THJE QUIET DEATH OF THOMAS QUAID (2016) ****
by Craig Russell
Published by Quercus, 2016, 376pp
ISBN: 978-178087-491-3
Blurb: Quiet Tommy Quaid is one of Lennox’s few friends in Glasgow. Lennox appreciates Tommy’s open, straightforward personality – even if he is a master thief. When Tommy is flung to his death from a factory roof in front of Lennox’s eyes, Lennox discovers just how wrong he was about Tommy’s quiet life. It seems Tommy knew a secret, and it cost him his life. But for once, Quiet Tommy didn’t go quietly. His secret concerned people above the law – people in some cases who are the law – and so now, from beyond the grave, he leaves a trail for Lennox to follow to ensure justice is done. For once, Lennox is on the side of the angels. But he is an avenging angel, and in brutal Glasgow, justice has to get bloody.
After a four-year break, this is the fifth book in Craig Russell’s 1950s Glasgow-set noir series featuring Canadian private detective Lennox (he has no first name). The book is a dark tale of sordid crimes and cover-ups. The McGuffin is a stolen ledger containing photographs of several prominent citizens involved in unspeakable acts. Lennox becomes involved through his association with the murdered thief who obtained these items. The plot involves various factions with interest in retrieving them and Lennox has to draw on his instincts, honed during WWII, to get to the bottom of the mystery and expose those who are responsible. Russell is an engaging writer whose style owes more than a debt to Raymond Chandler in his prose style, but whose hero has perhaps more in common with Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer in his approach to detection. There is much wit amidst the sordidness and Russell delves deeply into Lennox’s psyche, highlighting the emotional scars he carries over from the war and their impact on his actions – despite his attempts to suppress them. It is a confident mystery with a satisfying, if a little rushed, finale, that wraps up the many strands of the plot. The spirit of the classic pulp novels is alive and well in Craig Russell’s writing.
Other books in the series
Lennox (2009) ***
The Long Glasgow Kiss (2010) ***
The Deep, Dark Sleep (2011) ***
Dead Men and Broken Hearts (2012) ****