The April Dead
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4.5 • 6 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
From an Edgar Award finalist: A cop tracks a shadowy, fanatical group in a “tightly plotted and fast-moving” noir mystery set in 1970s Glasgow (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
When an American sailor from the Holy Loch Base goes missing, Harry McCoy is determined to find him. But as he investigates, a wave of bombings hits Glasgow. Soon McCoy realizes that the sailor may be part of a shadowy organization led by a dangerous fanatic, and committed to a very different kind of Scotland. A Scotland its members are prepared to kill for.
Meanwhile Cooper, McCoy’s longtime criminal friend, is released from jail and is convinced he has a traitor in his midst. As allies become enemies, Cooper has to fight to maintain his position as crime kingpin. He needs something done, something illegal—and his old friend McCoy is the only one who can do it.
As word begins to circulate on the streets that another, bigger explosion is being planned for Glasgow, McCoy battles corruption in his ranks in an attempt to save the city . . .
“Lean, muscular prose . . . A full-bodied immersion into Glasgow’s gritty past.” —Kirkus Reviews
“A series that no crime fan should miss.” —Scotsman
“One of the best police thrillers of the last few years.” —Morning Star
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in 1974 against the backdrop of British-IRA tensions, Edgar finalist Parks's outstanding fourth outing for Glasgow cop Harry McCoy (after 2020's Bobby March Will Live Forever) opens with McCoy and his police colleagues checking out what's left of a flat that's been destroyed by a bomb explosion—and of the bomb maker. Could it be the work of the IRA? More bombings follow. Meanwhile, a retired U.S. Navy captain wants McCoy to find his son, who has gone AWOL from a nearby U.S. naval base, and Stevie Cooper, McCoy's boyhood friend who's now an underworld boss just released from jail, involves McCoy in his attempt to beat down a gang takeover. Finally, McCoy investigates a Scottish nationalist movement, which turns out to be abetted by Britain's clandestine Special Branch for its own nefarious purposes. Tightly plotted and fast-moving, this well-wrought historical thriller also highlights Parks's keen analysis of Scotland's societal traumas, in particular the failure to cope with domestic violence and child abuse. Tartan noir fans won't want to miss this one.
