The Good Son: A J. McNee Mystery

by Russel D. McLean

Book Overview

"THE GOOD SON is the most exciting, and gripping, Scottish crime fiction debut of recent years. Stylish and atmospheric, it marks the arrival of a exceptional talent." -- John Connolly "McLean has all the merits of this brilliant writer [Jean-Patrick Manchette] with the added bonus of a Scottish sense of wit that is like no other." -- Ken Bruen "Scottish crime fiction is entering a new era and Russel McLean is at the vanguard. A thrilling new writer,...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312576684
• ISBN13: 9780312576684
• Release Date: December 2009
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.7" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Great Debut

The premise is simple: injured P.I. gets a case, which turns nasty, and instead of going to the police right away, he investigates himself. The author has managed to work that premise into something really good and quite unique in a number of ways. I wouldn't say I liked the main character right away, but I found him absolutely compelling. The writing was strong, witty and managed to make me shed a few tears.

Stellar Debut

"I've already shot a man this evening, so what's the difference now? Like smoking, it gets easier after the first one, right?" - J. McNee Dundee, Scotland based J. McNee (full first name never given) is not at a good place in his life when we meet him in author Russel D. McLean's debut novel, The Good Son. Formerly on the Dundee police force, McNee was forced into early retirement following a car crash that killed his fiancée and left him physically disabled and psychologically crippled. Now working as a private investigator, McNee receives a visit from local farmer James Robertson whose estranged brother, Daniel, was found hanging from a tree on the family's farm. Though the police have it down as suicide, James is convinced his brother did not kill himself and hires McNee to investigate what Daniel had been up to during the 30 years since James last saw him. In addition to putting him at odds with his former colleagues on the police force, McNee's investigation opens up a Pandora's box of local thugs, London gangsters and a mysterious woman with connections to both, as a visit to London reveals that Daniel had been working for one of that city's most notorious gangsters, Gordon Egg. Not pleased with either Daniel's unexplained disappearance from London, with a substantial sum of Egg's money, or McNee's visit inquiring about him, Egg sends two of his thugs to Dundee to get to the bottom of things. And that's when things go seriously sideways, as Egg's thugs, Ayer and Liman, cut a bloody path through Dundee in their efforts to retrieve the missing money. Convinced that James Robertson knows where the money is, and that he told McNee, Ayer and Liman pay a visit to McNee's office that results in him being beaten and his office assistant shot. Already burdened with almost incapacitating guilt over his fiancée's death, the shooting of his friend pushes McNee over the edge, to the point he's determined to stop Ayer and Liman no matter the cost... and McNee is willing to pay quite a high price. In McNee, author McLean has done a spectacular job of portraying a man in the seemingly contradictory position of being incapacitated by apathy for his own life, yet driven by guilt over the loss of his fiancée's. The blunt, edgy dialogue and outbursts of pull no punches violence in The Good Son bring to mind the hard-boiled writing of the legendary Ken Bruen, and I believe it's a well-deserved comparison. But make no mistake about it, McLean has demonstrated with his debut offering that he has a fresh, unique voice all his own. The Good Son is very, very good indeed.

Corpses Hang From The Robertson Family Tree

James Robertson begs Private Inspector McNee of Dundee, Scotland to learn why his brother Daniel would hang himself. (Perhaps suicide is in their genes because their father also committed suicide.) The police believe it is an ordinary suicide. McNee thinks otherwise, especially when Daniel's girlfriend is found bludgeoned to death and some thugs from the nightclub where Daniel worked begin bullying and shooting anyone who knew him. The Robertson brothers shared dark secrets and McNee must learn what they were before more people die. An excellent debut novel from Russel D. McLean, "The Good Son" is a fun slice of Scottish noir. It is reminiscent of the classic PI novels written by Mickey Spillane and Ellery Queen. "The Good Son" is classic who dunnit. Did Daniel Robertson hang himself or did someone want to make his murder look like a suicide? The ending was rather shocking and morally twisted. The resolution disturbed me as much as it did McNee. The central theme for "The Good Son" is guilt and how it affects our actions. From the title, the reader knows that family plays a significant role in the novel`s plot. McNee feels a tremendous amount of guilt over his wife's accidental death. He was arguing with her seconds before their car was forced off the road by an unknown driver. He feels guilt whenever someone close to him is wounded or killed during the course of his investigation into Daniel's suspicious suicide. The Robertson brothers felt tremendous guilt, especially Daniel for disappointing his family. He was not the good son that his father wanted him to be. McNee is the type of person who irritates me. He keeps all of his emotions buried deep inside him, allowing them to gnaw at his conscious. He can never give straightforward answers about his feelings; he is purposely deceitful. It is no wonder that his associates can't understand how his deceased wife, Elaine, was able to tolerate him. It is no wonder that he fought his superiors in the police force and had to go into business for himself as a PI. He has a lone wolf mentality. Fortunately for McNee, he is surrounded by likeable people who give him support. Rachel, Elaine's sister, keeps insisting that he forgive himself and rejoin her family. Susan Bright, a former coworker at the police department, keeps him updated on the investigation into Daniel's suicide and provides him with emotional support. Bill is McNee's faithful, conscientious administrative assistant. Naturally, McNee has a nemesis in the form of his former boss, Detective Inspector George Lindsay. McNee must also contend indirectly with George Egg, the gangster who owns the night club where Daniel worked. The setting for "The Good Son" is very quaint and picturesque. Most of the action takes place in the small rural communities in and around Dundee, Scotland. The descriptions of pubs, moors, meadows and cemeteries are appealing. The setting contrasts sharply with the sens

hardboiled urban Scottish detective thriller

Farmer James Robertson finds his brother Daniel hanging from a tree. Although the siblings were estranged for decades when Daniel left home at sixteen after an argument with their father, James rejects the official opinion that Daniel committed suicide. Instead he hires former Dundee police officer J. McNee, who is still recovering from a car accident that severely injured him and killed his fiancée. McNee quickly uncovers that the deceased worked as a thug for former gangster Gordon Egg, who owns a London nightclub. Meanwhile Kat from London arrives insisting she was close to Daniel while two more bad eggs follow her. McNee fears he is in over his head as a hardboiled detective battling crime kings because his throbbing leg keeps telling him. Taking the injured hardboiled urban American detective to Dundee makes for an engaging refreshing tale though the lead character never quite feels like he is from Scotland rather than the United States. Still his inquiry, aching leg and all, makes for a fun tale as the cops tell him to stay out, the thugs warn him to stay out, and his common sense pleads with him to stay out; three strokes and he stays in. Fans will enjoy McNee as an avenger trying to survive the case of the dead farmer's brother. Harriet Klausner

A Noir Tale

Had to order this book from the UK, but it was well worth it. Russel McLean has put together a nasty tale of a family that fell apart years earlier, the aftermath of that, and the troubled PI who tries to figure where all the pieces go. If I'm not mistaken, this book is also the first Scottish PI novel ever. Willing to be corrected.