The Long Knives

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

Justice can be a blunt instrument


"Men like him usually tell the story.

In business.
Politics.
Media.
But not this time: I repeat, he is not writing this story."

Ritchie Gulliver MP is dead. Castrated and left to bleed in an empty Leith warehouse.

Vicious, racist and corrupt, many thought he had it coming. But nobody could have predicted this.

After the life Gulliver has led, the suspects are many: corporate rivals, political opponents, the countless groups he's offended. And the vulnerable and marginalised, who bore the brunt of his cruelty - those without a voice, without a choice, without a chance.

As Detective Ray Lennox unravels the truth, and the list of brutal attacks grows, he must put his personal feelings aside. But one question refuses to go away...

Who are the real victims here?

© Irvine Welsh 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Critics Review

  • An ingeniously plotted and propulsive thriller… bristling with risky satire and moral disgust.

    Literary Review
  • If you like your crime dramas Scottish and sweary, this one’s for you.

    Evening Standard, *Books to Look Out For 2022*
  • A triumph… A great, redemptive book… It leaves you wanting more, much more

    Observer, on CRIME
  • Powerful, passionate writing… Welsh gets it just right

    Literary Review, on CRIME
  • Powerful… A bracing and engaging read

    Daily Telegraph, on CRIME

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