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The Second Cut

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The Second Cut

By: Louise Welsh
Narrated by: Alan Cumming
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'I doubt I'll read a better book this year' Val McDermid 'Compelling, immersive and brimming with life' Graeme Macrae Burnet THE TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR Auctioneer Rilke has been trying to stay out of trouble, keeping his life more or less respectable. Business has been slow at Bowery Auctions, so when an old friend, Jojo, gives Rilke a tip-off for a house clearance, life seems to be looking up. The next day Jojo washes up dead. Jojo liked Grindr hook-ups and recreational drugs - is that the reason the police won't investigate? And if Rilke doesn't find out what happened to Jojo, who will? Thrilling and atmospheric, The Second Cut delves into the dark side of twenty-first century Glasgow. Twenty years on from his appearance in The Cutting Room, Rilke is still walking a moral tightrope between good and bad, saint and sinner. Crime Thrillers Literature & Fiction Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Thriller Thriller & Suspense World Literature Crime Fiction Suspense Exciting Mystery
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Continue the series
The Cut Up cover art
The Cut Up By: Louise Welsh

Critic Reviews

I doubt I'll read a better book this year. Dark, funny and humane, Louise Welsh tells the stories that nobody else dares (VAL McDERMID)
One of the most enjoyable mysteries I've read this year, The Second Cut had me from the word go. Rilke's world feels rife with possibilities for dark doings - and Welsh's writing is fresh, funny, fearless and fun (JOSEPH KNOX)
Richly layered, gloriously carnal, bursting with patter and irresistibly seductive (CHRIS BROOKMYRE)
Getting another look behind the curtain at Rilke's world was a squalid thrill. Louise Welsh reclaims her crown as the queen of Glasgow's grubby glamour (KIRSTIN INNES)
If writing a sequel to a bona fide Scottish classic weighed heavily on Louise Welsh you'd never know. The Second Cut grips from the very opening pages. The Glasgow it portrays is seamy but humane, its cast of characters flawed but endearing. The whole thing is compelling, immersive and brimming with life. A great achievement (GRAEME MACRAE BURNET)
Plunges the reader straight into Glasgow's underbelly. This is hard-boiled Scottish crime writing at its best (SARA SHERIDAN)
This return to the world of Rilke is a masterclass in engaging storytelling. Emotionally complex, and full of dark wit and deviant energy, this is a wonderful examination of the state of our culture today (DOUG JOHNSTONE)
Brilliant (ALAN PARKS)
Twenty years is a long time to wait for a "sequel" but Louise Welsh has made the wait completely worthwhile. In Welsh's writing, Rilke's world remains recognisably queer - not sanitised, not tidied, not safe before the watershed - and all the better for it (STELLA DUFFY)
Praise for The Cutting Room: One of the most intriguing, assured and unputdownable debuts to come out of Scotland in recent years . . . A stunning work of fiction
All stars
Most relevant
Characters disturbingly well crafted and narrated superbly.

Utterly believable, and thoroughly enjoyable listen during my commutes.

Excellent

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