When I saw this I thought this would be a winner for me. I have never read any of the authors work before, she had slipped right by me I was hoping I had found a new Scottish Noir writer that I would want to binge their back catalog. So disappointed to say this didn’t happen.

The book had a really strong start and from the first few chapters I was hooked however as the book progressed not only did I find the plot pointless and ridiculous I found the characters sadly lacking.

The plot starts off well, I had a personal interest as my father and sister both work within Glasgow University in the estates dept and I did my post grad there, we hear from local Glasgow boy done good Jim in the 3rd person POV as he faces the challenges of having a drug dealer sim while acting as the principle of the university, at first you think there is a lot more going on and perhaps Jim past isn’t quite in the past but what follows is a pretty pointless plot with sub plots that are not followed though to have any meaning or point. I had this book pegged as perfect birthday gift for my Dad given the personal connection and the fact he loves a Glasgow based book particularly a crime one but I think this would send him to sleep.

Some of the political and social messages within book are very valid points but it does feel like they were just thrown in without much thought.

Jim as character is really quite annoying, the writer has him in constant battle with how he feels about his situation, that does ring true in a way but again it’s not fully explored with any meaning and as such Jim comes across flat. His wife Maggie for me was the worst character I so think the writer wrote her this way to make the point of champagne socialists being the worst and that was cleaver as it was subtle but effective.

One of the things I always love about well written Scottish Noir is the fact Scotland is like a character itself be it set in the past or the present day, I in particular being a Glasgow girl love books set there, this was in part why I requested this book. This was the worst part of the book rather than she real well known location the writer made up locations it was very off putting and made me loose focus on the plot, it could have been set anywhere any hint of Glasgow was lost. Confusing East for South, the main hospital and the jail were just big NO NOs…had the writer ever been to Glasgow???

This question was further hammered home with the conversation threads, there was no natural Glasgow patter, humour or dialogue all the conversations were boring, stilted and awkward. It came across lazy and rushed. The reviews compare this writer to Chris Brookmyre but there isn’t a hint of dark humour Brookmyre has in his work.

There was also loads of mistakes like ordering a whopper in McDonalds, these may be petty little things but I feel when mistakes like are made the author shows they have rushed and have not really made an effort. I believe this is far from the authors first work so for me that confirms she has just rushed it out to met a publishing deadline.

This book dragged on, went no where, lacked any real Scottish noir traits and overall was pretty boring. The ending was left open but please don’t a sequel.

Won’t be reading the authors past works after this.

it’s big big fat glesga NAW for me.

This is a difficult one to review.

It starts really well, intense with good characters.

Unfortunately it then seems to slow down and drags on.

It is still a reasonable story.

Jim works at a university in Glasgow. He lives with his wife Maggie and children Elliot and Sasha. Elliot is arrested for drug dealing and gets represented by an old friend of Jim, but all is not as it seems.
Jim's father was a thug and a criminal and his old friends keep turning up in Jim's life as they want something from him and are threatening his family to make him comply. Complicated plot with lots of twists. Great writing. Recommended.

Louise Welsh is a fabulous writer; original stories, slick twists, great characters and sharp writing. Time flies when I'm reading one of her novels. As much as I like "To The Dogs", I found I had to rate it with 4* rather than the 5 I'd hoped for.

Perhaps it suffered by comparison to some of her other novels - which I rate among my absolute favourite books so the bar was set high - but I think it was the ending. It felt too much like unfinished business, that there was a sequel on the way and I had only read half way. I felt a bit cheated because I'd enjoyed it so much and didn't want it to end!

So, I'm probably being too hard on it...great book with a good, believable story and superbly written (as usual for Welsh). Recommended.

A interwoven tale of gritty Glasgow, from the schemes to the University and in between. On one hand the professor has everything, but when his troubled son gets in way above his head with drugs and prison. It seems that the cracks in a hard acquired life begin to show and the professor will go to any length to protect what he holds close.
Very descriptive and witty for me 4 stars.

I loved ‘The Cutting Room’ and its follow-up ‘The Second Cut’ - both dark multilayered novels featuring the seedy auctioneer Rilke.
Also set in Glasgow ‘To the Dogs’ opens with Professor Jim Brennan a man who on the face of it has it all. Tipped for top job at the university, he has a lovely talented wife & two children. All the more remarkable because of the background he escaped from, particularly his brutal, hard-man father.
When his son is arrested on drugs charges this sets off a chain of events that sees Jim’s life and all he’s achieved spiraling into a kafkaesque nightmare. Initially helped by the Fagin like lawyer Cranston, as the ghosts from his past come knocking he has to decide how far he’s prepared to go to save his family and reputation.
It’s a novel I read in one sitting, full of suspense, action and consequences. It also touches on the ethics of institutions accepting money from corrupt regimes & the responsibilities of universities towards students.
In all a real gritty story that’s begging for a follow up!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Canongate for the ARC

I was unsure what to expect from this book. There were elements I really enjoyed. At the beginning I couldn't pit it down and it was definitely going to be one of my 5 stars but then in the middle things got a little confusing around who was who and I found myself not reading as quick as I had been originally.

The end was also a bit wishy washy. Things didn't feel like they were tidied up so I don't know if a second season is on the cards.

Having said that I did enjoy this book and would recommend it to others.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with a copy of the book for an unbiased review.

Jim Brennan (Professor) is close to the top of the tree at Glasgow University but life wasn't always like that. His background was on the darker streets of the city. His father was a hard man and a criminal - it's a long way from his nice house and car. When his son, Eliot, gets into trouble with the police and faces drugs charges old ghosts, places and people, emerge. The question is just how far would you go to save your family and might people who knew your father be able to help?

It's some time since I've read anything by Louise Welsh so I was looking forward to seeing what this tale was like. I enjoyed the start. Jim's son is arrested for possession and not for the first time. He's approached by someone who he was at school with who he doesn't trust much but is now a solicitor who offers to help. The contrast between the area the solicitor works in and Jim's comfortable lifestyle is marked. The book follows Jim as pressures on his life come at him from all sides and everything seems to be ganging up on him.

This is a dark and pacey book that I did enjoy reading. The Glaswegian setting/feel worked well for me. I think my reservation is with the characters. Jim is the only one with a any real depth to him for me. The others really do all feel like bit part players even though some of them are either quite good or quite important. Ultimately I didn't much like any of the characters either and so never felt engaged with them. I have to say that did not stop me reading this and enjoying it but possibly it was less satisfying because of that. I'd certainly read another by this author when I have the time.

I've not read Louise Welsh before and I was quite taken with this gritty crime novel which interspersed academia, gangsters, organised crime and domesticity in Glasgow. It had me gripped and I wanted to know what happened in the end but was a little disappointed that the main 'crime' was wrapped up well before the novel's finale and was disappointed at the denouement in how it turned out for Jim, the main character, as I wanted him to redeem himself.
However, it was well written, pacy and I felt that the author showed a real insight into the dilemma facing the main, male character.

Jim Brennan has pulled himself up from a harsh background and is now the vice chancellor of the university where he works. His life appears to be going well until his son is hauled into a police station and charged with drug dealing. Thereafter Jim's world begins to unravel...
To The Dogs starts with a bang and some fast moving chapters. It is initially engaging and the premise is intriguing but I never really got to grips with the book. Jim's life goes into a downward spiral that just gets worse with each chapter, and I mean with each chapter, not for once coming up for air and giving the reader the feeling that things might be turning in his favour. It was as if the author was out to make everything as bad as was possible, and yet that didn't quite ring true either because I wonder whether from his middle class and comfortable position Jim would really have gone along with it all. I wasn't entirely convinced and that hindered my belief in his character.
I also had trouble with his obnoxious son who I didn't think had the instinct to become involved in such a huge crime as he managed to mix himself into. He struck me as lazy and comfortable and Jim had obviously handed over money to him in the past - I was left wondering if he'd really have put the effort in with the drugs deal.
There were some interesting sub texts in the book about corruption and foreign domination and justice, wrongful imprisonment and blackmail, all of which would presumably have been covered by Jim in his academic world as a criminologist, yet he manages to breeze over any problems and revulsion he may have had with these things when it comes to himself. If there had been a twist at the end which allowed us to see he was the honest man we were led to believe I think the ending would have worked far better.
So although the book is well written and a good premise the characters never quite made this believable for me, but I'm sure many readers will enjoy the fast paced edge of the seat drama that it is.
With thanks to Netgalley and Cannongate Books for an arc copy.

When Jim’s son, Eliot, is arrested for drug use and faces a custodial sentence, he tries to help his son. He finds himself drawn back to the seedy and criminal world of his childhood and his hard-won respectability begins to spiral out of control.
A quick read which personally left me feeling a little dissatisfied when finished – too many themes not explored in enough depth for me.

An engaging read, which revolves around a senior university professor Jim, whose son Eliot’s involvement in the world of drugs tears apart the life he has carefully constructed for himself and his family.
The book's sole flaw, in my view, lay in its somewhat underwhelming conclusion. Given the substantial investment in the main body of the narrative, I couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment as the story wrapped up.

This was quite a sad tale really, and it shows the depths of the manipulation by drug dealers. I did like the characters, but felt that Jim was a bit weak and could have been a bit more forceful with his son and then the events might not have escalated. All in all, it wasn’t a bad read, but a bit predictable.

I loved this multi-layered thriller. It had me hooked from the start. I know Glasgow well. I can picture the characters and the places.

Professor Jim Brennan has worked hard to be where he is. He's vice principal at the university and may be in line for the Principal's job in due course. He has two children, his wife is a successful architect, he drives a nice car. He didn't always enjoy such a good life. He grew up in a room and kitchen, the son of a Glasgow hardman but has managed to distance himself from his late father's criminal past.

However his son Eliot has been arrested on drugs charges. Jim had been in Beijing representing the University's principal at a graduation ceremony but he has driven straight from the airport, after a very long journey, to the police station where his son is held. It's not the first time Eliot has been in trouble.

His lawyer friend Paddy who has seen Eliot tells Jim his son is being kept in over the weekend and is looking at a custodial sentence. He can't deal with the case. They need to engage a criminal lawyer.

In his exhausted state Jim decides he has to do something before he goes home. It's ironic that Eliot was arrested in his grandfather's local pub and Jim goes there. He stands out and someone recognises him. Someone who went to the same school as Jim. That someone happens to be a criminal lawyer. Was it by chance or was it planned?

From there his life starts to unravel. Someone wants the large sum of money Eliot allegedly held and the drugs. They want Jim's 'help'. He gets anonymous calls. Someone is threatening his son, his wife and Jim's reputation. How far will Jim go to try and protect his son? To protect himself and his family? The demands are increasing. It is clear someone is keeping tabs on him.

Meanwhile there are other problems at work – a Saudi alumnus wants to make a large donation to the university and this will not be welcomed; he receives an email advising that a young Chinese man he met at the Beijing graduation has been 'disappeared' and could he help? You feel his stress building up.

It's a downward spiral. Can Jim do anything to save his reputation and maintain the life he has built? Will he be sucked back into the environment he worked so hard to escape from.

I actually quite liked the ending (I see some reviewers didn't). It did leave us hanging a bit however my hope is there will be some kind of sequel. I think there is potential for a second book. If there is I look forward to it.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC.

I'm not really sure what to make of this as I expected a much more explosive beginning. By chapter 5 everything starts to pick up and my suspicion particular characters began to rise. The prison visits chapter is very accurate. I work in a prison and I think the author captures the reality extremely well making it authentic and believable. Unfortunately I found this story dull in parts and not at all what it promised on the blurb. The pacing is a little disjointed and some scenes slowed down the pace. I usually enjoy reads where the MC is not a detective however this story wasn't to my taste..

2.5/5⭐️
Thank you NetGalley and publishers for the ARC of this book.

Unfortunately a very mediocre story.
The book felt like it was trying to tap into dark academia but did not quite succeed.
The initial concept is engaging but I very quickly found that I did not care about any of the characters.

A quick but not a revolutionary read.

The professor made good from a home where his father was a convict and he had many visits to see him in prison spent his life trying to forget who his father was. He gets called back from his international university meeting to find his son has been convicted of drugs. The story is based upon the fact that one never gets rid of past lives so easily. The past catches up wih him in this very deep story. He is trying to save his family anyway that he can and it all just gets worse by the day. Great writing, keeping me on the edge all the time, characters are really well decribed and I could feel the emotions that Jim went through trying to sort everything out. It is a gritty story andI loved it

Wonderfully written dark and gripping story. The descriptions really pull you into the streets of Glasgow. The characters are well developed and you find yourself empathising with them even when their actions are questionable.

ARC recieved from NetGalley opinions my own

I was interested to read this book set in Glasgow academia, having had a daughter who went to the University of Glasgow. Unfortunately, I just felt that the book missed the mark somehow and left me dissatisfied by the end. None of the characters were likeable, and I found I lost interest in what happened to them. Disappointing.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in return for an honest review of the book.

Jim Brennan has done good. From a rough, harsh upbringing, he is now a respected Vice Principal at the University, and loves his work and his position. Married to Maggie, with Eliot, his adult son, and Sasha who is 11 years old, they are the epitome of a successful family. Or at least they would be if Eliot wasn’t such a spoilt, unbearably obnoxious young man. Lured to the dark side of drug dealing, he leaves a lot to be desired. Sadly, Eliot is happy to reap the rewards that dealing brings, but not so happy when the police catch up with him. The repercussions for his parents and sister keep rolling in!

I like Louise Welsh and always look forward to her books. Rilke is superb. Unfortunately this was off the mark for me, and in no way compared to previous works.

The main plot line was good, with Eliot getting his just desserts. But the rest just didn’t pull me in as I expected it would.

Semester One, one year later, a bit of a let down? Start of a series?

An easy read, but no grit.

2.5*

Thank you NetGalley.