The Quaker cover art

The Quaker

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

The Quaker is watching you…

In the chilling new crime novel from award-winning author Liam McIlvanney, a serial killer stalks the streets of Glasgow and DI McCormack follows a trail of secrets to uncover the truth…

Winner of the 2018 McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year

A city torn apart.
It is 1969 and Glasgow has been brought to its knees by a serial killer spreading fear throughout the city. The Quaker has taken three women from the same nightclub and brutally murdered them in the backstreets.

A detective with everything to prove.
Now, six months later, the police are left chasing a ghost, with no new leads and no hope of catching their prey. They call in DI McCormack, a talented young detective from the Highlands. But his arrival is met with anger from a group of officers on the brink of despair.

A killer who hunts in the shadows.
Soon another woman is found murdered in a run-down tenement flat. And McCormack follows a trail of secrets that will change the city – and his life – forever…

 Crime Crime Fiction Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery Police Procedural Political Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Espionage Detective Highlander

Critic reviews

’It's one of those novels that as soon as I finished it, I looked forward to reading it again. Not only did I love the evocative recreation of Glasgow but the characters created were refreshing and surprising. It was such a pleasure to read’ Susan Calman

‘Every aspect of The Quaker is superb’ Washington Post

‘A vivid portrayal of a city’ Sun

‘A totally gripping murder mystery, thought provoking but thoroughly entertaining’ NB Magazine

‘Pacy, inventive, assured – and authentic … a story of brilliantly crafted shifts of plot and pace … McIlvanney is a writer with unfolding, developing and substantial gifts’ The Herald

‘Skilfully dovetailed … atmospheric … a solidly crafted and satisfying detective story’ Laura Wilson, Guardian

‘An absolute master of Tartan noir … the corruption of the late Sixties is splendidly evoked, as is DI Duncan McCormack’ Daily Mail

'Atmospheric and arresting, The Quaker reveals 1960s Glasgow in all its lurid shades' Val McDermid

'This is a terrific novel, dark, powerful and beautifully written. I finished it a while ago, but I'm still haunted by the characters and the place' Ann Cleeves

‘The Quaker is one of my favourite reads of the year. A powerhouse of a book with Liam McIlvanney's full lyrical powers on display. Loved it’ Steve Cavanagh

‘Another atmospheric, scary and utterly brilliant book from Liam McIlvanney. Superb’ Adrian McKinty

Praise for Liam McIlvanney:

‘An authentic, atmospheric and ambitious debut’ Val McDermid

‘Gripping, unflinching … McIlvanney has flair and assurance and executes a powerful tale with all the dexterous sensitivity and ballsy swagger the subject is due’ Scotland on Sunday

‘This is a bold, impressive debut’ Daily Telegraph

‘Superb storytelling, a wonderful eye for character, and a passion for dialogue’ Daily Mail

‘McIlvanney tells the story with clarity, terrific dialogue and convincing characters’ The Times
All stars
Most relevant
What a different world we lived in the late 60s, this book not only takes us into Glasgow’s criminal underworld but it also paints the social background as it was at the time.

Often stories don’t work when we hear the victim as if they are ghosts but this story somehow makes those voices work.

The narration is absolutely spot on and sensitively vocalised.

I look forward to reading more from this author, and will be looking at further books with this narrator

Gritty and thought provoking

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I really enjoyed this story
I did guess who the Quaker was but not the rest
I chose this book initially because I’ve really enjoyed Angus Kings narration in other audio books
But this time there were quite a few mispronunciations and if the story was set in Glasgow there wasn’t one person from Glasgow in it - maybe they’d all moved through from Edinburgh …..

Great story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Enjoyed the 2nd half very much. Reader was brilliant. Evoked Glasgow of old. Very very suspenseful at the end.

Brilliant narration

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
good local knowledge of place and time and attitudes looking forward to next one well done

excellent

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
As new author to me this was a great start. I now understand the author has at least two previous novels which I will be looking at shortly. The narrator, as usual was excellent telling the story and his accent was bang on. The story was full of intrigue with many twists and turns to keep you interested all the time. I love the way the author manages to bring every thing together in a crescendo at the end. Well done all concerned.

Great story keeps you guessing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews