Cast a Cold Eye by Robbie Morrison is a dark historical crime novel and the sequel to Edge of the Grave, winner of Bloody Scotland's Scottish Crime Debut of the Year.
'This is Peaky Blinders territory. Packed with dramatic action and unforgettable characters, it casts a hypnotic spell and stirs the blood' - Daily Mail
'A darkly compelling thriller . . . Morrison succeeds in summoning Depression-era Glasgow in a powerful work of crime fiction' - Sunday Times
Glasgow, 1933
Murder is nothing new in the Depression-era city, especially to war veterans Inspector Jimmy Dreghorn and his partner 'Bonnie' Archie McDaid. But the dead man found in a narrowboat on the Forth and Clyde Canal, executed with a single shot to the back of the head, is no ordinary killing.
Violence usually erupts in the heat of the moment - the razor-gangs that stalk the streets settle scores with knives and fists. Firearms suggest something more sinister, especially when the killer strikes again. Meanwhile, other forces are stirring within the city. A suspected IRA cell is at large, embedded within the criminal gangs and attracting the ruthless attention of Special Branch agents from London.
With political and sectarian tensions rising, and the body count mounting, Dreghorn and McDaid pursue an investigation into the dark heart of humanity - where one person's freedom fighter is another's terrorist, and noble ideals are swept away by bloody vengeance.
About the Author
Robbie Morrison was born in Helensburgh, Scotland, and grew up in the Renton, Coatbridge, Linwood and Houston. On both sides, his family connection to shipbuilding in Glasgow and the surrounding areas stretches back four generations and is a source of inspiration for the Jimmy Dreghorn series. One of the most respected writers in the UK comics industry, he sold his first script to publishers DC Thomson in Dundee at the age of twenty-three. Edge of the Grave, the first Jimmy Dreghorn novel, won the Bloody Scotland Debut Crime Novel of the Year, was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Historical Dagger, and the Fingerprint Awards Debut Book of the Year, and longlisted for the Historical Writers' Association Debut Crown.
Industry Reviews
A darkly compelling thriller . . . Morrison succeeds in summoning Depression-era Glasgow in a powerful work of crime fiction * The Sunday Times *
Morrison hasn't so much written a novel as built a time machine: step in and be transported * The Scotsman *
This is Peaky Blinders territory, though with the police at its heart rather than gangsters. Packed with dramatic action and unforgettable characters, it casts a hypnotic spell and stirs the blood * Daily Mail *
Morrison writes with vividness and perception, and he is effective at showing action from multiple perspectives. Fast-moving and engaging * Literary Review *
A magnificent and enthralling portrait of a dark and dangerous city and the men and women who live and die in it. An astounding debut -- Mark Billingham on Edge of the Grave, bestselling author of the Tom Thorne series
Tense, absorbing and dripping with gallus Glasgow humour, this book is absolutely wonderful -- Abir Mukherjee on Edge of the Grave, bestselling author of the Wyndham and Banerjee series
