiling here.

Thanks to NetGalley etc.

[Luca Masera · Rating 3 out of 5]

Resolution esplora i temi della redenzione e dell'autodistruzione con il caratteristico stile crudo e provocatorio di Irvine Welsh: tuttavia, nonostante la solita prosa vibrante e i personaggi come sempre fuori dagli schemi, la trama appare spesso forzata e poco organica, quasi costruita ad hoc per sorprendere il lettore a tutti i costi.

Gli intrecci narrativi talvolta sembrano sacrificare la credibilità a favore di colpi di scena eccessivi, togliendo profondità all'evoluzione dei personaggi. Anche se non manca di momenti avvincenti e riflessioni taglienti sulla condizione umana, lascia la sensazione che Welsh abbia puntato più sulla provocazione che su una storia realmente convincente.

3 stelle e mezzo

[Kenzie Leckie ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would probably say this is the best in the series. I really liked how we finally get some sort of resolution ;) to Lennox’s situation. I was a little confused by some POVS and didn’t understand who they were or how we got them.

I always enjoy going back to the characters and seeing the relationships formed and the humour throughout.

[Jace Bryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Really enjoyed getting stuck into an Irvine Welsh book again after a few years. Definitely preferred this one to the second in the Crime trilogy, The Long Knives, which was a load of pish and felt like a total rush job to pump a book out after the TV Series aired.

This one was much better though. I got properly into it and enjoyed the ride, even if the ending was a tad messy. Still not a patch on the first book, Crime, but a decent enough conclusion to the trilogy. That said, I’m hoping Welsh moves on from the Crime series now, fingers crossed for another Juice Terry novel.

[Ross Cumming · Rating 4 out of 5]

The third in the Ray Lennox series of novels see him leave the Police and move from Edinburgh to start a new life in Brighton. He’s drug and alcohol free, in therapy, adhering to a strict fitness regime, has started a new relationship and is working in private security with an old colleague. However a chance meeting with a local businessman, Mat Cardingworth, who he identifies as one of three men who abused him and a friend when he was a boy turns his life upside down. As he delves deeper into Cardingwoth’s background his old insecurities return as do his old habits of alcohol and cocaine use. In an effort to prove Cardingworth’s guilt he not only jeopardises his own life but of those closest to him.
If you’ve previously read the other Ray Lennox novels then you know what to expect from this latest in the series. Lennox haunted and guilt ridden from having been abused by three men in a dark tunnel in Edinburgh as a boy has spent his Police career chasing down child abusers. Now that he’s left the Police and forged a new life for himself he seems to have left all that behind but his encounter with Cardingworth plunges him back into his own personal hell. Lennox’s story is also interspersed with another narrative, which turns out to be a confession, recorded to cassette tape by someone close to Lennox that explains in part why the three abusers were in that tunnel. The climax of the tape recordings coincides with the violent conclusion of Lennox’s investigation which plays out in an abandoned cement works.
A throughly unique thriller written in Welsh’s inimitable style which may or may not be the conclusion of this series ?

[B.J. Swann · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final instalment and the best. Absorbing, disturbing, and littered with dark humour. The audiobook as read by the incomparable Tam Dean Burn is a thing of brilliance. I usually don't bother with audio but the dream team of Welsh and Burn is irresistible.

[Sally Cowling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed Irvine Welsh's books previously but haven't read one for a while, so I was intrigued to read his latest title!

It didn't disappoint. Welsh has a distinctive style that is gritty and dark but also deliciously descriptive, almost poetic.

Ray Lennox is an ex cop from Edinburgh who has moved to Brighton for a quieter life and to run a security business with his friend George. However, when a face from his past brings back a traumatic event from his childhood, he becomes embroiled in a quest for resolution....

This is a gripping story, with lots of twists and turns, that keep you on your toes (or hiding under the covers if you read in bed like me!)

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poor again from my one-time favourite author. That’s two books in a row that I really didn’t enjoy and it’s the same issues all over - rushed plot with characters and ‘twists’ flying around all over the place. GCSE-level cringe-worthy action scenes that add nothing, and pointless introspection on the part of the main character. Perhaps it’s just the Lennox series that’s generally weaker but I’ll certainly think twice about reading any future offerings, unless they return to the legendary Trainspotting cast or similar.

[Keen Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Cops and villains: two different strains of the same shit. Feeding on weakness and frailty. Rickety structures bridging the hanging gap between the people we believed ourselves to be, and the ones we actually were.”

It’s crazy to think that Welsh has been churning out high quality fiction for over three decades now (casts wistful eye back into the mists of time etc). This is the third instalment in the “Crime” series and it pulls out plenty of dark and disturbing surprises, proving that in 2024 Welsh remains compelling and essential as ever. Another belter of a read!

[Snakes · Rating 2 out of 5]

The CRIME series by Welsh hasn’t been my favorite to start with. But I do like most of Welsh’s books and consider myself a bit of a completist when it comes to his bibliography. So had to close out this series, and true to form with these books, it’s not among my favorites of his.

[S.g. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shite, but glad the series is done. I award this book two stars and may God have mercy if Irvine Welsh decides to continue writing cheesy airport pulp nonsense again.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

If this review was about how much I enjoyed the book, it would be 3-4 stars, because personally I find the extreme language and visceral violence a bit difficult to stomach after a while. I was listening to the audio book and had to pause to take breaks. But that is what you would expect with Irvine Welsh.

However, I admire what he was trying to do and think he is a master of his art and this is one of the best examples I have seen of this genre. The way he uses language, the voices of the different characters, and especially the windows into their hearts and souls, were superb and disturbing in equal measure. The plot was strong too, if relentless, and the storytelling turned them all into real people in my mind. The reading by Tam Dean Burn probably contributed to this as it was energetic and faultless. I had not read the earlier books in the Lennox series but will consider going back to them one day when I am feeling brave.

[Sam Gilbertson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Big improvement from the previous installment of the Ray Lennox series (which was arguably Welsh worst book) but certainly not his best work. Found the first half of the book much more interesting, seeing how Lennox had moved on in his life, tried to fight his inner demons and settle in Brighton.

Unfortunately the end of the book was a jumbled and confusing mess with bizarre action scenes and unrealistic dialogue. Can’t say I’m too captivated with Lennox as a protagonist, has none of the charisma or introspect of some of Welsh’s other characters such as the Trainspotting crew or Juice Terry. Won’t be rushing back to read this trilogy again.

Hoping Welsh can reclaim some of his past magic with his latest title “Men in Love” which I’ll be reading next.

[Victoria S · Rating 5 out of 5]

But Bim’s story is a bit confusing.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fitting ending to the trilogy.

[Emanuela Mortari · Rating 4 out of 5]

È sempre un piacere tornare a leggere Irvine Welsh. Qui siamo alla resa dei conti emotiva e "concreta" per Ray Lennox. Lo troviamo ripulito nella sua nuova vita a Brighton: niente alcol, niente coca, con una nuova ragazza ben più giovane di lui e attento alla forma fisica. Installa sistemi d'allarme insieme al suo socio George.

Un incontro inaspettato lo riporta però al famoso tunnel da cui non è mai uscito metaforicamente parlando.
Ecco allora che Ray piomba, di nuovo, in quell'inferno, che lo trascina, di nuovo, a fondo. Anzi, forse di più perché la questione riguarda anche la sua famiglia.

Avrà a che fare con l'uomo che tutti apprezzano in città: lo riconosce come uno dei tre membri del gruppo del tunnel. È lui o non è lui? Ecco allora che Ray ritorna in modalità sbirro, anche se non ha più l'autorità per fare certi tipi di ricerche. Così prova a cercare sponde inattese agendo però in preda al sospetto che chi gli è più vicino in realtà voglia tradirlo o lo abbia già tradito.

Adoro come nei libri di Welsh per sua attitudine, si usino le maiuscole, corsivi, grafiche, ci siano pov misteriosi che a poco a poco si svelano.

Qui arriviamo a una resa dei conti da film, con tanti, tantissimi (forse troppi) colpi di scena che riguardano persone che hanno fatto parte in qualche modo della vita di Ray, ma anche la stessa città di Brighton, davvero in balia di una certa spietata malavita collegata a casi di sparizioni di bambini.

Non sai mai cosa aspettarti dai finali dei libri di Welsh. L'incertezza è praticamente fino all'ultimo e aiuti arrivano da personaggi insperati. Sono rimasta comunque soddisfatta anche se mi domando se questa sarà davvero l'ultima avventura di Ray.

Purtroppo nella versione italiana non ci possiamo godere alcune finezze sulla pronuncia di alcune parole-chiave che riguardano proprio uno degli uomini del tunnel.

[Willow Davies · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m a bit of an Irvine Welsh fanatic, having read nearly all of his books. My boyfriend got me a signed first edition of Resolution for Christmas and I was so buzzing to read it that I immediately tucked into Crime and The Long Knives to be able to enjoy this one.

Crime is definitely the strongest book in the series. The Long Knives was a somewhat infuriating read with far too many characters, plot angles, overall feeling extremely rushed, I did see in the notes that Irvine Welsh said he had a difficult few years which may be the cause of this.

Going into Resolution, I was somewhat hopeful that it wouldn’t be a repeat of the previous book. The story is much more cohesive and the characters better developed however the pacing of the book struggled. It dove into the action far too quick and towards the end dragged out. With the end few chapters just being characters spewing their motives in such a spelled out way that it felt insulting to the reader. Not to mention the ending email spelling out the complete plot that I don’t think anyone would’ve struggled to comprehend at that point.

My biggest issue with Irvine Welsh’s recent books is that they have lost the charm of his earlier works. Having grown up in Scotland and still residing here, his previous works were comforting to me in the fact that they celebrated the charm of Scottish culture. Although I know that his recent works take place in Miami and now Brighton (places I have never visited) I feel he doesn’t have the same care and humour towards these places. I can tell Irvine Welsh favours writing crime and thriller these days however I think I will stick to the likes of the Trainspotting series, Filth, The Acid House, and one of my all-time favourites Glue.

[Mark yogi bear Fraser · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dragged myself to the finish line—Lennox limped there too.


I had high hopes for Resolution, especially as someone who’s followed Ray Lennox’s chaotic journey over the years. Sadly, this one left me feeling like I was trudging through treacle. I was expecting that classic Irvine Welsh energy—the grit, the punch, the sharp dialogue—but what I got felt more like Welsh on autopilot.

The plot wandered more than Lennox himself does when he’s off the rails. I kept waiting for it to kick into gear, but instead, it stalled in first, coughed a few times, and rolled to a disappointing stop. Characters who usually feel electric on the page just felt like pale versions of themselves this time around.

I kept hoping things would pick up, but by halfway through, I realised I was only still reading out of stubbornness—and a sense of duty to finish Lennox’s story, since I’ve been along for the ride this long. It felt like that moment when you’ve already paid for a meal that’s bland, but you eat it anyway because you don’t want to waste your money.

Usually, Welsh’s writing is raw, tight, and intense. Here, it felt bloated, like it was padded out with filler, missing the snap and crackle that made his previous Lennox outings stand out. It’s like watching your favourite band come back for one last album, but they just sound tired and like they’d rather be somewhere else.

I finished it, but when I finally closed the book, I mostly felt relief—and maybe the need for a stiff drink. I never thought I’d say this about an Irvine Welsh book, but I probably would have been happier if I’d left Lennox’s arc unresolved.

[Martin Seery · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you like violence and porn you might like this book!

[Gem · Rating 4 out of 5]

The latest in the crime series sees ex cop Ray Lennox still living with his demons and trauma that, title giving it away somewhat, finally comes to a resolution. This is by no means an easy read but if you’ve ever read any Irvine Welsh you’ll be well accustomed to that. A brilliant end to a harrowing series!

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Took me a while to get into this one.
I think the reality is, Ray Lennox is just not a favourite Welsh character for me.
When I finally got into it though, then I enjoyed the dark humour, and the action.
It felt right to have come to the end of Ray's story, and get some answers.
Worth reading, but I'd say only if you've read the previous books.

[Tom Ferguson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A harrowing tale, tough to digest as always with Welsh, but the characters are simply brilliant and he breaks it up with his usual humour.
Moving back and forth between sunny Brighton and grey old Edinburgh, ex-cop Lennox hunts down his demons as the tension builds to a climax.
Easy to see why the series has been picked for TV adaptation.
Four stars from me!

[Ido · Rating 4 out of 5]

Irvine Welsh: “Ooops, I did it again.”

[Marcus Bosano · Rating 1 out of 5]

So disappointed with this.. an interesting and complex character has been reduced to almost nothing - boring, overly verbose and with a weak who cares anymore ending..

[Alexander Millen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is absolute trash - what a gross hyper masculine “nonce” fest.

Save yourself the bother and whack it in the bin

[Rich B · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmmm. The third and presumably final (given the title) story involving Ray Lennox. I remember the first one was OK-ish, the second one much better, so I had hoped this one would continue the upward trend. However, I can’t say I enjoyed it. Too downbeat, too angry and too full of characters doing things which didn’t make sense and unlikely convenient coincidences to help the plot make sense.

On the plus side, there are believable and fairly likeable characters and the author’s ear for dialect and left-wing diatribes is great. But as for character development / motivation and overall plotting, it’s kind of ragged and all over the place. However, it’s the constant use of inner character voices to move the story along and the repeated referrals to nonces and child abusers that just get tiring after a while.

Knowing the events of the previous two books helps you understand what’s going on here. Ray Lennox is a former Edinburgh cop. He was attacked and abused as a young boy by three apparent strangers. You learn this event still haunts him despite him getting psychiatric counselling and drives him to have a particularly strong hatred for and desire for vengeance against child abusers.

At the start of this book, he’s moved to Brighton, started a relationship with a university researcher and seems finally to be sorting his life out. Then, he’s introduced to an acquaintance of his new girlfriend. He instantly recognises him as one of his childhood abusers. (the first of many unlikely coincidences).

This sends him on a fairly destructive path of revenge, where we find out what really happened when he was attacked and who the men behind it were.

There are flashes of good writing here, particularly when the author lets rip on the docile majority’s acceptance of the upper classes’ gross abuses. Yet, there’s a constantly angry, nasty undertone to it. Nothing wrong with dark-themed books. However, this has no light relief at all, so it becomes a grim, depressing read all the way through.

There’s also a surprising amount of thesaurus writing - dropping in obscure words that break the reading flow. Didn’t hate this, but it felt like a slog to read by the end.

Without giving too much away, all the characters get what they deserve in the end, which was just about satisfying. However, felt the whole book was crying out for even just one positive moment or character to contrast the relentless grimness.

Probably only worth reading if you’ve read the first two and want to see how Ray’s story pans out. It left me feeling a bit flat by the end. A downer of a book.

[simon crossley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the third instalment in Irvine Welsh’s series following the troubled ex-cop, Ray Lennox. I had not read the previous novels, but there was no need; this reads like a stand-alone story.

Resolution was dark yet not without humour, tough at times but interesting in how it is told.

We learn early on what the main plot is as the main character Ray Lennox was sexually abused as a child by older boys. Lennox’ dilemma is that he meets the so-called perpetrator but he knows if he goes public with it, everyone would know. So how does he handle it.

Irvine Welsh brings the story to life with a gritty down to earth Ray Lennox. The language is fruity with Ray and his business colleague convincing in their older zest for life. The dialogue is sharp but Welsh can balance the dark subject with a stoic outlook. However the prose is frequently blurred together making it somewhat annoying as to who is doing the talking.

Welsh creates a vague plot from what is effectively about recall from childhood. The perpetrator Cardingworth’s actual role in the abuse is held back until the very end. As with the whole story the plot could have been drip fed.

Brighton is the location with reference to pubs and streets but beyond that is little more than that. And also with Edinburgh.

Lennox’ life is a happy one with a partner, and a solid job. Welsh portrays this well through the narrative. The drama of Mathew Cardingworth entering into his life from nowhere in the present day is introduced through the awkward possibility of sex with another couple – Cardingworth in that couple. This is a motif of Welsh – the edgier side of life.

The male resolution of sexual abuse is handled through memory passages on a cassette tape which were at times indecipherable. As a literary device this did not work for me. There are hints of alcoholism and drug misuse as coping mechanisms.

Lennox himself is compelled to use his police skills to go back and investigate it – seek resolution. The price is how it takes over one’s life and Welsh excels in how Lennox’s life slowly unravels Whilst his relationship with his partner becomes precarious, his business partner takes it on his chin.

Whilst the ending is a relief it is overly brutal in the action losing the subtetley of the plot.

The novel excels in how Ray Lennox grapples with the trauma over his past intruding into his present, and how his attempts to come to terms with it lead to those around him question him whilst he tries to stay sane.