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Sam Ireland Mysteries #1
Ways to Die in Glasgow
A violent drunk with a broken heart, Mackie looks for love in all the wrong places. When two hit men catch him with his pants down, he barely makes it out alive. Worse still, his ex-gangster uncle, Rab, has vanished, leaving him an empty house and a dead dog. Reluctant PI Sam Ireland is hired by hotshot lawyers to track Rab but is getting nothing except blank stares and slammed doors. As she scours the dive bars, the dregs of Glasgow start to take notice. DI Andy Lambert is a cop in the middle of an endless shift. A body washes up, and the city seems to shiver in fear; looks like it’s up to Lambert to clean up after the lowlifes again. As a rampaging Mackie hunts his uncle, the scum of the city come out to play. And they play dirty. It seems that everyone has either a dark secret or a death wish. In Mackie’s case, it might just be both.
277 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 2015
420 people are currently reading
1138 people want to read
About the author
Jay Stringer
39 books117 followersJay Stringer was born in 1980, and he’s not dead yet.
He’s English by birth and Scottish by rumour; born in the Black Country, and claiming Glasgow as his hometown.
Jay is dyslexic, and came to the written word as a second language, via comic books, music, and comedy. He writes hard boiled crime stories, dark comedies, and social fiction.
His first three books, the Eoin Miller Trilogy explored the political and criminal landscape of the West Midlands.
He now writes books set in Glasgow and New York.
Jay won a gold medal in the Antwerp Olympics of 1920. He did not compete in the Helsinki Olympics of 1952, that was some other guy.
Jay is represented by Stacia Decker at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner.
He’s English by birth and Scottish by rumour; born in the Black Country, and claiming Glasgow as his hometown.
Jay is dyslexic, and came to the written word as a second language, via comic books, music, and comedy. He writes hard boiled crime stories, dark comedies, and social fiction.
His first three books, the Eoin Miller Trilogy explored the political and criminal landscape of the West Midlands.
He now writes books set in Glasgow and New York.
Jay won a gold medal in the Antwerp Olympics of 1920. He did not compete in the Helsinki Olympics of 1952, that was some other guy.
Jay is represented by Stacia Decker at Dunow, Carlson & Lerner.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 156 reviews
December 29, 2015
This is a darkly funny and violent story in which Jay Stringer creates a number of disparate characters, sets them largely at odds against each other, and then steps back and watches while they attempt to somehow find their way out of the mess he’s left them in.
As the story opens, two killers set upon a drunken man named Mackie, catching him in a whorehouse at the most indelicate of moments. They shoot him in the leg, but Mackie manages to escape and makes his way to his Uncle Rab’s. Rab Anderson is a gangster-turned-author and when Mackie arrives at his home, he discovers that Uncle Rab is nowhere to be found. Worse, Uncle Rab’s dog has been killed, suggesting that things are going downhill in a big hurry, both for Mackie and for his uncle.
Sam Ireland is a female P.I. who has taken over her father’s one-man shop. Dad’s in the nursing home and his memory wanders in and out. Mostly it’s out and while Sam would like to fill the old man’s shoes and make him proud, it would sure as hell help if all his secrets weren’t locked away in a mind that’s only occasionally open for business.
A firm of mysterious but apparently very well-to-do lawyers hires Sam to track down Mackie’s Uncle Rab and deliver some legal documents to him. The lawyers hint that this is a test case and if Sam does well, there may be a lot of profitable business headed her way. This is Sam’s big chance and she wants to make the most of it. But the search for Rab takes her into some very sleazy places and antagonizes some very nasty people. And the closer she gets to finding Rab, the more likely it is that this will not only be her biggest case, but also her last.
Detective Inspector Andy Lambert is a cop with some very scary friends and relations. He’s hip deep in the whole Rab Anderson situation and with both Mackie and Sam attempting to find the elusive uncle, Andy’s life is also getting a lot more complicated and dangerous. His personal life is at a critical point as well and he’s going to have to maneuver very carefully if the house of cards he’s created is not going to come tumbling down around him.
All of the action takes place in the seamy underside of Glasgow. There are some great dive bars and other such establishments here and a cast of warped but very interesting characters, many of whom have deep secrets that they do not want exposed. Stringer heightens the tension from start to finish by turning from one character to the next and by rapid shifts from one scene to another. It’s a gripping story, outrageous (in a very good way), with some nasty humor as well. Mackie, in particular, is a character with an interesting world view—a guy you’d like to have a beer with sometime when he wasn’t leaking blood all over the place and being pursued by guys you’d rather not have a beer or anything else to do with. All in all, Ways to Die in Glasgow is a great noir-ish read that will appeal to large numbers of readers who enjoy their crime fiction a bit on the quirky side.
As the story opens, two killers set upon a drunken man named Mackie, catching him in a whorehouse at the most indelicate of moments. They shoot him in the leg, but Mackie manages to escape and makes his way to his Uncle Rab’s. Rab Anderson is a gangster-turned-author and when Mackie arrives at his home, he discovers that Uncle Rab is nowhere to be found. Worse, Uncle Rab’s dog has been killed, suggesting that things are going downhill in a big hurry, both for Mackie and for his uncle.
Sam Ireland is a female P.I. who has taken over her father’s one-man shop. Dad’s in the nursing home and his memory wanders in and out. Mostly it’s out and while Sam would like to fill the old man’s shoes and make him proud, it would sure as hell help if all his secrets weren’t locked away in a mind that’s only occasionally open for business.
A firm of mysterious but apparently very well-to-do lawyers hires Sam to track down Mackie’s Uncle Rab and deliver some legal documents to him. The lawyers hint that this is a test case and if Sam does well, there may be a lot of profitable business headed her way. This is Sam’s big chance and she wants to make the most of it. But the search for Rab takes her into some very sleazy places and antagonizes some very nasty people. And the closer she gets to finding Rab, the more likely it is that this will not only be her biggest case, but also her last.
Detective Inspector Andy Lambert is a cop with some very scary friends and relations. He’s hip deep in the whole Rab Anderson situation and with both Mackie and Sam attempting to find the elusive uncle, Andy’s life is also getting a lot more complicated and dangerous. His personal life is at a critical point as well and he’s going to have to maneuver very carefully if the house of cards he’s created is not going to come tumbling down around him.
All of the action takes place in the seamy underside of Glasgow. There are some great dive bars and other such establishments here and a cast of warped but very interesting characters, many of whom have deep secrets that they do not want exposed. Stringer heightens the tension from start to finish by turning from one character to the next and by rapid shifts from one scene to another. It’s a gripping story, outrageous (in a very good way), with some nasty humor as well. Mackie, in particular, is a character with an interesting world view—a guy you’d like to have a beer with sometime when he wasn’t leaking blood all over the place and being pursued by guys you’d rather not have a beer or anything else to do with. All in all, Ways to Die in Glasgow is a great noir-ish read that will appeal to large numbers of readers who enjoy their crime fiction a bit on the quirky side.
December 1, 2019
4.5 stars
If you haven't read this author before, be warned. Graphic violence, creative killers & Scottish cursing lie ahead. And humour...the black variety that may cause a fit of giggles at the most inappropriate moment. So if you felt only horror/distaste when forced to watch movies such as "Pulp Fiction" or "Fargo" step away from this book now. But if you lean toward the slightly twisted this is a great read.
At the centre of the story is Rab Anderson, a hard man who's ruled Glasgow's criminal element for years. When he disappears, it sets off a chain of events that cause a herd of characters to cross paths. Several take turns narrating their role in alternate chapters so we get multiple POV's.
Sam Ireland is a newbie PI who's taken over her father's business now that he's succumbing to dementia. She thinks she hit the jackpot when hired by a wealthy lawyer to find Rab & serve him with papers. Sam is smart, determined & quite possibly in way over her head.
Mackie is the unstable nephew, a would-be thug still mourning his dead girlfriend. Someone tried to kill him last night & this sets him off on a search for Uncle Rab. As Mackie cuts a swath through the city, the result is both violent & hilarious.
DI Andy Lambert is a veteran cop, weary of dealing with Glasgow's lowlife & living under his father-in-law's thumb. He's basically a decent guy in a bad situation & knows exactly where to find Rab.
There's a large cast that ranges from wealthy businessmen to criminals of every stripe. The author wastes no time getting the story up & running. It's kind of like jumping into a speeding car. The book opens with a bang & maintains a fast pace that has the reader running around the city with each character involved in the search. The plot is layered & you're never sure who is on the same team. As the story progresses hidden alliances & old secrets are slowly revealed, making you rethink what you thought you knew.
The writing is fluid & descriptive so you become intimate with the gritty back alleys & affluent streets of Glasgow. Dialogue is riddled with local vernacular & frequently laugh out loud funny. But these are not choir boys & there are moments of real tension & suspense as you flip the pages to see who survives.
Basically it's barely controlled mayhem & feels like it must have been as much fun to write as read. This was the first time I've read this author. Now that I know what I've been missing, book #2 can't arrive soon enough.
If you haven't read this author before, be warned. Graphic violence, creative killers & Scottish cursing lie ahead. And humour...the black variety that may cause a fit of giggles at the most inappropriate moment. So if you felt only horror/distaste when forced to watch movies such as "Pulp Fiction" or "Fargo" step away from this book now. But if you lean toward the slightly twisted this is a great read.
At the centre of the story is Rab Anderson, a hard man who's ruled Glasgow's criminal element for years. When he disappears, it sets off a chain of events that cause a herd of characters to cross paths. Several take turns narrating their role in alternate chapters so we get multiple POV's.
Sam Ireland is a newbie PI who's taken over her father's business now that he's succumbing to dementia. She thinks she hit the jackpot when hired by a wealthy lawyer to find Rab & serve him with papers. Sam is smart, determined & quite possibly in way over her head.
Mackie is the unstable nephew, a would-be thug still mourning his dead girlfriend. Someone tried to kill him last night & this sets him off on a search for Uncle Rab. As Mackie cuts a swath through the city, the result is both violent & hilarious.
DI Andy Lambert is a veteran cop, weary of dealing with Glasgow's lowlife & living under his father-in-law's thumb. He's basically a decent guy in a bad situation & knows exactly where to find Rab.
There's a large cast that ranges from wealthy businessmen to criminals of every stripe. The author wastes no time getting the story up & running. It's kind of like jumping into a speeding car. The book opens with a bang & maintains a fast pace that has the reader running around the city with each character involved in the search. The plot is layered & you're never sure who is on the same team. As the story progresses hidden alliances & old secrets are slowly revealed, making you rethink what you thought you knew.
The writing is fluid & descriptive so you become intimate with the gritty back alleys & affluent streets of Glasgow. Dialogue is riddled with local vernacular & frequently laugh out loud funny. But these are not choir boys & there are moments of real tension & suspense as you flip the pages to see who survives.
Basically it's barely controlled mayhem & feels like it must have been as much fun to write as read. This was the first time I've read this author. Now that I know what I've been missing, book #2 can't arrive soon enough.
April 30, 2020
To all of you opening line junkies—The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed; Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again; It was a dark and stormy night; It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; Lolita, light of my life, fire of my loins—try this one on for size, “I’m baw deep in Jenny Towler when they come looking for me.”
Poor Jenny wasn’t long for the world after her brains were splattered all over the wall on the following page. But alas, this isn’t Jenny’s story it’s Sam Ireland’s. A twenty-year-old tasked with keeping her dad’s private investigations outfit afloat. It’s been quite a challenge taking over the reins following his retirement, and she’s definitely in over in head with this new case. It seems like the more she digs the vaster the conspiracy grows, and with a crooked cop in the mix maybe she ought to start listening to everybody telling her to back the fuck off! Ah, but where’s the fun in that? Her brother’s got her back, and she’s a quick study, so I wouldn’t write the girl off just yet . . .
Truth be told, it was the catchy title of the second book in the series, How To Kill Friends And Implicate People, that initially piqued my curiosity. What with the current state of affairs, that sounded like a critical piece of information that I might need real soon. 😏
I’ve read quite a few of these crime stories, and this was a fairly decent entry in the genre. Told from a rotating point of view that followed Sam, the crooked cop, and the criminal with that lewd opening line, the story was liberally sprinkled with black comedy—as you may have guessed. It wasn’t bad, per se, but the plot was little too coincidental the action a little too cinematic, for my taste. And there wasn’t really anything all that unique, other than its European setting, to distinguish it from the crowd.
Poor Jenny wasn’t long for the world after her brains were splattered all over the wall on the following page. But alas, this isn’t Jenny’s story it’s Sam Ireland’s. A twenty-year-old tasked with keeping her dad’s private investigations outfit afloat. It’s been quite a challenge taking over the reins following his retirement, and she’s definitely in over in head with this new case. It seems like the more she digs the vaster the conspiracy grows, and with a crooked cop in the mix maybe she ought to start listening to everybody telling her to back the fuck off! Ah, but where’s the fun in that? Her brother’s got her back, and she’s a quick study, so I wouldn’t write the girl off just yet . . .
Truth be told, it was the catchy title of the second book in the series, How To Kill Friends And Implicate People, that initially piqued my curiosity. What with the current state of affairs, that sounded like a critical piece of information that I might need real soon. 😏
I’ve read quite a few of these crime stories, and this was a fairly decent entry in the genre. Told from a rotating point of view that followed Sam, the crooked cop, and the criminal with that lewd opening line, the story was liberally sprinkled with black comedy—as you may have guessed. It wasn’t bad, per se, but the plot was little too coincidental the action a little too cinematic, for my taste. And there wasn’t really anything all that unique, other than its European setting, to distinguish it from the crowd.
May 7, 2022
I read a couple of Jay Stringer's books some years back from the Eoin Miller series set in the Midlands. I enjoyed them. Can't recall quite why I came across this one however I was looking for something relatively light to read and it was in my "library". It satisfied the need. It was pacey, violent and quite funny at times. If that sort of thing appeals to you then Jay Stringer's work is worth a look. I really did like Sam - female PI - as a character and Glasgow made for a good setting too.
This is not overly deep but for me it was entertaining. I'll continue to read book from this author as and when I can.
This is not overly deep but for me it was entertaining. I'll continue to read book from this author as and when I can.
December 4, 2017
Ways to Die in Glasgow follows a handful of characters as they maneuver around the disappearance of gangster-turned-acclaimed-true-crime-author Rab Anderson.
I caught the author, Jay Stringer, at this year’s Bouchercon during the Best Paperback Original panel and not only was he hilarious, he was one of the few authors that impressed me so much that I ran to purchase his book immediately after to ensure I got it signed.
In a novel with no shortage of memorable characters, Jay narrows it down to three through whom he chooses to tell the story – P.I. Sam Ireland; the drug-addled nephew of Rab, Mackie; and the detective at his wit’s end, Andy Lambert. Jay saddles each with varying narrative styles with Ireland and Mackie employing first person and Andy in the third. To be honest, this was something I always disliked, but in the past few years, I’ve grown to appreciate it when authors work to apply it well. Each style provided distinct ways to deliver information, opening up the world of Glasgow and giving a recognizable voice to each character, further enriching the story.
However, I felt the true standout of this story was Jay’s sense of humour. He peppers the book with quick jabs of comedy helping to lighten some of the harsher scenes. It takes real talent to make me laugh during a violent, bloody assassination attempt without coming across as both cringe-worthy and forced. Also, as a die-hard wrestling junkie, I appreciated a character who was both a fan and not a complete mess of a human being – traits an individual rarely seems to hold simultaneously.
I’m looking forward to picking up the second book in the series, which by the way, has the best title since “Trigger Mortis” with “How to Kill Friends and Implicate People”. Without a doubt, Jay Stringer has a unique voice in crime fiction and I urge you to check him out.
I caught the author, Jay Stringer, at this year’s Bouchercon during the Best Paperback Original panel and not only was he hilarious, he was one of the few authors that impressed me so much that I ran to purchase his book immediately after to ensure I got it signed.
In a novel with no shortage of memorable characters, Jay narrows it down to three through whom he chooses to tell the story – P.I. Sam Ireland; the drug-addled nephew of Rab, Mackie; and the detective at his wit’s end, Andy Lambert. Jay saddles each with varying narrative styles with Ireland and Mackie employing first person and Andy in the third. To be honest, this was something I always disliked, but in the past few years, I’ve grown to appreciate it when authors work to apply it well. Each style provided distinct ways to deliver information, opening up the world of Glasgow and giving a recognizable voice to each character, further enriching the story.
However, I felt the true standout of this story was Jay’s sense of humour. He peppers the book with quick jabs of comedy helping to lighten some of the harsher scenes. It takes real talent to make me laugh during a violent, bloody assassination attempt without coming across as both cringe-worthy and forced. Also, as a die-hard wrestling junkie, I appreciated a character who was both a fan and not a complete mess of a human being – traits an individual rarely seems to hold simultaneously.
I’m looking forward to picking up the second book in the series, which by the way, has the best title since “Trigger Mortis” with “How to Kill Friends and Implicate People”. Without a doubt, Jay Stringer has a unique voice in crime fiction and I urge you to check him out.
April 14, 2019
Really great mystery that I never would have heard of if it weren’t for James’ love of mysteries. His review is much better than one I would have done. You can find it here (linking is just not working for me today):
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
November 5, 2016
I love the city of Glasgow and reading series based crime thrillers - Ways to Die in Glasgow by Jay Stringer - Sam Ireland #1. What could go wrong?
What took me so long to find this author?
I loved the punchy writing. It reminded me of some of the style and dark humour of Gerard Brennan and the book was a joy from start to finish.
The story although focusing on Sam Ireland a wannabe PI the story is written from 3 perspectives.
I enjoyed the partial viewpoint this gave and the bias initially. I marvelled as their different stories converged and the reader was forced to re-evaluate their loyalty and who was the person to get behind as a hero or a villian.
It is a complex plot that slowly comes into focus while leaving a surprise or two.
The initative seems to pass from character to character as their involvement gets them into something they didn't understand just 24 hours earlier and the reader shares this disquiet and the potential life threatening developments.
In a murky world of crime and corruption Sam appears to have been chosen based on her father's good name and standing to root out the players in this property based scam. She appears to have integrity if no money and when fame and fortune beckon we wonder if she will remain her father's daughter or compromise to survive and prosper. This becomes especially telling when all that is left are her own instincts and abilities to judge right or wrong, truth or lie and the consequences of a wrong turn or misplaced trust could be life or death.
There may be several ways to meet ones end in Glasgow but there is only one way to read this book, soon andthe sooner the better. It will pull and twist your reasoned emotions while keeping you on edge and thoroughly entertained.
What took me so long to find this author?
I loved the punchy writing. It reminded me of some of the style and dark humour of Gerard Brennan and the book was a joy from start to finish.
The story although focusing on Sam Ireland a wannabe PI the story is written from 3 perspectives.
I enjoyed the partial viewpoint this gave and the bias initially. I marvelled as their different stories converged and the reader was forced to re-evaluate their loyalty and who was the person to get behind as a hero or a villian.
It is a complex plot that slowly comes into focus while leaving a surprise or two.
The initative seems to pass from character to character as their involvement gets them into something they didn't understand just 24 hours earlier and the reader shares this disquiet and the potential life threatening developments.
In a murky world of crime and corruption Sam appears to have been chosen based on her father's good name and standing to root out the players in this property based scam. She appears to have integrity if no money and when fame and fortune beckon we wonder if she will remain her father's daughter or compromise to survive and prosper. This becomes especially telling when all that is left are her own instincts and abilities to judge right or wrong, truth or lie and the consequences of a wrong turn or misplaced trust could be life or death.
There may be several ways to meet ones end in Glasgow but there is only one way to read this book, soon andthe sooner the better. It will pull and twist your reasoned emotions while keeping you on edge and thoroughly entertained.
February 5, 2024
Setting: Glasgow, Scotland; modern day.
Sam Ireland has taken on her father's private investigation business now that he is in a care home suffering from bouts of dementia. However, Sam is struggling to make the business a success and has recently had to give up the firm's office, so now works from home. So when she is contacted by a new and well-resourced firm of solicitors to serve some papers for one of their clients - a job that is well-paid and a trial for possible future work on a regular basis - she jumps at the opportunity.
But finding former gangster and now celebrity author Rab Anderson is proving difficult - as Rab's nephew Mackie also finds out when he goes in search of him after being targeted by gunmen at a brothel he was attending! Finding his uncle's flat ransacked and his uncle's dog dead at the scene, Mackie also is on the hunt. Cop Andy Lambert has a close relationship with Sam Ireland - probably too close! - and seems to be trying to help her in her search. But Lambert has his own secrets and, as Sam continues her enquiries, she puts herself in danger as certain high-powered people do not want the truth to come out....
There are several excellent twists and turns in this tale, the root of which goes back to a case which Sam's father had investigated - and has left evidence behind that protects Sam and her brother. But only up to a point and, as Sam gets deeper into the case, the body count mounts.
This was a great 'first in a series' read and I am looking forward to more stories featuring Sam in her authentic Glasgow setting - 9/10.
Sam Ireland has taken on her father's private investigation business now that he is in a care home suffering from bouts of dementia. However, Sam is struggling to make the business a success and has recently had to give up the firm's office, so now works from home. So when she is contacted by a new and well-resourced firm of solicitors to serve some papers for one of their clients - a job that is well-paid and a trial for possible future work on a regular basis - she jumps at the opportunity.
But finding former gangster and now celebrity author Rab Anderson is proving difficult - as Rab's nephew Mackie also finds out when he goes in search of him after being targeted by gunmen at a brothel he was attending! Finding his uncle's flat ransacked and his uncle's dog dead at the scene, Mackie also is on the hunt. Cop Andy Lambert has a close relationship with Sam Ireland - probably too close! - and seems to be trying to help her in her search. But Lambert has his own secrets and, as Sam continues her enquiries, she puts herself in danger as certain high-powered people do not want the truth to come out....
There are several excellent twists and turns in this tale, the root of which goes back to a case which Sam's father had investigated - and has left evidence behind that protects Sam and her brother. But only up to a point and, as Sam gets deeper into the case, the body count mounts.
This was a great 'first in a series' read and I am looking forward to more stories featuring Sam in her authentic Glasgow setting - 9/10.
June 16, 2017
I have read four of Jay Stringer's books about the criminal underworld and corrupt police in Wolverhampton and he transfers the same genre to Glasgow, but this time we do at least have one good guy, young private investigator Sam Ireland who is trying to keep her father's business going. A typically complex Stringer plot and a number of characters narrating in the first person means the book does not flow as well as it might but his writing style is excellent, punchy, direct, full of humour and slang and swearing.
June 2, 2024
3.5*
It was decent but maybe just a bit too much going on. A storyline too much. Went along at a great pace though. Never felt bored. Will give some more of this authors works a go.
It was decent but maybe just a bit too much going on. A storyline too much. Went along at a great pace though. Never felt bored. Will give some more of this authors works a go.
January 6, 2020
I really wish I could give this five stars. It was engaging and fast-paced. And as someone who has adopted Glasgow as one of my home towns (I'm English from Yorkshire originally) I loved all the local references. But the ending really let it down. The fate of some characters is just excused by a neat wrapping up in a bow. It felt rushed. Then the last paragraph or two is really abrupt. I just felt like there was more to tell and the ending reads like it needed to be dealt with quickly by any means.
Other than that slight criticism it was a very good read. I'll definitely look out for more from this author.
Other than that slight criticism it was a very good read. I'll definitely look out for more from this author.
March 16, 2018
This was a lot of fun! Totally unpredictable. Full of black humor, and the Glaswegian setting is masterfully captured. Excellent audiobook narration; though may be a little difficult to follow if you are not used to Scottish vernacular. Includes cursing and some graphic violence. Overall: original, fast paced, twisted and a bit quirky.
March 19, 2019
There are 3 POVs in this PI story: Sam (the PI), Lambert (the cop) and Mackie (a criminal).
Sam - she took over her father's private investigation company. She's offered a lucrative job to serve some papers to Rab that has been known to have criminal ties. Little does she know that she is stepping into a plot to uncover key players in a territory war for Glasgow.
Lambert - cop....turned crooked by his own father in law who has a high stake in the crime in the city. Lambert basically does his dirty work, including making people disappear (like Rab). He's also been sleeping with Sam on the side and genuinely seems to like her and want to protect her from the crap that she's stepped in. But, he also wants out and there might only be one way to achieve that.
Mackie - he is a headcase, totally traumatized by the crime that he was convicted of (killing his girlfriend). He's been out of jail for a while and seeing a shrink to help him. When someone tries to kill him, he loses his mind a little and can't keep his hold on the present. He's trying to find his Uncle Rab, everyone else is trying to find him. Turns out he might have been innocent all those years ago, and now he's a loose end that both sides of the crime war want to bury.
So..I did this backward. I actually read book 2 first and was so intrigued by Sam's character that I wanted to read the first book. I was a little disappointed. Book 2 was so much better. The conspiracy in this one just wasn't as well written - Sam's POV was not dominant until the end when the pieces just happened to fall in her lap (or at least it felt that way). It wasn't very impressive detective work. Still, remembering book 2, I will likely continue if there is ever a third book.
Sam - she took over her father's private investigation company. She's offered a lucrative job to serve some papers to Rab that has been known to have criminal ties. Little does she know that she is stepping into a plot to uncover key players in a territory war for Glasgow.
Lambert - cop....turned crooked by his own father in law who has a high stake in the crime in the city. Lambert basically does his dirty work, including making people disappear (like Rab). He's also been sleeping with Sam on the side and genuinely seems to like her and want to protect her from the crap that she's stepped in. But, he also wants out and there might only be one way to achieve that.
Mackie - he is a headcase, totally traumatized by the crime that he was convicted of (killing his girlfriend). He's been out of jail for a while and seeing a shrink to help him. When someone tries to kill him, he loses his mind a little and can't keep his hold on the present. He's trying to find his Uncle Rab, everyone else is trying to find him. Turns out he might have been innocent all those years ago, and now he's a loose end that both sides of the crime war want to bury.
So..I did this backward. I actually read book 2 first and was so intrigued by Sam's character that I wanted to read the first book. I was a little disappointed. Book 2 was so much better. The conspiracy in this one just wasn't as well written - Sam's POV was not dominant until the end when the pieces just happened to fall in her lap (or at least it felt that way). It wasn't very impressive detective work. Still, remembering book 2, I will likely continue if there is ever a third book.
July 9, 2022
The first few sentences in this book almost caused me to abandon it from the start. As I had only this with me - being out somewhere - I did keep going. And, Dear Reader, I loved it. Jay Stringer is definitely an eccentric, in the best way.
November 16, 2021
Last night, upon finishing it, I slapped down 5-star rating*. It's not a 5-star book. I'm not sure it's a 4-star book, but it is highly enjoyable. It is flawed in ways that are hard to precisely pinpoint—a certain shift in humor/style, an internal chronology that seems to miss from time to time, a certain sudden cruelness near the end that does not quite fit the way it has handled death/murder prior, a shift to convenience/coincidence in a couple of places that feels out of place[though at least that is in mode for the noir novels it is emulating/updating]—but it does the things it does with such joy it is kind of hard to spite it much for feeling a bit wobbly. It is violent in places, loving in places (the biggest love in the book is a certain take on Glasglow which is both loving and love-to-be-hateful, and feels something like how an outsider would talk about the town once they know enough to feel a bit like an insider), often funny, and only rarely dumb.
In my personal dictionary of "compares to" it strikes me as somewhere between Elmore Leonard and George Higgins, but neither are exactly the same tone (though neither are exactly not the same tone).
The biggest condemnation is the end, which is perfectly suitable, but still feels displaced from the rest. As mentioned, there is a certain cruelness which unwinds much of the steam. You can hear the threads snap into place as Stringer furiously ties up loose ends without going too far over a page count. It is not so much that the last quarter descends into full fiasco** mode (as do a lot of these type books), but that it feels on the edge of artifice: Stringer was ready for things to go as they were to go...and no longer felt like trying to work anything out which might be more appealing. Like I said, not a 5-star book. Maybe not even a 4-star book.
But highly enjoyable.
* I was, then, laying on the floor my toddler's bedroom because she has entered a stretch where she is prone to waking up due to night-terrors, and it was 11pm and I was tired and kind of sore and the fact that I was having a good time reading despite the conditions made me double thumbs up very nearly automatically.
** And Fiasco mode, for those who enjoy that game. Honestly, thinking about it, with the sudden ending, this could have been a game of Fiasco with the last 10% being basically the "Aftermath" section.
In my personal dictionary of "compares to" it strikes me as somewhere between Elmore Leonard and George Higgins, but neither are exactly the same tone (though neither are exactly not the same tone).
The biggest condemnation is the end, which is perfectly suitable, but still feels displaced from the rest. As mentioned, there is a certain cruelness which unwinds much of the steam. You can hear the threads snap into place as Stringer furiously ties up loose ends without going too far over a page count. It is not so much that the last quarter descends into full fiasco** mode (as do a lot of these type books), but that it feels on the edge of artifice: Stringer was ready for things to go as they were to go...and no longer felt like trying to work anything out which might be more appealing. Like I said, not a 5-star book. Maybe not even a 4-star book.
But highly enjoyable.
* I was, then, laying on the floor my toddler's bedroom because she has entered a stretch where she is prone to waking up due to night-terrors, and it was 11pm and I was tired and kind of sore and the fact that I was having a good time reading despite the conditions made me double thumbs up very nearly automatically.
** And Fiasco mode, for those who enjoy that game. Honestly, thinking about it, with the sudden ending, this could have been a game of Fiasco with the last 10% being basically the "Aftermath" section.
April 16, 2016
Jay Stringer is one of those writers who you know is in full control of every word he writes as soon as you begin reading. I mean, just read that blurb again. Tight as a hangman's noose. Not a word more, not a word less.
Ways to Die in Glasgow is told from a predominantly multiple first person point of view, alternating at regular intervals. It is hard enough for a writer to pull off one convincing first person voice, let alone several. It is testament to Stringer's ability that he manages it with such ease, the female characters being just as convincing as the male characters.
The central character, the one that drives the narrative is Sam. Sam is a female PI who, after taking on the job of finding Rab, very quickly finds herself immersed in the blood and darkness and sharp-edged insanity of Glasgow's brilliantly drawn murky underbelly.
Mackie - Rab's nephew - he's a lunatic, and DI Lambert, well, he has his own secrets.
As the narrators' stories begin to converge, and all sorts of nefarious characters poke their heads above the slime to find out what's happened to Rab, the pace and the blood and the insanity increase. Yet there is not the slightest hint of confusion as Stringer guides us through the madness with a surety and a humour that never once leads us to suspect he will dump us in some grim Glasgow sidestreet, crying out for an explanation through broken teeth and bleeding gums.
Ways to Die in Glasgow holds nothing back.
And I loved it.
Ways to Die in Glasgow is told from a predominantly multiple first person point of view, alternating at regular intervals. It is hard enough for a writer to pull off one convincing first person voice, let alone several. It is testament to Stringer's ability that he manages it with such ease, the female characters being just as convincing as the male characters.
The central character, the one that drives the narrative is Sam. Sam is a female PI who, after taking on the job of finding Rab, very quickly finds herself immersed in the blood and darkness and sharp-edged insanity of Glasgow's brilliantly drawn murky underbelly.
Mackie - Rab's nephew - he's a lunatic, and DI Lambert, well, he has his own secrets.
As the narrators' stories begin to converge, and all sorts of nefarious characters poke their heads above the slime to find out what's happened to Rab, the pace and the blood and the insanity increase. Yet there is not the slightest hint of confusion as Stringer guides us through the madness with a surety and a humour that never once leads us to suspect he will dump us in some grim Glasgow sidestreet, crying out for an explanation through broken teeth and bleeding gums.
Ways to Die in Glasgow holds nothing back.
And I loved it.
August 9, 2015
I will admit, this is another new Author to me, but it appeared as part of an Amazon promotion, so why not.
I'm actually quite pleased I did, it's a fun little book, but with a deathcount that makes George Martin look like a beginner.
The basic plot revolves around a missing gangster/author, Rab, the PI looking for him (Sam Ireland), and the not quite all there nephew, Mackie, trying to find his uncle, and who framed him for murder. The book starts with Mackie getting attacked while with a prostitute, and things rapidly go down hill from there.
Set in the murkier end of Glasgow, the book rattles along at a fair pace. The characters are believable, and the plot twists and turns. It does feel at times like you need a map to keep it all straight. Saying that, it would have been very easy for this to become very dark. The author manages to avoid this with some lovely little touches of humour, which just lightens things a little.
All in a thoroughly enjoyable read.
I'm actually quite pleased I did, it's a fun little book, but with a deathcount that makes George Martin look like a beginner.
The basic plot revolves around a missing gangster/author, Rab, the PI looking for him (Sam Ireland), and the not quite all there nephew, Mackie, trying to find his uncle, and who framed him for murder. The book starts with Mackie getting attacked while with a prostitute, and things rapidly go down hill from there.
Set in the murkier end of Glasgow, the book rattles along at a fair pace. The characters are believable, and the plot twists and turns. It does feel at times like you need a map to keep it all straight. Saying that, it would have been very easy for this to become very dark. The author manages to avoid this with some lovely little touches of humour, which just lightens things a little.
All in a thoroughly enjoyable read.
November 12, 2019
This was my first read with the Scottish city of Glasgow as the setting, and the location felt as much part of the story as the characters thanks to the author's descriptions. This is a dark story, with a lot of blood, told in a quirkily humorous way. All the characters are well etched and that of Mackie's is in a league of its own. The action is fast paced and the perspective of the narrative shifts frequently. While this makes the book gripping, I had some trouble getting the timelines in order - had to go back and reread some chapters.
Ways to Die in Glasgow is a quirky but entertaining read and I would love to follow through the series.
Ways to Die in Glasgow is a quirky but entertaining read and I would love to follow through the series.
September 27, 2024
This was an interesting read, a lot of action, interesting plot and characters, and a black humor that I associate with Scottish writers that I've read. Be aware that there seems to be another Jay Stringer that is a psychologist, and searching the name shows books by both of them.
Sam Ireland of this series is the daughter of Jim Ireland who used to be a cop, then a PI, and now in a care facility with memory problems. She has a brother who is a partner in the firm, but he's somewhat unwilling and mainly just drives her and looks menacing due to his size - but he's a pussycat who mainly likes to play video games.
Sam is just starting out, and mostly takes easy cases like insurance fraud, etc. This starts out being a case of serving some papers on someone who is hard to find. It balloons more and more, right up to the very end, which is a surprise. Actually, a lot of surprises, providing fun for all (readers, not characters).
Sam Ireland of this series is the daughter of Jim Ireland who used to be a cop, then a PI, and now in a care facility with memory problems. She has a brother who is a partner in the firm, but he's somewhat unwilling and mainly just drives her and looks menacing due to his size - but he's a pussycat who mainly likes to play video games.
Sam is just starting out, and mostly takes easy cases like insurance fraud, etc. This starts out being a case of serving some papers on someone who is hard to find. It balloons more and more, right up to the very end, which is a surprise. Actually, a lot of surprises, providing fun for all (readers, not characters).
July 30, 2015
For a book with death as a theme and title this is an enjoyable, and dare I say it, fun read.
Unsurprisingly set in Glasgow, we meet Sam, a private investigator, Lambert, a cop, and Mackie... Well read the book to find out about Mackie.
The story follows three protagonists through a couple of days dealing with a host of local villains that involves a lot of blood, a few drinks, plus the obligatory sex and drugs, although no rock 'n' roll and very little swearing (actually I can't remember any but I feel there must have been some).
The humour drives this book. It's dry and at times leans just far enough towards being inappropriate that you might think twice about lending your copy to anyone too sensitive, but in truth it never actually goes to the line let alone crossing it. It's a nice light read, don't expect pages of inner monologue as we delve into the motivations of the characters, this isn't some dark brooding gangster story that's deeper than an ocean - it's more The Sweeney than The Godfather. And it's all the better for it. Stringer delivers a guilty pleasure, it's the kind of book where you don't have to invest in the characters, you can just enjoy the latest situation they basically blunder into.
Ideal to read while travelling if you don't mind people wondering why you're grinning at death.
Unsurprisingly set in Glasgow, we meet Sam, a private investigator, Lambert, a cop, and Mackie... Well read the book to find out about Mackie.
The story follows three protagonists through a couple of days dealing with a host of local villains that involves a lot of blood, a few drinks, plus the obligatory sex and drugs, although no rock 'n' roll and very little swearing (actually I can't remember any but I feel there must have been some).
The humour drives this book. It's dry and at times leans just far enough towards being inappropriate that you might think twice about lending your copy to anyone too sensitive, but in truth it never actually goes to the line let alone crossing it. It's a nice light read, don't expect pages of inner monologue as we delve into the motivations of the characters, this isn't some dark brooding gangster story that's deeper than an ocean - it's more The Sweeney than The Godfather. And it's all the better for it. Stringer delivers a guilty pleasure, it's the kind of book where you don't have to invest in the characters, you can just enjoy the latest situation they basically blunder into.
Ideal to read while travelling if you don't mind people wondering why you're grinning at death.
August 14, 2016
Original crime fiction about a group of Glaswegian conspirators trying desperately to find and kill crime boss Rab Anderson before he publishes his memoirs and names names. Rab's crazy nephew Mackie and Sam Ireland, a very lovely and witty detective are also looking for him for different reasons. Both become targets themselves when the bad guys circle the wagons. Author Jay Stringer has created unforgettably compelling characters who drive the story with Tartan wit and style. Count me in for all subsequent books in what I sincerely hope will be a long running series. Now I'm off to read the sequel!
February 20, 2016
I wanted to like this one much more than I ended up actually liking it. I never really got into it, despite a well-constructed noir plot and good layered reveals through the end. It might have been the characters, who, for whatever reason, I found it difficult to bond with. The book got better as they were bumped off, as though it was fighting to be even leaner than it already was.
January 2, 2018
Excellent noir thriller set in Glasgow's crime set. Taut writing with shades of Chandler and J. D. MacDonald. Great pace and plot twists. Detective Sam Ireland is a character you want to spend time with.
February 14, 2019
Sorry but this poorly researched, factually daft and frankly incredible novel is best consigned to the charity shop. OK so I read it to the end but wish I had never started it. At least it was quick.
February 18, 2016
Nicely done. Very enjoyable put together in a way that you could not fault its delivery and content. Did not wow me but it did not need to an enjoyable read, a pleasant way to pass a couple of weeks.
August 11, 2018
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
---
So we are just dropped into the action here, no background, no setup, no idea who this guy narrating things is -- the very definition of in media res, and, come to think of it -- we are also dropped into the very definition of coitus interruptus. In this particular case the interruptus takes the form of a couple of guys trying to kill our narrator. Somehow, Mackie (the narrator) escapes -- though injured -- and seeks shelter at his Uncle's place -- which turns out to have been recently tossed by persons unknown (the people that came after Mackie?), and his Uncle Rab is nowhere to be found. Mackie gets patched up by his therapist and the two head out to search for Rab.
Once that's underway, we jump back a couple of hours in time to meet our second narrator, Sam Ireland. Sam's a newish Private Investigator who made a little splash in the news recently and is working enough to keep going, but not enough to pay rent on the office. So the office is now her apartment. It's her father's firm, but he's in a retirement home and Sam's trying to keep it alive -- with a little help from her brother. Sam's got an appointment with a potential new client, who insists on very strange meeting times (e.g., 11:23) -- it's the law office described in the quotation above. They'd read about her in the papers and wanted to hire her for some things, but first they want a test run -- they'd like her to deliver some legal papers to a local celebrity author. As Sam says "...a Glasgow celebrity. . . is one way of saying dangerous." He's writing true crime memoirs now, and there's a problem with his latest book so they need to serve him with papers -- but can't find him, can Sam? For the price they're willing to pay, yes, yes she can. The celebrity's name? Rab Anderson.You begin to see the fun here.
It turns out that our third narrator, DI Lambert, also has a vested interest in finding Rab. But there's the tiny little thing called a job that is interfering. There's a suspicious death that he really wants to write off as a suicide, but the guys from the Lab won't let him. He also has connections to our other narrators. He's a friend of Sam's and will occasionally bend a rule or two to help her with some information. He'd also arrested Mackie some years back on a pretty serious charge.
The novel is told bouncing back and forth through each of these narrators (sometimes the same scene is retold from a different perspective) -- there's a little bit of shifting back and forth through time to keep everyone at about the same point, but it's easy to follow. Each of these narrators has a great and distinctive voice -- you really don't need the chapters to tell you who is "speaking" you get it within a sentence (not that I mind the help). I could easily read an entire novel from one of their perspectives -- Lambert's wouldn't be as entertaining as either Mackie's or Sam's, but it'd still hold up. Bringing these three voices -- from radically different backgrounds, education, age, experience, vocation -- but all representing Glasgow. Mackie's a great, great character -- he's the first we get to know in this book, and in many ways, he's the heart. But Sam's the star -- she's stubborn, reckless, clever, and resourceful. That doesn't quite make up for the fact that she's a small woman with little ability to defend herself -- but she frequently has her large brother along to offset that.
One of my favorite parts of John Wick was how we're dropped into this extensive underground world with relationships, rules, alliances and whatnot -- as the film goes on we grow to understand them. Something very similar is at work in this novel -- we don't have a point of entry character, really (Sam's close), we have nothing really to get us oriented in this reality other than what happens when the characters interact and what we learn from that. This is a rich world full of many colorful, dangerous people. It's not long before we move beyond the hunt for Rab and dive deep into the murky waters surrounding him, Mackie and Lambert -- and hope that at least someone is able to survive before Sam gets drug under as well.
That metaphor may have gotten away from me. But oh well . . .
This is a violent book -- make no mistake. It's a visceral blood bath at times -- and its disturbing. But honestly? The hard scene to get through had no blood, no guns, knives or anything. It was a chapter where a father thinks about the trouble his daughter is in and what he can do to help her -- it's a couple of pages long, helps build the tension, it deepens the mystery, and just breaks your heart. Give me a dozen bloody corpses any day over that.
If there's one thing I've learned from Kate McCall and Sam Ireland, it's that daughters should not take over their father's PI business unless they're ready to learn a lot about their father that they didn't want to know. It's possible that's true for daughters taking over any business of their father's -- I'm not sure, I should probably read more about them, but I don't recall a lot of novels being written about daughter's taking over for their father's CPA firm or pizza parlor or dry cleaning business. There's a pretty big difference between these two ladies (there are plenty of similarities, now that I think about it, too). Kate is surrounded by oddballs, eccentrics, and actors up for anything who are generally good-natured and willing to help her. Sam is surrounded by people she can't trust, people she shouldn't trust, a brother who has to be harassed into helping her out, a maverick cop, and a whole lot of shady characters -- all of whom (except the brother and probably the cop) would be just as likely to drop her in a grave as they would be to lend her a helping hand.*
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am definitely coming back for more from Stringer. It's twisty, it's violent, it's got a lot of heart, it'll put a smile on your face and get you to come back for more. Check out this unique look into Glasgow.
* This isn't to knock McCall & Co. -- I actually rather enjoyed the book, and plan on reading the rest of the series soon. It was just a parallel I thought of when reading this.
---
Inside the front door of the building, I checked the directory, looking to see which floor the firm was on, only to find that they used all of it. The recession hadn’t reached this far up the street. The reception area was decorated in muted shades of black and tan. Anything that didn’t share that colour scheme was made of glass. A woman who was far too young and far too skinny greeted me. She took my name and waved me into a large waiting area.
She didn’t whisper that she was a child slave or beg for help.
She didn’t ask if I could sneak her a cheeseburger.
So we are just dropped into the action here, no background, no setup, no idea who this guy narrating things is -- the very definition of in media res, and, come to think of it -- we are also dropped into the very definition of coitus interruptus. In this particular case the interruptus takes the form of a couple of guys trying to kill our narrator. Somehow, Mackie (the narrator) escapes -- though injured -- and seeks shelter at his Uncle's place -- which turns out to have been recently tossed by persons unknown (the people that came after Mackie?), and his Uncle Rab is nowhere to be found. Mackie gets patched up by his therapist and the two head out to search for Rab.
Once that's underway, we jump back a couple of hours in time to meet our second narrator, Sam Ireland. Sam's a newish Private Investigator who made a little splash in the news recently and is working enough to keep going, but not enough to pay rent on the office. So the office is now her apartment. It's her father's firm, but he's in a retirement home and Sam's trying to keep it alive -- with a little help from her brother. Sam's got an appointment with a potential new client, who insists on very strange meeting times (e.g., 11:23) -- it's the law office described in the quotation above. They'd read about her in the papers and wanted to hire her for some things, but first they want a test run -- they'd like her to deliver some legal papers to a local celebrity author. As Sam says "...a Glasgow celebrity. . . is one way of saying dangerous." He's writing true crime memoirs now, and there's a problem with his latest book so they need to serve him with papers -- but can't find him, can Sam? For the price they're willing to pay, yes, yes she can. The celebrity's name? Rab Anderson.You begin to see the fun here.
It turns out that our third narrator, DI Lambert, also has a vested interest in finding Rab. But there's the tiny little thing called a job that is interfering. There's a suspicious death that he really wants to write off as a suicide, but the guys from the Lab won't let him. He also has connections to our other narrators. He's a friend of Sam's and will occasionally bend a rule or two to help her with some information. He'd also arrested Mackie some years back on a pretty serious charge.
The novel is told bouncing back and forth through each of these narrators (sometimes the same scene is retold from a different perspective) -- there's a little bit of shifting back and forth through time to keep everyone at about the same point, but it's easy to follow. Each of these narrators has a great and distinctive voice -- you really don't need the chapters to tell you who is "speaking" you get it within a sentence (not that I mind the help). I could easily read an entire novel from one of their perspectives -- Lambert's wouldn't be as entertaining as either Mackie's or Sam's, but it'd still hold up. Bringing these three voices -- from radically different backgrounds, education, age, experience, vocation -- but all representing Glasgow. Mackie's a great, great character -- he's the first we get to know in this book, and in many ways, he's the heart. But Sam's the star -- she's stubborn, reckless, clever, and resourceful. That doesn't quite make up for the fact that she's a small woman with little ability to defend herself -- but she frequently has her large brother along to offset that.
One of my favorite parts of John Wick was how we're dropped into this extensive underground world with relationships, rules, alliances and whatnot -- as the film goes on we grow to understand them. Something very similar is at work in this novel -- we don't have a point of entry character, really (Sam's close), we have nothing really to get us oriented in this reality other than what happens when the characters interact and what we learn from that. This is a rich world full of many colorful, dangerous people. It's not long before we move beyond the hunt for Rab and dive deep into the murky waters surrounding him, Mackie and Lambert -- and hope that at least someone is able to survive before Sam gets drug under as well.
That metaphor may have gotten away from me. But oh well . . .
This is a violent book -- make no mistake. It's a visceral blood bath at times -- and its disturbing. But honestly? The hard scene to get through had no blood, no guns, knives or anything. It was a chapter where a father thinks about the trouble his daughter is in and what he can do to help her -- it's a couple of pages long, helps build the tension, it deepens the mystery, and just breaks your heart. Give me a dozen bloody corpses any day over that.
If there's one thing I've learned from Kate McCall and Sam Ireland, it's that daughters should not take over their father's PI business unless they're ready to learn a lot about their father that they didn't want to know. It's possible that's true for daughters taking over any business of their father's -- I'm not sure, I should probably read more about them, but I don't recall a lot of novels being written about daughter's taking over for their father's CPA firm or pizza parlor or dry cleaning business. There's a pretty big difference between these two ladies (there are plenty of similarities, now that I think about it, too). Kate is surrounded by oddballs, eccentrics, and actors up for anything who are generally good-natured and willing to help her. Sam is surrounded by people she can't trust, people she shouldn't trust, a brother who has to be harassed into helping her out, a maverick cop, and a whole lot of shady characters -- all of whom (except the brother and probably the cop) would be just as likely to drop her in a grave as they would be to lend her a helping hand.*
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am definitely coming back for more from Stringer. It's twisty, it's violent, it's got a lot of heart, it'll put a smile on your face and get you to come back for more. Check out this unique look into Glasgow.
* This isn't to knock McCall & Co. -- I actually rather enjoyed the book, and plan on reading the rest of the series soon. It was just a parallel I thought of when reading this.
March 22, 2019
A very enjoyable edgy, profane, politically incorrect crime novel set in some of the nastier parts of Glasgow. Sam Ireland is an appealing character. When her father is hospitalized with dementia she reluctantly takes over his private investigations practice. When she is hired to serve papers to an infamous local crime boss who has gone missing she is pulled into the ruthless Glasgow organized crime world and a series of murders. Structurally, the story is told from viewpoints of three separate characters and this worked nicely. There are some wild and satisfying plot twists along with some very evil bad guys and girls. I listened to parts of this on audio book and just loved the Scottish accents throughout. I put this one squarely in my guilty pleasure wheelhouse. Cheers!
July 16, 2019
Very good
These Kentucky ears are not used to Scottish accents, so it took me a minute to get into the audio book of Ways To Die In Glasgow. Once I did though I was hooked. The writing is terrific and the story has a great pace that isn't too fast or too slow. It's a really good hardboiled novel with great, gritty characters and settings. I could be wrong but I feel like Stringer is overlooked in the crime genre. He has a great voice and his characters jump off the page. If you ever get a chance to read a Jay Stringer book I highly suggest you do so.
These Kentucky ears are not used to Scottish accents, so it took me a minute to get into the audio book of Ways To Die In Glasgow. Once I did though I was hooked. The writing is terrific and the story has a great pace that isn't too fast or too slow. It's a really good hardboiled novel with great, gritty characters and settings. I could be wrong but I feel like Stringer is overlooked in the crime genre. He has a great voice and his characters jump off the page. If you ever get a chance to read a Jay Stringer book I highly suggest you do so.
February 5, 2019
Oh, the energy in this! From the opening line right to the punch-in-the-gut ending, as folk hare hither and thither through Glasgow to find (or not find) dead (or not-dead) bodies and lay their hands on whatever evidence they can to get themselves out of trouble. The bars, the houses and the river, so vivid and the dialogue sparkling. Excellent.
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