The Cutting Room

February 24, 2003
Yet another talented Scottish author makes a debut with this dark and twisty thriller, boasting a highly unusual hero and a compelling background that shows extensive inside knowledge. The protagonist ("hero" is not quite the word) is Rilke, a promiscuously gay auction dealer working for a struggling Glasgow firm. On an appraisal call one day at the house of Roddy McKindless, a wealthy and recently deceased citizen, he comes across an extensive library of pornography, which includes pictures suggesting a "snuff"—the slaughter of a woman for sexual purposes. Rilke finds himself, to his surprise, engaged in trying to find out who the girl in the picture was, and whether she was really killed. Using his seamy contacts in the city—a pornographer, a girl who poses nude for eager "cameramen," a shady bookseller—he sets out on his peculiar odyssey, pausing from time to time for a quick and wordless sexual encounter, and becoming engaged along the way in a plot with the glamorous and world-weary Rose, who runs his auction house, to abscond with the proceeds of a highly profitable sale. Rilke is hardly a likable character, but as Welsh presents him, he is so witty, self-aware and oddly vulnerable to the occasional decent instinct that he becomes disarming. The Glasgow color is expertly applied; Welsh obviously knows her auction business, and also how to keep an intriguing story moving. She is not good at action, however, and the actual climax, in which the mystery of McKindless's death is solved, is oddly muted and unconvincing. This is one of those books, however, in which the journey is infinitely more beguiling than the destination. (Apr.)Forecast:The enterprising Scottish publisher Canongate has produced a number of outstanding books, including
The Scarlet Petal and the White, and this is one of the initial releases from its new U.S. outpost. Booksellers can confidently recommend it to admirers of another Scottish noir author, Denise Mina.

March 1, 2003
First-novelist Welsh offers a fresh voice and an arresting plot in this darkly atmospheric portrait of Glasgow's mean streets. Gay auctioneer Rilke agrees to pack up and sell off an enormous quantity of high-quality goods in an inordinately short amount of time, no questions asked. He is a bit blinded by the huge amount of cash and fails to inquire why there's such a rush, an oversight he will soon pay for. While clearing out the attic, he discovers a horrifying packet of snuff pornography. Despite his own proclivities for promiscuous, anonymous sex, he is haunted by the woman portrayed in the photographs and determines to discover whether the events depicted actually happened. His drug-dealing transvestite friend, Les, puts him into contact with an underground pornography ring, and soon Rilke learns more than he wants to about the seamy trade. Welsh offers an immensely appealing cast of characters, from the irreverent yet softhearted Rilke to his business partner, the indefatigable Rose. And Welsh's Glasgow is a desperado's paradise, filled with sodden pubs and seedy sex clubs.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)

April 1, 2003
Welsh's first novel is a taut mystery built around the seamiest side of the sexual trade underworld. Rilke, a dealer for a small auction house in Glasgow, stumbles upon some disturbing pictures of what appear to be a murder during a sex-for-hire situation. But are they real or staged? The photos appear to be decades old, and the would-be perpetrators are deceased, but Rilke still can't resist investigating-a thing he must do discreetly since the pictures technically belong to his wealthy auction client and her brother is featured prominently in them. As he seeks to find out more about the photos, he (as well as the reader) explores Glasgow's various aspects, from its middle-class suburbs to seamy transvestite clubs and porn shops. Welsh develops a colorful cast of supporting characters and lays out the plot in just the right way to create a maximum amount of suspense; an unexpected twist at the end is well executed. Although certainly no Antiques Road Show, it does provide an interesting look into the inner workings of auction houses. Recommended for larger mystery collections where British authors like Minette Walters, Denise Mina, and Ruth Rendell are popular. [This novel won the John Creasey Memorial Dagger award, given to first-time crime novelists.-Ed.]-Caroline Mann, Univ. of Portland Lib., OR

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