Westerwick

by George Paterson

When the country’s most wanted man inexplicably hands himself into the police, decades after absconding from the state mental institute, a young, but damaged lawyer is called back from his recuperation to interview him. As Thomas Leven is drawn into the complex, preternatural mind of Westerwick born serial killer Angus John MacMillan, what appeared a perfunctory task quickly proves to be anything but.

Delving deeper into the malign elements of MacMillan’s story, Thomas Leven starts to unravel, not only questioning his own faith but his sanity as he comes to the chilling realisation that true evil is all around. Set in Glasgow’s West End, and on the fictitious island of the title, Westerwick is a claustrophobic tale of the macabre, the mischievous and the malevolent, serving as both an urban gothic satire and a record of modern devilry.

352 pages, Paperback

Published November 16, 2023

Reviews

[Sarah Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's something incredibly enjoyable about reading a novel set in the place you live. When that novel plays around with familiar locations and turns them into the unexpected and introduces you to characters that are deeply weird but so wholly authentic that you feel sure you must have bumped into them at some point, the enjoyment turns thrilling. This is exactly how I felt when I first read writers like Alasdair Gray, Louise Welsh, Iain Banks, Andrew O'Hagan. Now I've read Westerwick and can add George Paterson to that list. Great fun - I was so desperate to find out what happened that I sped read the final quarter and will have to re-read to unpick the detail which is no hardship at all!

[Jessica H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepy and dark - a fantastic story told by unreliable narrator, lawyer Thomas Leven. Angus John McMillan, a notorious killer has inexplicably turned himself in after decades on the run. Now in jail, he only will talk to one guy — Thomas. As the story around them unfolds, we’ve got history, humor, folklore— some very vivid characters and a lot of inexplainable occurrences. All in all I couldn’t put it down. I also loved it set in Glasgow and all of the historical and cultural references. There was so much packed into this book - recommend!