Just to Clarify (and the year is 1977)

Unexpectedly,  I did find the following lines on Sangre en los estantes (Destino, 2016) by Paco Camarasa: “En 1977, P.D. James publicaba Muerte de un forense; Colin Dexter, El mundo silencioso de Nicholas Quinn y Ruth Rendell, Me parecía un demonio. Pero también llegaba la primera novela de un autor escocés, William McIlvanney …… Laidllaw, la primera novela protagonizada por Jack Laidlaw, inspector de homicidios en Glasgow. A Adam Dalgliesh, al inspector Morse o al inspector Wexford se les unía un policía poco habitual,, muy alejado de ellos en sus métodos y en su vida cotidiana, y una ciudad, Glasgow, poco transitada por la narrativa negrocriminal.”

My free translation: ‘In 1977, P.D. James published Death of an Expert Witness; Colin Dexter, The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn and Ruth Rendell, A Demon in My View . But also arrived the first novel by a Scottish author, William McIlvanney …… Laidllaw, the first novel featuring Jack Laidlaw, a homicide inspector in Glasgow. Adam Dalgliesh, Inspector Morse or Inspector Wexford were joined by an unusual policeman, a long way far from them both in their methods and in their everyday life, and a city, Glasgow, scarcely trodden by crime fiction narrative.’

Just a small clarification, Ruth Rendell’s novel was published in 1976 and doesn’t belong to Inspector Wexford series., it’s a standalone novel. But she published in 1977 another standalone novel – highly praised by Paco Camarasa by the way – A Judgement in Stone.

Incidentally, 1977 is this month’s year at Crimes of the Century. You may access my review of Laidllaw and The Silent World of Nicholas Quinn clicking on the book title. I’m currently reading Death of an Expert Witness, and soon A Judgement in Stone will follow. Stay tuned.

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