Alan ParksCritiques
Auteur de Bloody January
Critiques
Bobby March Will Live Forever par Alan Parks
It is the second book in this series and personally i wish i had read the first book Bloody January first but it was still a great read and i will be looking out for further books by Alan Parks.
There is a lot going on in this book and the stories entwine and overlap but the author keeps control and delivers a harsh yet engrossing story. Harry is carrying a lot of pain around with him and he often counteracts his feelings with drugs and alcohol. He is far from perfect, but he does his best to stay on the right side of the law most of the time.
I have enjoyed the first two books of this series and am looking forward to continuing on reading about Harry and his workmates and friends in the future.
Parks is putting together a really impressive oeuvre with his Glaswegian Noir novels. Here the setting in the1970s is pitch perfect, casual references to fashion and music as well as authentic slang ground the narrative. McCoy is a great anti-hero but with ever increasing morals and the plotlines are wonderfully obtuse and yet tie in, offer some completion and leave the door ajar from episode 7.
Early 70’s, miserable winter in Glasgow, detective Harry McCoy is tracking a serial killer who is deeply disturbed , and Scotland’s miserable history of abuse at orphanages/Boys homes a situation he is all too familiar with.
This is a gritty dark book be a hell of a story from a excellent author.
A young girl is killed in broad daylight then the killer blows his head off.
Detective Harry McCoy is the inspector in charge. A man with quite a few demons of his own.
Can’t wait to order the 2nd book in the series.
The Scottish slang may be a bit of a challenge but nothing like an Irvine Welsh book.
Parks sets his novels in 1970s Glasgow, a rough and dark place. Building on themes of deprivation, drugs, sectarianism and equality, he has created a set of memorable characters. McCoy is hard living but with a difficult past and his relationship with a local crime lord is very cleverly plotted. Everything about this set of books is both intricately plotted and beautifully excecuted.
The fifth instalment of Alan Parks’ series cantered around the Glasgow detective Harry McCoy again combines brilliantly the mood of the 1974 Scottish city with McCoy’s personal life. “May God Forgive” repeatedly challenges morals and ethics and raises the question if something as a fair trial and sentence can exist.
I have been a huge fan of the series from the start and I still have the impression that it is getting better with each new novel. This time, it is several cases that drive the plot. First of all, the case of the burnt down hairdresser’s which seems to be connected to the city’s gang rivalries. McCoy wanders between the world of law and order and the illegal underworld thus getting closer to what has happened. He ignores his health which would much rather confine him to his home, but what should he do there?
His private life is also addressed in several ways thus granting more and more insight in the complex relationship he has with his father and his upbringing. Loyalties going far back in to his childhood now force him to question his very own place as a representative of the system, much more than it did before even though his friendship with Stevie Cooper put him in tricky situations before. Can you ever really overcome where you come from? Obviously not, but on the other hand: aren’t the institutions responsible for law and order sometimes as corrupt as the underworld?
A lot of suspense and food for thought as you as a reader quite naturally also ponder about the question how you would have reacted in McCoy’s place. Another great read of one of the best contemporary crime series.
This book did inspire me to finally pick up The Barlinnie Story, by Robert Jeffrey, which has been on my to-read list for a while, so that’s a plus.
McCoy has plenty of issues which gives the author many different avenues to explore in future books. This story highlighted his childhood difficulties and his obligations to a well known Glasgow underworld boss that he struggles to withdraw from. Labelled as “Tartan Noir”, I found the book to be gritty and dark with a high body count and plenty of violence.
Bloody January is a bleak and atmospheric story about a flawed detective who has some difficulty staying on the right side of the law. The setting and timing are interesting and the plot moved quickly through the bars, slums and whorehouses of 1970s Glasgow. I am looking forward to continuing on with this series and learning more about Detective Harry McCoy.
1. Pick up this book.
2. Grab your reading kit (snacks, Slanket, headlamp, duct tape, etc.)
3. Head to the nearest underground bunker.
4. Secure the perimeter.
5. Begin.
Because once you start, you really don't want to be interrupted. And yes, I am stalling. The thing is I've run out of superlatives to describe how freakin' great this series is. Pretty sure I've used them all for the previous books so until I dig out my old thesaurus, bear with me.
It all kicks off when a bomb unexpectedly explodes in a shabby flat. Unfortunately, it appears to have also surprised the bomber. Detectives Harry McCoy & partner 'Wattie" are stumped....has the IRA come to Glasgow?
They don't have long to ponder. They need to figure out who's building bombs, an American businessman begs them to find his missing son & Harry suspects his old pal Cooper may have killed a guy.
From here on, several story lines take off & develop in ways that keep you fully immersed in the story. Once again the dialogue is sharp & each character has a distinct voice you can almost hear. The plot is layered & smart, guaranteed to hold your attention. Quieter, more reflective moments give the reader a chance to take a breather & are well balanced with tense, action scenes. This is one of the reasons the series stands out in such a crowded & popular genre. Yes, there is plenty of the requisite crime, grit & suspense. But it's not constant rapid-fire. In the spaces left between, you get to know & care for these characters which ensures you're well & truly hooked from the beginning.
Harry, Wattie, Cooper, Jumbo....all the regulars are back with some intriguing twists on their current situations. The character development continues & it's been interesting to watch the evolution of Wattie, in particular. Under Harry's tutelage, he's gone from wide-eyed recruit to (semi) street savvy copper. Not sure if his partner deserves thanks or blame. Although these books can be enjoyed as stand-alones, I'd recommend reading the series in order. Relationships shift over time & knowing the history makes for a richer reading experience.
It's another great story that keeps you glued to the pages but fair warning....one of the characters won't make it to the next book. This series is the real deal. If you're a fan of authors such as Rankin, McIlvanney, McKinty or Neville & haven't read any of these books, hang your head in shame. Then proceed to your nearest book shop. Don't make me come find you. I'll bring Jumbo 🤨
The McCoy series goes from strength to strength with this latest episode. It feels so authentic with the setting in 1970s Glasgow and McCoy being the sort of unreconstructed, hard-living cop so familiar from original books and tv. Here the complex plots have lots of political driving - the conflict in Northern Ireland, torture by British soldiers, anti-Gypsy racism etc - yet nothing is done to death, it is just part of the excellent story.
Following the Harry McCoy series from the first instalment, I have since been a huge fan of Alan Park’s novels. The first two, “Bloody January” and “February’s Son” presented us the protagonist of the series and his family background and link to the underworld, “Bobby March Will Live Forever” focussed a bit more on the police world in 1970s Glasgow, the latest book is again brilliant in creating a special atmosphere and gives insight in how, at times, the truth needs to be adapted to the needs while not losing sight of rightfulness and justice.
The bombings plot is quickly linked to a paramilitary army which, of course, strongly reminds of the IRA. A charismatic leader who abuses his followers to accomplish his mission in a complex political environment is perfectly chosen for a crime novel. The missing son is an interesting addition since this illustrates the family pressure which was much stronger five decades ago than today.
Undoubtedly the most fascinating aspect was this time how McCoy is torn between his conviction as a member of the police and his bond with Cooper, himself the number one of Glasgow’s underworld. McCoy is not actually afraid of what Cooper might be willing to do to him, but he shows respect while making his point as a detective, at the same time. Even though he follows his instinct, which is often totally right, he is also at fault at times and has to cope with the consequences and challenge his sense of justice.
Another enjoyable and suspenseful novel which is not only highly complex but cleverly made-up with a careful rhythm and thus, for me, one of the best crime series at the moment.
It kicks off with a prologue that is the stuff of parents’ nightmares. Eleven year old Alice Kelly has disappeared without a trace. It seems like every cop in Glasgow is on the case…except Harry. He had a run-in years ago with the man who is temping as his boss & apparently he has a long memory. While colleague Wattie runs down clues, Harry is assigned a hopeless robbery case that is going cold. Then he takes a call from a local hotel & finds Bobby March.
Contrary to the title, there’s zero chance of Bobby becoming immortal. At least not in the physical sense. What Harry finds instead is a sad cliché……an almost-was/has-been rock star in a cheap hotel room with a needle in his arm. Back in the day, Bobby came so close but eventually he was just another one hit wonder. In alternate chapters we go back & follow the arc of his career, from his first high to his last.
In the present, his demise looks pretty straightforward but don’t worry. As usual, Harry has a buffet of problems. His boss may become a permanent fixture, the search for Alice has gone horribly sideways, his old boss needs a favour & old pal Cooper needs a babysitter. He’s like one of those circus performers who is in perpetual motion to keep their spinning plates in the air.
The result is an entertaining & gripping read. The author’s style & story telling skills have been incredibly self assured from book #1 & that continues here. Characters appear on the page fully formed and come out swinging. At the centre of it all is Harry, a likeable & sympathetic guy who’s like a cross between Rebus & Bosch. But make no mistake…he is his own man. He may look the other way from time to time but his loyalty to Cooper is a testament to the personal tenets that drive his decisions.
The pacing is bang on & for the first time in a while, I found myself happily immersed in a good story. The only thing missing is a soundtrack. The classic bands & songs mentioned in Bobby’s chapters had me head bobbing along to old favourites (yes, I am that old 🤨 )
By the time it’s all over, most of the threads are tied up & poor Harry has a few more scars to add to his collection. I just wanted to drag him off to a quiet pub somewhere & buy him a pint. Maybe 2. Here’s hoping he gets a nap in before “The April Dead” arrives.
Harry McCoy, protagonist of Alan Parks’ debut novel Bloody January, is another decidedly gritty detective who makes John Rebus or Logan McRae seem like Dixon of Dock Green. This book represents his second outing, following on year’s Bloody January, and transports us back to Glasgow in 1973, a city riven by crime where sectarian loyalties strike deeper and harder than anywhere else on mainland Britain.
This novel picks up more or less where its predecessor left off, with McCoy returning to work after recovering from the injuries sustained at the end of the previous story. On his first day back, he is summoned to the top floor of a half-built tower block, where a corpse has been discovered. It is immediately clear that the victim had been tortured before being killed. It is equally clear that he is a successful footballer who had established himself as a regular in the Celtic side. As if that were not enough of a problem for the police, the dead footballer was also the fiancé of the daughter of the city’s most powerful crime supremo.
McCoy sometimes seems almost to be fighting the wintry city itself, and the cold seemed to seep out of the book and engulf me as I read it. It has become rather a cliché now for fictional detectives to be at least as troubled as the criminals and victims among whom they function. McCoy is no exception, and he has enough emotional baggage to fill a freight wagon. It is also clear that he might struggle as much to spell ‘unassailable rectitude’ as he would to display it. His woes and angst are all too plausible, however, and his off-duty hours are spent drinking heavily, downing speed and consorting with prostitutes in a relentless cycle of dissolution.
At the most basic level, the plot is grim, the setting is bleak and the characters are, for the most part, ghastly. The book is, however, utterly compelling. Parks has a straightforward style that snags the reader’s attention from the start, and won’t let go.
This is a terrific read. Parks manages to hit the time and place aspect so perfectly, the sectarian issues in Glasgow, the split between the haves and the have nots, the sexism and the fantastic characters are coupled with a series of clever little subplots to combine to make a thoroughly enjoyable police procedural. I've read all of Parks' books and this is another triumph
The third instalment of Alan Parks’s series set in the 1970s Glasgow is by far the best. In the first, “Bloody January”, we get an idea of the city slowly declining, in “February’s son”, we learn about the underworld and their connection with McCoy. Now, the focus is set on the police who have the hardest job imaginable to do. Apart from the very personal aspects in this novel, again Alan Parks managed to create a brilliant atmosphere which gives you a feeling of the city and the constraints the inhabitants have to live in.
The plot combines several lines all equally thrilling and suspenseful. Apart from the kidnapping story – which will have much wider repercussions than apparent at the beginning – and McCoy’s personal war with Raeburn, there is also the ominous death of rock star Bobby March which gets unexpectedly personal for McCoy, too (and serves to continue the witty naming of the series). Added to this, Harry is asked by his boss to secretly look for his niece, 15-year-old Laura has been in trouble for quite some time, but now her disappearance seems to be more serious. All this is poured over McCoy and leads to a fast-paced story which you have to follow carefully in order not to get lost. Yet, the skilful and clever detective can connect the dots and bring all cases to an end.
The character of Harry McCoy is a fantastic protagonist. On the one hand, he is totally down to earth and knows how to talk to people no matter their background. He is an excellent policeman yet blends in easily with the underworld and its shady figures. On the other hand, he is totally loyal to his colleagues and has very high standards when it comes to police work and law and order. He knows where not to look too closely, but he is also determined when it comes to crossing a red line. Thus, his pragmatic but straightforward approach to his work makes him a sympathetic and authentic character.
A superb read which combines a great protagonist with a complex plot and lives from the stunning atmosphere the author creates.
This is the second book in this series, but while there are several references to previous cases this in no way spoilt my enjoyment of a very good book, and can be read standalone as was the case with me. Set in Glasgow in the seventies this book is at times a grim read, i expect the Author is certainly not popular with Glasgow tourist board. However it's a well written descriptive and entertaining book from first to last page, difficult to put down and I for one will look out for more books from this clever writer.
WARNING : This book features very strong language and there is some graphic violence, which some readers may find disturbing.This
Totally recommended.
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