Bill Knox (1928–1999)

Blitzed through this in an afternoon. Started with Good Morning Yesterday and was hooked. Really impressed how economically it tells the stories. Not a word wasted yet the individual tales are often complex and atmospheric - you really get the feeling this is authentic 1970s Glasgow as described by people who knew it. The book's jointly authored by series screenwriter Edward Boyd and prolific author/journalist Bill Knox. I suspect Knox did most of the heavy lifting for the TV-tie in, and show more I'll certainly be checking out more of his work on the strength of this. show less

My least favorite Thane and Moss mystery, because it is not a mystery -- it begins with the crime --robbery with murder of a police guard --- from essentially the point of view of the killer (though not told first person) and by the second chapter we know his name and soon after just about everything --he is a young crime reporter who is working for a local paper, and he did it to support his affaire with a pretty but greedy girl. (Bill Know was himself a young crime reporter in Glasgow at show more the time, according to the blurb.) It ends with a desperate hand to hand fight between Thane and the killer, resulting (indirectly) in the killer's death. It is little surprising this gloomy story was popular enough to start an (on the whole) deservedly popular mystery series. show less

Pleasing but unremarkable police procedural with an enjoyable slice of family life and a strong Glaswegian sense of place.

An old but good series from Bill Knox. Jonathon Gaunt's life stays exciting as he travels to Portugal to recover some ancient Celtic plate. Murders, spies, and a lovely "fado" singer enliven his trip.