Vermin

By William A. Graham £7.99 BLACK AND WHITE

IN the City of Discovery, not everyone wants to be discovered. So thinks Allan Linton, crime reporter turned PI, in William A. Graham’s debut.

His routine locating debtors, and beneficiaries is interrupted by a reticent Englishman offering a generous fee to find a girl.

Promising only that success will result in confirmation of the girl’s wellbeing, not her location, Linton begins the search for a young woman who may or may not be called Tina Lamont.

Linton is assisted by Niddrie, a “Pay Corps” veteran with a heart of gold and an assortment of handy makeshift weapons. As they progress in the investigation it becomes clear that others are also interested in the results.

It takes a murder to bring home to the pair how dangerous the enquiry has become. Now, with a local drugs baron and a metropolitan crime lord in the mix, Linton and Niddrie need all their guile to keep a step ahead.

The gritty themes are seen through a distinctly Dundonian lens. Linton’s days may be clouded by contact with drugs, blackmail, prostitution and murder but in Scotland’s sunniest city the lighter side breaks through. Wry observations about his former employer, the PC brigade, social justice and his thoughts on the city’s culinary delicacies punctuate the story:

“My granddad taught me how to eat a Dundee pie. There’s a little hole in the top of the pastry case, and he told me to turn the pie upside down and let all the grease run out. It took a couple of minutes but it could extend your life expectancy by up to three days.”

Do not read Vermin on an empty stomach. It’s not grisly – apart from the pies, perhaps – but Linton’s meals are described in such loving detail that you’ll be diving for the fridge.

There’s a sprinkling of local history and music trivia from the 60s and 70s, but the story fairly zips along to a satisfying conclusion. I finished it in an evening. There could be a series in the making here; I’d be happy to see the return of this particular pest control team.

Marion Mcgovern

“Do not read this book on an stomach” empty