We are delighted that Canongate has acquired TO DIE IN JUNE, the sixth instalment in the Harry McCoy series by Alan Parks.
The fifth book in the series, MAY GOD FORGIVE, won the 2022 McIlvanney Scottish Crime Book of the Year Prize, and the third, BOBBY MARCH WILL LIVE FOREVER, recently won the Prix Mystère de la critique in the foreign fiction category in France.
TO DIE IN JUNE thrusts Harry McCoy into the case of a missing boy and will be published on 25th May 2023.
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 than meets the eye.
Meanwhile reports arrive of a string of poisonings of down-and-outs across the city. The dead are men who few barely notice, let alone care about – but, as McCoy is painfully aware, among this desperate community is his own father.
Even as McCoy searches for the missing boy, he must conceal from his colleagues the real reason for his presence – to investigate corruption in the station. Some folk pray for justice. Detective Harry McCoy hasn’t got time to wait.
Alan Parks says: ‘Very much looking forward to working with Canongate again on this new Harry McCoy novel. TO DIE IN JUNE is Harry’s most difficult case yet, a case that takes its toll on him and the people around him. This time no one escapes unscathed.’
Francis Bickmore says: ‘After Alan Parks scooped both an Edgar Award and the McIlvanney Prize last year, he is on a roll with readers and critics alike. The worldwide crime pantheon needs to make space for Detective McCoy alongside Rebus, Reacher and Laidlaw. TO DIE IN JUNE is Parks’ most brilliant, brutal and breathless novel yet and we look forward to 2023 being Parks’ breakout year.’
Isobel Dixon says: ‘So many readers around the world love Harry McCoy and we’re delighted that Canongate will be publishing the sixth novel in the series this year. Alan Parks can take you from nail-biting to heart-breaking with the turn of a page, then back to the very the edge of your seat – and TO DIE IN JUNE does all of this and more.’
About Alan Parks
Alan Parks worked in the music industry for over twenty years before turning to crime writing. His debut, BLOODY JANUARY, was shortlisted for the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, FEBRUARY’S SON was nominated for an Edgar Award, BOBBY MARCH WILL LIVE FOREVER won the Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original and was shortlisted for the Macavity Award for Best Mystery Novel and THE APRIL DEAD was shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year. The latest Harry McCoy book, MAY GOD FORGIVE, was published in April 2022 and won the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year 2022. Rights to the Harry McCoy series have been sold in more than ten countries around the world and have also been optioned for television.
Alan was born in Scotland and attended The University of Glasgow where he was awarded a MA in Moral Philosophy. He still lives and works in the city as well as spending time in London.
Praise for the Harry McCoy series
‘The meticulously described setting is so suggestive readers may even catch whiffs of stale cigarette smoke and patchouli. Fans of Scottish noir will be satisfied.’ – Publishers Weekly
‘Parks’ sprawling plot offers not tidy whodunit puzzles but a wide-angle view of a gritty city in the grip of crime, home to an entertaining cross section of characters. Broad-shouldered McCoy is suitably unflappable as he walks Glasgow’s mean streets.’ – Kirkus Reviews
‘Parks captures the feel of a city long vanished in a breathless and tense retro crime caper.’ – The Sun
‘A series that no crime fan should miss: dangerous, thrilling, but with a kind voice to cut through the darkness.’ – Scotsman
‘Pitch-black tartan noir, set in 70s Glasgow... Compelling... with an emotional heart that’s hard to ignore.’ – Daily Mail
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