His family believes he’s dead. The police believe he’s dead. But Ray Scobie, a killer who can’t feel pain, doesn’t die so easily. Betrayed by his own father, near-fatally wounded and lying in hospital as ‘John Doe’, Ray wants payback against his family – who just happen to run one of Glasgow’s most brutal crime syndicates.
Family secrets and old grudges collide with the dark motives of an undercover cop who’s strayed beyond his brief to the point of no return. And the cop’s still in thrall to Ray’s favourite cousin, with whom he’s had an illicit relationship, endangering them both.
“An uncompromising work of Glasgow noir, brutal and driven, And Then I Die drills hard into dark territory. But at its heart is Kat Scobie, a woman torn between loyalty to her criminal family and a desire for a better life. Complicated and conflicted but achingly real, you’ll be rooting for her all the way.” – Eva Dolan (author of After You Die)
Born into one of Glasgow’s most brutal crime syndicates, Kat Scobie has fought long and hard to forge her own path in a world where no choices are given. She thought she’d escaped. She thought she was different.
But as her relatives gather to mourn the death of their most feared son, Kat is drawn inexorably back into their hellish world. And she’s not the only Scobie who resents the family dynamic…
Because Ray Scobie isn’t dead. He’s near fatally wounded, hell-bent on revenge, and he knows his own father ordered his murder.
Now the only person who can stop the carnage is John, Kat’s ex-lover, a cop so deep undercover he’s started to lose himself. With his cover crumbling around him, John’s about to discover that families can be murder.
Praise for And When I Die
“Dark and disturbing… action packed.” – James Oswald (author of the Inspector McLean novels)
“AND WHEN I DIE by Russel McLean has that vibe that makes you unable to stop reading. McLean has an ability to write about families that is uncanny when it comes to shaking the family tree to see what drops out…Great pacing with some clever twists this is some damn fun reading.” – CrimeSpree Magazine
“Edgy from page one…” The Times Crime Club
“…a compelling, spare, thoughtful and at times brutally violent thriller… recommended.” Raven Crime Reads
“…this tense, violent thriller heads towards its climactic confrontation at a relentless pace, while posing tough questions about undercover work and family loyalty.” – The Sunday Herald
“A high octane read…” Maxim Jakubowski, LoveReading.co.uk
