Alexander McGregor
First British Edition Black & White Publishing (2006) |
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Lawless
It's cold in Dundee. But not as cold as the trail being left by a murderer - a trail so cold even the police don’t know it exists.
When investigative reporter Campbell McBride arrives in his old home town to sign copies of his true crime bestseller, he is confronted about one of the murders he has covered. It seemed routine - a tempestuous relationship, boyfriend murders girlfriend, case closed. But there’s something about Bryan Gilzean’s case, something that McBride can’t figure out. Should he simply say goodbye to bookshop manager Gordon Dow and head back to London as planned or trust his intuition and cancel his flight?
Then he receives the first of the messages, baiting him, ridiculing him. But how do they know where he is, what he’s doing? With his old newspaper rival and sparring partner Richard Richardson also taking a close interest in McBride’s decision to stay in town and interest of another kind in Dl Petra Novak, McBride gets to work. And the more he digs, the deeper he gets. Not just into an investigation which puts his own life in danger, but into the ghosts which haunt him in the place he once called home.
Gripping, fast-paced and acutely observed. Lawless confirms Alexander McGregor as a major new force in crime writing.
What they said about The Law Killers
‘Penned by one of Scotland’s best reporters, The Law Killers rocketed to the top of the bestseller list’ Scotland on Sunday
‘…nothing short of a publishing sensation.’ Evening Telegraph
‘Chilling and compelling… makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up’ The Courier
‘…a Scottish best-seller after just ten days in the shops... outselling any other books released this year’ Sunday Post
| British Pbk Original - Black & White Publishing (2005) |
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The Law Killers: True Crime from Dundee
True crime from Dundee, covering the most fascinating and chilling cases from the last century Every town has its monsters. But only when their rage explodes and unspeakable crimes are committed do we realise we hold them in our midst. Some are unpredictable psychopaths, others achieve notoriety after a moment of madness when a single out-of-character act changes their lives forever. One thing is for certain, homicide comes in many guises - the only thing most have in common is a corpse. In The Law Killers, journalist Alexander McGregor examines some of the people and deeds, which have terrorised Dundonian communities. Having reported on many of them first-hand, he has unique insight into the cases and they are as chilling as they are compelling. The father who wanted to go one better than his double-killer son...and did. The groom who promised to love, honour and cherish both his brides...before he strangled them. The thirteen-year-old who was almost as much a victim as the child she killed. The trail of slaughter that started with a break-in and ended hundreds of miles away after an escaped convict killed again...and again and again. The unsolved murder of the wealthy spinster who led a secret life. The trail of dead women in the life of a social worker who thought he could outwit the police...and nearly did
About The Author
In His
Own Words:Like most hands-on occupations, journalists can sometimes be promoted to a level of impotence or incompetence, frequently both. After a satisfying career as a news reporter with a beat that included crime and the law courts, I found myself leading a team of reporters on Scotland's largest regional daily. It meant more money, longer hours--and a lot less fun. No more writing, just dishing out assignments and checking the work of others. An invitation to write a true crime book on some of my home town--and Scotland's--highest profile murders was irresistible. The Law Killers, published in October 2005, was the result. To my astonishment, and delight, it went straight to the top of Scottish charts and stayed there for ten successive weeks. Okay, the cash was good. But the real pleasure was actually writing it--honest! It got me back to doing what I enjoyed most.
During the research into one of the killings that had taken place 30 years earlier, I stumbled upon something that intrigued and baffled me, and still does. Someone had very precisely excised two sentences from the middle of a newspaper report of the murder trial filed in the local library. It seemed like the jumping-off point for a John Grisham novel. But instead of waiting for him to do it, I decided it would form the basis of my first novel. Lawless was completed nine months later.
If anything, writing it gave me even greater pleasure than the previous book. For the first time in my life, there was no longer the need to be factual or to write to a strict word-count. And being 'creative' no longer applied just to my expenses. The process also gave me a new appreciation for all those who do crime fiction. My admiration for them knows no bounds!
Alexander ‘Sandy’ McGregor has been a news reporter on daily papers all his working life, with crime and the law courts becoming a major specialisation. Based in Dundee, McGregor eventually rose to the position of Chief Reporter on Dundee's Courier and the Evening Telegraph. A sought after commentator of criminal issues, McGregor has taken part in a number of crime documentaries for both television and radio. McGregor’s first book, The Law Killers, was published in 2005 to considerable commercial success, spending 10 weeks at the top of the Scottish Bestseller Charts, selling at the rate of one copy every twenty seconds.
Lawless is McGregor’s crime fiction debut. He is married and lives near the sea outside of Dundee.
Bibliography
N.B. dates and publishers in dark red indicate British First Editions. Dates and publishers in black indicate recent reprints.
Lawless
(Black & White Publishing,
2006)
Nov 06
The Law Killers: True Crime from Dundee
(Black & White Publishing Pbk,
2005)
Lawless
by Alexander McGregor
