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The April Dead

By Alan Parks
Series: A Harry McCoy Thriller
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4.25 goodreads logo

Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.

Check link for latest rating. ( 1,352 ratings, 196 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The April Dead by Alan Parks is a gripping entry in the crime and thriller genre. It follows Detective Harry McCoy as he navigates the tensions of 1970s Glasgow, uncovering a web of deceit linked to a series of bombings. With its atmospheric setting and layered characters, the story delves into intrigue and danger, keeping readers on edge without revealing too much.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

If you enjoy gritty, atmospheric crime stories set in Glasgow during the 1970s, this book will likely intrigue you with its vivid depiction of the city and its engaging, complex detective. Fans of twisty plots and deeply explored characters will find this a gripping addition to the Crime & Thriller genre.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

McCoy must contend with a bombing spree across his home city in this fourth dark and gritty Harry McCoy thriller.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE McILVANNEY PRIZE FOR SCOTTISH CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR

'One of the great Scottish crime writers' - The Times

'Brilliant' - Sunday Times Crime Club

NO ONE WILL FORGET

In a grimy flat in Glasgow, a homemade bomb explodes, leaving few remains to identify its maker.

Detective Harry McCoy knows in his gut that there'll be more to follow. The hunt for a missing sailor from the local US naval base leads him to the secretive group behind the bomb, and their disturbing, dominating leader. If the city is to survive the next explosion, it'll take everything McCoy's got...

The April Dead is an intense and gripping tale by Alan Parks, showcasing his remarkable skill in Scottish crime writing.

Series: A Harry McCoy Thriller

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  • February's Son
    On dark nights, someone needs to light a few fires... Bodies are piling up with messages carved into their chests. Rival gangs are competing for control. New drugs have arrived in Glasgow, and they've brought a different kind of violence to the broken city. The law of the street is changing, and demons from Detective McCoy's past are coming back...
    By Alan Parks
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • May God Forgive
    May God Forgive, the winner of the McIlvanney Prize, is set in a Glasgow that is a city in mourning. An arson attack has left five dead, tempers are frayed, and sentiments are running high. When three youths are charged, the city goes wild. A crowd gathers outside the courthouse, but as the police drive the young men to prison,...
    By Alan Parks
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The April Dead
    SHORTLISTED FOR THE McILVANNEY PRIZE FOR SCOTTISH CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR 'One of the great Scottish crime writers' - The Times 'Brilliant' - Sunday Times Crime Club NO ONE WILL FORGET In a grimy flat in Glasgow, a homemade bomb explodes, leaving few remains to identify its maker. Detective Harry McCoy knows in his gut that there'll be more...
    By Alan Parks
    Paperback
    $2300
    Elsewhere:
    $2499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Bloody January
    'Gripping and violent, dark and satisfying. I flew through it.' - Bret Easton Ellis 'A blistering plot, unforgettable characters and writing so sharp it's like it's been written with a knife ... Detective McCoy is a true noir antihero and the perfect guide through the vice and violence of Glasgow's underbelly. Bloody January firmly sets Alan Parks in the same...
    By Alan Parks
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • To Die In June
    One missing child. Two murders. A midsummer nightmare. A woman enters a Glasgow police station to report her son missing, but no record can be found of the boy. When Detective Harry McCoy, seconded from the cop shop across town, discovers the family is part of the cultish Church of Christ's Suffering, he suspects there is more to Michael's disappearance...
    By Alan Parks
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Bobby March Will Live Forever
    WHO IS TO BLAME WHEN NO ONE IS INNOCENT? There's a heatwave in Glasgow and the drugs trade is booming. The whole force is searching for missing thirteen-year-old Alice Kelly. All except Harry McCoy, who has been taken off the case after a run-in with the boss, and is instead sent alone to investigate the death of rock-star Bobby March,...
    By Alan Parks
    Paperback
    Sold Out

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Set in the grim landscapes of Scottish noir, The April Dead is lauded for its gritty and dark narrative, with Detective Harry McCoy's character at its core. Reviewers from The Times and the Wall Street Journal praise the book's ability to capture the painful realities of its world while maintaining a gripping pace and urgency. The Irish Independent appreciates McCoy's tough yet sardonic nature, adding depth to the thrilling and bloody storyline. Recognised as a must-read for crime fans by the Sunday Times Crime Club, it offers excitement and intensity amid its grisly scenes.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781786897237

Publisher: Canongate Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 31 March 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Canongate Books

Edition: Main

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 25.0mm

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 277g

Pages: 416

Collections

Alan Parks Crime & Thriller Fiction General Fiction Police Procedural Series: A Harry McCoy Thriller

About the Author

Alan Parks worked in the music industry for twenty years before turning to crime writing, commissioning videos, photography and artwork for household names including New Order, All Saints, The Streets and Enya. His debut novel Bloody January was shortlisted for the Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere. February's Son was nominated for an Edgar Award and The April Dead was shortlisted for The McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year. He lives and works in Glasgow.

The April Dead is the fourth Harry McCoy thriller.

Also by Alan Parks

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  • February's Son
    On dark nights, someone needs to light a few fires... Bodies are piling up with messages carved into their chests. Rival gangs are competing for control. New drugs have arrived in Glasgow, and they've brought a different kind of violence to the broken city. The law of the street is changing, and demons from Detective McCoy's past are coming back...
    By Alan Parks
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • May God Forgive
    May God Forgive, the winner of the McIlvanney Prize, is set in a Glasgow that is a city in mourning. An arson attack has left five dead, tempers are frayed, and sentiments are running high. When three youths are charged, the city goes wild. A crowd gathers outside the courthouse, but as the police drive the young men to prison,...
    By Alan Parks
    Paperback
    $2600
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Bloody January
    'Gripping and violent, dark and satisfying. I flew through it.' - Bret Easton Ellis 'A blistering plot, unforgettable characters and writing so sharp it's like it's been written with a knife ... Detective McCoy is a true noir antihero and the perfect guide through the vice and violence of Glasgow's underbelly. Bloody January firmly sets Alan Parks in the same...
    By Alan Parks
    Paperback
    $2799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Deception
    Deception
    The second instalment in the thrilling WW2 Joseph Gunner series, from the award-winning author of the Harry McCoy books. New York, December 1941. Joseph Gunner, former soldier, is off the front lines and on the streets of New York, tasked with helping tip America into the Second World War. Working for a section of the British Secret Service, Gunner spends...
    By Alan Parks
    Paperback
    $3799
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • To Die In June
    One missing child. Two murders. A midsummer nightmare. A woman enters a Glasgow police station to report her son missing, but no record can be found of the boy. When Detective Harry McCoy, seconded from the cop shop across town, discovers the family is part of the cultish Church of Christ's Suffering, he suspects there is more to Michael's disappearance...
    By Alan Parks
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Bobby March Will Live Forever
    WHO IS TO BLAME WHEN NO ONE IS INNOCENT? There's a heatwave in Glasgow and the drugs trade is booming. The whole force is searching for missing thirteen-year-old Alice Kelly. All except Harry McCoy, who has been taken off the case after a run-in with the boss, and is instead sent alone to investigate the death of rock-star Bobby March,...
    By Alan Parks
    Paperback
    Sold Out
  • Gunner
    A brand new crime series from the award-winning author of the Harry McCoy books 'A notably original protagonist . . . swept up in a high-level conspiracy reaching from Whitehall's corridors of power to Berlin and Rudolf Hess's doomed flight to Scotland . . . enthralling' Financial Times 'Great storytelling . . . I loved it' Peter James, #1 bestselling...
    By Alan Parks
    Paperback
    Sold Out

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