This is definitely going to be in my top 5 books of the year!.

Tommy (the) Bruce is running a downtrodden hotel in Perthshire, left to him after his dad's death. Tommy's existence, and future, seem pretty bleak with only a sparse gathering of customers as his friends.

That all changes when Fi(ona) enters his life, finally giving Tommy some hope and a chance of happiness. However, the happiness is short lived when some people from Fiona's past enter their lives bringing danger......

This book really takes you through the ringer. Hope, despair, joy, happiness, fear, grief and sadness all live on the same page. Tommy is definitely one of those ordinary heroes who you will desperate to see have a happy ending. Whether he does or not? Well, you'll need to read.....

Thanks to VERVE Books | Oldcastle Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5!! I absolutely love my Scottish fiction so was over the moon to be approved this on NetGalley - thank u! Tommy the Bruce sounded exactly like my kind of read - brutal, depressing but also funny with the wonderful Scottish dialect - and I got exactly that!

From the start I knew I was going to love Tommy. James Yorkston has created a fantastic character in Tommy and although he is a bystander, a bit lazy and oh there’s the alcohol problem you can’t help but want good things for him. There were so many points I was infuriated by him though, I was desperate for him to stand up for himself, even to Fi (who I actually quite disliked). But I feel like the story was very real, and you could tell that Tommy had a heart of gold and wanted no conflict. James Yorkston’s writing is vivid, I could easily imagine the settings in the book; the pub, the run down hotel and not forgetting the cludgie (which I think is my new favourite word 😂). Told in Scottish dialect, this brings the story to life even more. You just know things aren’t going to go smooth for Tommy and when Fi’s ex-boyfriend is released from prison it brings a whole lot of trouble to Tommy’s door.

What did I read? What did I think I was going to read ? I had no idea but thanks to Netgalley I have discovered a new author and this book packs a punch! Think Elmore Leonard crossed with Irvine Welsh and then maybe drag the pages across the floor a bit, chuck a teabag on them and hang on for the ride.
Tommy is like an anti-hero, a soft lummox who things just happen to. People arrive and just take advantage of him, to the point where you just want to throat punch them.
It is a story you just devour ... you take yourself up the fell with Tommy .. sit and have a wee nip of the hard stuff, when he is allowed, and just let it happen.
It is visceral, brutal, funny, gentle, sad .. everything you want in a book ...
Amen.

No sorry, it wasn’t for me. Just couldn’t take to it at all. Could have been Scotland’s answer to Faulty Towers, but I didn’t last the pace and gave up on it early doors. Others, however, could well enjoy it.

I absolutely loved Yorkston's prose. His writing is vibrant, authentic and detailed, and this is coming from someone who often finds the first POVs not engaging and authentic enough (overly-done, and way too common these days).
Tommy the Bruce is our narrator, and he runs a hotel in Pertshire. When he talks about his job, it is believable and makes you connect with the story.
Unfortunately, the storyline with Fiona and the thriller/mystery aspects did not work as well for me. Though, this is overall an enjoyable read, and I would be interested in reading Yorkston's other work. His writing is atmospheric.

Running a quiet hotel in Perthshire, Tommy Bruce isn’t living it large. The odd coach load of foreign tourists can be bought off with Co-Op fodder but it’s a bleak existence. And then Fiona turns up. Well, that’s a shock to the system. I didn’t buy just how easily Fiona inveigled her way into Tommy’s life. Yes, a lot of us have had one too many and done things we regret but the capitulation from Tommy was in no way realistic. That said, the narrative builds steadily enough with Tommy doing his best to make a margin on sausage, chips and beans whilst depleting the bar’s whisky stocks but the story loses its edge and drifts into obscurity. I’m a big fan of tartan noir but having built up a head of steam, Tommy lets it all go like a heid the baw.