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Glasgow Underworld Series #6
For Those Who Know the Ending
"Don't pick up a Mackay book unless you've got spare time. They're habit-forming." - Janet Maslin, The New York Times
Martin Sivok is in trouble. Tied to a chair, plastic strips biting his wrists, inside a deserted warehouse. . . There are only so many ways this scenario can end, most of them badly. For now his best hope is figuring out who put him here - and staying conscious long enough to confront them.
To stay awake he reviews the past year of his life: evading the law in the Czech Republic by running to Glasgow, settling into a borderline respectable relationship with his landlady, and getting back into the life at the very bottom of the criminal ladder, alongside Usman Kassar, a cocky, goofy kid anxious to prove himself.
The job should be simple: Smash heads, grab cash, run. The trouble with being two outsiders is, you don't always know whose heads are too dangerous to crack, or whose cash is too hot to handle...
In sharp, precise prose, Malcolm Mackay - an "elegant stylist" unmatched in contemporary noir (Chicago Tribune) - captures the character of Glasgow and its underworld denizens.
Martin Sivok is in trouble. Tied to a chair, plastic strips biting his wrists, inside a deserted warehouse. . . There are only so many ways this scenario can end, most of them badly. For now his best hope is figuring out who put him here - and staying conscious long enough to confront them.
To stay awake he reviews the past year of his life: evading the law in the Czech Republic by running to Glasgow, settling into a borderline respectable relationship with his landlady, and getting back into the life at the very bottom of the criminal ladder, alongside Usman Kassar, a cocky, goofy kid anxious to prove himself.
The job should be simple: Smash heads, grab cash, run. The trouble with being two outsiders is, you don't always know whose heads are too dangerous to crack, or whose cash is too hot to handle...
In sharp, precise prose, Malcolm Mackay - an "elegant stylist" unmatched in contemporary noir (Chicago Tribune) - captures the character of Glasgow and its underworld denizens.
272 pages, Hardcover
First published May 8, 2018
34 people are currently reading
611 people want to read
About the author
Malcolm Mackay
22 books177 followersMalcolm Mackay was born and grew up in Stornoway where he still lives. The Necessary Death of Lewis Winter, his debut, is the first of a trilogy set in the Glasgow underworld.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
August 3, 2016
I think it’s fair to say that Malcolm Mackay is rather a favourite of mine, having previously, and favourably, reviewed most of his books to date. For Those Who Know The Ending is the latest in his series of Glasgow based thrillers, and once again we are plunged into the seedy underbelly of gangland life…
There is much to admire with Mackay’s spare and precise prose, so clearly in evidence again here, and the clipped dialogue, which perfectly reflects the feeling of his male protagonists as men of action where violence achieves more than conversational intercourse. Interestingly, it’s only when these tough guys reflect on their home situation and their closest emotional ties, that these characters display anything akin to human compassion, and the importance of the women in their lives comes to the fore. It’s also this aspect of their characters that delves beneath their steely and uncompromising roles in their gangland affiliations, and exposes moments of self-doubt. This works as an effective foil to what could just be a linear and superficial tale of male bravado, and harks back wonderfully to the golden age of American hard-boiled noir, when even the most ‘male’ of male characters are unsettled by female influence. This is reflected by Nate Colgan, nominally keeping up the interests of the imprisoned gangland boss Peter Jamieson’s criminal organisation, his hired heavy Gully Fitzgerald, and by Martin Sivok, a gunman of Czech descent trying to forge his path in the badlands of Glasgow, whose domestic situations are drawn on periodically throughout the book, and revealing different aspects of their character in their interaction with their better halves. This serves to heighten the reader’s sympathy as the themes are love and loss are brought to the fore, bringing a sense of emotional poignancy amidst the uncompromising violence.
For those unfamiliar with the series to date, fret not, as once again there is the useful inclusion of characters that have featured previously, so even a nominal reference to a character now deceased or incarcerated is easy to catch up with. I particularly like this feeling of each book being akin to a single act in a lengthy saga, and how the permutations of shifting alliances, and eager newcomers ready to make their mark, fit into the overall story arc. Mackay controls the narrative beautifully, and there is a real sense of us being fully immersed in the double crossing and chicanery that accompanies the story of Sivok and his wily, young associate Usman Kassar, who dreams up financially lucrative schemes to hit the illegal business of predominant gangland figures. Obviously this brings them very much onto the radar of Nate Colgan, endeavouring to keep house for Jamieson’s empire, and Mackay develops a controlled and compelling story with our young pretender, Kassar, and, at times, unwilling cohort Sivok as Colgan seeks his vengeance. As always each character is perfectly formed, and as mentioned earlier, Mackay injects a multi-layered aspect to his characterisation of these main protagonists to great affect. With the world these men inhabit and operate in, there is always a simmering undercurrent of violence, which when it bursts forth is brutal and unflinching, adding a frisson to the whole affair, and ramping up the tension to the nth degree.
Obviously as a devotee of the American hard-boiled noir genre, I am constantly delighted by Mackay’s accomplishment at transposing this style onto his contemporary Glasgow setting, and his now trademark spare prose, so resolutely in evidence again in For Those Who Know The Ending. Equally, the multi-layered nature of his characterisation opens up the more emotive facets of his characters, serving to unsettle the reader and shift our alliances. Impressed once again, and once more, highly recommended.
There is much to admire with Mackay’s spare and precise prose, so clearly in evidence again here, and the clipped dialogue, which perfectly reflects the feeling of his male protagonists as men of action where violence achieves more than conversational intercourse. Interestingly, it’s only when these tough guys reflect on their home situation and their closest emotional ties, that these characters display anything akin to human compassion, and the importance of the women in their lives comes to the fore. It’s also this aspect of their characters that delves beneath their steely and uncompromising roles in their gangland affiliations, and exposes moments of self-doubt. This works as an effective foil to what could just be a linear and superficial tale of male bravado, and harks back wonderfully to the golden age of American hard-boiled noir, when even the most ‘male’ of male characters are unsettled by female influence. This is reflected by Nate Colgan, nominally keeping up the interests of the imprisoned gangland boss Peter Jamieson’s criminal organisation, his hired heavy Gully Fitzgerald, and by Martin Sivok, a gunman of Czech descent trying to forge his path in the badlands of Glasgow, whose domestic situations are drawn on periodically throughout the book, and revealing different aspects of their character in their interaction with their better halves. This serves to heighten the reader’s sympathy as the themes are love and loss are brought to the fore, bringing a sense of emotional poignancy amidst the uncompromising violence.
For those unfamiliar with the series to date, fret not, as once again there is the useful inclusion of characters that have featured previously, so even a nominal reference to a character now deceased or incarcerated is easy to catch up with. I particularly like this feeling of each book being akin to a single act in a lengthy saga, and how the permutations of shifting alliances, and eager newcomers ready to make their mark, fit into the overall story arc. Mackay controls the narrative beautifully, and there is a real sense of us being fully immersed in the double crossing and chicanery that accompanies the story of Sivok and his wily, young associate Usman Kassar, who dreams up financially lucrative schemes to hit the illegal business of predominant gangland figures. Obviously this brings them very much onto the radar of Nate Colgan, endeavouring to keep house for Jamieson’s empire, and Mackay develops a controlled and compelling story with our young pretender, Kassar, and, at times, unwilling cohort Sivok as Colgan seeks his vengeance. As always each character is perfectly formed, and as mentioned earlier, Mackay injects a multi-layered aspect to his characterisation of these main protagonists to great affect. With the world these men inhabit and operate in, there is always a simmering undercurrent of violence, which when it bursts forth is brutal and unflinching, adding a frisson to the whole affair, and ramping up the tension to the nth degree.
Obviously as a devotee of the American hard-boiled noir genre, I am constantly delighted by Mackay’s accomplishment at transposing this style onto his contemporary Glasgow setting, and his now trademark spare prose, so resolutely in evidence again in For Those Who Know The Ending. Equally, the multi-layered nature of his characterisation opens up the more emotive facets of his characters, serving to unsettle the reader and shift our alliances. Impressed once again, and once more, highly recommended.
August 6, 2016
For Those Who Know The Ending – Another Gripping Glasgow Epic
Malcolm Mackay has followed up his excellent Glasgow thriller, Every Night I Dream of Hell with the excellent For Those Who Know The Ending. Malcolm Mackay certainly knows how to write standout Glasgow Noir that grips you by the throat and does not release you until the end. Once again he has captured the dark heart of Glasgow in terrifying detail and imagination.
I have said it before and I will say it again Malcolm Mackay gets better with every book and once again he has proven his excellence with For Those Who Know The Ending. If you are looking for heroes then this is not the thriller for you, this is all about the criminals and their fractured relationships, with each other, their loved ones and on the criminal organisations they work for. This thriller does not romanticise criminality it shows you that it is a hard life where you know the ending is prison if you are lucky death if you are not. No retiring off to the sun here, not that there is much in Mackay’s Glasgow Noir Thrillers.
The story centres around Nate Colgan who is now head of security for the Jamieson Organisation, which is an even more important position now that the head of the organisation is in prison. He is the man that needs to bring fear in to the hearts of others make sure they do not stray from the path otherwise there are consequences.
Colgan does not trust many people especially as one of his trusted lieutenants was recently killed and his needs to convince his mentor, Gully Fitzgerald back in to the business. A man who has his own demons to deal with but with a reputation to send fear down the back of most in Glasgow.
Usman Kassar is happy to be in his big brother’s shadow, because it means he manages to stay off the radar, so that he can action things without the worry of being detected. He thinks it is time to step up to another level, but it is that level where you will be noticed and not necessarily for the right reasons.
Martin Sivok has been sent in to exile from the Czech Republic, his reputation as a gunman has done him no favours, there are people after him who will do him harm, and that is just the police. He is in Glasgow, a weird city where he is trying to survive on the sort of jobs that are small and need you wanting more. When Kassar offers him a big pay day, he realises the dangers this will put him, but he has found love and needs the money.
When that big job is against the Jamieson Organisation, it certainly brings Kassar and Sivok to Nate Coglan’s attention and not for any positive reasons. Both need to realise you can run in Glasgow, but can you ever really hide when a criminal organisation is searching high and low for you. They both know they need to keep their wits about them if they wish to live, otherwise there will be brutal consequences.
Malcolm MacKay has written a taut thriller that is dark and hard, about hard men with hard attitudes that will do you damage if you give them reason. This is the story of what happens if you dare to be a lone wolf criminal who goes up against one of the major players and the consequences are not for the faint hearted.
This is a brutal and dark thriller at its best that shows you there is a really dark heart in Glasgow Noir that can match its Scandi equivalent.
Malcolm Mackay has followed up his excellent Glasgow thriller, Every Night I Dream of Hell with the excellent For Those Who Know The Ending. Malcolm Mackay certainly knows how to write standout Glasgow Noir that grips you by the throat and does not release you until the end. Once again he has captured the dark heart of Glasgow in terrifying detail and imagination.
I have said it before and I will say it again Malcolm Mackay gets better with every book and once again he has proven his excellence with For Those Who Know The Ending. If you are looking for heroes then this is not the thriller for you, this is all about the criminals and their fractured relationships, with each other, their loved ones and on the criminal organisations they work for. This thriller does not romanticise criminality it shows you that it is a hard life where you know the ending is prison if you are lucky death if you are not. No retiring off to the sun here, not that there is much in Mackay’s Glasgow Noir Thrillers.
The story centres around Nate Colgan who is now head of security for the Jamieson Organisation, which is an even more important position now that the head of the organisation is in prison. He is the man that needs to bring fear in to the hearts of others make sure they do not stray from the path otherwise there are consequences.
Colgan does not trust many people especially as one of his trusted lieutenants was recently killed and his needs to convince his mentor, Gully Fitzgerald back in to the business. A man who has his own demons to deal with but with a reputation to send fear down the back of most in Glasgow.
Usman Kassar is happy to be in his big brother’s shadow, because it means he manages to stay off the radar, so that he can action things without the worry of being detected. He thinks it is time to step up to another level, but it is that level where you will be noticed and not necessarily for the right reasons.
Martin Sivok has been sent in to exile from the Czech Republic, his reputation as a gunman has done him no favours, there are people after him who will do him harm, and that is just the police. He is in Glasgow, a weird city where he is trying to survive on the sort of jobs that are small and need you wanting more. When Kassar offers him a big pay day, he realises the dangers this will put him, but he has found love and needs the money.
When that big job is against the Jamieson Organisation, it certainly brings Kassar and Sivok to Nate Coglan’s attention and not for any positive reasons. Both need to realise you can run in Glasgow, but can you ever really hide when a criminal organisation is searching high and low for you. They both know they need to keep their wits about them if they wish to live, otherwise there will be brutal consequences.
Malcolm MacKay has written a taut thriller that is dark and hard, about hard men with hard attitudes that will do you damage if you give them reason. This is the story of what happens if you dare to be a lone wolf criminal who goes up against one of the major players and the consequences are not for the faint hearted.
This is a brutal and dark thriller at its best that shows you there is a really dark heart in Glasgow Noir that can match its Scandi equivalent.
November 4, 2018
I absolutely loved this book. Imagine, if you will, an Elmore Leonard style crime novel, set in Glasgow, with the main characters being a Scottish-born goofball of Pakistani descent and a short (or 'wee', in the local vernacular) up-tight Czech who escaped his homeland shortly ahead of retribution resulting from some screw-up on a job. They hook up near the beginning, and the rest of the novel is something I could see a Guy Ritchie movie being based upon.
Mackay's novel (I really need to get into some of his other work....) is an intricately plotted beauty. The two main characters couldn't be more different: they really don't get along and have nothing much in common other than the need to make money illegally. They're dealing with several criminal networks in the Glasgow underground that are in direct competition, yet are free-lancing and hoping to skate by under the cover of the competing interests of the groups they're ripping off. It works well for them, until it doesn't. This is where it gets interesting.....
Mackay's writing is stellar, the dialogue is great and often quite funny, and the action moves along swiftly with a great 'unknown' hanging out there with our wee Czech finding himself a bit tied-up at the very beginning and the rest of the novel being told as a sort of flash-back. If you're a fan of the crime/mystery genre, I can't recommend this highly enough.
Mackay's novel (I really need to get into some of his other work....) is an intricately plotted beauty. The two main characters couldn't be more different: they really don't get along and have nothing much in common other than the need to make money illegally. They're dealing with several criminal networks in the Glasgow underground that are in direct competition, yet are free-lancing and hoping to skate by under the cover of the competing interests of the groups they're ripping off. It works well for them, until it doesn't. This is where it gets interesting.....
Mackay's writing is stellar, the dialogue is great and often quite funny, and the action moves along swiftly with a great 'unknown' hanging out there with our wee Czech finding himself a bit tied-up at the very beginning and the rest of the novel being told as a sort of flash-back. If you're a fan of the crime/mystery genre, I can't recommend this highly enough.
February 22, 2025
4.5 rounded up — though by now, the series is becoming predictable.
Vols. 1-3 are a trilogy and are certainly the best — superb, in fact.
Vols. 4-6 are also interconnected, though not as tightly, and are solid.
Vols. 1-3 are a trilogy and are certainly the best — superb, in fact.
Vols. 4-6 are also interconnected, though not as tightly, and are solid.
July 17, 2021
The subject matter of gangs in Glasgow did not intrigue me and the fact there was a character list at the beginning didn’t help as it made me feel there were so many in the book that I would get confused. However, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The central characters were so well described, along with their personal history, that I could picture each one of them. Maybe the list could be discarded as most of them on it were simply peripheral? I loved the way the tale was written in that, when it became more exciting, the sentences were adjusted so that the staccato rhythm reflected this. The book started with the ending - or did it? A very believable twist occurred showing how ruthless criminals can be over exactly who is more useful to them!
June 20, 2017
Malcolm Mackay goes from strength to gritty, crow-bar strength, without missing a beat. I sort of did know the ending, or thought I did, but couldn't stop until I found out for sure. And then couldn't be completely sure. Until the final paragraph.
Most impressive is how well he handles such a large cast of characters, all of whom move within a similar enough world to make the task doubly difficult.
Most impressive is how well he handles such a large cast of characters, all of whom move within a similar enough world to make the task doubly difficult.
June 19, 2018
More droll observations of Scottish criminality from MacKay. An enjoyable and rapid read, though a rather transient one. Nothing seems to stick. Despite some brutality, MacKay's miscreants, unlike those found in Ellroy or Rankin, feel like they're engaging in shenanigans rather than the felonious. This lends a certain air of frivolity that undermines the suspense and potential for hard-hitting noir.
May 25, 2018
A Glasgow noir, but happily free of the authentic accent writing that burdens some of these. Mr. Mackay delves perhaps more deeply into the motives and doubts of his rather simple characters than most writers working in this space, but that's only a mild interference. Perhaps the real weakness in the story is foretold in its title. Still, good airplane reading.
March 2, 2018
Really like the way Mackay calls organized crime "the industry." There's the workplace culture, ambitious employees, crappy life-draining work, and of course, the poor sods who have no idea that every employee is expendable.
August 7, 2018
So predictable. Don’t waste your time.
December 10, 2018
If you like your thrillers dark, messy and violent, look no further than Scottish noir in general and Malcolm Mackay in particular. Mackay is probably best known for his Glasgow Trilogy, but each of his works is worthy of notice. FOR THOSE WHO KNOW THE ENDING is his latest book to be published in the United States. It is a hypnotic, addictive, one-sit read that you will tear through even as you fear what will happen next.
Mackay has been building his Glasgow crime universe for a while now, introducing new characters, bringing back old ones, and adding to the body count with each volume. FOR THOSE WHO KNOW THE ENDING introduces Martin Sivok at the very start of the book, which isn’t really the beginning. When we meet him, Martin is in dire straits --- in the middle of a dark room tied to a chair that is secured to the floor. He is not going anywhere any time soon, and no doubt he is hoping for a long interlude before the journey ultimately does begin.
The author then tells us a bit about how Martin came to be where he is, taking us back in time several months. His presence in Glasgow isn’t entirely voluntary, given that he was on the run from the authorities in his native Czech Republic. While he was somewhat of a big deal back home, that is not the case in Glasgow, where the criminal element is firmly established and there simply isn’t a lot of work for a newbie on the scene. Still, Martin is cautious when a local hood named Usman Kassar offers him a job with the promise of a fairly large payoff with a minimum of effort. It involves robbing a local holder, and it’s the Jamieson organization’s money that they’ll be taking. Readers of Mackay’s previous novels know what that means.
Kassar’s scheme seems all but foolproof until they actually implement it. A couple of seemingly minor but nonetheless important steps go wrong, and as a result, Martin is looking over his shoulder continuously from the point where he and Kassar make their getaway. Things seem to go well --- with an emphasis on “seem” --- and a few months later the two plan another heist. However, there is an undercurrent and a subplot to what they are doing as the layers of criminal politics in Glasgow are slowly and silently brought to bear.
There is treachery, deceit, and all sorts of other good things bubbling and percolating around Martin and Kassar. They are both within and outside of their respective depths as their apparent successes become anything but, and their worth on the streets of Glasgow is found wanting, at least to some extent. There is also, of course, that nasty opening scene, with Martin secured to a chair in a dark room. Is that the beginning, the middle or the end of FOR THOSE WHO KNOW THE ENDING? Only those who read it will know for sure.
You don’t need to have read Mackay’s other books to fully appreciate his latest one, but you certainly will want to do so after experiencing this fine, beautifully dark tale. You also will find it hard to fully trust anyone again, which probably isn’t a bad instinct to acquire. Oops! I seem to have caught the virus as well.
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank Mackay and everyone else responsible for the listing of the characters at the beginning of the book. Those of us of a certain age who sometimes lose track of who is doing what to who, if more than a few characters are presented in a novel, greatly appreciate it. For this and other stated reasons, I recommend this story to you for immediate reading.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
Mackay has been building his Glasgow crime universe for a while now, introducing new characters, bringing back old ones, and adding to the body count with each volume. FOR THOSE WHO KNOW THE ENDING introduces Martin Sivok at the very start of the book, which isn’t really the beginning. When we meet him, Martin is in dire straits --- in the middle of a dark room tied to a chair that is secured to the floor. He is not going anywhere any time soon, and no doubt he is hoping for a long interlude before the journey ultimately does begin.
The author then tells us a bit about how Martin came to be where he is, taking us back in time several months. His presence in Glasgow isn’t entirely voluntary, given that he was on the run from the authorities in his native Czech Republic. While he was somewhat of a big deal back home, that is not the case in Glasgow, where the criminal element is firmly established and there simply isn’t a lot of work for a newbie on the scene. Still, Martin is cautious when a local hood named Usman Kassar offers him a job with the promise of a fairly large payoff with a minimum of effort. It involves robbing a local holder, and it’s the Jamieson organization’s money that they’ll be taking. Readers of Mackay’s previous novels know what that means.
Kassar’s scheme seems all but foolproof until they actually implement it. A couple of seemingly minor but nonetheless important steps go wrong, and as a result, Martin is looking over his shoulder continuously from the point where he and Kassar make their getaway. Things seem to go well --- with an emphasis on “seem” --- and a few months later the two plan another heist. However, there is an undercurrent and a subplot to what they are doing as the layers of criminal politics in Glasgow are slowly and silently brought to bear.
There is treachery, deceit, and all sorts of other good things bubbling and percolating around Martin and Kassar. They are both within and outside of their respective depths as their apparent successes become anything but, and their worth on the streets of Glasgow is found wanting, at least to some extent. There is also, of course, that nasty opening scene, with Martin secured to a chair in a dark room. Is that the beginning, the middle or the end of FOR THOSE WHO KNOW THE ENDING? Only those who read it will know for sure.
You don’t need to have read Mackay’s other books to fully appreciate his latest one, but you certainly will want to do so after experiencing this fine, beautifully dark tale. You also will find it hard to fully trust anyone again, which probably isn’t a bad instinct to acquire. Oops! I seem to have caught the virus as well.
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank Mackay and everyone else responsible for the listing of the characters at the beginning of the book. Those of us of a certain age who sometimes lose track of who is doing what to who, if more than a few characters are presented in a novel, greatly appreciate it. For this and other stated reasons, I recommend this story to you for immediate reading.
Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub
November 1, 2021
I've read the first four books of Mackay's "Glasgow Underworld" series, but somehow missed the fifth one, which is a shame, because its central character, Nate Colgan, is a key part of this sixth book's supporting cast. The six books all fit together in a running chronology of the ups and downs of various factions of Glasgow criminals, generally tied to the Jameison "organization." In this book, we meet Martin, a Czech gunman who has fled Brno to avoid being killed by rivals, and has somehow landed in Glasgow. With minimal connections and limited English, he's struggling to make a new life until he meets two very different people.
Bookseller Joanne is kind and smart and knows what she wants, and soon enough, he's moved in with her as she turns a blind eye to his "work." Flashy Usman is the younger brother of a small-time local criminal, and has ambitions beyond the penny-ante stuff his brother is into. Usman hears about Martin, and convinces him to partner up in robbing a bookie's safe that contains cash being laundered for the Jameison organization. This brings Nate Colgan into the picture, as he needs to find the duo who robbed him and make an example... Interspersed with all this are short chapters set in the future in which Martin is zip-tied to a chair in an empty warehouse, presumably about to be executed.
This all unfolds in the same deadpan interior voice entirely from within the heads of the characters that featured in the rest of the series. It's more or less a running set of interior monologues, which makes it kind of one-note and slightly monotonous. It doesn't help that Martin is an utterly flat and inscrutable character. Although Usman repeatedly complains about this, it doesn't make Martin any more interesting, and so it's hard to get too invested in the stakes. There is a big plot twist at the end of the book, but I suspect most readers will see it coming a mile away. If you've enjoyed the previous five books in the series, there's no reason not to read this one too, but it's a notch less good in my estimation.
Bookseller Joanne is kind and smart and knows what she wants, and soon enough, he's moved in with her as she turns a blind eye to his "work." Flashy Usman is the younger brother of a small-time local criminal, and has ambitions beyond the penny-ante stuff his brother is into. Usman hears about Martin, and convinces him to partner up in robbing a bookie's safe that contains cash being laundered for the Jameison organization. This brings Nate Colgan into the picture, as he needs to find the duo who robbed him and make an example... Interspersed with all this are short chapters set in the future in which Martin is zip-tied to a chair in an empty warehouse, presumably about to be executed.
This all unfolds in the same deadpan interior voice entirely from within the heads of the characters that featured in the rest of the series. It's more or less a running set of interior monologues, which makes it kind of one-note and slightly monotonous. It doesn't help that Martin is an utterly flat and inscrutable character. Although Usman repeatedly complains about this, it doesn't make Martin any more interesting, and so it's hard to get too invested in the stakes. There is a big plot twist at the end of the book, but I suspect most readers will see it coming a mile away. If you've enjoyed the previous five books in the series, there's no reason not to read this one too, but it's a notch less good in my estimation.
August 10, 2021
Is Glasgow to Edinburgh what East St. Louis is to its counterpart across the river? As much as Edinburgh is the seat of enlightenment and significant history, Glasgow seems to be Scotland’s crime-and-cutthroat capital. Double crossings, illegal financially lucrative schemes hitting illegal businesses of gangland baddies, and bursts of violence in the quest for vengeance keep this tale afloat. Aside from relief provided with repartee between Colgan and his grandmother-figure landlady, this brutal, noir tale from the underbelly of Glasgow maintains relentless, unflinching tension. There is nobody here to like aside from a few female characters who pop in and out, and it may seem strange to be put in the position of rooting for one bad guy over another. But becoming totally immersed in the out-smarts and bird-flips to law enforcement does indeed release a difference perspective than what is usually encountered in the standard police thriller.
September 21, 2018
This is a Goodreads Wins Book- I really enjoyed this book. I thought that the characters involved you in the story. The main character Martin finds himself in a lot of trouble after he and his buddy steal 32,000 pounds from a bookie that belongs to a crime syndicate, now he's tied to a chair and wondering crap this wasnt suppose to turn out this way. I like the way that the author personalized the characters, you felt that you were part of their lives and that you knew them. I thought that the story was compelling, involved and left you wanting more. I would like to read some more books by this author-Malcolm Mackay. If you like crime dramas, with some true grit/some humor and sensitivity and feeling that you could be part of this then I would recommend this book. This is one book that I will reread.
May 16, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. At first I wasn't sure if I would enjoy it. The copy I read had an extensive character list at the beginning. I found it too daunting so I just skipped it. I don't think that I missed out on anything.
As I mentioned, at first I wasn't confident I would like this book. I randomly picked it off the library shelf, so it was a gamble. But chapter after chapter I found myself getting sucked into the story. The last few chapters in particular I was pretty much devouring to find out the ending... which I will not spoil!
As I mentioned, at first I wasn't confident I would like this book. I randomly picked it off the library shelf, so it was a gamble. But chapter after chapter I found myself getting sucked into the story. The last few chapters in particular I was pretty much devouring to find out the ending... which I will not spoil!
March 22, 2025
Not sure the melodramatic conflicted gangster narrative - changing times, old guys hanging on, young guys finding a place, women and children on the sidelines, suffering - really works anymore. It’s just a grind reading about violent criminals leading sordid/troubled lives. Plus here the initiating crime - two unconnected gangsters rob The Most Powerful Crime Family in Glasgow - is too stupid to be believed. In real life, the Czech guy would sell out the Pakistani guy, who proposes this daft idea, to the Powerful Crime family and make his way up the ladder that way.
December 27, 2019
Mackay is a brilliant stylist whose work began with the trilogy ("The Necessary Death of Lewis Winter", "How A Gunman Says Goodbye" and "The Sudden Arrival of Violence"). The writing in the earliest works seems cloying, almost claustrophobic has found it's stride with "For Those Who Know The Ending". As Janet Maslin said about Mackay's writing, don't pick one up unless you got the time because you won't want to put it down
October 29, 2021
Sharp. Slick. Gangster Thriller? The 6th and possibly my favourite of a quite brilliant series. The story’s are tough, the characters are made of granite, and the sizzling black humour reverberates throughout.
It’s absolutely top drawer Gangland writing. The only complaint is I could be anywhere, I only know it’s Glasgow because if the previous books but that doesn’t take away for this serious and stunning gangster story.
It’s absolutely top drawer Gangland writing. The only complaint is I could be anywhere, I only know it’s Glasgow because if the previous books but that doesn’t take away for this serious and stunning gangster story.
May 12, 2018
I received a promotional ARC through the First Reads program.
Good stuff. Mackay knows how to keep a plot moving. Once I completed a previous commitment, I flew through the last 2/3 of this one. His characters have a realness to them - not super villains but guys trying to make enough money to pay the bills. Enough closure with the ending, while still allowing the reader things to ponder afterwards.
Maybe it wasn't so much fun, but Martin looked at the world from a miserable starting point and that had real value when you needed every angle covered.
Note: There's a more rambling review posted on my blog, which is linked through my profile page.
Good stuff. Mackay knows how to keep a plot moving. Once I completed a previous commitment, I flew through the last 2/3 of this one. His characters have a realness to them - not super villains but guys trying to make enough money to pay the bills. Enough closure with the ending, while still allowing the reader things to ponder afterwards.
Maybe it wasn't so much fun, but Martin looked at the world from a miserable starting point and that had real value when you needed every angle covered.
Note: There's a more rambling review posted on my blog, which is linked through my profile page.
June 8, 2018
While on holiday, I like to buy books from local authors. So when on holiday in Scotland, I bought this book and immediately started reading. This book is a real page turner, but the characters are well described. You get to know the people and what their drive is. A very nice book, what did surprise me at the end!
November 24, 2018
My least favorite Mackay book. He takes the vast Glasgow crime world he created and slims it down to just four characters. He attempts a new plot structure that relies heavily on flashbacks but fails to generate the tension in his other novels. Worth reading only if you've read the other five first.
April 14, 2018
Niente errori da dilettante alla Panowich e scorrevole, realistico, con ottimi personaggi. sembra un prequel per un'impresa criminale successiva, un'iniziazione e una selezione naturale narrativa per personaggi che faranno altro e grandioso in questa Glasgow criminale e oscura.
January 3, 2020
Another fun slice of Glasgow noir. I guessed the twist before it happened. More Nate Colgan along with an out of town gunman. A theme this time of men trying to have meaningful relationships as well as being in “the life”. And with worthy partners not people like Nate’s first partner.
July 4, 2017
More great stuff from Malcolm MacKay. This extension of the Glasgow Trilogy is unputdownable.
January 22, 2018
I always enjoy the Nate Colgan stories.
May 16, 2018
Tightly written hard to put down contemporary noir. Even the good guys are all bad guys - gangsters, thieves, gunmen, bosses, and muscle, all playing their parts working in "the industry". This particular outpost of said industry being Glasgow, Scotland. This is my first Malcolm Mackay book, definitely not my last -- I'm hooked.
May 27, 2018
Quick read
Well written. Fast pace. Spoiler alert in the title. So the plot twist not entirely a surprise. Will look for another by this author
Well written. Fast pace. Spoiler alert in the title. So the plot twist not entirely a surprise. Will look for another by this author
July 3, 2018
Good effort from Mackay (I've read all his novels), worth reading but IMO a notch below the immediate predecessor "Every Night I Dream of Hell" (which promoted tough guy Nate Colgan to protagonist).
December 1, 2018
Fifth one by Mackay. All are great, tense little Scots gang thrillers. I liked them all, pain and simple.
December 21, 2018
Like all MacKay, 5 *
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