Customer Reviews

Strange Loyalties

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If you haven't yet read McIlvanney, get on it! This man is brilliant. His detective, Jack Laidlaw, remains one of the most intriguing characters in fiction. "Strange Loyalties" charts Laidlaw's quest to discover meaning after his brother is killed. The characters that we encounter, as well as the questions that are raised, help shed light on so many aspects of our own lives. The depth present in this particular novel made me want to weep at the conclusion. The truth McIlvanney expounds in both his characters and their dealings in life, makes the beauty of this book complete. This is one of those stories that long after you've put it down, you feel its presence and its insight growing inside of you. I just hope that McIlvanney one day gets the credit he so much deserves.

I have read the McIlvanney trilogy (Laidlaw, Veitch, and Strange Loyalties) with great appreciation for the authors' development in writing style and narrative approach. I found his philosophical musings on the role of a detective in society to be quite refreshing from the usual formatted approach most crime novels take. The plots in each are decidedly secondary to the internal turmoil bubbling within our tormented protagonist, Laidlaw. Strange Loyalties is by far, McIlvanney's best effort to date. Reading this novel made me think that it was almost as if a Dostoyevsky had tried his hand at writing crime fiction. I was greatly moved by the ending. I have recommended this novel to several of my friends. Some have liked it almost as much as I did. But it left others cold. To that I think Laidlaw would've simply shrugged and poured another scotch.

If you like a multi-dimensional police-protagonist and a beautifully written layered plot, seek out McIlvanney. Hard to find but worth every second.