Paperboy (2025, Pushkin Vertigo)

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE MCILVANNEY PRIZE FOR SCOTTISH CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025*

*LISTED AS ONE OF THE TELEGRAPH’S BEST CRIME AND THRILLER NOVELS OF 2025*

*LISTED AS ONE OF THE SUNDAY TIMES’ BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2025*

*THE TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH – MARCH 2025*

DCI Alison McCoist is back: newly promoted and even less popular.

Chuck Gardner is the proud owner of both a confidential paper-shredding business and a serious betting habit.

When Chuck finds some scandalous paperwork and McCoist investigates a rat-nibbled corpse under a flyover, they are both sucked into a deadly stramash of gangland wars and police corruption.

Can Chuck solve his gambling and gangster problems before some heed-banger feeds him into his own shredder? And can McCoist claw herself out of this latest shitemire without her own shady dealings coming to light? It might depend on how far she’s prepared to go…

Paperboy is out now, you can buy here.

“…a vision of Glasgow as a technicolour hellhole of corruption, reminiscent of James Ellroy’s Los Angeles – and just as compelling to read about… Violent, profane, hilarious.”

THE TELEGRAPH, BEST CRIME AND THRILLER NOVELS OF 2025

“….both compelling and horrifying. Unmissable.”

DAILY MAIL

“Paperboy is a brilliant black comedy that repeatedly makes you squirm. Fizzing with energy and full of heart, it’s one of those books you simply don’t want to end.”

THE TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH, MARCH 2025

“A brilliant deep dive into Glasgow’s seedy underbelly… All at once it’s shocking, brutal tense and occasionally hilarious. Callum is a force to be reckoned with in Scottish crime.”

NEIL LANCASTER, author of the DS Max Craigie series

“A wickedly funny return to Glasgow’s underbelly.”

HEATHER CRITCHLOW, author of the Cal Lovett series

“Brilliant. The most fun you can have with an industrial paper shredder.”

SAM HOLLAND, author of The Puppet Master.

“Had me laughing out loud one moment and gritting my teeth the next. It’s dark, delicious and desperately funny. If Paperboy was a stick of rock it would have Glasgow’s Underworld running right through the middle. Bring on the next anarchic outing for DCI McCoist”

MARION TODD, author of the Detective Clare Mackay series

“As dark as a dungeon at midnight but a lot more fun. Sparkling dialogue,startling violence and some truly terrifying villains. And as for Ally McCoist, what can I say? She shoots, she scores!”

TREVOR WOOD, author of The Man in the Street

“Shows off McSorley’s confident street-humour, deft plotting and frequently surprising turns of phrase. The energy coming off this book is enough to power you through any number of late nights. The most fun you can have at a crime scene.”

ALAN BISSETT

“A deliciously gruesome, darkly comic and twisty piece of work. McSorley’s Glasgow is an irresistibly dangerous world full of characters you won’t easily forget.”

TOM NEWLANDS, author of Only Here, Only Now

Squeaky Clean (2023, Pushkin Vertigo)

*WINNER OF THE MCILVANNEY PRIZE FOR SCOTTISH CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023*

*LISTED IN CRIME BOOKS OF THE YEAR 2023 BY THE GUARDIAN, THE TIMES, AND THE SCOTSMAN*

*LISTED AS ONE OF THE TIMES AND SUNDAY TIMES BEST 50 PAPERBACKS (25 FICTION) OF 2024*

*WATERSTONES SCOTTISH BOOK OF THE MONTH – JAN 2024*

*THE TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH – MARCH 2023*

Half the Glasgow polis think DI Alison McCoist is bent. The other half just think she’s a fuck-up.

No one thinks very much at all about carwash employee Davey Burnet, until one day he takes the wrong customer’s motor for a ride.

One kidnapping later, he and the carwash are officially part of Glasgow’s criminal underworld, working for a psychopath who enjoys playing games like ‘Keep Yer Kneecaps’ with any poor bastard who crosses him.

Can Davey escape from the gang’s clutches with his kneecaps and life intact? Perhaps this polis Ally McCoist who keeps nosing around the carwash could help. That’s if she doesn’t get herself killed first.

Squeaky Clean is out now, you can buy here.

“An uproarious, sardonic noir thriller from the Glasgow depths… Brutal, wonderfully humorous and a great addition to Tartan Noir, this novel unveils a terrific new talent with a highly distinctive ‘voice’…”

CRIME TIME

“A formidable debut… The mayhem in SQUEAKY CLEAN is tempered by the mean-eyed humor of its underdog protagonist, and by the rapid-fire dialogue delivered through the burr of Scots dialect… With its wit, terror, guts and gumption, Mr. McSorley’s first novel is a smash.”

WALL STREET JOURNAL

“The scabrous comedy and compassion (for his protagonists, the underdog and a rescue puppy called Bruce) make the graphic scenes of torture almost palatable. SQUEAKY CLEAN is an amazingly accomplished debut.”

THE TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE MONTH, MARCH 2023

“There is humour on every page, too – this really is a very funny book despite the dark material. Both main characters are works of genius, and I very much hope there will be a sequel.”

THE SCOTSMAN

“Smart, nasty and really rather heartbreaking…”

THE HERALD

“An astonishingly good debut.  Wonderfully rounded characters, misfits all, who we really care about, in a compelling story laced with humour and humanity.  Callum McSorley is an outstanding new writer who is destined to become a very big name in the genre.”

PETER JAMES

“A manic tale of blood and suds told with laconic humour and warmly engaging characterisation. Callum McSorley is definitely a talent to watch. I knew within a page that I was in good hands.”

CHRIS BROOKMYRE

“Loved it… One of the best books I’ve read in a while. Excited to see what Callum McSorley does next. A serious talent.”

KEVIN BRIDGES, comedian and author of The Black Dog

“An absolute knockout of a debut! Pitch-dark and yet dripping with warmth, SQUEAKY CLEAN is a truly fresh take on the classic thriller. Packed with brilliantly drawn characters, laugh-out-loud humour, and lots of blood – what’s not to love? Can’t wait to see what my new favourite detective does next.”

CAZ FREAR, author of Sweet Little Lies

“An outstanding work of tartan noir. McSorley’s nightmarish Glasgow with its crime and vice is wonderfully drawn in all its gritty beauty. Larger than life characters lure us into a dark and sordid tale which twists and turns in unexpected ways that delight the reader. What a magnificent debut!”

T.L. HUCHU, author of the Edinburgh Nights series