The Scotsman by Rob McClure

Chic Cowan will do anything to find his daughter's killer . . . even sacrifice his own sanity… and maybe he wasn’t all that sane to start with…

Six months ago, tough-as-nails, old-school, no-time-for-the new-school Glasgow Detective Chic Cowan received a call no parent should have to take. His daughter has been murdered, 4,000 miles away from their home in Scotland. Across the Atlantic ocean to a United States riven by protests and riots.

Determined to find out the truth, his way, and bring justice to those who killed his daughter, Cowan travels from Glasgow to Washington D.C., intent on discovering what happened. And Chic Cowan is both sarcastic, and brutal, when he has to be.

Taking him from the deprivation of Southeast D.C. to the opulence of Capitol Hill, Cowan soon realises that not only were his suspicions correct, but his daughter's murder may be only the beginning of a story that could have far-reaching implications for society itself.

Driven by grief and obsession, Cowan sets out to find his own justice. Because the justice currently on offer just isn’t good enough…

Set during the turbulence of a divided America, a plot that engages with what 'woke' means, and the realities of policing, The Scotsman is the blistering debut from a new Tartan Noir talent.

This is Rebus meets Taken.

About the author

Rob McClure was born in Scotland.

He currently lives in Galesburg, Illinois, and teaches film at Knox College where he is John and Elaine Fellowes Professor of English.

 His fiction has appeared in Gettysburg Review, Manchester Review, Chicago Quarterly Review, Barcelona Review and many other magazines. 

Review

‘The Scotsman’ is a brilliant debut novel that was full of tension and built-up rage! I was very excited to read that this was a new Tartan Noir book, as I am passionate about Scottish crime writers. Albeit this one is set in Washington DC, it still had a lot of the hallmarks of what makes a great Scottish crime book!

DI Chic Cowan is on his way to Washington DC to find out more about the murder of his daughter. He doesn't believe that it was a mugging gone wrong and wants to investigate for himself! All he has is a flyer with a phone number and a date as a clue. When he arrives he meets with Detective Macdonald who was the lead investigator and sees there are many holes in the case that he can look into. With the help of one of his daughter’s friends, Deyone, he looks into the death and finds links to the government his investigation is going to have repercussions for him and those close to him!

Chic Cowan is the epitome of the old-school cop from the hard side of Glasgow! He definitely has the Glasgow patter! Despite the darkness in him I loved Cowan as a character and enjoyed his style of detection! Basically, kick down the doors and let's see what happens. Cowan actually reminded me of my Uncle with all his bravado and banter with people, his causal racism and sexism but yet you can't help but warm to him somehow.

I flew through this book in one day, it was thoroughly entertaining, had a punchy pace to it and it certainly kept me guessing throughout! It doesn't read like a debut novel at all, the writing is brilliant and the characters are well-formed with distinctive voices.

Let me know if you pick this one up!