The Patrick Hamilton Appreciation Society discussion

I've just finished The Long Drop by Denise Mina and believe it worthy of the Hamilton-esque epithet

The Long Drop is a quick and easy read, a gripping, semi-fictionalised account of the crimes and trial of Peter Manuel, aka the Beast of Birkenshaw, a late 1950s Scottish serial killer.

The evocation of the Glasgow underbelly Peter Manuel inhabited is utterly convincing, much of it an absolute masterclass in tension and horror. Many scenes take place in pubs and clubs. I could smell the stale smoke and sense the drunken chaos. Patrick would have approved.

Highly recommended.

Click here to read my review

5/5

Yes, a great and chilling read. Wonderful atmospherics. I’m old enough to remember Manuel and the fear he created in the greater Glasgow area. Read most of her books and she deserves a larger audience. A lovely addition to the tartan noir.

That’s extraordinary Jim, you can actually remember the case.


Were you in Glasgow at the time? How well do you think Denise evoked the era?

What other Denise Mina books would you recommend?

The Garnethill Trilogy, her first books. West of Scotland pubs in the 1960s and into the 1970s were in the most part pretty crummy places. ( I left Scotland in the 1970s) Denise captures the atmosphere, as you said of smoke filled rooms, dodgy characters and stale beer.

Thanks Jim - that will be my next port of call


I lived in Glasgow for a year in the 1990s and, although the city had changed significantly since the 1950s, I could still recognise and recall traces of what Denise conveyed