The Second Cut

I doubt I'll read a better book this year. Dark, funny and humane, Louise Welsh tells the stories that nobody else dares -- VAL McDERMID If writing a sequel to a bona fide Scottish classic weighed heavily on Louise Welsh you'd never know. The Second Cut grips from the very opening pages. The Glasgow it portrays is seamy but humane, its cast of characters flawed but endearing. The whole thing is compelling, immersive and brimming with life. A great achievement -- GRAEME MACRAE BURNET Plunges the reader straight into Glasgow's underbelly. This is hard-boiled Scottish crime writing at its best -- SARA SHERIDAN One of the most enjoyable mysteries I've read this year, The Second Cut had me from the word go. Rilke's world feels rife with possibilities for dark doings - and Welsh's writing is fresh, funny, fearless and fun -- JOSEPH KNOX This return to the world of Rilke is a masterclass in engaging storytelling. Emotionally complex, and full of dark wit and deviant energy, this is a wonderful examination of the state of our culture today -- DOUG JOHNSTONE Brilliant -- ALAN PARKS Praise for The Cutting Room: One of the most intriguing, assured and unputdownable debuts to come out of Scotland in recent years . . . A stunning work of fiction * * Sunday Times * * A remarkable first novel * * New York Times * * I was hooked from page one. Rilke is not Welsh's only great creation. The huge supporting cast of misfits and outsiders . . . are equally memorable. And Glasgow becomes a character in itself: it is oppressive, foreboding - a dark place for a dark tale * * Guardian * * Astonishingly this is a first novel, catapulting Welsh straight into the superstar league, while establishing Rilke as a true original * * The Times * *