Cast a Cold Eye

'Morrison hasn’t so much written a novel as built a time machine: step in and be transported' The Scotsman'Vivid characters, a finely drawn portrait of Glasgow in the 1930s and a page turning narrative. What more could you want?' Alan ParksGlasgow, 1933Murder is nothing new in the Depression-era city, especially to war veterans Inspector Jimmy Dreghorn and his partner ‘Bonnie’ Archie McDaid. But the dead man found in a narrowboat on the Forth and Clyde Canal, executed with a single shot to the back of the head, is no ordinary killing.Violence usually erupts in the heat of the moment – the razor-gangs that stalk the streets settle scores with knives and fists. Firearms suggest something more sinister, especially when the killer strikes again. Meanwhile, other forces are stirring within the city. A suspected IRA cell is at large, embedded within the criminal gangs and attracting the ruthless attention of Special Branch agents from London.With political and sectarian tensions rising, and the body count mounting, Dreghorn and McDaid pursue an investigation into the dark heart of humanity – where one person's freedom fighter is another's terrorist, and noble ideals are swept away by bloody vengeance.Cast a Cold Eye by Robbie Morrison is a dark historical crime novel and the sequel to Edge of the Grave, winner of Bloody Scotland's Scottish Crime Debut of the Year.

Morrison writes with vividness and perception, and he is effective at showing action from multiple perspectives. Fast-moving and engaging, Morrison hasn’t so much written a novel as built a time machine: step in and be transported, Morrison's writing is so fluid, his dialogue so pitch perfect, the book fairly demands you stay up all night turning the pages, Vivid characters, a finely drawn portrait of Glasgow in the 1930s and a page turning narrative. What more could you want?, Jimmy Dreghorn is back—with a vengeance. Cast a Cold Eye is a twisting, sharp-edged tale of a violent past echoing in a violent city. 1930s Glasgow is masterfully conjured in every soot-stained tenement, every smoke-filled pub, every menace-shadowed street corner. Morrison is on top form here. Superb

Robbie Morrison was born in Helensburgh, Scotland, and grew up in the Renton, Coatbridge, Linwood and Houston. On both sides, his family connection to shipbuilding in Glasgow and the surrounding areas stretches back four generations and is a source of inspiration for the Jimmy Dreghorn series. One of the most respected writers in the UK comics industry, he sold his first script to publishers DC Thomson in Dundee at the age of twenty-three. Edge of the Grave, the first Jimmy Dreghorn novel, won the Bloody Scotland Debut Crime Novel of the Year, was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Historical Dagger, and the Fingerprint Awards Debut Book of the Year, and longlisted for the Historical Writers' Association Debut Crown.

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