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The Second Cut

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About this listen

The Times Crime Book of the Year

Auctioneer Rilke has been trying to stay out of trouble, keeping his life more or less respectable. Business has been slow at Bowery Auctions, so when an old friend, Jojo, gives Rilke a tip-off for a house clearance, life seems to be looking up. The next day Jojo washes up dead.

Jojo liked Grindr hook-ups and recreational drugs - is that the reason the police won't investigate? And if Rilke doesn't find out what happened to Jojo, who will?

Thrilling and atmospheric, The Second Cut delves into the dark side of twenty-first century Glasgow. Twenty years on from his appearance in The Cutting Room, Rilke is still walking a moral tightrope between good and bad, saint and sinner.

©202 Louise Welsh (P)2022 Canongate Books Ltd Crime Thrillers Literature & Fiction Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Thriller & Suspense Crime Thriller Fiction Suspense Exciting Mystery

Critic reviews

"I doubt I'll read a better book this year." (Val McDermid)

"Compelling, immersive and brimming with life." (Graeme Macrae Burnet)
All stars
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This is the second in Welsh’s books in the Cut series and it is a stonker. If you like your books dark with finely drawn characters and twisting and indeed twisted plots you will adore this. Alan Cumming does a superb job of bringing the novel to life. His characterisations really bring not just the characters but the whole of Glasgows dark side to vivid life.

Puts the Nòir into Tartan Nòir

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Loved this book and the excellent reading by Cummings. Welsh paints great characters from Glasgow, slightly grotesque but dramatic and compelling. Galloway is gorgeous by the way and it doesn’t rain all the time. Well almost.

Convincing characters

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Engrossing story full of wit and atmosphere. Louise Welsh has such a fantastic ear for dialogue and great facility with plot. Here aided and abetted by Alan Cumming in full flow. His vocal characterisations are a delight, he glories in the nuances of the text, showing empathy and humanity in some parts, while making me laugh out loud with his knowing interpretation in others.
Just loved it!

What a treat!

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Great, involved story. Read brilliantly by Alan Cummings. A new author for me five stars all round.

Loved it

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great to meet some of the same characters again and Alan Cummings brought them all to life so brilliantly

even better than the first book

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