Bloody January
Alan Parks
“The Boy's eyes suddenly focused, like he'd just seen McCoy for the first time. He spun his arm round towards him and lined up a shot, pistol aimed square at his head. McCoy froze as the boy adjusted his aim and squeezed the trigger.”
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The first in a new series of crime novels from the most exciting new voice in Scottish noir. ‘Think McIlvanney or Get Carter’ - IAN RANKIN
HOW MUCH IS THE TRUTH WORTH?
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. This 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?
“1970s Glasgow hewn from flesh and drawn in blood”
Peter May
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“Bloody and brilliant. This smasher from Alan Parks is a reminder of how dark Glasgow used to be”
Louise Welsh
“An old-school cop novel written with wit and economy … Think McIlvanney or Get Carter”
Ian Rankin
“The latest star of Tartan noir — perhaps even a successor to the late, great William McIlvanney … Gripping, utterly authentic and nerve-jangling, this novel announces a fine new voice in crime writing”
daily Mail
“A potent tale of death … Alan Parks’s excellent first novel propels him into the top class of Scottish noir authors … Detective Harry McCoy … is so noir that he makes most other Scottish cops seem light grey”
the Times, Book Of The Month
Alan Parks
Alan Parks has worked in the music industry for over twenty years. His debut novel Bloody January was shortlisted for the prestigious international crime prize the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière. He lives and works in Glasgow.
Bloody January is the first Harry McCoy thriller.
“ALAN Parks is an amiable bear of a man who these days spends his time wandering around Glasgow thinking up ways to murder people. No, don’t worry. His criminal activities are purely fictional. Parks is that not-so-rare thing these days, a Scottish crime writer. His first novel Bloody January is out now”
Teddy Jamieson
The Herald
“When I started writing Bloody January I wanted to write about Glasgow and I wanted to write a book about the different kind of people who lived there in the early seventies. A crime story seemed to be the best way to explore the different levels of society, from homeless people living on the streets to the landed Gentry in their huge houses in the country … So I ended up writing a ‘Tartan Noir’. Definition seems to be pretty broad but mostly they are novels set in Scotland containing some element of crime in the plot. Here are five of my favourites”
Alan Parks
Dead Good
“Bloody January, Alan Parks’s excellent first novel, propels him into the top class of Scottish noir authors. Glasgow detective Harry McCoy, a shambolic mess dedicated to the truth, is so noir that he makes most other Scottish cops seem light grey”
Marcel Berlins
The Times