First published 1986
Dan Scoular faces a crumbling marriage and mounting desperation when a Glasgow crime boss presents him with an unexpected opportunity. The offer seems straightforward: train hard, fight bare knuckles in an underground bout, and walk away with enough cash to repair his failing relationship. Scoular accepts, drawn by the promise of quick money and a chance to salvage what remains of his domestic life. But as he prepares for the illegal fight, the true cost of his decision becomes clear. The violent world he has entered operates by its own merciless rules, where survival depends on abandoning the moral principles he once held dear. Scoular must navigate the dangerous territory between financial salvation and personal destruction, learning that some victories come at a price no amount of money can justify. McIlvanney strips away the romanticized notion of noble combat to reveal the raw desperation that drives ordinary people toward extraordinary violence.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: moral-ambiguity, redemption
Setting: Glasgow
Period: 20th-century
416 pages · Hardcover · NY: MORROW. 1986
Content warnings: violence