Scottish book of the week

Scotched Nation – Will They Let Scotland Walk Away? By Andrew Scott, Twa Corbies Publishing, £8.99

Imagine this: Ahead of the 2014 Referendum on Scottish Independence a secret organisation, backed by the UK Government and supported by the security services forms a secret group, GB13, to relocate hundreds of people from England to Scotland and incentivise them to vote no. Fast forward five months to after the Referendum and by sheer coincidence, Willie Morton, an Edinburghbased journalist and a dead ringer for Gallimont, the mysterious figure at the centre of GB13 operation, stumbles across information which could undermine the entire Referendum result.

So, is the plot of Andrew Scott’s second political thriller simply based on pro-Indy conspiracy theories seeking to blame the British establishment, or could there be foundation for this tale which implies complicity at the heart of Government? However you interpret it, this is a fast-paced, tension-packed page-turner with so many references to contemporary figures and well-known places it can be hard to tell fact from fiction.

Award-winning novelist Scott is no stranger to spinning out conspiracy theories including Morton’s debut in Deadly Secrecy and this, his latest novel, doesn’t disappoint.

What I wasn’t sure I could keep up with, however, was the twists and turns which see Morton bugged by MI5, shot at James Bond-style aboard a train, escaping through derelict tunnels in Edinburgh’s Old Town, being rescued by a stunning, young Independence-supporting MI5 officer and posing as Gallimont to attend a meeting of GB13.

There are constant reminders of Scotland being put in its place and this is exemplified in conversations among GB13 members who refer to “those sweaty socks”. This book is said to be loosely based on the unsolved murder of lawyer and former SNP chairman Willie McRae. At first it was thought to be suicide, but he was later found to have suffered a fatal gunshot wound, leading to claims he was murdered by the state. Like Morton, McRae’s anti-establishment views made him a target and it was thought he may have been under surveillance.

Whatever the truth of that, Scott’s ability to weave fact and fiction has created a thrilling tale which certainly leaves the reader with much to think about.

Review by Elizabeth Quinn. 8/10