Stuart Cosgrove’s ‘Soul Trilogy’ (Detroit 67, Memphis 68, Harlem 69) offered readers an alternative history of the USA in the late 60s through the prism of the rise of soul music and the places, and people, who were central to it, and they introduced many readers to Cosgrove’s forensic investigative style of writing which manages the balance of educating and entertaining perfectly. His latest book, Cassius X: A Legend in the Making, does something similar by looking at the ea

Over the years I have spent more than a few holidays in that part of Southern Spain which stretches from Malaga to Puerto Banus, an area where the cult of the criminal was never far away. In every town people knew the pubs run by ex-cons and, in the 80s in particular, there were numerous reported sightings of the infamous Ronnie Knight, and, more excitingly, his then wife Barbara Windsor. I never saw either, although I did once spy Bjorn Borg having a drink with Thin Lizzy fr

As I began reading Douglas Skelton’s latest novel the film Multiplicity popped into my head, a movie I haven’t thought about since it came out in 1996. In it a post-Batman (but pre-A Shot At Glory) Michael Keaton finds a way to clone himself numerous times, with each clone exhibiting a different aspect of the original’s personality, and I do wonder if something similar is happening with Douglas Skelton. Not only one of the most prolific crime writers around, but one of the mo

For the latest SWH! podcast Ali caught up with previous guest, writer Iain Maloney. A visit from Iain is always a special occasion as he resides in Japan, and his latest book, The Only Gaijin In The Village, is all about his experiences of moving to and living in another country, and coming to terms with the resulting clash of cultures. Maloney may be better known as a novelist, but the The Only Gaijin In The Village is a fascinating book, and arguably his best yet. It is sim

A new novel from Douglas Skelton is always reason for cheer so the recent publication of his latest, Thunder Bay (Polygon Books) was welcome news. It’s another departure in terms of style and setting from Skelton, a writer who refuses to rest on his laurels, always keen to explore different literary approaches to writing crime fiction. A prolific writer of non-fiction books on crime as well, he is steeped in his subject area and brings all his knowledge and understanding to h

The first book of Allan Massie’s I read was his historical novel Augustus (I think in the late ’80s) and it made a deep impression on me. I hadn’t been a huge fan of historical fiction up to that point, preferring the modern and contemporary even then. Written in the form of a memoir by the titular Roman emperor in old age, what was so impressive was how Massie managed to get into the character and make the reader believe that this was his life, at least from his point of vie

Two of the most challenging types of writing are crime and comedy. For the first you have to avoid repeating well-worn clichés while still making it as recognisably belonging to the genre. For the second, well, it’s got to be funny – perhaps the most difficult trick to pull off on the page. A successful crime/comedy, therefore, is something which is to be celebrated. Christopher Brookmyre and Douglas Skelton are two writers who get the balance right, combining the dark side o

Against all expectations, the Christmas/ New Year period allowed for the reading of some of the books which have been sitting on SWH!’s ever present ‘must-read’ pile, and the next few posts will review at least a couple of those. First up is Charles E. McGarry’s The Ghost Of Helen Addison, which introduces us to Leo Moran, a Glaswegian private eye who is unlike any you’ll have met before, which is in itself a reason for cheer. In the world of crime-fiction, and Scottish crime