The April Dead – Alan Parks

NO ONE WILL FORGET . . .

In a grimy flat in Glasgow, a homemade bomb explodes, leaving few remains to identify its maker.

Detective Harry McCoy knows in his gut that there’ll be more to follow. The hunt for a missing sailor from the local US naval base leads him to the secretive group behind the bomb, and their disturbing, dominating leader.

On top of that, McCoy thinks he’s doing an old friend a favour when he passes on a warning, but instead he’s pulled into a vicious gang feud. And in the meantime, there’s word another bigger explosion is coming Glasgow’s way – so if the city is to survive, it’ll take everything McCoy’s got . . .

 

My thanks to Jamie at Canongate for a review copy of The April Dead and to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for the oppourtunity to host this leg of the tour.

 

Harry McCoy is the new name to add to the list of Scotland’s Best Fictional Coppers.  His city is Glasgow and The April Dead takes us to 1974 – a full decade before Taggart became known as “Scottish For Murder.”

This book opens with a bang – literally. A homemade bomb has blown up in a rundown house in a quiet part of town.  It looks like the bomb-maker made one final mistake at the wrong moment.  McCoy isn’t good with blood so being asked to investiate a death where the victim is spread around a room really isn’t the best way for him to begin his day.

Before too long McCoy will be spinning more than one plate and finding himself in another unwelcome position.  As ever, one of the key elements which bring these predicaments is is oldest friend Stevie Cooper – recently released from Peterhead prison and back in town to re-establish himself as the big noise with a finger in every pie.  McCoy’s friendship with Cooper, one of Glasgows biggest criminals, is always problematic but never more so when Cooper is arrested for murder by McCoy’s young apprentice Wattie.

It seems the clumsy bombmaker may not have been working alone as there are further incidents around the city and McCoy finds he is relying upon the skills of a colleague who transferred from Northern Ireland.  His experience of dealing with the aftermath of IRA bombs across the Irish Sea has given him unwelcome knowledge of different bombs and the destruction they can cause.  In the mid-1970s the IRA were starting to make their presence felt on the mainland UK and unfortunately for McCoy he appears to be drawing attention to himself and being noticed by the wrong type of people.

With regular sidekick Wattie spending some of his time dealing with his new paternal responsibilities we see McCoy using some of his personal time trying to help out a retired American naval captain.  His son (also a sailor) has gone missing in Glasgow and Capitan Stewart has travelled to Scotland to try and trace him.  He is reliant upon McCoy’s support and McCoy appears happy to spend time with Stewart and help him to find the missing boy. However, it seems Stewart junior may have fallen in with a bad crowd and McCoy is certain there are elements of his life which his father knows nothing about.  Diplomacy isn’t really McCoy’s strength so digging into possible criminal activities while keeping Captain Stewart in the dark is just another challenge for McCoy.

As with the earlier Harry McCoy novels I find the author’s depictions of Glasgow, as she was, to be mesmerising.  It’s a familiar city in unfamiliar coat.  McCoy knows his home and he knows many of the undesirable characters who live within but he moves around and spins those plates and by shaking up the right people and knowing the questions to ask he begins to make progress.  The bombings are a clear and present threat and there are too many young military types cropping up in the investigation for McCoy’s liking.  Alan Parks keeps the reader hooked with multiple events and threads and you know that when the book reaches the endgame lots of those threads are going to be connected – but which ones?

I make no secret of the fact I adore the Harry McCoy series.  I recommend them above many other crime books and each new release brings increasing levels of anticipation.  The April Dead did not disappoint – if I did “starred” reviews it would be a nailed on Five Star recommendation. I know you have a TBR which is taking over your house but you need to be reading these books. So read them. No excuses.

 

The April Dead is published by Canongate Books and is available in Hardback, Digital and Audiobook fomat.  You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B08H2BQR1T/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1