Jimmy Dreghorn
2 total works
Winner of The Bloody Scotland Crime Debut of the Year
Shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year 2021 and the CWA Historical Dagger 2022
Edge of the Grave by Robbie Morrison is a dark historical crime novel set in 1930s Glasgow. A city still recovering from the Great War; split by religious division and swarming with razor gangs. For fans of William McIlvanney’s Laidlaw, Denise Mina and Philip Kerr.
'Peaky Blinders meets William McIlvanney in this rollocking riveting read' – Adrian McKinty, author of The Chain
Glasgow, 1932. When the son-in-law of one of the city’s wealthiest shipbuilders 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 with the victim’s widow, Isla Lockhart.
From the flying fists and flashing blades of Glasgow’s gangland underworld, to the backstabbing upper echelons of government and big business, Dreghorn and his partner ‘Bonnie’ Archie McDaid 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?
'Astounding. Tense, absorbing and dripping with gallus Glasgow humour, this book is absolutely wonderful' – Abir Mukherjee, author of the Wyndham & Banerjee series
'A magnificent and enthralling portrait of a dark and dangerous city . . . Chilling and brutal, but also deeply moving and, most importantly, beautifully written' – Mark Billingham, author of the Tom Thorne series
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.
'This is Peaky Blinders territory. Packed with dramatic action and unforgettable characters, it casts a hypnotic spell and stirs the blood' – Daily Mail
'A darkly compelling thriller . . . Morrison succeeds in summoning Depression-era Glasgow in a powerful work of crime fiction' – Sunday Times
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.