What do you think?
Rate this book
The Cutting Room #2
The Second Cut
A stylish, atmospheric detective story with shades of the Gothic – from the author of the award-winning cult classic The Cutting Room
SHORTLISTED FOR THE McILVANNEY PRIZE 'Superb' The Times Crime Book of the Month 'A hardboiled gem' Guardian 'I doubt I'll read a better book this year' Val McDermid
Auctioneer Rilke has been trying to stay out of trouble, keeping his life more or less respectable. Business has been slow at Bowery Auctions, so when an old friend, Jojo, gives Rilke a tip-off for a house clearance, life seems to be looking up. The next day Jojo washes up dead.
Jojo liked Grindr hook-ups and recreational drugs – is that the reason the police won’t investigate? And if Rilke doesn’t find out what happened to Jojo, who will?
SHORTLISTED FOR THE McILVANNEY PRIZE 'Superb' The Times Crime Book of the Month 'A hardboiled gem' Guardian 'I doubt I'll read a better book this year' Val McDermid
Auctioneer Rilke has been trying to stay out of trouble, keeping his life more or less respectable. Business has been slow at Bowery Auctions, so when an old friend, Jojo, gives Rilke a tip-off for a house clearance, life seems to be looking up. The next day Jojo washes up dead.
Jojo liked Grindr hook-ups and recreational drugs – is that the reason the police won’t investigate? And if Rilke doesn’t find out what happened to Jojo, who will?
378 pages, Paperback
First published January 27, 2022
66 people are currently reading
817 people want to read
About the author
Louise Welsh
53 books333 followersAfter studying history at Glasgow University, Louise Welsh established a second-hand bookshop, where she worked for many years. Her first novel, The Cutting Room, won several awards, including the 2002 Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey Memorial Dagger, and was jointly awarded the 2002 Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award. Louise was granted a Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Award in 2003, a Scotland on Sunday/Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award in 2004, and a Hawthornden Fellowship in 2005.
She is a regular radio broadcaster, has published many short stories, and has contributed articles and reviews to most of the British broadsheets. She has also written for the stage. The Guardian chose her as a 'woman to watch' in 2003.
Her second book, Tamburlaine Must Die, a novelette written around the final three days of the poet Christopher Marlowe's life, was published in 2004. Her third novel, The Bullet Trick (2006), is a present-day murder mystery set in Berlin.
The Cutting Room 2002
Tamburlaine Must Die 2004
The Bullet Trick 2006
Naming The Bones 2010
Prizes and awards
2002 Crime Writers' Association John Creasey Memorial Dagger The Cutting Room
2002 Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award (joint winner) The Cutting Room
2003 BBC Underground Award (writer category) The Cutting Room
2003 Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Award
2004 Corine Internationaler Buchpreis: Rolf Heyne Debutpreis (Germany) The Cutting Room
2004 Scotland on Sunday/Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award
2004 Stonewall Book Award (US) (honor in literature)
She is a regular radio broadcaster, has published many short stories, and has contributed articles and reviews to most of the British broadsheets. She has also written for the stage. The Guardian chose her as a 'woman to watch' in 2003.
Her second book, Tamburlaine Must Die, a novelette written around the final three days of the poet Christopher Marlowe's life, was published in 2004. Her third novel, The Bullet Trick (2006), is a present-day murder mystery set in Berlin.
The Cutting Room 2002
Tamburlaine Must Die 2004
The Bullet Trick 2006
Naming The Bones 2010
Prizes and awards
2002 Crime Writers' Association John Creasey Memorial Dagger The Cutting Room
2002 Saltire Society Scottish First Book of the Year Award (joint winner) The Cutting Room
2003 BBC Underground Award (writer category) The Cutting Room
2003 Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Award
2004 Corine Internationaler Buchpreis: Rolf Heyne Debutpreis (Germany) The Cutting Room
2004 Scotland on Sunday/Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award
2004 Stonewall Book Award (US) (honor in literature)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews
November 21, 2021
This is the sequel to Louise Welsh's award winning The Cutting Room, featuring and following up the life of Bowery Auctions Head Auctioneer, Rilke. I have not read the first book but it made no difference to how much I loved this. Whilst this may ostensibly be viewed as a crime and mystery novel, it is more about Glasgow's LBQT+ community and gay scene, documenting how it has changed through the years. Whilst there are still dangers associated with being queer, things have moved on, gays are far more accepted, and they are getting married as the opening moments of the novel testify with the wedding of the 2 Bobbys that Rilke is attending. It is here that he bumps into old friend and client, the ageing Joseph Nugent aka Jojo, drunk, looking the worse for wear, his body showing all the repercussions of a drug fuelled sexually decadent lifestyle.
Jojo leaves for a sex party, but not before he has sold a lucrative house clearing tip to Rikle. When Jojo is found dead on a doorstep the following day, Rikle is left unsettled and feeling a sense of guilt, particularly as Jojo is reported as being one of the city's homeless. The more he tries to find out what happened, the more he keeps coming up against a wall, the police are uninterested as there seems to be nothing untoward about the death, but Rilke just can't let it go. After Covid and hard times, Bowery Auctions is struggling financially, so when Jojo's tip turns out to be the remote Bannatyne House, filled to the rafters with valuables for them to sell at auction, Rose and Rilke are over the moon. However, there are ill omens that hang over their potential bonanza, an abandoned burnt out Micra in which the two occupants died, the horror of a Jack Russell entombed in a trunk, rumours that the sellers, cousins John and Alec Forrest, are taking advantage of the owner of the house who would never have sanctioned the sale of the house contents, the rescue of a terrorised Asian man that suggests there are trafficked people being used as forced labour, and the menacing presence of the vicious and volatile gangster, Jamie Mitchell.
The highlight of Welsh's character driven novel are the colourful and vibrant queer community, the queens, the outrageous, the offbeat, the reckless, the disturbed and the disturbing. The professional life of Rilke goes hand in hand with his more toned down personal life, but he wouldn't be Rilke without the presence of danger, his use of Grindr to meet strangers for sex, and his urges, that he manages to control, to join the drug fuelled sex parties, despite the attendant risks that go with them. He is a good man who wants to protect and help others, like wanting to save the young art student Sands from his worst impulses, perhaps because he recognises his younger self in him. This is a wonderfully written and dark read that depicts the seedier side of Glasgow, its criminal underbelly, amidst the background of contemporary queer circles. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
Jojo leaves for a sex party, but not before he has sold a lucrative house clearing tip to Rikle. When Jojo is found dead on a doorstep the following day, Rikle is left unsettled and feeling a sense of guilt, particularly as Jojo is reported as being one of the city's homeless. The more he tries to find out what happened, the more he keeps coming up against a wall, the police are uninterested as there seems to be nothing untoward about the death, but Rilke just can't let it go. After Covid and hard times, Bowery Auctions is struggling financially, so when Jojo's tip turns out to be the remote Bannatyne House, filled to the rafters with valuables for them to sell at auction, Rose and Rilke are over the moon. However, there are ill omens that hang over their potential bonanza, an abandoned burnt out Micra in which the two occupants died, the horror of a Jack Russell entombed in a trunk, rumours that the sellers, cousins John and Alec Forrest, are taking advantage of the owner of the house who would never have sanctioned the sale of the house contents, the rescue of a terrorised Asian man that suggests there are trafficked people being used as forced labour, and the menacing presence of the vicious and volatile gangster, Jamie Mitchell.
The highlight of Welsh's character driven novel are the colourful and vibrant queer community, the queens, the outrageous, the offbeat, the reckless, the disturbed and the disturbing. The professional life of Rilke goes hand in hand with his more toned down personal life, but he wouldn't be Rilke without the presence of danger, his use of Grindr to meet strangers for sex, and his urges, that he manages to control, to join the drug fuelled sex parties, despite the attendant risks that go with them. He is a good man who wants to protect and help others, like wanting to save the young art student Sands from his worst impulses, perhaps because he recognises his younger self in him. This is a wonderfully written and dark read that depicts the seedier side of Glasgow, its criminal underbelly, amidst the background of contemporary queer circles. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
December 20, 2021
Auctioneer Rilke gets a tip from his old friend Jojo of a wealthy old lady wanting to clear her ancestral home, Ballantyne House, and sell up. But then Jojo mysteriously dies and when Rilke goes to visit the old lady he finds her missing and two men, one of them claiming to be her son, in the home instead. And then an acquaintance of Jojo’s dies in similar circumstances and known gangsters are seen in Ballantyne House’s grounds. As much as Rilke’s auction house needs this sale to go ahead after all the covid lockdowns caused economic hardship, he can’t help but look into what’s really going on behind the scenes…
Twenty years after her debut novel, The Cutting Room, was published, Scottish author Louise Welsh returns to Rilke’s shady Glaswegian world of auctions and death in the sequel, The Second Cut. I never read the first book but you don’t need to have either - this works fine as a standalone piece - and it’s not a bad read either.
Of the two storylines that comprise this novel, I was much more interested in the mystery of the missing old lady and events surrounding the Ballantyne House auction, rather than the death of Rilke’s mate Jojo. That’s mostly because the latter doesn’t seem to warrant so much attention given how Welsh sets up the character: Jojo is an older man who’s into a very rough lifestyle, taking all sorts of hard drugs and partying constantly. Yeah, he died - that’s what happens when you live that recklessly!
I feel like it was forced so that Welsh could write extensively about the Glasgow gay scene and society’s perception of sexuality in the 2020s as a contrast to how things were back in the early 2000s, particularly as she’s a gay author herself. Which is fine - and it is informative - but also mostly irrelevant to the overall story, especially given its underwhelming and pointless resolution.
But Welsh writes the Ballantyne House storyline well, constantly throwing in enticingly dark elements to build up the tension. It’s only really undercut by the alternate switching to the less compelling storyline, which makes the book a slower read. Although, similar to the Jojo storyline, the ending to this isn’t great but not wholly unsatisfying either.
The cast are a colourful bunch of fully-realised characters - Rilke’s bossy boss Rose, her police beau Anderson, the young upstart gangster Jamie Mitchell and the established gangland boss Ray Diamond, the questionable cousins Alec and John Forrest, the young artist Sands, and Rilke’s other dirtbag mate, Les. Like the whole book, they’re well-written with distinctive voices and strong personalities.
Rilke too is a captivating protagonist. The description of his lanky cadaver-like appearance is instantly striking in your mind’s eye, and he’s an intriguing mix of polished middle-class professionalism with an extensive, canny knowledge of, and sometimes participant of, the Glasgow underworld of drugs and sex. It makes a refreshing change as well to have a non-police character in the main role of a crime novel. It means Welsh has to be more creative in the narrative and she pulls this off admirably well.
The Second Cut is a decent crime novel. It’s not the most fast-paced or gripping read but the writing is accessible, the storytelling is often engaging, and it’s peopled with fun and unusual characters. Though uneven, it’s a solid book that will probably appeal to patient readers of crime fiction.
Twenty years after her debut novel, The Cutting Room, was published, Scottish author Louise Welsh returns to Rilke’s shady Glaswegian world of auctions and death in the sequel, The Second Cut. I never read the first book but you don’t need to have either - this works fine as a standalone piece - and it’s not a bad read either.
Of the two storylines that comprise this novel, I was much more interested in the mystery of the missing old lady and events surrounding the Ballantyne House auction, rather than the death of Rilke’s mate Jojo. That’s mostly because the latter doesn’t seem to warrant so much attention given how Welsh sets up the character: Jojo is an older man who’s into a very rough lifestyle, taking all sorts of hard drugs and partying constantly. Yeah, he died - that’s what happens when you live that recklessly!
I feel like it was forced so that Welsh could write extensively about the Glasgow gay scene and society’s perception of sexuality in the 2020s as a contrast to how things were back in the early 2000s, particularly as she’s a gay author herself. Which is fine - and it is informative - but also mostly irrelevant to the overall story, especially given its underwhelming and pointless resolution.
But Welsh writes the Ballantyne House storyline well, constantly throwing in enticingly dark elements to build up the tension. It’s only really undercut by the alternate switching to the less compelling storyline, which makes the book a slower read. Although, similar to the Jojo storyline, the ending to this isn’t great but not wholly unsatisfying either.
The cast are a colourful bunch of fully-realised characters - Rilke’s bossy boss Rose, her police beau Anderson, the young upstart gangster Jamie Mitchell and the established gangland boss Ray Diamond, the questionable cousins Alec and John Forrest, the young artist Sands, and Rilke’s other dirtbag mate, Les. Like the whole book, they’re well-written with distinctive voices and strong personalities.
Rilke too is a captivating protagonist. The description of his lanky cadaver-like appearance is instantly striking in your mind’s eye, and he’s an intriguing mix of polished middle-class professionalism with an extensive, canny knowledge of, and sometimes participant of, the Glasgow underworld of drugs and sex. It makes a refreshing change as well to have a non-police character in the main role of a crime novel. It means Welsh has to be more creative in the narrative and she pulls this off admirably well.
The Second Cut is a decent crime novel. It’s not the most fast-paced or gripping read but the writing is accessible, the storytelling is often engaging, and it’s peopled with fun and unusual characters. Though uneven, it’s a solid book that will probably appeal to patient readers of crime fiction.
December 6, 2021
This sequel to the brilliant "The Cutting Room" does not disappoint - I was so happy to visit with these characters again and this story is highly engaging, brilliantly written and truly addictive.
The world of auction houses is randomly fascinating and main protagonist Rilke is larger than life and vividly awesome. Entangled in yet another dark example of human nature despite his best efforts at a quiet life.
A great literary page turner. Thoroughly enjoyable first page to last.
The world of auction houses is randomly fascinating and main protagonist Rilke is larger than life and vividly awesome. Entangled in yet another dark example of human nature despite his best efforts at a quiet life.
A great literary page turner. Thoroughly enjoyable first page to last.
April 22, 2022
I read a publisher's advance review copy, provided through Netgalley.
The atmosphere of this novel is dark and moody, a perfect fit for the gritty streets and dangerous beauty of Glasgow. Rilke is the chief auctioneer at Bowery Auction House, a business that is teetering on the edge. When at the wedding of two old friends, Rilke runs into his longtime acquaintance, Jojo. Rilke is sorry to see that Jojo looks like a wreck. They’re both over 60 now, and both veterans of years of drinking, smoking, drug use and risky sex in Glasgow’s gay clubs and parties. But unlike Jojo, Rilke has given up most of his vices, and now his Grindr use is the only reminder of his past.
Jojo gives Rilke a tipoff to a grand old house packed with antiques, demanding a substantial finder’s fee. It turns out Jojo is right. The house is a long drive away and its owners don’t seem quite right, but it’s the score the business needs. When Rilke wants to get in touch with Jojo soon after, he finds that Jojo was found dead in an alleyway, leaving a crummy apartment with a large cache of drugs and a young roommate who insists that Rilke help him make sure Jojo gets a decent sendoff.
Rilke is trying to do right by Jojo, while working on inventorying the big old house, but both efforts lead him into danger from the Glasgow mob. Rilke’s personal code may just get him killed.
It’s probably not very fair to compare Rilke to Rebus, but it’s difficult not to see a resemblance between the two hard-bitten loners with a keen sense of justice and a lot of experience with the dark sides of their Scottish city homes. But it would be unfair to author Louise Welsh to suggest that this is some kind of copycat effort. She has her own style and Rilke is a vividly created character. This is an excellent choice for fans of noir, Tartan or otherwise.
The atmosphere of this novel is dark and moody, a perfect fit for the gritty streets and dangerous beauty of Glasgow. Rilke is the chief auctioneer at Bowery Auction House, a business that is teetering on the edge. When at the wedding of two old friends, Rilke runs into his longtime acquaintance, Jojo. Rilke is sorry to see that Jojo looks like a wreck. They’re both over 60 now, and both veterans of years of drinking, smoking, drug use and risky sex in Glasgow’s gay clubs and parties. But unlike Jojo, Rilke has given up most of his vices, and now his Grindr use is the only reminder of his past.
Jojo gives Rilke a tipoff to a grand old house packed with antiques, demanding a substantial finder’s fee. It turns out Jojo is right. The house is a long drive away and its owners don’t seem quite right, but it’s the score the business needs. When Rilke wants to get in touch with Jojo soon after, he finds that Jojo was found dead in an alleyway, leaving a crummy apartment with a large cache of drugs and a young roommate who insists that Rilke help him make sure Jojo gets a decent sendoff.
Rilke is trying to do right by Jojo, while working on inventorying the big old house, but both efforts lead him into danger from the Glasgow mob. Rilke’s personal code may just get him killed.
It’s probably not very fair to compare Rilke to Rebus, but it’s difficult not to see a resemblance between the two hard-bitten loners with a keen sense of justice and a lot of experience with the dark sides of their Scottish city homes. But it would be unfair to author Louise Welsh to suggest that this is some kind of copycat effort. She has her own style and Rilke is a vividly created character. This is an excellent choice for fans of noir, Tartan or otherwise.
May 29, 2022
This is the follow up to The Cutting Room, from ages ago, and how unlike me to jump in at book 2! However, I understood everything enough, with the past alluded to adequately, to really enjoy this story through the rougher side of Glasgow.
Rilke is an auctioneer at the struggling Bowery Auctions, so when Jojo, an old friend of his, gives him the heads up that a house load of valuable antiques is up for clearance, he quickly engineers to get the contract. However, as with due diligence, the stories behind the elderly aunt’s next of kin don’t add up, then there’s Jojo’s sudden death to deal with, and an introduction to the heavyweights of the drug trade. Suddenly, it’s all looking a lot more complicated and dangerous than a simple fall of the gavel.
Add in a rotating cast of employees, locals, police, and associates, then you have everything for an enjoyably written, witty and amusing, but also a lot more information than I’d likely need on the Scottish organised crime/Grindr/drugs scene.
Have got the first book on order at my local bookshop to rectify the whole jumping in at book 2 thing.
Rilke is an auctioneer at the struggling Bowery Auctions, so when Jojo, an old friend of his, gives him the heads up that a house load of valuable antiques is up for clearance, he quickly engineers to get the contract. However, as with due diligence, the stories behind the elderly aunt’s next of kin don’t add up, then there’s Jojo’s sudden death to deal with, and an introduction to the heavyweights of the drug trade. Suddenly, it’s all looking a lot more complicated and dangerous than a simple fall of the gavel.
Add in a rotating cast of employees, locals, police, and associates, then you have everything for an enjoyably written, witty and amusing, but also a lot more information than I’d likely need on the Scottish organised crime/Grindr/drugs scene.
Have got the first book on order at my local bookshop to rectify the whole jumping in at book 2 thing.
February 23, 2022
I would first like to extend my gratitude to Canongate and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
5 awesome stars for this second installment in a series I hope will continue on for a very long time, but hopefully book 3 a year or so from now instead of decades in between.
You know you loved a book when the afterword by the author makes you choke up. This was my very first Louise Welsh but it definitely will not be my last.
I was a bit intimidated by the idea of reading an official mystery/crime novel, but the whole book was butter smooth, the moving pieces felt fluid and spacious, and the provocative was purposeful instead of gratuitous. The cast of characters were all memorable, fleshed out and fully realized players who brought this story to life and made the journey through Glasgow to Galloway, from the first page to the very end, effortless and enjoyable.
I was riveted to the end, not because the crime piece was in its throes but because it felt like there were still tiny hooks of intrigue that refused to let up their tugging until all the ends were tidied up. It was masterful and wonderful and sombre and electric and I can't get enough.
I think that I must go back and read The Cutting Room, which is the first in this series, written twenty years ago, because I'm a bit of a fan and I want more Rilke and more of these characters and LW's atmospheric and murdery Scotland on the brain.
In summation:
5 awesome stars for this second installment in a series I hope will continue on for a very long time, but hopefully book 3 a year or so from now instead of decades in between.
You know you loved a book when the afterword by the author makes you choke up. This was my very first Louise Welsh but it definitely will not be my last.
I was a bit intimidated by the idea of reading an official mystery/crime novel, but the whole book was butter smooth, the moving pieces felt fluid and spacious, and the provocative was purposeful instead of gratuitous. The cast of characters were all memorable, fleshed out and fully realized players who brought this story to life and made the journey through Glasgow to Galloway, from the first page to the very end, effortless and enjoyable.
I was riveted to the end, not because the crime piece was in its throes but because it felt like there were still tiny hooks of intrigue that refused to let up their tugging until all the ends were tidied up. It was masterful and wonderful and sombre and electric and I can't get enough.
I think that I must go back and read The Cutting Room, which is the first in this series, written twenty years ago, because I'm a bit of a fan and I want more Rilke and more of these characters and LW's atmospheric and murdery Scotland on the brain.
In summation:
February 10, 2022
Holy Moly, what the heck did I just read!!!!
Ok, first and foremost, I was not expecting all of this . The Second Cut is a sequel to The Cutting Room. Had I known this I would have read The Cutting Room first. However, this book can be read as a standalone and it was still highly enjoyable!
Drugs, sex, suspense, and thrill? Sign me up!
I do not want to ruin this book for anyone so I will leave you with this... I highly recommend this book but it is not for the faint of heart as there is no restraint when it comes to any subject. This book also has strong LGBTQ vibes and it was very well done.
Due to release May 3, 2022, go ahead and pre order yourself a copy .
Ok, first and foremost, I was not expecting all of this . The Second Cut is a sequel to The Cutting Room. Had I known this I would have read The Cutting Room first. However, this book can be read as a standalone and it was still highly enjoyable!
Drugs, sex, suspense, and thrill? Sign me up!
I do not want to ruin this book for anyone so I will leave you with this... I highly recommend this book but it is not for the faint of heart as there is no restraint when it comes to any subject. This book also has strong LGBTQ vibes and it was very well done.
Due to release May 3, 2022, go ahead and pre order yourself a copy .
July 24, 2022
The second in this series, the story is set 20 years after its predecessor, The Cutting Room. Rilke the auctioneer may be older, but is he any wiser for his years?
June 30, 2022
‘Some things change, some things never change.’
Rilke is the chief auctioneer for the Bowery Auctions in Glasgow. Business has been slow recently, so when his old friend Jojo gives him a tip about a house clearance, Rilke is pleased. He was less pleased to see Jojo looking like a wreck. Both men are aged over sixty, but while Rilke has given up most of his vices, Jojo has continued his path of excessive drinking, drug use and risky participation in Glasgow’s gay community. And, the very next day when Jojo is found dead, the police do not seem interested in investigating. They see Jojo’s death as a logical consequence of his lifestyle choices. Rilke is not satisfied. Jojo’s apartment includes a large cache of drugs, and a young housemate who insists that Rilke help him arrange a decent send-off for Jojo.
In the meantime, Rilke investigates the house clearance Jojo alerted him too. The house is packed with antiques, and the auction house stands to make a lot of money.
So, there is Rilke, arranging a send-off for Jojo and inventorying the contents of the house. Arranging Jojo’s send-off results in a dangerous obligation to a Glasgow mobster. And, as Rilke soon finds out, there is danger associated with the auction as well.
Well, what an interesting character Rilke is. I need to read the first book in this series to learn more about him. He has his own code of honour, one which leads him into danger. This is a gritty thriller and I recommend it.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Rilke is the chief auctioneer for the Bowery Auctions in Glasgow. Business has been slow recently, so when his old friend Jojo gives him a tip about a house clearance, Rilke is pleased. He was less pleased to see Jojo looking like a wreck. Both men are aged over sixty, but while Rilke has given up most of his vices, Jojo has continued his path of excessive drinking, drug use and risky participation in Glasgow’s gay community. And, the very next day when Jojo is found dead, the police do not seem interested in investigating. They see Jojo’s death as a logical consequence of his lifestyle choices. Rilke is not satisfied. Jojo’s apartment includes a large cache of drugs, and a young housemate who insists that Rilke help him arrange a decent send-off for Jojo.
In the meantime, Rilke investigates the house clearance Jojo alerted him too. The house is packed with antiques, and the auction house stands to make a lot of money.
So, there is Rilke, arranging a send-off for Jojo and inventorying the contents of the house. Arranging Jojo’s send-off results in a dangerous obligation to a Glasgow mobster. And, as Rilke soon finds out, there is danger associated with the auction as well.
Well, what an interesting character Rilke is. I need to read the first book in this series to learn more about him. He has his own code of honour, one which leads him into danger. This is a gritty thriller and I recommend it.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
August 9, 2022
Intriguing book about an Auctioneer Rilke trying to unravel why his friend was found dead lying in a doorway
Major LGBTQ themes...as well as a menacing tone throughout
Major LGBTQ themes...as well as a menacing tone throughout
July 5, 2022
“Could eat a scabby horse.” 328
I love this Scottish phrase. As well as the word “dreich”.
You don’t need to have read The Cutting Room to make sense of this.
I love this Scottish phrase. As well as the word “dreich”.
You don’t need to have read The Cutting Room to make sense of this.
December 14, 2023
A very good crime novel. Rilke is a man at the border of the underworld and respectability getting pulled in multiple directions. A particularly hedonistic acquaintance of his is found dead in a Glasgow gutter, and the usual dance of should I investigate or not commences. Very well written and thoughtful.
June 9, 2022
Dark, sinister, and seedy!
The Second Cut is a gritty, chilling thriller that takes you back to Glasgow, Scotland, and into the life of middle-aged, gay auctioneer Mr Rilke who, after receiving a business tip for a lucrative house auction from Jojo, a long-time friend who merely hours later turns up dead on the street, finds himself inadvertently mixed up in the disturbing criminal underworld and all the immortality, depravity, manipulation, and violence that is found there.
The prose is raw and tight. The characters are lonely, anxious, and vulnerable. And the plot is an ominous tale full of twists, turns, secrets, deception, corruption, desperation, sexual liaisons, violence, mayhem, and murder.
Overall, The Second Cut is an atmospheric, unsettling, taut novel by Welsh that was shocking, sordid, entertaining, and truly an edgy Tartan Noir.
Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Second Cut is a gritty, chilling thriller that takes you back to Glasgow, Scotland, and into the life of middle-aged, gay auctioneer Mr Rilke who, after receiving a business tip for a lucrative house auction from Jojo, a long-time friend who merely hours later turns up dead on the street, finds himself inadvertently mixed up in the disturbing criminal underworld and all the immortality, depravity, manipulation, and violence that is found there.
The prose is raw and tight. The characters are lonely, anxious, and vulnerable. And the plot is an ominous tale full of twists, turns, secrets, deception, corruption, desperation, sexual liaisons, violence, mayhem, and murder.
Overall, The Second Cut is an atmospheric, unsettling, taut novel by Welsh that was shocking, sordid, entertaining, and truly an edgy Tartan Noir.
Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 8, 2023
This is the sequel to Louise Welsh’s original ‘Cutting Room’ which introduced us to Rilke, the gay auctioneer, Rose and a plethora of other larger than life colourful characters.
The story revolves around Rilke, and the solving of the mysterious death of his long time, down and out, drug and booze -fuelled buddy Jojo who, with his young arty friend ‘Sands,’ has been living on the edge, flirting with gangsters, drugs and sex, with imminent danger always just around the corner.
A tale set in Glasgow gives us a thoroughly enjoyable storyline which, once again, includes plenty of only all to believable brilliant characters that give the narrative a touch of sparkle and adds something special to the enfolding series of events which are delivered in a style similar to that of Irvine Welch’s wonderfully entertaining and quirky bestseller ‘Trainspotting’.
A gripping read which I would highly recommend.
Rating: 4.2 stars.
The story revolves around Rilke, and the solving of the mysterious death of his long time, down and out, drug and booze -fuelled buddy Jojo who, with his young arty friend ‘Sands,’ has been living on the edge, flirting with gangsters, drugs and sex, with imminent danger always just around the corner.
A tale set in Glasgow gives us a thoroughly enjoyable storyline which, once again, includes plenty of only all to believable brilliant characters that give the narrative a touch of sparkle and adds something special to the enfolding series of events which are delivered in a style similar to that of Irvine Welch’s wonderfully entertaining and quirky bestseller ‘Trainspotting’.
A gripping read which I would highly recommend.
Rating: 4.2 stars.
November 19, 2021
I enjoyed The Second Cut. It haven’t read its predecessor, The Cutting Room, (although I soon will) but it works fine as a stand-alone book.
Rilke is a middle-aged auctioneer, active on Glasgow’s gay scene. His job sometimes brings him into contact with characters from the darker side of Glasgow’s underworld, and his sexual activities can be risky, too – although he is cautious by the standards of some other characters. When an old acquaintance from the scene gives him a tip about a valuable house clearance and is then found dead on a doorstep, apparently from an overdose in an already abused body, Rilke finds himself dealing with some very dodgy characters indeed. A fairly complex but comprehensible plot develops involving vicious drug empires, modern slavery and other skulduggery.
It’s readable, involving and quite exciting in places. Its main feature, though, is the background of Glasgow, its violent underworld and the current gay scene – not all of which is comfortable reading. The degree to which homophobia persists is disturbing, although Louise Welch makes it clear how far attitudes and laws have progressed in twenty years. I also found the auction house side of the book very interesting and could actually have done with rather more of it.
I thought the first half of the book was exceptionally good; it is well written, thoughtful and involving, with Rilke’s relationships with different characters especially well done. It did tail off a little for me later on as some standard implausibilities in the plot began to emerge, like the extremely unlikely but convenient overhearing of a conversation, or the now horribly familiar decision not to call the police but to investigate alone, and so on.
In spite of these minor flaws, I still think this is a very readable, involving book with some important things to say. Recommended.
(My thanks to Canongate for an ARC via NetGalley.)
Rilke is a middle-aged auctioneer, active on Glasgow’s gay scene. His job sometimes brings him into contact with characters from the darker side of Glasgow’s underworld, and his sexual activities can be risky, too – although he is cautious by the standards of some other characters. When an old acquaintance from the scene gives him a tip about a valuable house clearance and is then found dead on a doorstep, apparently from an overdose in an already abused body, Rilke finds himself dealing with some very dodgy characters indeed. A fairly complex but comprehensible plot develops involving vicious drug empires, modern slavery and other skulduggery.
It’s readable, involving and quite exciting in places. Its main feature, though, is the background of Glasgow, its violent underworld and the current gay scene – not all of which is comfortable reading. The degree to which homophobia persists is disturbing, although Louise Welch makes it clear how far attitudes and laws have progressed in twenty years. I also found the auction house side of the book very interesting and could actually have done with rather more of it.
I thought the first half of the book was exceptionally good; it is well written, thoughtful and involving, with Rilke’s relationships with different characters especially well done. It did tail off a little for me later on as some standard implausibilities in the plot began to emerge, like the extremely unlikely but convenient overhearing of a conversation, or the now horribly familiar decision not to call the police but to investigate alone, and so on.
In spite of these minor flaws, I still think this is a very readable, involving book with some important things to say. Recommended.
(My thanks to Canongate for an ARC via NetGalley.)
May 12, 2022
Having not read "The Cutting Room", the award-winning 2002 novel which introduced the character Rilke, I was unsure if I should be jumping in with "The Second Cut". I needn't have worried, as this novel holds up very well as a stand-alone. And be warned, it is as dark as its cover.
This book is more edgy than the thrillers I'm accustomed to, though the characters were so authentic and well described that I was immersed in the narrative. A narrative I might add that often left me feeling uncomfortable...
The writing was a pleasure to read. "His good looks had receded beneath his personality." "That was the trouble with a life on the edge. It could be hard to know where the edge was, until you tumbled into freefall."
Rilke was a sympathetic character whose life choices don't always serve him well. He lives alone and is very lonely. He uses the online gay dating service Grindr to find sexual partners that can remain anonymous. He has few friends outside of his work as the head auctioneer at one of Glasgow's successful auction houses, Bowery Auctions.
"The Second Cut" tackles some gritty themes of drug use, anonymous sex, gay orgies, people trafficking, crimes against the elderly, corruption, homelessness, and organized crime. It depicted the seamy, sordid underbelly of Glasgow. The Glasgow tourist bureau would shudder if this side of the city were brought to light.
I'm glad I read this novel, but would be hesitant to read more of Rilke's story, only because it is so sordid and dark. I was rooting for him to find a more steady partner, someone to care for him that he cared for in return. Perhaps I should remove my rose coloured glasses and surrender to the darkness...
This book put the noir in Tartan Noir.
This book is more edgy than the thrillers I'm accustomed to, though the characters were so authentic and well described that I was immersed in the narrative. A narrative I might add that often left me feeling uncomfortable...
The writing was a pleasure to read. "His good looks had receded beneath his personality." "That was the trouble with a life on the edge. It could be hard to know where the edge was, until you tumbled into freefall."
Rilke was a sympathetic character whose life choices don't always serve him well. He lives alone and is very lonely. He uses the online gay dating service Grindr to find sexual partners that can remain anonymous. He has few friends outside of his work as the head auctioneer at one of Glasgow's successful auction houses, Bowery Auctions.
"The Second Cut" tackles some gritty themes of drug use, anonymous sex, gay orgies, people trafficking, crimes against the elderly, corruption, homelessness, and organized crime. It depicted the seamy, sordid underbelly of Glasgow. The Glasgow tourist bureau would shudder if this side of the city were brought to light.
I'm glad I read this novel, but would be hesitant to read more of Rilke's story, only because it is so sordid and dark. I was rooting for him to find a more steady partner, someone to care for him that he cared for in return. Perhaps I should remove my rose coloured glasses and surrender to the darkness...
This book put the noir in Tartan Noir.
July 6, 2022
While not the best thing I’ve read in 2022 as Val McDermid states, it was a supremely good view of after the pandemic and still inside of the gritty Scotland that is Glasgow. Never assume that Glasgow is the merely less fortunate cousin to Edinburgh. It is a scabby, dark, pest-infested large village where Rilke works as an auctioneer for a sale house. Great work by the author to conjure sounds and smells while keeping the hues muted grays and browns.
June 13, 2022
3.5 stars
The Second Cut by Louise Welsh is the second in the Auctioneer Rilke series.
First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Canongate Books and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Series Background: (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
Rilke has been at Bowery Auctions in Glasgow for over 25 years. His boss is Rose Bowery. Rilke is a middle-aged gay man who drinks, smokes and seems to be a fan of casual sex. His nicknames of Cadaver and Corpse as well as others, are all in reference to his tall, gaunt features.
My Synopsis: (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Rilke runs into his old friend Jojo at a wedding. Jojo is a little inebriated, but he gives Rilke a "hot tip" about a mansion that needs clearing and auctioning. A little while later, Jojo will be found dead in an alley.
The lead turns out to be both a good and bad opportunity. Bowery Auctions really needs the money, as COVID and Lock-down has not helped an already slow business. But there seems to be a question as to what happened to the lady who actually owns the house, and neither Rose nor Rilke trust the cousins who are trying to sell it.
Meanwhile, Rilke starts wondering about his old friend's death. Upon further investigation, Rilke finds himself locking horns with a psychopathic drug dealer, who is all about power.
My Opinions:
Although this is the sequel to the best-selling novel The Cutting Room, this could easily be read as a stand-alone novel. It has actually been 20 years since the first one was written, but it isn't actually 20 years later in this book (Rilke would be in his mid 60's, and it doesn't read like it).
The author's passion for the gay life-style shines through. Although the LGBQT+ scene has definitely grown, and things have improved in the community since the first book, there are still problems, and the author does not shy away from anything.
I am beginning to like Rilke. I guess he's growing on me. He may stick his nose into other people's business, but his intentions are usually admirable. His drinking and non-stop sexual encounters were toned down in this one. Maybe he's growing up. He is still not your normal protagonist, and maybe that is why I like him.
As well, I'm starting to like Les, Rose and Anderson.
Again, the plot was interesting, and I have learned more than I need to know about some of the seedier sides of the drug and human trafficking trade, not to mention the struggles of the LGBQT+ community.
Overall, although the topics were a little dark, the mystery was good....and I was happy to find out what happened to the old lady.
Here's hoping your next books if 5 stars!
For a more complete review of this book and others (including the reason I chose to read/review this book, author information and contact details, as well as a favorite quotation or two from the book), please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
April 27, 2022
A brilliant excursion into the darkest, grittiest corners of Glasgow, where we meet what has to be one of the most spell-binding protagonists ever crafted - Rilke, a forty-seven year old head-auctioneer - a man, “too tall, too thin, too cadaverous to look like anything other than a vampire on the make”.
Perhaps more “anti-hero” than our typical main protagonist, Rilke is a triumphant nod to the unexpected beauty, grace and strength in the just plain “regular” - the down-trodden, discarded, and unremarkable dissociated man, getting though life with his own quiet form of dignity.
(The second book in a series initiated by the author some twenty years ago, I have not yet read the earlier work, a situation I would love to quickly remedy).
The main voice of our story, Rilke, our first person POV narrator, provides a heartbreaking glimpse into his own “hollow” soul - as a middle-aged gay man who has “embraced his inner freak a long time ago”, he is now committed to meaningless Grindr hookups, “never quite able to disentangle sex and danger”, convinced at the core his particular lot-in-life is fixed.
“A long-limbed spider in a three piece suit”, Rilke is something of a smart-aleck; intelligent, judgmental, and sardonic, (not to mention sidesplittingly funny in his wry and off-the-cuff observations), wearing his emotional detachment, a closely-guarded mask, always front-and-center - allowing the reader only the briefest of glimpses into what we can clearly see to be his essential goodness, his achingly-self-deprecating isolation, and his heavily-disguised and deeply-held compassion.
Along with the acquisition of his current clients, proprietors of a creepy and neglected Georgian mansion, deep in rural Scotland, (the kind of place you would swear can only “draw bad things to it” ) and now the setting for a house-clearing auction, Rilke’s world explodes with a series of frantically-paced events, beginning with an unexplained death, and rapidly expanding to include several of Glasgow’s most dangerous and desperate.
As the sense of menace builds to a claustrophobic pitch, Rilke’s furtive brush (unwilling but unavoidable) against the grimly-subversive underground world of sex parties, illicit drugs, and debauchery has the sordid and wretched feel of descent into irreversible madness.
As Rilke struggles to get to Truth, and ultimately Justice, this intricately-woven tale expands to consider friendship (in all its forms), morality, and perverse resilience, as Rilke confronts the inherent and unresolvable contradictions in doing right, against all odds, when face-to-face with mortal danger.
Without giving the plot away (no spoilers here), the author cuts through it all - skillfully pulling off a satisfying and very acceptable ending, along with the dropping of a final tiny-but-enticing teaser, which may or may not hint (marvelously) at more to come in this superb saga.
A great big thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.
Perhaps more “anti-hero” than our typical main protagonist, Rilke is a triumphant nod to the unexpected beauty, grace and strength in the just plain “regular” - the down-trodden, discarded, and unremarkable dissociated man, getting though life with his own quiet form of dignity.
(The second book in a series initiated by the author some twenty years ago, I have not yet read the earlier work, a situation I would love to quickly remedy).
The main voice of our story, Rilke, our first person POV narrator, provides a heartbreaking glimpse into his own “hollow” soul - as a middle-aged gay man who has “embraced his inner freak a long time ago”, he is now committed to meaningless Grindr hookups, “never quite able to disentangle sex and danger”, convinced at the core his particular lot-in-life is fixed.
“A long-limbed spider in a three piece suit”, Rilke is something of a smart-aleck; intelligent, judgmental, and sardonic, (not to mention sidesplittingly funny in his wry and off-the-cuff observations), wearing his emotional detachment, a closely-guarded mask, always front-and-center - allowing the reader only the briefest of glimpses into what we can clearly see to be his essential goodness, his achingly-self-deprecating isolation, and his heavily-disguised and deeply-held compassion.
Along with the acquisition of his current clients, proprietors of a creepy and neglected Georgian mansion, deep in rural Scotland, (the kind of place you would swear can only “draw bad things to it” ) and now the setting for a house-clearing auction, Rilke’s world explodes with a series of frantically-paced events, beginning with an unexplained death, and rapidly expanding to include several of Glasgow’s most dangerous and desperate.
As the sense of menace builds to a claustrophobic pitch, Rilke’s furtive brush (unwilling but unavoidable) against the grimly-subversive underground world of sex parties, illicit drugs, and debauchery has the sordid and wretched feel of descent into irreversible madness.
As Rilke struggles to get to Truth, and ultimately Justice, this intricately-woven tale expands to consider friendship (in all its forms), morality, and perverse resilience, as Rilke confronts the inherent and unresolvable contradictions in doing right, against all odds, when face-to-face with mortal danger.
Without giving the plot away (no spoilers here), the author cuts through it all - skillfully pulling off a satisfying and very acceptable ending, along with the dropping of a final tiny-but-enticing teaser, which may or may not hint (marvelously) at more to come in this superb saga.
A great big thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.
April 14, 2022
Ten years ago, Louise Welsh had her first bestseller with The Cutting Room, which introduced us to the shady but sexy auctioneer Rilke, on the hunt for answers and Sex down Glasgow’s darkest alleys. Rilke’s back, magically no older and no wiser, in her long-awaited sequel. Well worth the wait!
Glasgow seems glossier but only on the surface. Glasgow is depicted in fiction far less often than Edinburgh. The great Alasdair Gray addresses this in this exchange from his classic novel Lanark...Here Thaw talks with a fellow-student at the university named McAlpin about why people don’t appreciate Glasgow:
"Glasgow is a magnificent city,” said McAlpin. “Why do we hardly ever notice that?” “Because nobody imagines living here…. think of Florence, Paris, London, New York. Nobody visiting them for the first time is a stranger because he’s already visited them in paintings, novels, history books and films. But if a city hasn’t been used by an artist not even the inhabitants live there imaginatively. "
Louise is an artist using the city and it is compelling in this novel. I loved the city in the book. And Rilke loves it too - ‘I hate the countryside and performative please-love-us countryside gays and rustic whiteness. I prefer to stay where someone might hear me scream.’ He is refered to as Glasgow's ‘dreary tobacco hued son’.
Rilke is a hugely unreliable narrator and something of an antiquarian (nod to Scott) and aware of this. ‘The imp of the perverse’ still rules his life. One friend describes him as ‘an arsehole wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.’ Yet he's great fun to be with.
The central plot is about a murder, well a body--i won't give away any spoilers. There is a bigger story here - Glasgow as second city of Empire, the Forest family and their lovely things ‘a long line of enthusiastic looters and pillagers.’ A city and nation changing but not beyond recognition. A man struggling to keep up with the times yet timeless.
I hope we get a third outing for Rilke.
Louise appeared as a guest on series3 of my BBC TV Show: The Big Scottish Book Club. You can catch her on iplayer along with dozens of other interviews.
Glasgow seems glossier but only on the surface. Glasgow is depicted in fiction far less often than Edinburgh. The great Alasdair Gray addresses this in this exchange from his classic novel Lanark...Here Thaw talks with a fellow-student at the university named McAlpin about why people don’t appreciate Glasgow:
"Glasgow is a magnificent city,” said McAlpin. “Why do we hardly ever notice that?” “Because nobody imagines living here…. think of Florence, Paris, London, New York. Nobody visiting them for the first time is a stranger because he’s already visited them in paintings, novels, history books and films. But if a city hasn’t been used by an artist not even the inhabitants live there imaginatively. "
Louise is an artist using the city and it is compelling in this novel. I loved the city in the book. And Rilke loves it too - ‘I hate the countryside and performative please-love-us countryside gays and rustic whiteness. I prefer to stay where someone might hear me scream.’ He is refered to as Glasgow's ‘dreary tobacco hued son’.
Rilke is a hugely unreliable narrator and something of an antiquarian (nod to Scott) and aware of this. ‘The imp of the perverse’ still rules his life. One friend describes him as ‘an arsehole wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.’ Yet he's great fun to be with.
The central plot is about a murder, well a body--i won't give away any spoilers. There is a bigger story here - Glasgow as second city of Empire, the Forest family and their lovely things ‘a long line of enthusiastic looters and pillagers.’ A city and nation changing but not beyond recognition. A man struggling to keep up with the times yet timeless.
I hope we get a third outing for Rilke.
Louise appeared as a guest on series3 of my BBC TV Show: The Big Scottish Book Club. You can catch her on iplayer along with dozens of other interviews.
May 14, 2022
I remember enjoying Louise Welsh’s debut novel, The Cutting Room which she released 20 years ago but to be honest, I don’t remember a lot about the novel, except for the main protagonist Rilke. In this, the follow up to that novel, we find Rilke, still working as an auctioneer for Bowery Auctions and when not working he spends his time arranging gay encounters on Grinder. Jojo, one of Rilke’s friends, tips him off to a house clearance that offers a big return to whichever auction house secures the deal. However, soon after, Jojo is found dead in a doorway in Glasgow city centre but the Police don’t seem interested in the death and Rilke takes it upon himself to get to the truth, as no one seems to care about the death. Mystery also surrounds the house clearance when a fatal car accident occurs near the house and also a Vietnamese refugee is found running away from an unknown location. Are these just coincidences or is there something more sinister afoot ?
This is a gripping read with what is a multi-strand plot which is played out mostly in Glasgow’s gay scene. Rilke is an unusual protagonist as he holds down a seemingly respectable career as an auctioneer but he is openly gay and although well known in that scene, he tends to shy away from the excesses and leads quite a solitary lifestyle, preferring random encounters with other men through the Grinder app. Although seemingly law abiding he also knows his fair share of criminals and has links to the Glasgow underworld, as well as maintaining a ‘friendship’ with Anderson, an old school pal, who is now a Police Inspector and boyfriend to his boss Rose. Within the novel we get a peek into the world of antiques and collectibles and also into the LGBTQ+ scene which is something new to me. Rilke treads a fine line during his investigation by trying to keep both the law and an up and coming wannabe gangster sweet, as he delves into the deaths. There are a lot of loose ends to tie up in the end but the novel reaches a satisfying conclusion although not everyone walks away unscathed. I just hope we don’t have to wait another 20 years for the next instalment !!
This is a gripping read with what is a multi-strand plot which is played out mostly in Glasgow’s gay scene. Rilke is an unusual protagonist as he holds down a seemingly respectable career as an auctioneer but he is openly gay and although well known in that scene, he tends to shy away from the excesses and leads quite a solitary lifestyle, preferring random encounters with other men through the Grinder app. Although seemingly law abiding he also knows his fair share of criminals and has links to the Glasgow underworld, as well as maintaining a ‘friendship’ with Anderson, an old school pal, who is now a Police Inspector and boyfriend to his boss Rose. Within the novel we get a peek into the world of antiques and collectibles and also into the LGBTQ+ scene which is something new to me. Rilke treads a fine line during his investigation by trying to keep both the law and an up and coming wannabe gangster sweet, as he delves into the deaths. There are a lot of loose ends to tie up in the end but the novel reaches a satisfying conclusion although not everyone walks away unscathed. I just hope we don’t have to wait another 20 years for the next instalment !!
February 17, 2022
“The world changes, the world stays the same”
People have waited 20 years to read more of Rilke the auctioneer and his dark, seedy adventures with Glasgow’s underbelly. Luckily for me I only had 6 months to wait and even that was long enough.
Where The Cutting Room taught us about LGBT history from around the time of Clause 28, The Second Cut shows us how much has changed for queer people in such a short space of time between two books. Ok, yes it’s 20 years or so BUT in the grand scheme of things it’s not that long!
I did miss the seedy, sexy, dangerous side of Rilke from The Cutting Room but as times have changed so has he. He has matured along with Glasgow and is more careful (but alas still manages to get himself into all different kinds of mischief- read to find out).
I loved how current it was and yet, as the above quote suggests, same old same old. As society changes, crime remains. It just gets slightly smarter. I would say that there are more crimey elements to this one than the first, but it didn’t take away from the message the author wanted to portray.
The way Louise Welsh paints a picture of Glasgow will always blow me away. No one writes Glasgow like she does, making some of the dankest, dirtiest streets seem absolutely picturesque! No one writes the people of Glasgow like her either, she just gets it. Every single type of person you would come across, Louise can conjure on the pages.
Again, Les and Rose were formidable characters and it was lovely to see where they are at in their lives now too (exactly where I expected them to be). I absolutely loved when Les and Rilke had a conversation about trans rights and how things have changed from the past. Louise has definitely used her platform, and peoples love of Rilkes story to educate and inform. Where The Cutting Room was brave, the Second Cut is just as much.
I really hope this isn’t the last we hear from Rilke. I need more. Even if I have to wait another twenty years….
People have waited 20 years to read more of Rilke the auctioneer and his dark, seedy adventures with Glasgow’s underbelly. Luckily for me I only had 6 months to wait and even that was long enough.
Where The Cutting Room taught us about LGBT history from around the time of Clause 28, The Second Cut shows us how much has changed for queer people in such a short space of time between two books. Ok, yes it’s 20 years or so BUT in the grand scheme of things it’s not that long!
I did miss the seedy, sexy, dangerous side of Rilke from The Cutting Room but as times have changed so has he. He has matured along with Glasgow and is more careful (but alas still manages to get himself into all different kinds of mischief- read to find out).
I loved how current it was and yet, as the above quote suggests, same old same old. As society changes, crime remains. It just gets slightly smarter. I would say that there are more crimey elements to this one than the first, but it didn’t take away from the message the author wanted to portray.
The way Louise Welsh paints a picture of Glasgow will always blow me away. No one writes Glasgow like she does, making some of the dankest, dirtiest streets seem absolutely picturesque! No one writes the people of Glasgow like her either, she just gets it. Every single type of person you would come across, Louise can conjure on the pages.
Again, Les and Rose were formidable characters and it was lovely to see where they are at in their lives now too (exactly where I expected them to be). I absolutely loved when Les and Rilke had a conversation about trans rights and how things have changed from the past. Louise has definitely used her platform, and peoples love of Rilkes story to educate and inform. Where The Cutting Room was brave, the Second Cut is just as much.
I really hope this isn’t the last we hear from Rilke. I need more. Even if I have to wait another twenty years….
May 5, 2022
Not having been able to visit my home country of Scotland for the last couple of years, I find myself reading a lot more books either by Scottish writers or set in Scotland. The Second Cut is the follow up to The Cutting Room, which was published over twenty years ago. They both feature the same main character, an auctioneer called Rilke, who is a gay man living in Glasgow. Because I read both books recently, it is very obvious how some things have changed for the better, but the situation is not perfect and still has a long way to go.
Rilke meets his friend Jojo at a wedding, where he passes on a tip about a house clearance in the Borders that would be financially beneficial to the firm Rilke works for, but the next day Jojo is dead. Ballantyne House proves to be a treasure trove, but all is not as it first appears.
Told in the first person from Rilke’s point of view, this story depicts a Glasgow that is so familiar and, at the same time, unknown to me; the city is almost a character in its own right. Suffused with dark humour and witty dialogue, The Second Cut is well written and expertly plotted by a writer at the top of her game. It exposes the seedy underbelly of the city – people trafficking, a new and highly dangerous drug, gay orgies, vicious gangsters – and is not for those of a sensitive disposition.
Rilke is a fascinating character and has matured in the intervening years; he is still cynical and streetwise, but not nearly so self-destructive. He is constantly walking a fine line between right and wrong, even if if gets him into trouble. The Second Cut is one of my favourite books this year so far. I have no idea if Louise Welsh is planning to write any more about Rilke, but I would definitely be up for reading it. Thanks to Canongate and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.
Rilke meets his friend Jojo at a wedding, where he passes on a tip about a house clearance in the Borders that would be financially beneficial to the firm Rilke works for, but the next day Jojo is dead. Ballantyne House proves to be a treasure trove, but all is not as it first appears.
Told in the first person from Rilke’s point of view, this story depicts a Glasgow that is so familiar and, at the same time, unknown to me; the city is almost a character in its own right. Suffused with dark humour and witty dialogue, The Second Cut is well written and expertly plotted by a writer at the top of her game. It exposes the seedy underbelly of the city – people trafficking, a new and highly dangerous drug, gay orgies, vicious gangsters – and is not for those of a sensitive disposition.
Rilke is a fascinating character and has matured in the intervening years; he is still cynical and streetwise, but not nearly so self-destructive. He is constantly walking a fine line between right and wrong, even if if gets him into trouble. The Second Cut is one of my favourite books this year so far. I have no idea if Louise Welsh is planning to write any more about Rilke, but I would definitely be up for reading it. Thanks to Canongate and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.
November 12, 2021
‘I’ve long given up questioning the logic of Mr Rilke’s actions.’
This is the seventh book by Louise Welsh that I have read, and I really like her style, whether the early crime stories or the more recent near future Plague Times trilogy. What I have yet to feel is that she has truly told a great story, her narratives just don’t quite make it, but I keep reading her books because I want to read the book when she does perfectly marry narrative, subject and style.
The Second Cut is set in Glasgow and Scotland, and has Rilke (from an earlier book, The Cutting Room) as the protagonist. The book starts with two stories:
• A meeting with Rilke’s friend/acquaintance Jojo, who is on a downwards trajectory and is found dead in a Glasgow doorway the next morning, probably of a drug overdose.
• Jojo has passed a note of a potential house contents sale to Rilke, and so he, and his antiques auction room boss, Rose, head out of the city to the countryside, Galloway. Jojo’s tip is a good one, as Ballantyne House is full of genuine antiques being sold by the nephew and his cousin on behalf of an absent elderly aunt/mother.
And you anticipate that these two disparate storylines are going to have to be connected, Jojo’s drug related death and the dodgy nephew and cousin.
I think my sense of self preservation is too different from Rilke’s (as well as lifestyle choices). You know that Rilke is going to proceed as he does, but it strained my sense of credibility, as he takes reckless actions, too reckless.
Welsh writes beautifully, she conjures up an interesting milieu to read about and the various stories are lovingly tied up at the end. However, this is not a perfect narrative and I was railing against the stupidity/unbelievability of Rilke’s character/actions at various times. So this is still not Welsh’s masterpiece, but it was a good read and I already await her next book. I live in hope.
I received a Netgalley copy of this book, but this review is my honest opinion.
This is the seventh book by Louise Welsh that I have read, and I really like her style, whether the early crime stories or the more recent near future Plague Times trilogy. What I have yet to feel is that she has truly told a great story, her narratives just don’t quite make it, but I keep reading her books because I want to read the book when she does perfectly marry narrative, subject and style.
The Second Cut is set in Glasgow and Scotland, and has Rilke (from an earlier book, The Cutting Room) as the protagonist. The book starts with two stories:
• A meeting with Rilke’s friend/acquaintance Jojo, who is on a downwards trajectory and is found dead in a Glasgow doorway the next morning, probably of a drug overdose.
• Jojo has passed a note of a potential house contents sale to Rilke, and so he, and his antiques auction room boss, Rose, head out of the city to the countryside, Galloway. Jojo’s tip is a good one, as Ballantyne House is full of genuine antiques being sold by the nephew and his cousin on behalf of an absent elderly aunt/mother.
And you anticipate that these two disparate storylines are going to have to be connected, Jojo’s drug related death and the dodgy nephew and cousin.
I think my sense of self preservation is too different from Rilke’s (as well as lifestyle choices). You know that Rilke is going to proceed as he does, but it strained my sense of credibility, as he takes reckless actions, too reckless.
Welsh writes beautifully, she conjures up an interesting milieu to read about and the various stories are lovingly tied up at the end. However, this is not a perfect narrative and I was railing against the stupidity/unbelievability of Rilke’s character/actions at various times. So this is still not Welsh’s masterpiece, but it was a good read and I already await her next book. I live in hope.
I received a Netgalley copy of this book, but this review is my honest opinion.
February 27, 2022
I had put that I wouldn’t recommend this book for purchase but I see the chain I work for already has it on order. I guess when you work for a chain store you can’t dictate which stores get what stock. In the store where I work a lot of our customers are elderly conservative folk, I don’t think this would appeal to the “Lucinda Riley” readers. A lot of sales are hand sells so I am hoping this gets many good reviews so it sells itself.
Rilke is a Glaswegian antiques dealer and auctioneer. He is also homosexual and partial to one time hook ups on Grindr. The story opens at the wedding of two Bobs, and Rilke meeting up with acquaintance JoJo. The next day JoJo turns up dead in a doorway down a secluded alley. The police aren’t too interested in a possible junkie overdoes but Rilke can’t keep it out of his mind and starts asking questions. JoJo has also given Rilke a heads up on an estate lot of items up for auction. everything seems to be connected and the multiple side stories running through the novel are in fact all related.
I had at the start thought I might not finish the book as it really didn’t grab me as others have, but the many positive and rave reviews convinced me to finish. It’s not a bad story, in fact it’s well told and from what I have heard from LBQT friends, oh so real.
#TheSecondCut #NetGalley
Rilke is a Glaswegian antiques dealer and auctioneer. He is also homosexual and partial to one time hook ups on Grindr. The story opens at the wedding of two Bobs, and Rilke meeting up with acquaintance JoJo. The next day JoJo turns up dead in a doorway down a secluded alley. The police aren’t too interested in a possible junkie overdoes but Rilke can’t keep it out of his mind and starts asking questions. JoJo has also given Rilke a heads up on an estate lot of items up for auction. everything seems to be connected and the multiple side stories running through the novel are in fact all related.
I had at the start thought I might not finish the book as it really didn’t grab me as others have, but the many positive and rave reviews convinced me to finish. It’s not a bad story, in fact it’s well told and from what I have heard from LBQT friends, oh so real.
#TheSecondCut #NetGalley
April 1, 2024
Despite saying I wouldn't be continuing with this series after finishing the first book curiosity got the better of me and I'm so glad it did. For me, this the second book in the series, was so much better. It has the same seedy grittiness and I'm still not massively keen on main character Rilke but it makes for a compelling and different read.
It's dark and uncomfortable at times but shows a completely different side to Glasgow. It is a little on the slow side but I found myself being pulled into the story and the lives of these characters.
Rilke makes for a morally grey lead. He still gives me the creeps a bit but there is something fascinating about him. He's very much the reluctant and unwilling hero of the piece, getting dragged into situations he'd rather avoid, but he does seem to have something of a conscience.
The story itself has a few twists and turns along the way but there are no real surprises. The writing is brilliant, bringing both the setting and characters to life in all their horror and bleakness.
Overall I'm glad I carried on with this and look forward to any more to come.
It's dark and uncomfortable at times but shows a completely different side to Glasgow. It is a little on the slow side but I found myself being pulled into the story and the lives of these characters.
Rilke makes for a morally grey lead. He still gives me the creeps a bit but there is something fascinating about him. He's very much the reluctant and unwilling hero of the piece, getting dragged into situations he'd rather avoid, but he does seem to have something of a conscience.
The story itself has a few twists and turns along the way but there are no real surprises. The writing is brilliant, bringing both the setting and characters to life in all their horror and bleakness.
Overall I'm glad I carried on with this and look forward to any more to come.
January 28, 2022
The return of Rilke the auctioneer who often finds himself in Glasgow's murky underworld. In this sequel (not really necessary to read the first book from 20 years ago) Rilke is plodding through life minding his own business when a house clearance tip off from old friend Jojo looks like it might help the auction house out. Then Jojo turns up dead in an alleyway the day after. Rilke is the last person to see him alive, was it a case of one party too many? How wild was the party? Rilke is as nosy as ever and keeps asking the wrong people questions.
I only have distant memories of Rilke from the first novel but I remember the way he doggedly gets himself into trouble despite everyone telling him to keep his nose out. With anonymous sexual encounters, party drugs that help orgies along and some human trafficking he's definitely found more trouble than usual. The supporting characters although brief are well done, and I like that not all the baddies are totally bad and the goodies and always that good.
Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the review copy.
I only have distant memories of Rilke from the first novel but I remember the way he doggedly gets himself into trouble despite everyone telling him to keep his nose out. With anonymous sexual encounters, party drugs that help orgies along and some human trafficking he's definitely found more trouble than usual. The supporting characters although brief are well done, and I like that not all the baddies are totally bad and the goodies and always that good.
Thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the review copy.
December 17, 2021
The main character in this book is Rilke, a gay auctioneer who lives and works in Glasgow. The gay scene is one of the main settings in this book and is described in all it's glory. If the description of wild sex parties is likely to offend you this is not the book for you. There are also a couple of mysteries/crimes where Rilke becomes involved.
Rilke is, at times, an obnoxious character and this is illustrated by some of his interactions with others. He has dealings with others on both sides of the law and his adventures are well described. His associates are many and mostly portrayed in a couple of sentences. This mostly gives a good impression of the characters though minor characters are somewhat two dimensional.
All in all I enjoyed this book , I don't shock easily and am quite broad minded and would definitely read more from the author.
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
Rilke is, at times, an obnoxious character and this is illustrated by some of his interactions with others. He has dealings with others on both sides of the law and his adventures are well described. His associates are many and mostly portrayed in a couple of sentences. This mostly gives a good impression of the characters though minor characters are somewhat two dimensional.
All in all I enjoyed this book , I don't shock easily and am quite broad minded and would definitely read more from the author.
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review
July 2, 2024
I really enjoyed The Cutting Room, I read it when The Second Cut came out and I have only just got round to reading The Second Cut now. It’s a good sequel. The story is incredibly character driven, which is great as I really do like Rilke, Rose and Anderson. The exploration of the ‘older’ gay scene in Glasgow is very interesting and this was the real highlight for me. I found the queer characters and the portrayal of the lead character’s sexuality to be honest, funny and shocking without being caricatures. This story just wasn’t quite as engaging as the first in the series, the plot doesn’t crescendo in the same way towards any major grand reveal and I found the ending of the main plot fairly predictable. The side plot of Jojo came to an underwhelming resolution which I guess might be the point? I don’t know. Overall, it was enjoyable and it was great to revisit these characters. However, it was a bit slow in places.
August 17, 2022
I am so cross at myself for not knowing that The Second Cut by Louise Welsh is a sequel. I really enjoyed The Second Cut but really wish I had read The Cutting Room first. Not that you need to read The Cutting Room to enjoy The Second Cut. The characters are well drawn out and because it is 20 years later from the first book you don’t really feel like there is connecting threads of plot (I may think differently after I read The Cutting Room).
The story focuses on Rilke and how he manages to get himself entangled in the criminal underbelly of Glasgow and can’t seem to claw his way out of it. The death of a close friend Jojo leaves Rilke the unappealing task of getting rid of the accumulation of Jojo’s life. In doing so, Rilke discovers that Jojo was up to all sorts of dodgy things and it nis now up to Rilke to sort out a dead man’s life.
Funny in places, intense in others – The Second Cut is a must for fans of crime novels.
The Second Cut by Louise Welsh is available now.
The story focuses on Rilke and how he manages to get himself entangled in the criminal underbelly of Glasgow and can’t seem to claw his way out of it. The death of a close friend Jojo leaves Rilke the unappealing task of getting rid of the accumulation of Jojo’s life. In doing so, Rilke discovers that Jojo was up to all sorts of dodgy things and it nis now up to Rilke to sort out a dead man’s life.
Funny in places, intense in others – The Second Cut is a must for fans of crime novels.
The Second Cut by Louise Welsh is available now.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 206 reviews