Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Böcker från/som utspelar sig i Skottland står av någon anledning väldigt högt i kurs hos mig. Dessvärre är det inte alltid de funkar. Blodig januari blev jag väldigt nyfiken på när jag såg den och en vacker dag så dök den upp här hemma på hallmattan. Det var ett tag sedan nu, men nu är den äntligen läst och vad passar bättre än att läsa den i januari. Läs mer på min blogg
Detective Harry McCoy should have listened to his snitch. Now he’s sitting beside the body of a teenager who just killed himself after shooting a waitress in the middle of a busy Glasgow street. Harry doesn’t now it yet but things are about to get much worse. So much so that years from now they’ll still refer to it as Bloody January.
This is a dark police procedural that takes us back to 1973. Glasgow is a gritty, violent place with territorial crime bosses, bent cops & an established class system. There are 2 sets of rules…one for those with influence & another for those deemed disposable.
Harry falls somewhere in the middle. He’s an old school cop, struggling to adapt to changes within the department & society. While he works hard to put away the guilty, he has a soft spot for those who are down on their luck. He has his own set of rules when it comes to keeping the peace that includes a close relationship with hard man Stevie Cooper. Most of his colleagues figure Harry is in it for the perks but we come to learn it’s much more complex than that. Their history gradually unfolds as the main plot plays out & it gives us heartbreaking insight into Harry’s character.
The bodies continue to pile up over the course of a few weeks & everything seems to point toward the wealthiest family in Glasgow. Lord Dunlop is an arrogant, privileged man well known to Harry. His position comes with influence that reaches the highest levels of government & law enforcement. So it’s no surprise when Harry is duly warned: stay away from his Lordship & find another suspect.
Ah, but what fun would that be? Besides, Harry has been saddled with a shiny new partner named Wattie & someone has to teach him the ropes. And as Harry drags him down dark allies full of prostitutes, criminals & the homeless, Wattie’s eyes are well & truly opened.
I’m astonished this is a debut novel. It’s well paced with a narrative that perfectly evokes the setting. Scenes are full of the clothing, hairstyles & music of the day & that mixed with dialogue full of local vernacular leaves you in no doubt of the time or place. But just a heads up, there is plenty of violence & sexual abuse. It informs the plot lines & fits the story but some may find certain scenes upsetting.
This is a well written, atmospheric addition to the genre of tartan noir & if Harry should pop up in a book #2, I’ll be more than happy to go along for the ride.
This is a dark police procedural that takes us back to 1973. Glasgow is a gritty, violent place with territorial crime bosses, bent cops & an established class system. There are 2 sets of rules…one for those with influence & another for those deemed disposable.
Harry falls somewhere in the middle. He’s an old school cop, struggling to adapt to changes within the department & society. While he works hard to put away the guilty, he has a soft spot for those who are down on their luck. He has his own set of rules when it comes to keeping the peace that includes a close relationship with hard man Stevie Cooper. Most of his colleagues figure Harry is in it for the perks but we come to learn it’s much more complex than that. Their history gradually unfolds as the main plot plays out & it gives us heartbreaking insight into Harry’s character.
The bodies continue to pile up over the course of a few weeks & everything seems to point toward the wealthiest family in Glasgow. Lord Dunlop is an arrogant, privileged man well known to Harry. His position comes with influence that reaches the highest levels of government & law enforcement. So it’s no surprise when Harry is duly warned: stay away from his Lordship & find another suspect.
Ah, but what fun would that be? Besides, Harry has been saddled with a shiny new partner named Wattie & someone has to teach him the ropes. And as Harry drags him down dark allies full of prostitutes, criminals & the homeless, Wattie’s eyes are well & truly opened.
I’m astonished this is a debut novel. It’s well paced with a narrative that perfectly evokes the setting. Scenes are full of the clothing, hairstyles & music of the day & that mixed with dialogue full of local vernacular leaves you in no doubt of the time or place. But just a heads up, there is plenty of violence & sexual abuse. It informs the plot lines & fits the story but some may find certain scenes upsetting.
This is a well written, atmospheric addition to the genre of tartan noir & if Harry should pop up in a book #2, I’ll be more than happy to go along for the ride.
Parks introduces to Inspector Harry McCoy as he traverses 1973 Glasgow in search of why a woman was shot and killed at the city's bus station and the assailant took his own life moments later. McCoy's voice is booming and drags you fully into his world, which is meticulously created. Parks can be forgiven for the seeming cavalcade of crime genre tropes as he has built a character and world so strong.
The mystery of the story almost isn't a mystery and the novel acts as a way into the life of McCoy and all its messes. The supporting cast ain't half bad either in the junior detective, Wattie, who puts the green in Greenock, Murray, the Chief Inspector, who is McCoy's last supporter, but never afraid to give him a rocket up the arse and the unhinged Stevie Cooper, who protected McCoy during their days under the "care" of the Catholic Church and never lets him forget it.
I'm excited to get to the other four novels in the series and gutted it's taken me so long to get round to the first!
The mystery of the story almost isn't a mystery and the novel acts as a way into the life of McCoy and all its messes. The supporting cast ain't half bad either in the junior detective, Wattie, who puts the green in Greenock, Murray, the Chief Inspector, who is McCoy's last supporter, but never afraid to give him a rocket up the arse and the unhinged Stevie Cooper, who protected McCoy during their days under the "care" of the Catholic Church and never lets him forget it.
I'm excited to get to the other four novels in the series and gutted it's taken me so long to get round to the first!
Gritty Glasgow Noir, capturing the early 70s very well, and many bygone pubs and curry houses. Excellent dialogue, too - authentic.
Audio book. Very disappointing. Can't understand most of what the narrator's saying.
Glad I just finished this before January ended. Only seemed fitting! ☺️
“When Detective Harry McCoy arrives at the scene of a double shooting in the middle of a busy Glasgow street, he is sure of one thing.
The was not a random act of violence.
McCoy must enlist the help of his criminal underworld connections to find out the truth. How long will it be before McCoy himself ends up on the wrong side of the law?”
I love a good Detective story and this did not disappoint. A great intro to a new cop on the block. This had enough great characters and twists to keep me interested although it could be a bit gory in places. It is also written in a strong Glaswegian accent which I enjoyed but some may struggle with if unfamiliar with the way they speak. I did lose track of characters near the start though simply because so many began with the letter “M” they all merged a little in my head 😂. The next Harry McCoy book comes out soon and I will definitely be picking it up.
“When Detective Harry McCoy arrives at the scene of a double shooting in the middle of a busy Glasgow street, he is sure of one thing.
The was not a random act of violence.
McCoy must enlist the help of his criminal underworld connections to find out the truth. How long will it be before McCoy himself ends up on the wrong side of the law?”
I love a good Detective story and this did not disappoint. A great intro to a new cop on the block. This had enough great characters and twists to keep me interested although it could be a bit gory in places. It is also written in a strong Glaswegian accent which I enjoyed but some may struggle with if unfamiliar with the way they speak. I did lose track of characters near the start though simply because so many began with the letter “M” they all merged a little in my head 😂. The next Harry McCoy book comes out soon and I will definitely be picking it up.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Maravilla de novela negra.
Glasgow, años 70.
Cooper, un personaje inolvidable
Glasgow, años 70.
Cooper, un personaje inolvidable
As depicted in Bloody January, by Alan Parks, members of the Glasgow Police Department have a very bleak existence. It's not simply because of the weather conditions in early January, they have it rough because of the extant homicide rate and the expectation of quick solutions. Detective Harry McCoy has it especially rough. His life so far has been routinely bleak, considering his lousy upbringing, his entanglements with "friends" on the other side of the law, his spotty reputation among his law enforcement colleagues, and a dodgy romantic life mostly wasted on dodgy women. All this bleakness, not just the crime spree driving the narrative, thoroughly burdens the reader, which should perhaps be expected of a crime novel set in Scotland.
With a number of murders having taken place, the story is mostly a whodunit, although McCoy has a better understanding than the rest of law enforcement as to the likely culprit or culprits. Rather than a whodunit, this crime novel is more of a who-else-is-implicated, or when-will-the-rest-of-you-catch-on. All-in-all, A solid debut turn for Mr. Parks.
With a number of murders having taken place, the story is mostly a whodunit, although McCoy has a better understanding than the rest of law enforcement as to the likely culprit or culprits. Rather than a whodunit, this crime novel is more of a who-else-is-implicated, or when-will-the-rest-of-you-catch-on. All-in-all, A solid debut turn for Mr. Parks.