Other members of my international online mystery reading group had highly recommended Alan Parks, so when I saw this title on Netgalley, I requested it, and was thrilled to be approved. However, when I realized it was the third in the series, I went and bought the first book, read it, loved it. Bought the second book, read it, loved it. But when I was finally aready to read this entry, I found that Netgalley had pulled it back off my Kindle, so unfortunately I will not be able to provide you with a review.

Published by Canongate Books on March 5, 2020

Most police detectives in Alan Parks’ Glasgow are members of the Masonic Lodge. They look out for each other, not for justice. They are “ignorant arseholes, chucking their weight about, lining their own pockets, bending the law whichever way it suited them.” In the third Harry McCoy novel, McCoy is thinking he no longer wants to be a part of it. That’s not surprising, given the number of times he is beaten and nearly killed.

While most of the Glasgow police are searching for a missing girl named Alice Kelly, McCoy is called to a hotel to deal with a suspicious death. The victim turns out to be Bobby March, dead of an overdose, the needle still in his arm. The evidence suggests he might have been murdered.

Bobby March was an immensely talented guitar player from Glasgow who impressed Keith Richards while auditioning for the Rolling Stones. He quickly became a has-been thanks to a heroin habit, although he still had a loyal following of Glaswegians.

McCoy isn’t looking for Alice because his former partner and current boss, Bernie Raeburn, is trying to force him out of his job. Raeburn eventually assigns McCoy to investigate unsolved burglaries while Raeburn hopes to get the glory of finding Alice’s abductor.

McCoy’s other task is to look for the chief inspector’s niece, Laura Murray, who ran away from home. That task brings McCoy into a family drama he’d rather avoid, although it also brings him into the Glasgow music scene, where he encounters his former girlfriend Angela, who currently works as a band manager and drug dealer. He also encounters his childhood friend, Stevie Cooper, who is now a heroin addict and a key player in the Glasgow underworld. Cooper is distressed to learn that someone is trying to blackmail him.

Much of the plot concerns Raeburn’s effort to fit up a young man named Ronnie Elder for Alice’s murder. Suffice it to say that McCoy is less than pleased with Raeburn’s desire to get the glory of an arrest even if he doesn’t arrest the right person. As police in all countries have learned, it’s easier to beat a confession out of an innocent person than to find the guilty party. That plot thread ends with a violent confrontation between McCoy and Raeburn.

Along the way, Parks ties up the plot threads involving March’s death, Laura’s disappearance, and Cooper’s blackmail problem. The resolutions are refreshingly credible. The story is tightly woven despite its many threads. Parks gives ample attention to characterization and paints a vibrant picture of the Glasgow music scene. As is often true of crime novels from the UK, Parks doesn’t glorify the police. In fact, Parks makes it clear that Glasgow’s cops and criminals all come from the same roots and that they’re very much alike, despite the paths they’ve chosen. McCoy has faults of his own, but a lack of decency or compassion isn’t one of them. He’s a likable protagonist.

Parks balances mystery, suspense and action in a story has a little something for everyone — except, perhaps, for fans of quilting mysteries, for whom the novel is probably too dark. Bobby March Will Live Forever is the third McCoy novel but the first I’ve read. It makes me think that crime novel fans might want to start at the beginning and read all three.

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Just like Charon guiding us down the River Stix, the street savvy DS Harry McCoy is our guide through the mean and sweltering streets of 1973 Glasgow. Juxtaposed are three initially and supposedly unrelated plot threads that eventually intertwine with devastating consequences. The populace is in turmoil over the disappearance and probable abduction of thirteen year old Alice Kelly whose investigation is turned over to Harry's nemesis ... the ignorant arsehole and sneaky bastard Bernie Raeburn .... who has been known to bend the law resulting in lining his own pockets with the fruits of ill-gotten gains. Harry's faux pas was requesting a transfer away from his smarmy ex-partner Raeburn. For punishment, Harry is not allowed to participate in the investigation gripping the city, but rather assigned to a series of robberies that no one can get anywhere ... or even cares about. And, at the same time Chief Inspector Murray asks Harry to perform an off-the-books investigation of run-away Laura Murray ... his niece. In the course of his investigation, Harry is drawn to an open door in a somewhat seedy flat to discover the lifeless body of local legend and rock star Bobby March ... an empty syringe protruding from his arm, with his naked body sprawled across a very untidy mattress. His death is overshadowed by the city's obsession with Alice Kelly.
Alan Parks seamlessly weaves this gritty, mesmerizing three prong narrative as it intertwines and collides with unexpected consequences Throughout this steamy noir narrative the uncommon sweltering and oppressive heat takes center stage ("even in the shade it was boiling") only to suddenly break as the exhilarating denouement explodes. ( "He had heard thunder. The weather finally broke as they came out of the pub. Another distant rumble and then the heavy clouds above them burst. The rain was sudden and total, pounding down like a monsoon.") As an aside .... no one cannot enjoy the interspersed street colloquialisms that add major authenticity to this gripping noir drama. (e.g. wanker, toerag, shebeen, punter). For counterpoint, Harry's ongoing relationship and Interdependency with his childhood friend and crime boss, Stevie Cooper is expertly grafted into the conflict.
Thanks to NetGalley and Canongate Publishing for providing an electronic uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review. This actually is the third tale in the Harry McCoy series and hopefully will be followed by many more. Any fan of Philip Kerr's Bernie Gunther series will love this comparable reluctant and ethical hero .

The third episode in Alan Parks Harry McCoy series, this is excellent gritty Scottish noir. Set in the dark and grimy streets of 1970s Glasgow, a city overun by drugs, gangs and hard men, Harry McCoy is that rare thing, an honest cop in a world of graft and corruption. Although not one above using his underworld connections and turning a blind eye if he feels its warranted.

In the sweltering summer of 1973, with his boss DCI Murray seconded to another station for six months, Harry has been sidelined by the acting head, Bernie Raeburn, who harbours an old grudge against him. Raeburn and the rest of the team are investigating the case of a missing girl while Harry is left in the office to look into a string of bank robberies. When he is called out to a hotel where popular rock star Bobby March has died of a suspected drug overdose after a concert, something about the scene troubles him and he sets out to fill in the details of Bobby's last night. He's also asked by DI Murray to look for his runaway fifteen year old niece, but to do so quietly off the books as her father is a politician.
Parks paints a darkly atmospheric picture of the gritty streets of 1970s Glasgow, grim and hard edged with hard drinking men in smoky pubs and shebeens. There is also humour as Harry tries to get his best friend and crime boss Stevie Cooper off drugs and attends a funeral in Ireland. Harry's ex partner Angie, who he discovers is now working for Stevie also lightens the atmosphere with her exploits, as does Stevie's new fixer Jumbo who'd really rather be a gardener. As well as great characters, Parks expertly weaves together various threads to make for a gripping plot.

Glasgow, 1973. After leaving Glasgow in the mid '60s Bobby March became a rock star, he returns home only to die of an overdose in a seedy hotel. A series of bank robberies has left the police scratching their heads, clueless with no leads. Chief Inspector Murray's teenaged niece has run away from home. And the big case, the headline grabber, wee Alice Kelly went out to buy an ice cream cone and never came home. What do all of these things have in common? Detective Harry McCoy.

Due to personal conflict and professional jealousy McCoy has been sidelined from the big case, relegated to everything from fetching coffee to delivering messages to whatever dead end case or menial task comes along. But this is Glasgow in the '70s, where anything can happen, nothing is what it seems, and innocent just means you beat the rap.

Once this story gets going it's a page turner. Great characters, gritty noir, plot twists that come out of nowhere but in hindsight make perfect sense. I loved it!

Seldom does one find a writer who can create a multi-layered plot with diverse storylines that doesn't either 1) become so muddled and confused as to be nearly incomprehensible, or 2) so predictable that you may as well stop reading after the first few chapters. Alan Parks is one of those rare authors who can lead the reader down a path of chaotic unpredictability while never allowing them to get lost. You will never be entirely sure of where you're going but when it's all over you'll know exactly how you got there

My first thought after finishing Bobby March Will Live Forever - Harry McCoy #3 by Alan Parks was, "Why am I just now discovering this series?!!" Yes, I thought it with two exclamation points because it's just THAT good. Seriously, no, SERIOUSLY.

Where Galway (Ireland) has Ken Bruen and Jack Taylor, Glasgow (Scotland) has Alan Parks and Harry McCoy. Considerably less bleak and a bit more functional is our Harry but the world he lives in is every bit as twisted and seedy.

My one and only complaint is the occasional Scottish slang that I didn't understand. Even then the context generally gave it away and it added a certain authenticity so... Very minor issue.

Adult language, adult situations, violence. Not for the overly sensitive.

***Thanks to NetGalley, Cannongate, and author Alan Parks for providing me with a free digital copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent noir, bleak and gripping.
The plot is full of twists and turns, the cast of characters is well thought, and the mystery is solid and kept me guessing.
It's the first book I read in this series and won't surely be the last.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

Absolutely pitch-perfect! If you are looking for a dark, gritty crime novel that totally captures you within its pages then look no further.

This compelling read will transport you to 1970's Glasgow into the world of McCoy, a brilliant protagonist a bit rough around the edges and far from perfect but he has real heart making him the perfect anti-hero.

The plot is unforgettable, the dialogue is sharp and engaging. This was my first Harry McCoy novel but it certainly won't be my last. A gripping nerve-jangling thriller is a must-read for all crime readers out there!

Thank-you Anne Cater & Canongate Books for sending me a copy in exchange for an open & honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Bobby March Will Live Forever is the third book in the Harry McCoy series by British author, Alan Parks. Mid-July 1973, and Glasgow swelters through an unusually hot summer, but any personnel at Stewart Street Police Station not departed on vacation have joined the search for missing thirteen-year-old, Alice Kelly.

Except for DS Harry McCoy. CI Hector Murray has been seconded to Central for six months and his replacement, Bernie Raeburn, holds a powerful grudge against McCoy: Harry is excluded from this high-profile case and instead assigned a stagnating set of robberies; Harry’s usual right-hand man, Wattie, is forced to attend to Raeburn’s every need.

As the only cop not searching, McCoy attends an apparent accidental drug overdose at the Royal Stuart Hotel. Rock star, Bobby March is found with a syringe in his arm. But the medical examiner suspects foul play. And it seems certain of Bobby’s property is missing.

Meanwhile, Hector Murray asks McCoy, off the record, to locate his missing fifteen-year-old niece, who has been seen associating with undesirables. Talented McCoy, with his contacts, soon tracks down Laura Murray, but has misgivings about returning her immediately to her family. And while on her trail, he comes across a brutally murdered petty criminal, and learns something about a certain old friend (and local gangland boss) that may upset the delicate balance of power in the local crime scene. McCoy is having to spread himself quite thin…

This instalment features a forced confession with tragic consequences, a kidnapping, and child abuse, and McCoy takes a revelatory (but ultimately painful) trip to Belfast. While McCoy may not be the straightest cop on the force, he does have standards and his heart is in the right place, and this leads him to brawl with another senior officer.

As with book #2, this one can stand alone, but the earlier books do give some useful background on the characters and their history. Again, the prolific use of expletives may offend some readers, but there’s a bit of black humour in the banter. Portraying Glasgow at its grittiest, this is excellent Scottish Noir.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by Allen & Unwin. Also by NetGalley and Canongate Books.

Wow! There is a lot happening in the dirty hot Glasgow summer in the third installment of the Detective Harry McCoy series by Alan Parks. Harry is caught in many plot lines in what should be a tight noir but reads like a thriller. A fine addition. Highly recommended.

Thank you NetGalley and Canongate for the eARC.
This is the 3d in the series and the 2nd I have read, great series! Set in Glasgow in August 1973 finds everybody sweltering in the summer heat and the whole city is upset about the disappearance of a 13-year old girl. Also, Glasgow's famous rock star, Bobby March, has been found in his hotel room, dead of an overdose. But DI Harry McCoy is not on those 2 cases, his nemisis, Raeburn, relegates Harry to a bunch of unsolved burglaries. Harry being Harry doesn't take much notice, he delves into the cases anyway, anything to stop himself from killing Raeburn.
This is a gritty, hard story about gangsters, brutal police on the take and the fine line between them. Harry himself isn't above going over the line at times if he thinks it's warranted to solve a case. His best friend is a gangster, they go way back and help each other out when needed. But Harry's heart is in the right place, underneath it all he's kind hearted and you can't help but root for him all the way, he's a great character...
Glasgow plays a big part too, which I love. I can't wait to see what happens to Harry next, he's a bit down towards the end (which is very tense!) and disillusioned. I loved it and highly recommended it!