The Papers of Tony Veitch

* Glittering -- Val McDermid * Brilliant ... grips like a mangling handshake Sunday Times * The good news is that Laidlaw is back Observer * A crime trilogy so searing it will burn forever into your memory. McIlvanney is the original Scottish criminal mastermind -- Christopher Brookmyre * The Laidlaw books are not just great crime novels, they are important -- Mark Billingham * It's doubtful I would be a crime writer without the influence of McIlvanney -- Ian Rankin * Enthralling ... an unsual, unique rendition of a city and a society Scotsman * In a class of his own Guardian * The Laidlaw books are like fine malt whisky - the pure distilled essence of Scottish crime writing -- Peter May * A messy plot of corruption is on the brew for Laidlaw to cope with in his disillusioned but brilliantly expressed way Sunday Telegraph * Fastest, first and best, Laidlaw is the melancholy heir to Marlowe. Reads like a breathless scalpel cut through the bloody heart of a city -- Denise Mina * Laidlaw is an enduring hero with the dry wit and insight to make other literary detectives seem two-dimensional. McIlvanney is the razor king of Scottish crime writing -- Gordon Ferris * Compelling ... McIlvanney lays bare the soul of Glasgow, capturing every nuance of its many voices -- Alex Gray * McIlvanney paints a world of harsh reality, but does so in language that is strangely beautiful and hauntingly poetic. His work defies pigeonholing in any genre: this is simply great writing from a master of his craft -- Craig Russell * Fiercely evocative and witty with it ... McIlvanney renders absurd the traditional distinctions between novelists and writers of detective fiction Literary Review