Rankin completes prequel to McIlvanney's Laidlaw trilogy for Canongate

Canongate is to publish a crime novel, inspired by an unfinished manuscript by William McIlvanney, and written in partnership with Ian Rankin.

Described by Rankin's agent, Jon Wood, as  "a brilliant and fitting tribute to a magnificent career", The Dark Remains draws on a recently discovered, unfinished, handwritten manuscript of the veteran crime writer, who died in 2015. The manuscript details the first exploits of his central protagonist, DI Laidlaw. McIlvanney wrote three Laidlaw books from 1977, and Rankin has credited him with inspiring his own detective character, John Rebus. Rankin will write the rest of the novel, which is the story of Laidlaw's first case. 

Commenting on the project, Rankin, who was an avid fan of McIlvanney's work, said: "It was of course an honour to be invited to complete Willie’s final novel but the invitation presented me with a huge responsibility. Willie is a hero of mine, a writer I hold in the highest regard. This needed to be his vision and his voice, his Laidlaw and his Glasgow. But what a thrill to spend time in Willie’s world. I hope I’ve done him justice in bringing it to life again."

Siobhan Lynch, McIlvanney's partner, endorsed Rankin's co-authorship. She said: "I feel overjoyed to be able to share Willie's last words with his beloved readers and introduce Laidlaw to a new generation. Ian is the writer Willie would have chosen."

Publishing director Francis Bickmore said: "The Dark Remains is history in the making. McIlvanney broke the mould with Detective Laidlaw, showing millions of fans the way to a new kind of crime fiction. In his later years Willie and I talked about his work on one of Laidlaw’s early cases. But death robbed him of the chance to finish it. Thanks to the estate’s discovery of the handwritten manuscript, we wondered if a collaboration beyond the grave might be possible. It had to be with Rankin, a writer Willie so admired and, to our delight, Ian felt this was one case he couldn’t turn down. The result is gobsmacking. It’s Laidlaw at his very best – white-knuckle plotting, real life complexity and writing sharper than a gangster’s blade. These kind of collaborations happen once in a lifetime and Canongate is immensely proud to be able to bring this book to fans of Laidlaw and Rebus in September 2021."

Brown added: "‘Willie’s untimely death in 2015 deprived us of one of our finest and most influential writers, the so-called godfather of tartan noir – and it robbed his readers of his work in progress, a long-awaited prequel to his Laidlaw trilogy. Years ago, when Willie first met Ian and heard he was writing crime fiction, he inscribed a copy of Docherty with the words 'Good luck with the Edinburgh Laidlaw.'

"Given the friendship and great mutual respect between the two writers, it seems entirely fitting that Ian has now completed Willie’s last work. The result, The Dark Remains, is a brilliant and atmospheric novel which will delight both Willie’s and Ian’s readers, and will introduce a new generation to the brooding philosopher detective, Jack Laidlaw."

The novel will be published on 2nd September 2021.