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The Scotsman
The Scotsmansis the story of a Glasgow detective investigating his own daughter's death in Washington, D.C. Six months after the murder of Catriona Cowan, a Scottish exchange student, her father arrives in D.C. skeptical of the findings of an earlier police investigation. Chic Cowan's own inquiries lead him from the deprived neighborhoods of Southeast D.C. to the townhouses of Capitol Hill and to the suspicion that his daughter's death is connected to an upcoming Senate election. But the obsessed and grieving father, wrestling with sobriety, comes to question his own sanity as he closes in on the truth.
250 pages, Paperback
Published November 17, 2023
1 person is currently reading
13 people want to read
About the author
Robert McClure
4 books9 followersRobert McClure read pulp fiction as a kid when he should have been studying, but ultimately cracked down enough to obtain a bachelor’s in criminology from Murray State University and a law degree from the University of Louisville. He is now an attorney and crime fiction writer who lives and works in Louisville, Kentucky.
His story “My Son” appeared in The Best American Mystery Stories, and he has had other works published in MudRock: Stories & Tales, Hardboiled, Thug Lit, and Plots with Guns.
Find Robert McClure on Facebook
His story “My Son” appeared in The Best American Mystery Stories, and he has had other works published in MudRock: Stories & Tales, Hardboiled, Thug Lit, and Plots with Guns.
Find Robert McClure on Facebook
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 1, 2023
Scottish DI Chic Cowan hears of his daughters murder while he's in rehab, but there's something else, her body was found 4,000 miles away in Washington DC. Arriving in Washington DC he is confronted with problems, nobody wants to talk to him. Chic is old-school and when he sets his mind to something he'll not stop. Chic wants the truth about his daughter's murder, but will he find it?
Rob McClure has created a storyline and a character, Chic that works well together. I'm looking forward in seeing what is next for DI Chic Cowan.
Rob McClure has created a storyline and a character, Chic that works well together. I'm looking forward in seeing what is next for DI Chic Cowan.
December 1, 2023
The trope of a police officer investigating a crime "off patch" or in an unfamiliar mileu is not new, especially in film. At its corniest, we had John Wayne in Brannigan (1975) as the Chicago cop sent to London to help extradite a criminal, and in Coogan's Bluff (1968), Clint Eastwood's Arizona policeman, complete with Stetson, is sent to New York on another extradition mission. Black Rain (1989) has Michael Douglas locking horns with the Yakuza in Japan, and who can forget Liam Neeson's unkindness towards Parisian Albanians in Taken (2018), but apart from 9 Dragons (2009), where Michael Connolly's Harry Bosch goes to war with the Triads in Hong Kong, I can't recall many crime novels in the same vein. Rob McClure (left) balances this out with his debut novel, The Scotsman, which was edited by Luca Veste.
Charles 'Chic' Cowan is a Glasgow cop, and his daughter, Catriona, was studying at an Washington DC university when she was shot dead on the Metro. CCTV footage shows that her assailants were two black men, one of whom later ends up dead as a result of feuding between drug gangs. The local police remain mystified as to who the other shooter was, and they are also baffled by an apparent lack of motive, and the fact that the shooting - at close range with a small calibre pistol - has all the hallmarks of a contract killing. Cowan travels to DC in an attempt to discover the truth.
Our man is a synthesis of every Scottish copper we have ever read about. He is undoubtedly intelligent, but abrasive in his speech and manner. He used to like a drink or six but is now 'on the wagon', and has a jaundiced view of humanity, hence a nice collection of one-line gags. He recalls a fracas he was involved in at a family wedding in an insalubrious district of Glasgow:
"Easterhouse was the kind of place Ethiopia held rock concerts for."
Cowan has long since separated from Catriona's mother, and the more he investigates her life in the American capital, the more he realises how little he knew her. To start with, she was a lesbian, and it is when he discovers her relationship with a political journalist that he realises her murder is connected to something rotten in the state of American politics.
The closer he gets to the reason for his daughter's murder, the more dangerous the men who are sent after him, but one by one, they come to rue the fact that the back streets of Glasgow make the sidewalks of Washington Highlands/Bellevue look like a Disney theme park by comparison. It is in places like Possilpark and Govan that Cowan learned every dirty trick in the book, and one involves a very inventive use of a piece of plywood, a razor blade, a length of duct tape and some knicker elastic. As for inducing a pursuer to 'fall off' a Metro platform thus making the acquaintance of the third rail, it is straight out of Cowan's Glasgow playbook.
The Scotsman contains scorching violence, graveyard humour, and is as black as night - a rare 'two session' read for me. I don't do star ratings, but if I did, it would be a five. I wasn't fussed about the romantic interlude, but if it gives Cowan an excuse to return and cull a few more DC lowlife, then I'll give his moments of passion a thumbs-up. The book is published by Black Spring and is available now.
Charles 'Chic' Cowan is a Glasgow cop, and his daughter, Catriona, was studying at an Washington DC university when she was shot dead on the Metro. CCTV footage shows that her assailants were two black men, one of whom later ends up dead as a result of feuding between drug gangs. The local police remain mystified as to who the other shooter was, and they are also baffled by an apparent lack of motive, and the fact that the shooting - at close range with a small calibre pistol - has all the hallmarks of a contract killing. Cowan travels to DC in an attempt to discover the truth.
Our man is a synthesis of every Scottish copper we have ever read about. He is undoubtedly intelligent, but abrasive in his speech and manner. He used to like a drink or six but is now 'on the wagon', and has a jaundiced view of humanity, hence a nice collection of one-line gags. He recalls a fracas he was involved in at a family wedding in an insalubrious district of Glasgow:
"Easterhouse was the kind of place Ethiopia held rock concerts for."
Cowan has long since separated from Catriona's mother, and the more he investigates her life in the American capital, the more he realises how little he knew her. To start with, she was a lesbian, and it is when he discovers her relationship with a political journalist that he realises her murder is connected to something rotten in the state of American politics.
The closer he gets to the reason for his daughter's murder, the more dangerous the men who are sent after him, but one by one, they come to rue the fact that the back streets of Glasgow make the sidewalks of Washington Highlands/Bellevue look like a Disney theme park by comparison. It is in places like Possilpark and Govan that Cowan learned every dirty trick in the book, and one involves a very inventive use of a piece of plywood, a razor blade, a length of duct tape and some knicker elastic. As for inducing a pursuer to 'fall off' a Metro platform thus making the acquaintance of the third rail, it is straight out of Cowan's Glasgow playbook.
The Scotsman contains scorching violence, graveyard humour, and is as black as night - a rare 'two session' read for me. I don't do star ratings, but if I did, it would be a five. I wasn't fussed about the romantic interlude, but if it gives Cowan an excuse to return and cull a few more DC lowlife, then I'll give his moments of passion a thumbs-up. The book is published by Black Spring and is available now.
December 4, 2023
‘The Scotsman’ is a brilliant debut novel that was full of tension and built-up rage! I was very excited to read that this was a new Tartan Noir book, as I am passionate about Scottish crime writers. Albeit this one is set in Washington DC, it still had a lot of the hallmarks of what makes a great Scottish crime book!
DI Chic Cowan is on his way to Washington DC to find out more about the murder of his daughter. He doesn't believe that it was a mugging gone wrong and wants to investigate for himself! All he has is a flyer with a phone number and a date as a clue. When he arrives he meets with Detective Macdonald who was the lead investigator and sees there are many holes in the case that he can look into. With the help of one of his daughter’s friends, Deyone, he looks into the death and finds links to the government his investigation is going to have repercussions for him and those close to him!
Chic Cowan is the epitome of the old-school cop from the hard side of Glasgow! He definitely has the Glasgow patter! Despite the darkness in him I loved Cowan as a character and enjoyed his style of detection! Basically, kick down the doors and let's see what happens. Cowan actually reminded me of my Uncle with all his bravado and banter with people, his causal racism and sexism but yet you can't help but warm to him somehow.
I flew through this book in one day, it was thoroughly entertaining, had a punchy pace to it and it certainly kept me guessing throughout! It doesn't read like a debut novel at all, the writing is brilliant and the characters are well-formed with distinctive voices.
Let me know if you pick this one up!
DI Chic Cowan is on his way to Washington DC to find out more about the murder of his daughter. He doesn't believe that it was a mugging gone wrong and wants to investigate for himself! All he has is a flyer with a phone number and a date as a clue. When he arrives he meets with Detective Macdonald who was the lead investigator and sees there are many holes in the case that he can look into. With the help of one of his daughter’s friends, Deyone, he looks into the death and finds links to the government his investigation is going to have repercussions for him and those close to him!
Chic Cowan is the epitome of the old-school cop from the hard side of Glasgow! He definitely has the Glasgow patter! Despite the darkness in him I loved Cowan as a character and enjoyed his style of detection! Basically, kick down the doors and let's see what happens. Cowan actually reminded me of my Uncle with all his bravado and banter with people, his causal racism and sexism but yet you can't help but warm to him somehow.
I flew through this book in one day, it was thoroughly entertaining, had a punchy pace to it and it certainly kept me guessing throughout! It doesn't read like a debut novel at all, the writing is brilliant and the characters are well-formed with distinctive voices.
Let me know if you pick this one up!
November 26, 2023
A murder mystery with a difference and for a debut novel a brilliant compelling read.
DI Chic Cowan is a Scottish detective who goes to Washington DC. His daughter was murdered there several months earlier in what the police have called a mugging gone wrong. At the time he was in detox and couldn’t make the funeral. In despair but wanting to understand better what happened he has taken a week off to visit the city.
Briefly, once in Washington he finds himself struggling with the police, his daughters friends and the political system in trying to get answers to even his most basic questions. Is it that nobody can understand his accent or is there something being kept from him? Slowly he starts to unravel the truth about how her daughter lived her life and how it affected its ending. Despite facing lethal threats himself Cowan doggedly persists in searching for the truth.
Cowan is a hard boiled character who is grieving and a recovering alcoholic to boot but even given all that I did find him incredibly annoying at times. His softer side is in evidence when, somewhat surprisingly, he meets a lady he is very attracted to but is his presence going put her at risk? This really crawls into the underbelly of high powered, political life in America’s capital city, where anything can be done for a price. A thoroughly entertaining read and look forward to seeing more of Chic Cowan.
4.5⭐️ rounded down
DI Chic Cowan is a Scottish detective who goes to Washington DC. His daughter was murdered there several months earlier in what the police have called a mugging gone wrong. At the time he was in detox and couldn’t make the funeral. In despair but wanting to understand better what happened he has taken a week off to visit the city.
Briefly, once in Washington he finds himself struggling with the police, his daughters friends and the political system in trying to get answers to even his most basic questions. Is it that nobody can understand his accent or is there something being kept from him? Slowly he starts to unravel the truth about how her daughter lived her life and how it affected its ending. Despite facing lethal threats himself Cowan doggedly persists in searching for the truth.
Cowan is a hard boiled character who is grieving and a recovering alcoholic to boot but even given all that I did find him incredibly annoying at times. His softer side is in evidence when, somewhat surprisingly, he meets a lady he is very attracted to but is his presence going put her at risk? This really crawls into the underbelly of high powered, political life in America’s capital city, where anything can be done for a price. A thoroughly entertaining read and look forward to seeing more of Chic Cowan.
4.5⭐️ rounded down
February 11, 2024
We meet Detective Chic Cowan who is from Scotland but has travelled to the US after investigations into his daughter's murder seem to have gone quiet. Whilst I felt for Cowan losing a child, I knew it wouldn't be a good thing to take the law into his own hands more so in a different country. As expected, he starts to ruffle more than a few feathers with his questions which has the reader fearing for his own safety.
The story is set at a slower pace for me than I am used to for a crime thriller. Whilst there is some action, there is a lot more talking. With having only thirteen chapters in total, I think this may have made it feel longer than it probably actually was. Cowan, for me, is your stereo typical Scottish detective. Obviously he has his demons, more so with the recent loss of his daughter but I found his jokey come backs a little over the top. Don't get me wrong, some parts made me smile but it felt like he was trying to be a comedian all the time but this is probably to cover up the deep sadness he feels.
Over all it's a solid debut novel. Cowan definitely grew on me although it did take a while. There are some cleverly placed twists that kept me intrigued to read more, more so towards the end which had me on edge.
My thanks to Black Spring Crime Series for a readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
The story is set at a slower pace for me than I am used to for a crime thriller. Whilst there is some action, there is a lot more talking. With having only thirteen chapters in total, I think this may have made it feel longer than it probably actually was. Cowan, for me, is your stereo typical Scottish detective. Obviously he has his demons, more so with the recent loss of his daughter but I found his jokey come backs a little over the top. Don't get me wrong, some parts made me smile but it felt like he was trying to be a comedian all the time but this is probably to cover up the deep sadness he feels.
Over all it's a solid debut novel. Cowan definitely grew on me although it did take a while. There are some cleverly placed twists that kept me intrigued to read more, more so towards the end which had me on edge.
My thanks to Black Spring Crime Series for a readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own and not biased in anyway.
December 12, 2023
This book was beyond brilliant. The writing style was absolutely excellent and truly made this book an epically good read.
This takes place when a country is falling apart at the seams, and all the turmoil makes everyone wary of people, especially when it seems like something sinister might be taking place. The main character works through the heartbreaking steps of trying to figure out what happened to his daughter and why, when he uncovers what looks to be something a bit more hairy than a simple accident or wrong place and wrong time situation.
As we get to know the main character, we see deep into his mind, how he works, how he thinks and how he solves things. It is very interesting to watch him tick and try to see if you can figure out the next step or piece of the puzzle.
The author provides a brilliant level of detail. One which was able to truly bring the characters and the situation to life.
Overall I absolutely loved this book. I will definitely be reading more from this author!
This takes place when a country is falling apart at the seams, and all the turmoil makes everyone wary of people, especially when it seems like something sinister might be taking place. The main character works through the heartbreaking steps of trying to figure out what happened to his daughter and why, when he uncovers what looks to be something a bit more hairy than a simple accident or wrong place and wrong time situation.
As we get to know the main character, we see deep into his mind, how he works, how he thinks and how he solves things. It is very interesting to watch him tick and try to see if you can figure out the next step or piece of the puzzle.
The author provides a brilliant level of detail. One which was able to truly bring the characters and the situation to life.
Overall I absolutely loved this book. I will definitely be reading more from this author!
December 7, 2023
I've really been loving the amount of brilliant indie Scottish crime that's been on offer recently - and was really hoping that this would be another great new read for my list.
When I spotted that the setting was actually in the USA, I have to admit to being a little disappointed and worried that the lack of the rural setting might not do it for me!
Somehow, this really worked and I loved it.
When old school Glasgow detective Chic Cowan heard that his daughter had been murdered, he determined to find the killer - the only problem - he was stuck in rehab and she was murdered 4000 miles away!
I actually loved seeing how Chic managed to get by whilst in the US.
Apart from the culture and the politics being totally alien to him, he also had to fight his way through the differences in the judicial service too.
And to top it off, nobody understood his accent!
As a character, Chic was a great one to explore.
A really interesting background in his own right - a recovering alchoholic - and I love that he did things old school!
Now grieving his daughter has fuelled his determination and there was no stopping him.
The storyline was exciting and fast-paced and there was always lots going on, which made this a difficult one to put down.
The writing style fitted perfectly and I was hooked from start to finish.
A brilliant debut novel and I can't wait to see if Chic will be back for more in this series - or whether we'll be seeing something a bit different from this author.
When I spotted that the setting was actually in the USA, I have to admit to being a little disappointed and worried that the lack of the rural setting might not do it for me!
Somehow, this really worked and I loved it.
When old school Glasgow detective Chic Cowan heard that his daughter had been murdered, he determined to find the killer - the only problem - he was stuck in rehab and she was murdered 4000 miles away!
I actually loved seeing how Chic managed to get by whilst in the US.
Apart from the culture and the politics being totally alien to him, he also had to fight his way through the differences in the judicial service too.
And to top it off, nobody understood his accent!
As a character, Chic was a great one to explore.
A really interesting background in his own right - a recovering alchoholic - and I love that he did things old school!
Now grieving his daughter has fuelled his determination and there was no stopping him.
The storyline was exciting and fast-paced and there was always lots going on, which made this a difficult one to put down.
The writing style fitted perfectly and I was hooked from start to finish.
A brilliant debut novel and I can't wait to see if Chic will be back for more in this series - or whether we'll be seeing something a bit different from this author.
December 13, 2023
I found it hard to like Cowan, but he had his moments where I totally understood his hard shell. He was a grieving father and there were some tender scenes in there as he remembers his daughter and their times together. He is also an alcoholic in recovery and he has sarcasm in spades. When he comes across the very proper people who are irritating beyond measure, I knew he’d come out with something that would offend their propriety and make me chuckle.
Chic Cowan is alternately funny and extremely irritating but I can see he’s going to be a massive character. He’s as dark as they come but underneath where his daughter’s memory is he’s softer than ever. A really damaged, dark character but it’s a really good read and I hope to learn more about him.
Chic Cowan is alternately funny and extremely irritating but I can see he’s going to be a massive character. He’s as dark as they come but underneath where his daughter’s memory is he’s softer than ever. A really damaged, dark character but it’s a really good read and I hope to learn more about him.
August 16, 2025
A dark and gripping thriller that pulls you into a father’s relentless search for justice. Chic Cowan is a complex and compelling protagonist, and the story’s tension, moral ambiguity, and twists make it impossible to put down. A haunting exploration of grief, obsession, and truth.
December 17, 2023
Intriguing read with a great main protagonist.
Full review to follow.
Full review to follow.
January 15, 2024
Chic Cowan is not just a grieving father, he is also a hard-boiled Glasgow detective. When he takes some leave from the mean streets of his home city and heads to Washington to carry out his own enquiries into his daughter's murder, he discovers that the worst skullduggery in the backstreets of Glasgow cannot compare with the insidious reach of designer-suited ne'er-do-wells at the beating heart of American democracy.
I'm not going to lie, I found Chic Cowan incredibly frustrating in his inability to just have a reasonable conversation with those who might have been able to give him useful information. But then, he is a man in the depths of grief and a recovering alcoholic to boot. Be prepared to cut him some slack as he ricochets his way around Washington, getting on everybody's nerves with his wise-cracking, non-pc, non-woke approach to life.
Yet he's not unlikable, and as the novel gathers pace, we know that deep down (like, really DEEP down) he's not the dinosaur he makes himself out to be. There are wonderful lyrical flights of language in the book that clue us in to the fact that Cowan really is more than just a head-butting old-school detective. Let me find one at random for you. This, from p250: "The morning rain had left a wet jewellery of cars and gelatinous leaves in scummy puddles. Underfoot was a blue mud with sky in it". He also falls in love - as all the best detectives in Noir do - and so we get to see Cowan as a man with frailties and doubts, not just a bolshie Glaswegian copper.
As he pieces together what happened to his daughter, Cowan travels between the roughest parts of DC and the glass-fronted sky-scrapers that are America's political powerhouses; the puppets and the puppeteers. People so powerful that dead bodies can just disappear.
Cowan takes them all on and by the time the answers come, he is is a man redeemed, but not one that is prepared to forgive and forget. Here's to the next book in the series!
I'm not going to lie, I found Chic Cowan incredibly frustrating in his inability to just have a reasonable conversation with those who might have been able to give him useful information. But then, he is a man in the depths of grief and a recovering alcoholic to boot. Be prepared to cut him some slack as he ricochets his way around Washington, getting on everybody's nerves with his wise-cracking, non-pc, non-woke approach to life.
Yet he's not unlikable, and as the novel gathers pace, we know that deep down (like, really DEEP down) he's not the dinosaur he makes himself out to be. There are wonderful lyrical flights of language in the book that clue us in to the fact that Cowan really is more than just a head-butting old-school detective. Let me find one at random for you. This, from p250: "The morning rain had left a wet jewellery of cars and gelatinous leaves in scummy puddles. Underfoot was a blue mud with sky in it". He also falls in love - as all the best detectives in Noir do - and so we get to see Cowan as a man with frailties and doubts, not just a bolshie Glaswegian copper.
As he pieces together what happened to his daughter, Cowan travels between the roughest parts of DC and the glass-fronted sky-scrapers that are America's political powerhouses; the puppets and the puppeteers. People so powerful that dead bodies can just disappear.
Cowan takes them all on and by the time the answers come, he is is a man redeemed, but not one that is prepared to forgive and forget. Here's to the next book in the series!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews