Author: Robbie Morrison

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. He sold his first script to publishers DC Thomson in Dundee at the age of twenty-three. One of the most respected writers in the UK comics industry, Edge of the Grave is his first novel.

#BookReview Cast a Cold Eye by Robbie Morrison @robbiegmorrison @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #CastaColdEye #RobbieMorrison #PGCBooks

#BookReview Cast a Cold Eye by Robbie Morrison @robbiegmorrison @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #CastaColdEye #RobbieMorrison #PGCBooks Title: Cast a Cold Eye

Author: Robbie Morrison

Series: Jimmy Dreghorn #2

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Jun. 20, 2023

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 449

Format: Hardcover

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 9/10

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.

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.


Review:

Gritty, raw, and thrilling!

In this second instalment in the Jimmy Dreghorn series, Cast a Cold Eye, we head back to 1933 Glasgow, where Inspector Jimmy Dreghorn and his burly sidekick Sergeant Archie McDaid now find themselves immersed in a tricky investigation involving an execution-style killing of a man on a boat that may or may not have connections to the simmering political tensions, escalating gang violence, and increasing IRA presence that seems to be plaguing the city.

The writing is meticulous and tight. The characters are intuitive, relentless, and committed. And the plot unravels briskly into a sinister tale full of mischief, mayhem, deception, corruption, coercion, politics, criminal behaviour, dangerous situations, suspicious motivations, red herrings, deduction, vengeance, violence, and murder.

Overall, Cast a Cold Eye is another atmospheric, gripping, highly entertaining thriller by Morrison that is a fabulous addition to a series, with its unique historical setting, action-packed storyline, and gritty, complex characters, that’s quickly becoming one of my favourites.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

      

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Robbie Morrison

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. He sold his first script to publishers DC Thomson in Dundee at the age of twenty-three. One of the most respected writers in the UK comics industry, Edge of the Grave is his first novel.

#BookReview Edge of the Grave by Robbie Morrison @robbiegmorrison @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #EdgeoftheGrave #RobbieMorrison #PGCBooks

#BookReview Edge of the Grave by Robbie Morrison @robbiegmorrison @PGCBooks @panmacmillan #EdgeoftheGrave #RobbieMorrison #PGCBooks Title: Edge of the Grave

Author: Robbie Morrison

Series: Jimmy Dreghorn #1

Published by: Pan Macmillan on Feb. 14, 2022

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 416

Format: Paperback

Source: Publishers Group Canada

Book Rating: 8.5/10

Glasgow, 1932.

When the son-in-law of one of the city’s wealthiest families is found floating in the River Clyde with his throat cut, it falls to Inspector Jimmy Dreghorn to lead the murder case – despite sharing a troubled history of his own with the victim’s widow.

From the flying fists and flashing blades of Glasgow’s gangland underworld, to the backstabbing upper echelons of government and big business, Dreghorn will have to dig deep into Glasgow society to find out who wanted the man dead and why.

All the while, a sadistic murderer stalks the post-war city leaving a trail of dead bodies in their wake. As the case deepens, will Dreghorn find the killer – or lose his own life in the process?

Scottish Peaky Blinders meets a tartan Untouchables, Edge of the Grave is the searing first book in a standout new historical crime series. If you like William McIlvanney or Denise Mina, you’ll love this.


Review:

Gritty, evocative, and absorbing!

Edge of the Grave is a riveting, slightly gothic tale set in Glasgow in the 1930s at a time when the city was bustling, shipbuilding was the booming industry, poverty was rampant, religious segregation was common, and for retired WWI vet, Detective Jimmy Dreghorn and his fierce partner Archie McDaid ongoing gang violence and vicious murders had to be solved by pounding the pavement, using hunches, intuition, instincts, intelligence, and a little roughing up as needed.

The prose is raw and intense. The characters are complex, flawed, and resourceful. And the plot, including all the subplots, seamlessly intertwine and unravel into a gripping tale of life, loss, duty, deception, manipulation, greed, corruption, mayhem, and the realities of policing in the early twentieth century.

Overall, Edge of the Grave is a dark, menacing, promising debut by Morrison that does a beautiful job of interweaving historical times and compelling fiction into a sinister, suspenseful mystery that is deliciously atmospheric and highly entertaining.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

                  

 

 

Thank you to PGC Books for gifting me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Robbie Morrison

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. He sold his first script to publishers DC Thomson in Dundee at the age of twenty-three. One of the most respected writers in the UK comics industry, Edge of the Grave is his first novel.