If you’ve not come across the Robbie Munroe legal thrillers, now may be the time as these successful ebooks are being published in print by Vinci Books. They’ve proven hugely popular on Amazon and from 18 June 2026 will be appearing in good bookshops in the UK and abroad.

Robbie is the creation of retired Scottish criminal defence lawyer, William McIntyre. After 40 years in the courtroom and a busy family life, with four sons and four grandchildren, William started writing to relax and it turned out readers are fascinated by the fiction he creates – fuelled by real cases and legal dilemmas he witnessed in the job. The first in the series is Relatively Guilty, which is followed by 14 further books, with numbers 16, 17 and 18 also on the way. There’s plenty here to get your teeth into.

The series has been optioned for television too, so you may one day encounter it on the small screen, and audiobooks of the first five titles in the series will be available from 30 July.

We’re delighted to welcome William to the site to tell us more about Robbie Munroe, his life in the justice system, his crime writing and some of his influences.

What are crime fiction lovers going to love about Relatively Guilty, and the series overall?
Like the rest in what is currently a 17-book series, I hope they’ll find it very different from the usual crime fiction. Written in the first person, it gives an insight into the idiosyncrasies of the Scottish criminal justice system, viewed from the other side of the fence from the usual police perspective, and with plenty of realism and humour.

Who is Robbie Munro, what inspired him and how have you developed the character? 
There is, of course, some of me in Robbie – too much, my wife says – but he is a true Scot and the archetypal, yet entirely authentic, criminal defence lawyer.

What’s he up against in Relatively Guilty?
It’s complicated! Robbie is defending a young woman charged with the murder of her policeman husband, while also trying to stop a gangster taking out a contract on Malky, his ex-professional footballer brother. In the process, Robbie finds himself charged with uttering a counterfeit £50 note, and all the while his love life is hitting the skids.

Who are some of the other interesting characters we’ll meet? 
In the series, there is a returning cast of characters, including Robbie’s ex-cop father, Alex Munro; a man not happy that, while he spent his own career trying to put people in prison, his son is trying to keep them out. Other regulars include Robbie’s secretary, Grace Mary; his brother, Malky (a man who has headed too many footballs in his time); and Robbie’s psychopathic landlord, Jake Turpie, along with far too many others to mention.

You were a criminal defence lawyer yourself – how has your experience shaped the story? 
Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. This book was loosely based on a couple of murder cases I handled. The first mainly sets up the plot and explains why Robbie’s client seeks to instruct him. The other gave me the idea for the twist at the end. So far, nobody has honestly said they saw it coming – but no spoilers!

And likewise how has your experience fed into the courtroom setting as you depict it? 
I spent almost every day of my 40 or so working years in court, so I have plenty of experience in that regard. Realism is important to me, and as the series progresses, for reasons of authenticity, I have felt compelled to keep pace with changes in law and procedure. It’s amazing how much criminal procedure has changed, even in the relatively short time since book one was written. That said, the general reader is unlikely to notice the finer legislative details. Many people have preconceived ideas about the justice system, and I like to think my books are both educational and entertaining.

Humour plays a role in the novel too. What kind of note did you want to hit with readers in the balance between the intrigue of the case and the chance to raise a laugh or two? 
Humour is important, although in the books there are no laughs at the expense of people who are suffering. 

The humour in the series reflects real life, where humour can often be found even in the darkest moments. Much of it stems from Robbie’s family relationships, his attempts at a love life, and later his role as a father. I think it’s good to cast some lighter moments against what can, in crime fiction especially, be a very dark background.

The books are written as though the reader is sitting down with Robbie, listening to him tell a ‘war story’, which lawyers love to do. Like most storytellers, he spices things up with hyperbole and occasionally unreliable recollections.

Were there any wider themes you wanted to explore in this story?
A theme that tends to crop up throughout the series is whether justice and the law are truly the same thing. The law is constantly changing, but should justice simply go with the flow? The idea of moral versus legal guilt underpins the main storyline.

What crime books and/or other crime authors have inspired you? What are you reading at the moment?  
Ah, the easiest question so far, but probably the longest answer. My favourite authors definitely include Raymond Chandler, John Mortimer and PG Wodehouse. Their books are all written in the first person, which I believe allows the author to create a truly memorable character, sometimes even at the expense of plot.

Chandler’s plots can be almost indecipherable, but Philip Marlowe is the quintessential gumshoe. You may not remember a specific case handled by Horace Rumpole, but his character stays with you. The same is true of Bertie Wooster and the inestimable Jeeves.

I also enjoy Michael Connelly. Although Mickey Haller is very different from Robbie Munro, there is a similar sense of realism, particularly the fact that lawyers actually need to be paid for their work.

At the moment, I’m reading Absolution by Robert Harris, another writer I greatly admire. His Cicero Trilogy is especially good for anyone interested in ancient Rome and the law.

What’s next for Robbie Munro and what’s next for William McIntyre? 
When I wrote Relatively Guilty, I never intended it to be the first in a series. After every book, I tell myself I’ll write something different, but then I remember an interesting case from the past, and before long I’m back at the typewriter for Robbie’s next instalment.

I started writing fairly late in life. At the time, I was busy raising a family (with the kind assistance of Mrs McIntyre), running a business, and coaching an amateur football team. Writing has always been great fun for me, and a form of relaxation.

Although book 16, Illicit Still, is due out this summer, and book 17, Nothing Funny, is finished and hopefully out early next year, I’ve already made inroads into book 18.

Print versions of Relatively Guilty and all the books in the Robbie Munroe series will available from 18 June 2026. Use the buttons below to secure your copy.