In the chilling new crime novel from award-winning author Liam McIlvanney, a serial killer stalks the streets of Glasgow and Detective Inspector McCormack follows a trail of devastating secrets to uncover the truth …

Glasgow, 1969. In the grip of the worst winter for years, the city is brought to its knees by a killer whose name fills the streets with fear: The Quaker. He takes his next victim — the third woman from the same nightclub — and dumps her in the street like rubbish. The police are left chasing a ghost, with no new leads and no hope of catching their prey. DI McCormack, a talented young detective from the Highlands, is ordered to join the investigation. But his arrival is met with anger from a group of officers on the brink of despair. Soon he learns just how difficult life can be for an outsider.

When another woman is found murdered in a tenement flat, it’s clear the case is by no means over. From ruined backstreets to the dark heart of Glasgow, McCormack follows a trail of secrets that will change the city — and his life — forever.

LIAM MCILVANNEY is the Stuart Professor of Scottish Studies at the University of Otago, New Zealand. He is a regular contributor to the London Review of Books, and the author of two previous novels, All the Colours of the Town and Where the Dead Men Go.

Liam McIlvanney's profile page

• Winner, McIlvanney Prize

An absolute master of Tartan noir . . . The corruption of the late sixties in Glasgow is splendidly evoked.

Daily Mail

Intricately plotted, resourceful in its characterization, and gorgeously written.

Toronto Star

[Liam McIlvanney] shows a deft touch for character and setting throughout this absorbing, atmospheric read . . . The Quaker is an evocative slice of the past that’s populated with an array of intriguing characters, tough issues, and some nuanced interplay between them.

Crime Watch