Laidlaw (novel)
![]() First edition | |
Author | William McIlvanney |
---|---|
Language | English |
Series | Laidlaw #1 |
Genre | crime fiction |
Publisher | Hodder and Stoughton |
Publication date | 1977 |
Publication place | Scotland |
Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
Pages | 224 |
ISBN | 0340207272 |
OCLC | 3108663 |
823/.9/14 | |
LC Class | PZ4.M1498 Lai PR6063.A237 |
Followed by | The Papers of Tony Veitch |
Laidlaw is the first novel of a series of crime books by William McIlvanney, first published in 1977.[1] It features the eponymous detective in his attempts to find the brutal sex related murderer of a Glasgow teenager. Laidlaw is marked by his unconventional methods in tracking the killer, immersing himself in a 1970s Glasgow featuring violence and bigotry.
When Laidlaw was released in 1977, McIlvanney was known for recently winning the Whitbread Prize with his historical family novel, Docherty, and as a complete departure from that genre and surprised many of his readers.[2]
This novel is considered the first 'Tartan Noir' and is cited as being inspiration for the Rebus novels by Ian Rankin.[3] Alan Massie wrote that "Hemingway used to say that all American literature came out of Huckleberry Finn; all Scottish crime writing — ‘tartan noir’ — comes out of Laidlaw."[2]
References
- ^ Dickson, Beth. "William McIlvanney's Laidlaw Novels". The Association for Scottish Literary Studies. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
- ^ a b Massie, Alan (6 July 2013). "Laidlaw by William McIlvanney - review". The Spectator. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
- ^ Johnstone, Doug (11 August 2013). "How William McIlvanney invented tartan noir". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 July 2015.