This novel was one of the publishing events of 2021. Ian Rankin has completed William McIlvanney’s unfinished manuscript of a prequel to the Laidlaw trilogy – the series credited with establishing the Tartan noir subgenre. (If you’re new to Laidlaw, you can read more about him here.)
The Dark Remains opens in 1972 and Laidlaw is just a detective constable. He’s got a new job, a boss he hates and his own theories on the murder of a local gangster’s fixer found dead on another villain’s turf. If the killer isn’t found quickly, war between the gangs could break out.
The Dark Remains comes highly recommended and you can read our full review here.
Join our CFL Book Club discussion…
If you’ve read it, leave a reply in the comments below to let us know what you thought of it and/or answer some of our CFL Book Club questions:
1 – On the evidence here, do you think it’s a good idea for an author to take on the work of another writer?
2 – How well do you think Ian Rankin adapted to the character of Laidlaw, the landscape, poetry and politics of the original trilogy?
3 – How much of Ian Rankin comes out in the finished novel, and in what ways is the book not like a William McIlvanney crime novel?
4 – For you personally, what is unique about Tartan noir and how well does this novel fit into that tradition?
With regard to question 1:
It greatly depends on both authors involved and in this case I have no doubt that Ian Rankin would have done William McIlvanney’s work justice. Other similar examples are Eric van Lustbader taking over Robert Ludlum’s Bourne series, David Lagercrantz continuing Stieg Larsson’s Millenium series and various authors (Jeffrey Deaver, William Boyd, Anthony Horowitx, etc.) having a go at a Bond novel.
Of course readers will want to read another book by the original author, but does that mean the follow-up author should copy the style and tone or should he add his own flair to the series?
I was thinking about this as well. To me it seems like Ian Rankin is someone who would treat the manuscript with the right amount of care. Similarly, Max Allan Collins has worked on manuscripts by Mickey Spillane. Like Ian Rankin he has a deep appreciation for the original author’s style, intention and mindset.
I’m not sure it’s quite the same when authors take on characters and canons like James Bond or Sherlock Holmes. In these cases, the characters exist in a different space. They’re so famous and have been so widely copied and spoofed that they feel like public property.
Paul’s right, though – this is one of the publishing events of the year. Really exciting work.
A few years ago I would probably have said it generally wasn’t a good idea for any author to finish another’s work or write new books carrying their name because often that was just about cashing in. One of the authors who made me see it could be done well was Ace Atkins writing new novels in Robert B Parker’s Spenser series. Enjoyable homage but still with something of Atkins’ own style too – he’s not trying to copy and neither is Rankin. Ian Rankin knows William McIlvanney’s work intimately and he kept to the spirit of the original, and the story, but readers will recognise Rankin style traits from the Rebus novels too. So as to Sonja’s question for an authentic work it has to have something of the new writer in it I think.
I enjoyed the first of the Lagercrantz’ Salander books but he’s more literary than the journalistic original. And while the themes are the same, e.g. misogyny, he approached them differently, which was interesting, the world had moved on in a few short years.
Bond carrying on, however, is purely commercial, some of the writers have been far more literary than Fleming but not successful at capturing the spirit. That said, they sell and people like them.
Rankin does a superb ventriloquist act in The Dark Remains. So much so that I immediately ordered the re released original trilogy.
Rankin is a brilliant writer in his own right but he shows enough of McIlvanney to entice you to read the original. Trust me you will want to read the trilogy after this five star treat.