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WHERE does one depart the scene and the other step on to the trail? This is the fascinating additional poser sure to tease readers of The Dark Remains, another welcome addition to the rapidly expanding Scottish noir section of  my bookshelves. As the cover exclaims,  two highly noteworthy names share credit for its authorship. A duo of the crime fiction scene, not only on their native turf  but anywhere devotees of the genre gather.  When the legendary William McIlvanney died in December 2015 he left behind a half-finished handwritten draft of another taut tale featuring the perceptive hard man detective… Continue reading

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It’s time for members of the BBC’s weekly book discussion group to emerge from Between The Covers and broaden their field of vision. Doing so might change their outdated and somewhat snobbish attitudes to the vast world of crime fiction. Even put some excitement and joy into their studiously serious lives. This tired old viewpoint was well demonstrated  in a recent program in which the entire panel expressed little knowledge of crime fiction. They seemed aghast that anyone could even consider it as “serious” writing. Clearly it is not for them. Nor for any “serious” readers. Heaven forbid that works… Continue reading