What do you think?
Rate this book
Squeaky Clean #3
Rat Race
DCI Alison McCoist is up to the oxters in Glasgow's shadiest police unit, with a list of guilty secrets growing longer by the day.
Fran Forbes has just bolted from the scene of a gangland massacre with only a shite-stained tracksuit and a memory stick full of crypto-currency to his name.
Ally is tasked with looking into this latest underworld rammy and ends up working with some bampots even dodgier than her polis pals.
Can she keep Fran from being turned into mince by a Russian OCG and finally free herself from the fankle of police corruption she's caught in? An enemy from Ally's past is determined her story won't have such a happy ending...
Fran Forbes has just bolted from the scene of a gangland massacre with only a shite-stained tracksuit and a memory stick full of crypto-currency to his name.
Ally is tasked with looking into this latest underworld rammy and ends up working with some bampots even dodgier than her polis pals.
Can she keep Fran from being turned into mince by a Russian OCG and finally free herself from the fankle of police corruption she's caught in? An enemy from Ally's past is determined her story won't have such a happy ending...
353 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 7, 2026
About the author
Callum McSorley
24 books82 followersCallum McSorley is a writer based in Glasgow. His debut thriller, SQEAKY CLEAN, was published to great acclaim in 2023 and went on to win the prestigious McIlvanney Prize for best Scottish Crime Book of the Year. His new novel, PAPERBOY, sees the return of SQUEAKY CLEAN's troubled detective, Alison 'Ally' McCoist, newly promoted but sadly no less despised by her peers.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 28, 2026
The concluding part of the DCI Alison McCoist trilogy picks up a couple of years after the last book and continues the glorious mix of dark humor, violence, police corruption and a lot of blood and guts being spilled. A fitting end to a great series, and left open enough that it may not be the last we see of some of these characters. The ear for Glasgow dialect is perfect and plenty of laugh out loud moments throughout. A treat.
May 20, 2026
Darkly comic and very gruesome Glasgee noir.
Our favourite, downtrodden, Glasgow cop, Ally McCoist has more problems in this wonderfully entertaining crime romp.
This time one of the underworld king pins is murdered in a cold blooded hit but a flash drive has gone missing thanks to a long distance runner.
It’s a great read.
Our favourite, downtrodden, Glasgow cop, Ally McCoist has more problems in this wonderfully entertaining crime romp.
This time one of the underworld king pins is murdered in a cold blooded hit but a flash drive has gone missing thanks to a long distance runner.
It’s a great read.
April 25, 2026
Fran (Francesco Forbes) hasn’t had the easiest life, absent father, struggling mum doing several jobs to make ends meet, and falling into drug dealing at a young age. But when COVID hits, everything changes. To keep his business going, Fran starts running… and discovers he’s actually good at it. Soon he leaves his old life behind, reconnects with his father as his coach, and begins running marathons across the world.
Then his knees fail him.
Desperate for surgery he can’t afford, Fran returns to his old boss, Ruaridh Callaghan, hoping for help. Instead, he’s offered a “simple” one-off job. But before the full details of the exchange has been ironed out and completely understood, others arrive, wanting to take over Callaghan’s patch, it descends into a brutal massacre, leaving six men deadand Fran somehow alive, clutching a mysterious USB stick everyone suddenly wants.
Now he’s on the run… and this is only the beginning.
⸻
This is a dark, gritty, and very violent crime novel that doesn’t hold back. From the start, it’s intense, bloody, and packed with strong language, definitely not one for cosy crime fans. The gangsters here are genuinely unsettling, with some truly psychopathic moments.
The plot is fast-paced, full of twists, and constantly keeps you guessing. As Fran and his father try to escape, they only become more entangled in danger. The mystery around the USB and who orchestrated the attack keeps the tension high throughout. Fran seeks a friend out for help with the USB, little does he know where this will lead.
I did struggle at times with the Scottish dialect in the dialogue, which made some sections harder to follow. However, it does add authenticity to the setting.
One of the standout elements for me was the relationship between Fran and his father, which develops nicely as the story progresses. Despite everything going on, there’s also a surprising amount of humour woven into the narrative.
The wider cast is equally compelling, DCI McCoist is far from a straightforward “good cop,” and Superintendent Devlin is a deeply disturbing character. Lottie and her group, the “Burds of Prey,” add another strong layer to the criminal underworld.
⸻
Final Thoughts
A dark, fast-paced, and brutal crime read with plenty of twists, morally grey characters, and moments of unexpected humour.
If you enjoy gritty crime fiction with high stakes and don’t mind strong language and violence, this is definitely one to pick up.
Then his knees fail him.
Desperate for surgery he can’t afford, Fran returns to his old boss, Ruaridh Callaghan, hoping for help. Instead, he’s offered a “simple” one-off job. But before the full details of the exchange has been ironed out and completely understood, others arrive, wanting to take over Callaghan’s patch, it descends into a brutal massacre, leaving six men deadand Fran somehow alive, clutching a mysterious USB stick everyone suddenly wants.
Now he’s on the run… and this is only the beginning.
⸻
This is a dark, gritty, and very violent crime novel that doesn’t hold back. From the start, it’s intense, bloody, and packed with strong language, definitely not one for cosy crime fans. The gangsters here are genuinely unsettling, with some truly psychopathic moments.
The plot is fast-paced, full of twists, and constantly keeps you guessing. As Fran and his father try to escape, they only become more entangled in danger. The mystery around the USB and who orchestrated the attack keeps the tension high throughout. Fran seeks a friend out for help with the USB, little does he know where this will lead.
I did struggle at times with the Scottish dialect in the dialogue, which made some sections harder to follow. However, it does add authenticity to the setting.
One of the standout elements for me was the relationship between Fran and his father, which develops nicely as the story progresses. Despite everything going on, there’s also a surprising amount of humour woven into the narrative.
The wider cast is equally compelling, DCI McCoist is far from a straightforward “good cop,” and Superintendent Devlin is a deeply disturbing character. Lottie and her group, the “Burds of Prey,” add another strong layer to the criminal underworld.
⸻
Final Thoughts
A dark, fast-paced, and brutal crime read with plenty of twists, morally grey characters, and moments of unexpected humour.
If you enjoy gritty crime fiction with high stakes and don’t mind strong language and violence, this is definitely one to pick up.
May 11, 2026
Mick Herron meets Irvine Welsh Brilliant trilogy
Read this the first night it came out on Kindle. Cracking characters laugh out loud funny. Can't wait till next book comes out.
Read this the first night it came out on Kindle. Cracking characters laugh out loud funny. Can't wait till next book comes out.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
‘Rat Race’,by Callum McSorley,is book three in the ‘Squeaky Clean’ series featuring Detective Chief Inspector Alison McCoist.
As my first foray into these tales I was intrigued to find out what all the media praise about its predecessors was all about and very pleased to see,based on this that it seems truly justified.
Right away the plot grabs the reader and submerges them fully in the dark and dodgy cesspit full of Glasgow’s equally hard men and women,who exist on the very edge of reason.The humour is often as bitter and distasteful as Ally’s minging coffees.
It would be facile to dismiss this as just another ‘Glesca’ crime story,yet for all the local patter,this rises well above the usual cliches and delves deeper into family and working relationships along with the issues of good people struggling to get out of horrible situations,after making bad choices.A world full of grey areas.
I look forward to backtracking to the previous books as this novel matches many of the best works of crime fiction set in this magnificent city.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press ,for an Advance Readers Copy for review.
As my first foray into these tales I was intrigued to find out what all the media praise about its predecessors was all about and very pleased to see,based on this that it seems truly justified.
Right away the plot grabs the reader and submerges them fully in the dark and dodgy cesspit full of Glasgow’s equally hard men and women,who exist on the very edge of reason.The humour is often as bitter and distasteful as Ally’s minging coffees.
It would be facile to dismiss this as just another ‘Glesca’ crime story,yet for all the local patter,this rises well above the usual cliches and delves deeper into family and working relationships along with the issues of good people struggling to get out of horrible situations,after making bad choices.A world full of grey areas.
I look forward to backtracking to the previous books as this novel matches many of the best works of crime fiction set in this magnificent city.
Thank you to NetGalley and Pushkin Press ,for an Advance Readers Copy for review.
Review of advance copy received from Indie Reviewers
Francesco Forbes was a youth off the rails, doing a bit of dealing but wanting to move up the hierarchy. Through a combination of personality and chutzpah, he secures 2kg of coke off major crime boss Ruaridh Callaghan, just as the world passes into lockdown. Desperate he figures the only way to sell the coke is by arranged delivery, with Fran posing as a runner in the daily exercise allowance. He quickly becomes fitter, turning from street yob into a marathon man. He discovers that he loves running and is rather good at it, so much so that after lockdowns he turns professional, becoming the ‘Mo Farrah of Fernhill.’
A life changed, or so it seems, until the threat to all professional athletes raises its ugly head, injury. Frans knees are shot, but the operation he needs from the specialist is LA is very expensive. This leads him back to Callaghan and a small courier job. However, we know what happens to ‘best laid plans’ and Fran ends up on the run with a very valuable package. Now his problems really begin.
It gets bloody and shocking quite early in the story and this theme continues. At times it feels as if the violence is going to explode off the page. These gangsters are of the heavyweight kind, some with pet psychos, where violence and torture go hand in hand. The storyline is twisty and keeps coming back on itself such they become entangled. The beginning and ending managing to bookend with a pleasing sense of symmetry.
The dialogue is wonderful, with local vernacular used and it bounces along with the cadence of the street. It is very funny, being suffused with dead pan, black as coal humour, where insults and bite back come naturally and go hand in hand. It is also packed with hilarious asides on life such as could an Adidas x Glock combo become fashionable and the realisation that life was like juggling turds.
It is the characters that bring it to life though, being richly comic. Fran is the youth trying to straighten his life out who fate works against. His father Neil is the absent father who returns with the smell of money, not entirely a bad man, more one who was never shown what being good was. In the end a sense of family love does begins to blossom.
Returning is Lottie McGuinn and the truce between her and McCoist, who killed her husband, is over. Lottie and Luce’s tag team of organised crime the ‘Burds of Prey’ is flourishing in Paulo’s absence though Luce’s girlfriend Hannah is a disturbing younger woman.
McCoist I guess is an anti-hero, who only manages to escape the mess she creates by getting deeper involved. She would like to be free from Superintendent Devlin and his suspect and at times illegal methods but struggles to see how. Devlin is another wonderful creation, with his particularly unpleasant personal habit. The explanation of this and his nickname Tickly Tomlinson will make you snort with laughter.
It is a story where unintended consequences begin to pile up, but unlike a traditional farce these consequences are deadly rather than embarrassing. One where opportune moments are presented but with no chance to work through the consequences.
This is a world where the machismo is ingrained and there will always be a bigger fish, with sharper teeth. It also looks at concerns about the influence on young men through the internet and parts of society.
Deliciously dark and wickedly funny.
A life changed, or so it seems, until the threat to all professional athletes raises its ugly head, injury. Frans knees are shot, but the operation he needs from the specialist is LA is very expensive. This leads him back to Callaghan and a small courier job. However, we know what happens to ‘best laid plans’ and Fran ends up on the run with a very valuable package. Now his problems really begin.
It gets bloody and shocking quite early in the story and this theme continues. At times it feels as if the violence is going to explode off the page. These gangsters are of the heavyweight kind, some with pet psychos, where violence and torture go hand in hand. The storyline is twisty and keeps coming back on itself such they become entangled. The beginning and ending managing to bookend with a pleasing sense of symmetry.
The dialogue is wonderful, with local vernacular used and it bounces along with the cadence of the street. It is very funny, being suffused with dead pan, black as coal humour, where insults and bite back come naturally and go hand in hand. It is also packed with hilarious asides on life such as could an Adidas x Glock combo become fashionable and the realisation that life was like juggling turds.
It is the characters that bring it to life though, being richly comic. Fran is the youth trying to straighten his life out who fate works against. His father Neil is the absent father who returns with the smell of money, not entirely a bad man, more one who was never shown what being good was. In the end a sense of family love does begins to blossom.
Returning is Lottie McGuinn and the truce between her and McCoist, who killed her husband, is over. Lottie and Luce’s tag team of organised crime the ‘Burds of Prey’ is flourishing in Paulo’s absence though Luce’s girlfriend Hannah is a disturbing younger woman.
McCoist I guess is an anti-hero, who only manages to escape the mess she creates by getting deeper involved. She would like to be free from Superintendent Devlin and his suspect and at times illegal methods but struggles to see how. Devlin is another wonderful creation, with his particularly unpleasant personal habit. The explanation of this and his nickname Tickly Tomlinson will make you snort with laughter.
It is a story where unintended consequences begin to pile up, but unlike a traditional farce these consequences are deadly rather than embarrassing. One where opportune moments are presented but with no chance to work through the consequences.
This is a world where the machismo is ingrained and there will always be a bigger fish, with sharper teeth. It also looks at concerns about the influence on young men through the internet and parts of society.
Deliciously dark and wickedly funny.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
This is the third book in this most excellent series featuring DI Alison (Ally) McCoist - no, definitely NOT the footballer (that never gets old!) and it's all a bit interconnected and convoluted as she has a bit of a backstory, so I would definitely read the previous books - Squeaky Clean and Paperboy - first.
In this book we first meet Francesco Forbes when he was a dealer. This got a bit scuppered when the country was locked down for Covid, but on the bright side, it allowed him to discover he has a big talent for running and, after lockdown was lifted, turned into a professional athlete.
Back in the present and Fran's knees are shot and he needs money to go to an American specialist to help fix them. Which means that he needs to swallow his pride and go back to what he used to know, working for crime boss Ruaridh Callaghan.
Long story short and things go VERY south with Callaghan and Fran finds himself in the crosshairs of some very nasty people...
Meanwhile Ally has her own crosses to bear with Lottie, the wife of the man she killed and their fractious, unhealthy, dysfunctional, kinda co-dependent, relationship.
And then these two worlds crash together, quite spectacularly...
And that's all I am saying as, once again, it all gets a bit over the top, interconnected, convoluted, and, once again Ally bites off more than she can (initially) chew, getting deeper and deeper into the dark side of life once again. And I blooming love her for all of it!
As with previous books, it's dark and gritty and the violence pulls no punches. Occasionally dipping its feet into farce but swiftly recovering. Again it also uses the Scottish vernacular throughout which can be a bit daunting at first but it didn't take me too long to get back into the swing of things. Reading out loud helps if you really get stuck!
And now for the devastating news. What I thought, hoped, was a series, is actually a trilogy. So that's it for Ally. No more... unless we go down the H2G2 route. I'm not ready to say goodbye to Ally just yet. But never say never... Please...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
In this book we first meet Francesco Forbes when he was a dealer. This got a bit scuppered when the country was locked down for Covid, but on the bright side, it allowed him to discover he has a big talent for running and, after lockdown was lifted, turned into a professional athlete.
Back in the present and Fran's knees are shot and he needs money to go to an American specialist to help fix them. Which means that he needs to swallow his pride and go back to what he used to know, working for crime boss Ruaridh Callaghan.
Long story short and things go VERY south with Callaghan and Fran finds himself in the crosshairs of some very nasty people...
Meanwhile Ally has her own crosses to bear with Lottie, the wife of the man she killed and their fractious, unhealthy, dysfunctional, kinda co-dependent, relationship.
And then these two worlds crash together, quite spectacularly...
And that's all I am saying as, once again, it all gets a bit over the top, interconnected, convoluted, and, once again Ally bites off more than she can (initially) chew, getting deeper and deeper into the dark side of life once again. And I blooming love her for all of it!
As with previous books, it's dark and gritty and the violence pulls no punches. Occasionally dipping its feet into farce but swiftly recovering. Again it also uses the Scottish vernacular throughout which can be a bit daunting at first but it didn't take me too long to get back into the swing of things. Reading out loud helps if you really get stuck!
And now for the devastating news. What I thought, hoped, was a series, is actually a trilogy. So that's it for Ally. No more... unless we go down the H2G2 route. I'm not ready to say goodbye to Ally just yet. But never say never... Please...
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Warning! Rat Race by Callum McSorley is an absolute sh*tshow! I have never read a book with so much excrement in it, in so many different forms. And puke, lots of puke. It is not a book to read while eating your lunch or if you have a weak stomach!
But it’s definitely a book you should read if you like your crime with a slathering of dark humour.
This is the third in the DCI Ally McCoist series and I’d recommend you read them in order if you haven’t already.
Why? Callum has a wicked imagination, his characters are well-formed and his entertaining storylines take you places you don’t expect to go.
Rat Race ties things up in an unexpected way (still with room for you to wonder about what goes on later) and it’s a lot of fun into the bargain. Thanks to Netgalley, Pushkin Press and Callum for a drc to review in my own way. Out in the UK 7 May 26.
But it’s definitely a book you should read if you like your crime with a slathering of dark humour.
This is the third in the DCI Ally McCoist series and I’d recommend you read them in order if you haven’t already.
Why? Callum has a wicked imagination, his characters are well-formed and his entertaining storylines take you places you don’t expect to go.
Rat Race ties things up in an unexpected way (still with room for you to wonder about what goes on later) and it’s a lot of fun into the bargain. Thanks to Netgalley, Pushkin Press and Callum for a drc to review in my own way. Out in the UK 7 May 26.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I loved the two previous reads featuring DCI Alison Mc Coist and set in Glasgow. The Glasgow patter just oozes off the pages, as does the violence, the darkness and the atmosphere is filled with tension. What a brilliant gangster read this is and a series I can highly recommend. The characterisation is so good, especially Fran and I loved the badness of Devlin. it's an easy 5* from me. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.
May 24, 2026
Raw and gritty just like the previous two books in this excellent series and I really cannot get over how easily the writing made understanding the Scottish vernacular. It’s a good job it does though because most of the humour is in this style.
Yes it’s stan alone but only just so read the other two first or you may flounder. It’s complicated enough without adding to it anyway.
Great book and would make a great to series too.
Yes it’s stan alone but only just so read the other two first or you may flounder. It’s complicated enough without adding to it anyway.
Great book and would make a great to series too.
May 28, 2026
The final instalment in the DCI Allison McCoist trilogy finds us about two years after the second book and continues that brilliant Glasgow noir feel in this rip-roaring crime tale that's heavy on the violence.
No punches are pulled whatsoever and it's bloody with seriously strong language.
The Scottish dialogue adds a real gritty authenticity to the story and the fast paced plot moves along brilliantly.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
No punches are pulled whatsoever and it's bloody with seriously strong language.
The Scottish dialogue adds a real gritty authenticity to the story and the fast paced plot moves along brilliantly.
4 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.
Review of advance copy received from Author
I discovered McSorley after attending his event at the Helensburgh Book Festival last year and have been a fan ever since. I barreled through Squeaky Clean and Paperboy, and Rat Race matched the very high standard set by the first two books of the trilogy. A mash-up of Christopher Brookmyre, Elmore Leonard and George Pelecanos, he offers everything I want from a contemporary crime writer.
June 18, 2026
Final instalment in this tartan crime trilogy featuring Detective Ali McCoist. This time on the trial of a medal-winning runner with a USB containing the key to a crypto wallet, following a gangland massacre. A dark and funny thriller.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really enjoyed this the third in the series but it helps if you’ve read the first two books and are also from Glasgow given the local dialect employed throughout
May 13, 2026
Much faster paced,but still full of wit, humour and Scottish slang,so I loved it as much the previous books.Will really miss this series,but looking forward to what McSorley offers next :)
June 9, 2026
Slightly less psychotic than it's predecessor but more satisfying for it, still twisty and funny , feels like a fitting end to a trilogy
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews