Having lived in France for the past thirty years, it was quite a change moving back to Glasgow – the culture, the language, the weather, but most of all – the people. For a writer of Glasgow-based crime, the people is the essential element. Edinburgh , Aberdeen and Dundee-based crime all have their merits, however, in Glasgow: ‘We Are The People!’

One thing that distinguishes Glaswegians from the rest of the population is their sense of humour. It’s difficult (though by no means impossible) to generate a load of laughs from situations in which the characters are being maimed, mutilated or murdered, so I tend to let the minor characters in my novels indulge in the acerbic humour that is constantly present in Glasgow repartee.

I started out with the intention of writing a contemporary, Glasgow-based crime series – and ended up with ‘almost contemporary’. A major disadvantage to living abroad while writing about Glasgow is the difficulty in keeping up to date with the changes that are happening in the city. Everything from new pubs and restaurants being opened up – and old ones closing down – to alterations to the one-way system. I started writing the first novel in the DCI Charlie Anderson series in 2010 and at that time Celtic were playing Rangers four times a year and Glasgow CID HQ was based in Pitt Street. However, by the time I’d completed it, Rangers were in administration and ‘Police Scotland’ was looming on the horizon! Taking the pragmatic approach, the series kicks off in 2010.

In Double Mortice, which is the second book in this series, the life of a top Glasgow lawyer, Michael Gibson, is falling apart. His mistress is demanding that he gets a divorce, but his wife is refusing to cooperate. Meanwhile, an event from his past threatens to resurface and wipe out everything he’s achieved. Worst of all, a notorious psychopath, whom Gibson has good reason to fear, has just been released from prison. When Gibson’s wife goes missing, DCI Charlie Anderson has to establish if he’s dealing with a case of abduction, suicide or murder.

Bill Daly

‘Double Mortice’, published by Old Street Publishing, was launched in Waterstones in Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow in April 2015. The first book in this series, ‘Black Mail’, was published in April 2014.