Parallel Lines by R. J. Mitchell

PARALLEL LINES is the story of a deadly rivalry on both sides of the law. With criminal rival and would be underworld kingpin Declan Meehan on the verge of controlling Glasgow's lucrative illegal drug trade, Detective Sergeant Angus Thoroughgood vows to bring him down.

An edgy and fast-paced crime thriller set in the seedy criminal underworld of Glasgow, Scotland, Parallel Lines is the first book in the long-running Thoroughgood series. With Meechan bludgeoning his competition into submission, seizing the city piece by piece, his conflict with Thoroughgood gets all too personal when Celine Lynott, the woman who broke Angus' heart ten-years earlier, falls for his nemesis.

Parallel Lines sees author RJ Mitchell drawing from his 12 years of experience as a Glasgow police officer to drag readers into the city's sleazy underbelly to encounter the violent and lawless stories that can be found there.

About the author.

Robert James Mitchell was brought up in Stirling. Mitchell was initially detailed beat duties out of the former Blackhill Police Office and then Baird Street Police Office in the former ‘D’ Division, or the North, as it was known to all the men who served in the division. In January, 2007, while recovering from an appendicitis, Mitchell decided to write the first draft of ‘Parallel Lines: The Glasgow Supremacy‘, drawing heavily on his own experiences and featuring the characters of Detective Sergeant Gus Thoroughgood and DC Kenny Hardie.

Review

Over the next three weeks I am going to be reviewing the first three books in the DS Thoroughgood series which is set in Glasgow. The first in the series is Parallel lines which is a high octave police procedural which I loved! Now I remember reading this a good few years ago and enjoyed it then as well so it’s good to know that it stands up to a reread as well.

I just adore things that are set in my home city of Glasgow. It makes it so much easier to imagine the characters and visualise each scene. Maybe I am slightly biased but I just think Glasgow works as the setting for gritty crime fiction, it’s just got that reputation doesn’t it. It’s a combination that definitely works in this series. DS Thoroughgood has a rivalry with the gangster Declan Meehan, but it’s more than just wanting to put him behind bars for all the drugs and violence, it’s personal. Ten years ago he fell head over heals for the beautiful Celine but he was in an accident and Declan swooped in and took his chance with Celine. Since then the grudge has built up till it’s all consuming and he now has a chance to take him down!

I really enjoyed the plot in the book, it was well developed and you can tell that the author knows he stuff. Which he should do as he spent 12 years in the Glasgow police force. Everything has an air of authenticity, the characters are engaging and complex and the end was just surprising and enthralling. On a side note can I have Meehan house please! It feels like a book that just gets Glasgow.

I’m looking forward to reading the next in the series, ‘The Hurting’ which picks up after the showdown at the end of this book. Tune in here next Wednesday for my review on it.

Parallel Lines

Amazon UK: https://amzn.to/3n1LirH

Amazon US: https://amzn.to/39Wdk3W

Matthew James Publishing: https://bit.ly/371aAAB