Detective Inspector Jack Laidlaw is a Glasgow CID detective created by William McIlvanney in 1977. He works the streets of Glasgow with a philosophical mind and a refusal to accept easy answers. Laidlaw is as troubled by the social conditions that breed crime as he is by the crimes themselves, making him an unusual figure in crime fiction.
The Laidlaw series is considered the origin point of “Tartan Noir,” the Scottish crime fiction tradition that would later produce writers like Ian Rankin and Denise Mina. After William McIlvanney’s death in 2015, his son Liam McIlvanney completed The Dark Remains (2021) from an unfinished manuscript.
Reading Order#
See the complete Jack Laidlaw reading order for all books in the series.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Jack Laidlaw?
Jack Laidlaw is a Detective Inspector with Glasgow CID, created by William McIlvanney. He is a philosophical, morally driven detective who is as troubled by the social conditions that breed crime as by the crimes themselves.
What order should I read the Jack Laidlaw books?
Read in publication order: Laidlaw (1977), The Papers of Tony Veitch (1983), Strange Loyalties (1991), and The Dark Remains (2021, completed by Liam McIlvanney from his father’s unfinished manuscript).
Why is Jack Laidlaw considered important to crime fiction?
The Laidlaw series is widely credited with founding Tartan Noir, the tradition of Scottish crime fiction. It influenced writers like Ian Rankin, whose Inspector Rebus novels carry forward the Glasgow crime fiction tradition that McIlvanney started.