Långt Fall

by Denise Mina

William Watt vill veta vem som mördade hans familj. Peter Manuel vet vem som gjorde det. Men Peter Manuel är en lögnare.

Långt fall är en fristående kriminalroman från Denise Mina, baserad på den sanna historien om en av Skottlands mest ökända seriemördare. Året är 1957 och den rundlagde och äregirige affärsmannen William Watt står anklagad för de kallblodiga morden på sin fru, dotter och svägerska. Han är polisens enda misstänkta. Plötsligt blir han kontaktad av Peter Manuel, som inte bara säger sig veta vem den skyldige är - han beskriver också i detalj hur morden har gått till. Dessutom påstår han att han kan få fram mordvapnet. Problemet är bara att Manuel är yrkeskriminell, en notorisk lögnhals, man kan inte lita på ett enda ord han säger. Men han är Watts enda möjliga utväg. En natt i december träffas de och slår runt på Glasgows sjaskigaste barer och mest exklusiva klubbar.

Ett halvår senare äger en av de mest uppmärksammade rättegångarna i Skottlands historia rum. I en rättegångssal fylld till bredden av sensationslystna kvinnor och reportrar åtalas Manuel för morden på Watts familj. Om han fälls så kommer han att hängas. Frågorna på allas läppar är: Vad hände egentligen den blöta decembernatten 1957 mellan Peter Manuel och William Watt? Och vem är skyldig till vad?

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Scotland, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

238 pages, Hardcover

First published May 23, 2017

About the author

Denise Mina was born in Glasgow in 1966. Because of her father's job as an Engineer, the family followed the north sea oil boom of the seventies around Europe
She left school at sixteen and did a number of poorly paid jobs, including working in a meat factory, as a bar maid, kitchen porter and cook.
Eventually she settled in auxiliary nursing for geriatric and terminal care patients.
At twenty one she passed exams, got into study Law at Glasgow University and went on to research a PhD thesis at Strathclyde University on the ascription of mental illness to female offenders, teaching criminology and criminal law in the mean time.
Misusing her grant she stayed at home and wrote a novel, 'Garnethill' when she was supposed to be studying instead.

Reviews

[Maureen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unusual trio - an affluent businessman, a criminal, and a lawyer meet in a rather downmarket restaurant in Glasgow in the late 1950's.

William Watt, the businessman, is the prime suspect in the murders of his wife, daughter, and sister in law, however, he's been released due to lack of evidence. Watt needs to clear his name and the arranged meeting is with criminal Peter Manuel, who claims to know the whereabouts of the gun used in the murders, and also the identity of the killer. The lawyer Dowdall, is a somewhat reluctant witness to this meeting - he finds Manuel to be a somewhat sinister individual and is suspicious of his motives. Dowdall eventually leaves the two to their negotiations.

The egotistical Watt and Manuel leave the restaurant together and embark on a pub crawl that lasts for twelve hours, and culminates in a meeting with one of Glasgow's most feared hard men - a man that would give anyone the chills.

The Long Drop is actually a fictional account of the notorious Scottish serial killer Peter Manuel, with the primary focus being on his trial, 'the trial of the century'.

Mina gives a grim but accurate portrayal of 1950's Glasgow, where there was very much a macho, hard man culture, a time when it wasn't a crime for a man to rape his wife, and many women suffered vicious beatings at the hands of their husbands.

We're given a fascinating insight into the mind of Manuel, who despite having a somewhat puerile personality, is also extremely arrogant and an habitual liar. Taking a life meant nothing to him, this was a very cold and callous individual. Though he actually confessed to 18 murders, he was tried for only 8.

At 8.01am on 11th July 1958 in The Hanging Shed at Barlinnie Prison, Peter Manuel breathed his last, whilst the inhabitants of Glasgow breathed a sigh of relief.

*Thank you to Random House Vintage for my ARC. I have given an honest review in exchange*

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denise Mina conjures the the 1950s period Glasgow and makes it come alive with its grime, divisions, hard men, and criminal underbelly. This is a city run by the police knowingly aided by crime bosses to enforce order, although big changes are in the air such as redevelopment. This is a man's world, where women are treated desperately badly. This story is Mina turning her hand at fictionalising aspects of the true crime notoriety of Scotland's serial killer, 'The Beast of Birkenshaw', the hated Peter Manuel. Much of the narrative is delivered in the vernacular, but a light and easily understood version. The long drop is a particular type of hanging, and we know Manuel is convicted and then hanged in 1958 for the murder of 7 people, but suspected of killing more.

In this book, the focus is on Manuel's trial and on a 11 hour drunken pub crawl with Watt and Manuel, men with huge egos and neither is particularly likeable. William Watt, suspected of murdering his own family, is in search of answers that are tantalisingly offered by Peter Manuel, who sees someone ripe to play mind games with. Watt is a man intent on being someone, with a mistress, his fingers in real estate development and not such an innocent guy. Peter Manuel runs his own defence at the trial but does himself no favours in choosing this path. Mina gives us a picture that the truth is nebulous and elusive, that Manuel is left to hang whilst others are shielded in a city that reeks of corruption.

This is a beautifully written and bleak tale with superb descriptions. Mina does a glorious job in giving us a 1950s Glasgow that we can easily step into with its overflowing menace and, surprisingly, humour. Manuel feels a malignant and repulsive character, with a clear psychopathic personality although deeply flawed characters are the hallmarks of Mina's spin on this true crime. I am not attracted to reading true crime fiction but the author has made this both a compelling and gripping read. Thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Long Drop by Denise Mina is a 2017 Little, Brown and Company publication.

This fictionalized account of Scotland’s notorious serial killer Peter Manuel is a gloomy and gritty portrayal of Glasgow in the 1950’s.

This unforgiving backdrop sets the stage for this story that centers around William Watt, a prime suspect in the killing of his wife, daughter, and sister-in-law. Watt, though, suspects Peter Manuel of the triple homicide. But was Watt as innocent as he claimed?

Watt and Manuel, ironically, end up going on an eleven hour bender together, a period of time that becomes a primary focus of the book, along with dialogue and testimony from the trial.

I had a very hard time getting into the book initially. I was totally unfamiliar with the case and the switch between Manuel and Watt’s night out together and the court testimony had me a little confused for a while.

But, then I remembered the book was based on a true story and decided to do a Google search. The background info really helped me to understand what was going on in the book and from then on I was much more invested.

What is so striking about this book is the stunning portrait of Glasgow’s underbelly and the brutal treatment and attitudes towards women in this time frame. It is a depressing setting, but incredibly realistic.

“To him they are no more that skin-covered stage flats in a play about him”

The psychological aspects are just as compelling, as are the court transcripts. The ‘pub crawl’ did take place, which is astonishing in itself, but the courtroom drama was utterly theatrical, with some poignancy as Manuel’s victims remembered their loved ones, their grief palpable.

The author did a very good job of capturing Manuel’s sociopathic and hardened psyche, which will give you an up close and personal look inside the mind a ruthless killer.

‘Peter Manuel does not know how other people feel. He has never known that. He can guess. He can read a face and see signs that tell him if someone is frightened or laughing. But, there is no reciprocation. He feels no small echo of what his listener is feeling.”


This is an interesting accounting of what is still considered by many as Scotland’s worst and most notorious serial killer.

I’m not sure what I was expecting from this book, but this wasn’t anywhere near what I was thinking the book would be like.

I think this blurb may have thrown me off course a little:


A standalone psychological thriller from the acclaimed author of the Alex Morrow novels that exposes the dark hearts of the guilty... and the innocent.

Despite the analysis of Peter Manuel and the study of his persona, and that of Watt, which provided plenty of psychological material, I don’t know if I would have described this book as a ‘psychological thriller’, at least not as we’ve come to define it currently, and this may have added to my initial frustrations.

However, once I warmed up to the subject, and understood where we headed, I found it to be a very interesting historical piece and crime novel.

I would like to come back to this book someday and approach it with the perspective I lacked going into it this first time around. I think the writing, which is spectacular once I finally got my bearings, would be better appreciated and knowing what to expect will allow me to focus on the story with more clarity.

Overall, this one got off to a rocky start, but I’m glad I stuck with it. I ended up feeling a great appreciation for the author’s angle on true events and the obvious amount of time and study she must have put in to create such a clear picture of the era, and the people involved in this grisly murder case.

4 stars

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Saracen’s Head, Glasgow, 1953; from Picture Post© Haywood Magee/Picture Post/Getty Images

A mix of real crime and speculation, it’s more a study of the time and place and the characters involved than a thriller or murder mystery.

The trial and horrific crimes are old news. The all-night pub-crawl of Peter Manuel and William Watt is the only mystery. Manuel murdered Watt’s family and raped his daughter. At the time of the meeting, he wasn’t the police didn’t consider him a suspect for those crimes. His conviction would be for seven people. Watt is accused of the crimes and conducting his own investigation to clear his name. Manuel claimed to have information about them. Their mutual lawyer, Laurence Dowdall arranged the meeting. Neither one wants to experience the long drop method of hanging. They spent eleven hours together. So, what did you guys talk about for all that time?

The story goes from the meeting to Manuel’s trial for the Watt murders and five others six months later. The story back and forth through the timeline of the crimes and the trial. By recollection, you get the killer’s thrill of hunting one of his victims. A giggle prone teenager gifted with the survival skills of a bunny dumped from its hutch. She loses one of her new kitten-heel dancing shoes on the muddy bank. But, doesn’t run far enough or hide long enough, and you know the outcome.


17-year-old Isabelle Cooke raped and murdered by Peter Manuel

Having no stake in the outcome, I could appreciate the trial as a performance with parts played by the attorneys, the audience and the witnesses, both colorful and tragic. There is testimony by a grief-stricken parent of a victim and the killer. Dowdall is called as a witness. As you probably realized, he is in a tight spot and needs to carefully define when he was and was not Manuel’s lawyer.

Dowdall is here to tell the court how Watt and Manuel came to meet. Telling stories is his job. He’s a lawyer.

Good storytelling is all about what’s left in, what’s left out and the order in which the facts are presented. Dowdall knows how to shape a narrative, calling witnesses in the right order, emphasizing the favourable through repeated questioning, skim-skim-skimming over the accused’s habit of beating his widowed mother. Dowdall is a master storyteller, better than other lawyers. He has an innate sense of narrative and he is disciplined. Dowdall can find just the right trajectory to pin his tale to and he can stop before the end. It’s the jury’s job to write the ending….

But today’s story is complex. Dowdall is in this story and he has been tricked. By sleight of hand and word Manuel manoeuvred Dowdall into breaking the law. Dowdall cannot excise himself from the story because none of the subsequent events make sense if he leaves his own misdemeanours out. He has been up half the night playing narrative chess.

I tacked on a promotional post from Hachette because Mina tells an embarrassing story explaining why she wrote the book. She had an earlier work, a play, a success with sold out shows for the run. Slanted toward an innocent man trying to defend himself. But the pensioners kept coming after her.

“…they wouldn’t leave the theatre until they told me that I had the story wrong.”

“Every single day I was accosted by people who had been alive at the time. They corrected me: the story was not black and white.”

So, I hope they’re satisfied.



**********************************************
https://www.mulhollandbooks.com/guest...
https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/re...
Oh, a midgie’s oxter is a gnat’s armpit in case you wondered.

[Karin Slaughter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Denise Mina is one of my favorite authors working today. She's a fantastic story teller, and reading this book, I felt like I was sitting across from her at a bar hearing about this true-crime case directly from her mouth. One of the many things Denise excels at is exploring real criminals; not the Hannibal Lecter types, but the actual, true life criminals who aren't clever or charming but who are just normal people making bad decisions and stupid mistakes. Some of them are more flawed than others, some of them are more dastardly, but as a reader, you get the idea that Denise understands why they do the terrible things they do. That she can turn this into a compelling story is an amazing feat. She's an author's author.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm a fan of Mina's writing style, but this wasn't the book for me. It is based on a true crime in Glasgow in 1957. There is no mystery, no goodness, no hope, no puzzle to solve. Just the facts and they are bleak. Her ability to describe the bleakness? Second to few, I imagine.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Long Drop" is a fictionalized story about a real multiple murderer named Peter Manuel - who's known as 'Scotland's First Serial Killer.'


Peter Manuel

Manuel was convicted of killing seven people across southern Scotland in the 1950s, and was hanged at Glasgow's Barlinnie Prison in 1958. The trial scenes in the novel are based on transcripts of Manuel's actual court proceedings.


Barlinnie Prison



*****

As the book opens in December 1957, a man named William Watt is accused of killing his wife, sister-in-law, and 17-year-old daughter in Lanarkshire, Scotland - but the evidence is too thin to keep him locked up.


William Watt

Nevertheless, Watt - who owns a string of bakeries - is desperate to clear his name. Thus Watt takes the bait when Peter Manuel contacts Watt's lawyer, Laurance Dowdall, and says he 'wants to help.' Manuel says he knows who murdered Watt's family, has the gun that was used, and is willing to produce the evidence.

Attorney Dowdall is very skeptical since Manuel is a known criminal, having been convicted of a string of burglaries, thefts, and sexual assaults. In fact it's very likely that Manuel killed the three women himself and then hid the gun.

Reluctantly, Dowdall sets up a meeting in a restaurant between Watt, Manuel, and himself. Dowdall warns Watt NOT TO PAY Manuel, as this would undermine any evidence he has. Moreover, Dowdall plans to hang around to make sure no cash changes hands. However, Watt and Manuel soon get rid of Dowdall, and set off on a night of drinking and carousing, during which each man tries to get something from the other.



The book alternates between the night of December 2, 1957 - when Watt and Manuel go on their pub crawl; and May, 1958 - when Manuel is on trial for killing eight people.


Composite of Peter Manuel's victims

During the night of December 1957 Watt tries to wheedle out the location of the gun (for the police), but Manuel makes it clear he won't talk without compensation. So Watt agrees to pay Manuel, but doesn't want the criminal to see where he hides his loot - which complicates the situation.

And Manuel has a big dilemma as well. Crime boss Dandy McKay - who's as tough as they come - wants to see Manuel ASAP.....to tell him exactly what he's going to say and do. Manuel and Watt try to avoid McKay, but the criminal leader sends out his goons to round up the duo.



As things turn out, Manuel is soon arrested - and put on trial - for committing a series of murders. He's accused of killing Watt's wife Marion (45), daughter Vivienne (17), and sister-in-law Margaret Brown (41).


Marion and Vivienne Watt and Margaret Brown

Manuel is also charged with murdering a teenager named Isabelle Cooke (17) and a family called the Smarts - father Peter (45), mother Doris (42), and son Michael (10). Manuel apparently re-visited the Smart house several times (before the bodies were discovered) - to eat food, steal cash, take the car, and (oddly enough) feed the cat.





In actual fact, Manuel probably killed at least fifteen people, but was tried for only eight murders.

Manuel seems a bit dim-witted during his drunken revelry with Watt. However, partway through his trial Manuel takes over his own defense, and demonstrates that he can be clever and strategic.



There are some surprises in the book, which are probably Denise Mina's 'author's licence.'

I thought the story was interesting, but the sections about the pub crawl were a bit slow and repetitive - and I got a little bored with all the drinking, drunken staggering, and drunk driving. The chapters about the trial, though, were riveting - and it was interesting to see psychopathic Manuel get too clever for his own good.

I'd recommend the book to fans of murder mysteries and true crime stories.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....

[Tooter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really disappointed in this book. I had high expectations after reading glowing reviews but for me it got bogged down in minute details and I found myself skimming. However, the story was interesting and the writing was excellent. I will definitely try this author again.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a literary retelling of the final days & trial of Peter Manuel, a serial killer who was hanged in Glasgow’s Barlinnie Prison on July 11, 1958. Nicknamed “the Beast of Birkenshaw”, he was convicted of 7 murders & suspected of others.

On Sept. 17, 1956 Glasgow businessman William Watt’s wife, daughter & sister-in-law were murdered while he was away on a trip. But police were under tremendous pressure to make an arrest & decided Watt was as good a suspect as any. He spent more than 2 months in prison until prominent lawyer Lawrence Dowdall secured his release. Watt went on to spend much of the next year carrying out his own investigation in an effort to clear his name. On Jan. 1,1958 another family was murdered & from then on, Manuel’s days were numbered.

Much has been written about the case & the author stays true to the facts while adding her own spin on some of the unanswered questions. The story has 2 main threads that are told in alternating chapters. The first takes place over the course of one night in Dec. 1957 as she imagines a meeting between Watt & Manuel. We follow them as they hit every bar in town, both with private agendas. Watt believes Manuel knows where the murder weapon is & he wants it. And Manuel…..well, he just wants money & someone to toy with.

The other thread begins 6 months later in 1958 as Peter Manuel goes on trial. One by one we hear from all those called to testify including Manuel’s parents & Watt himself.

As both story lines progress, ugly truths are gradually revealed as we follow the 2 MC’s in dual time lines. Mina does a wonderful job of slowly peeling back the layers of these 2 complex characters. Watt initially comes across as a crass, nouveau riche social climber desperate for respect. But it’s her portrait of Manuel that makes your blood run cold. He can turn from charming manipulator to violent sociopath in a heartbeat & will genuinely make your skin crawl. It’s like watching a chess game between 2 well matched opponents & there’s a continuous power shift as they try to outmanoeuvre each other.

It’s stylishly written & rich in period detail. Glasgow in the 1950’s is another character in itself. Parts of the blackened city would later be levelled but at the time it was a dark & gritty place with well known gangsters controlling their turf. It also illustrates the popular beliefs & societal prejudices at a time when the class system was still in effect.

This is not a thriller in the traditional sense as most of the violence is described in retrospect. There is much more dialogue than action. It’s a thought provoking & psychological study of 2 flawed men that keeps you guessing & I particularly enjoyed the author’s twist on how Watt’s family ended up dead. Who knows….maybe it’s true.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Long Drop is based on true events; it refers to a method of capital punishment. The story builds to and ends with the judicial hanging of Peter Manuel. It begins about the time I was born and for no other reason than this would pique my interest. However, it is the writing in broad strokes and highlighting the finer details that sustains my enjoyment of the writing, about a Glasgow perhaps no longer remembered but a murderer who will never be forgotten.
You feel that Mina has sat you down in a room and is narrating a dark tale on a stormy evening. You know you will not be able to go to bed before she has concluded her account and then whatever is left of the night you will be robbed of sleep by the impact of this story.
What I loved in the opening chapter was the command of the story that allows like the best teachers or great orators to digress briefly without the audience becoming tense or bored. So, with The Long Drop on the very first page Mina has the time and the assurance to go off on another track about the history of Glasgow. This continues throughout the book taking the reader on a journey from a time the loosely know with asides to bring it up to date or hang references on like a guide taking you around the city.
For me it re-enforces the authenticity of the world she is recalling and affirming to the reader. Its time and location are as important as the characters contained within the novel for the story to be fully understood.
It reminded me at times of Burial Rites.by Hannah Kent which I read over 3 years ago, However, The Long Drop is darker and drips in menace. It has the sense of foreboding and like Mrs Manual feels that violence is just a breath away.
Denise Mina has great insights into human nature and her dialogue and prose remain tense and true to the ear.
There is no glory in this retelling of horrific crimes but how the author recounts the possible events as well as encounters around the trial, conviction and execution brings a sense of understanding contemporary events. She spends time on all the characters and even introduces the natural humour that often occurs in tense situations and solemn proceedings. I enjoyed the reality of the sectarian Glasgow given and the crime often ignored or unable to prosecute. The city appears littered with thuggery and the story of the providence in the guns used in the crimes detailed so the availability of weapons and the casual way they changed hands.
I loved the faith, love and honesty displayed and shown in the character of Manual's mum., in stark contrast to his father.
Wonderful, enticing and a glimpse at what appears to be a book about truth and consequences; at a time of long nights, black cityscapes and dark hearts. However, Mina hints at wider involvement and the limits of police investigations prior to DNA evidence and communities where no-one spoke with or grassed to the police. I do not like true crime novels but in this author's hands and with her creative mind and thorough research she has demonstrated her affinity with Glasgow and provided a book few who read it will ever forget.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting fictional recreation of an actual crime, trial and punishment scenario from the late 1950s Scotland, and a standalone departure from Mina's mystery series. The criminal and crimes are known; this book recreates the process of finally identifying and trying him as well as proposing possible scenarios for others' culpability or complicity in what happened after the murders and before arrest and trial. It is a fascinating reconstruction of another era of policing, another time in the criminal world also.

The portraits of the people involved are scary. Criminals appeared to have significant power in Glasgow of those days and truth was often a victim. Mina has used non-fiction sources to create her novel which I found fascinating, while also disturbing. But I think any work based on true crime involving serial murder has to be disturbing. This book is structured in chapters alternating between Peter Manuel's trial in 1958 and events in 1957 as various individuals scrambled to point fingers and be sure blame was assigned properly. These individuals were not police. Enough said!

This is my first book by Denise Mina and I find I like her writing style. I plan to check out her series books now too.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Maxine (Booklover Catlady) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an exclusive extract of the first chapter of The Long Drop thanks to Random House UK, Vintage Publishing in exchange for an early review.

What atmospheric brilliance! This first chapter had me stepping back in time feeling myself immersed in another time and place as the modern day around me slipped away. As I settled into the rhythm of the writing I found it hypnotic and enticing and quite simply wanted more, one chapter was not going to be enough. Mina's characters are instantly alive and her descriptive powers very impressive, this is a book that I believe I would be lost in, hungry to keep turning the pages, desperate for more depth and wiling to dive into the darkness. What lays ahead? Who knows but I have a feeling, a strong feeling it's going to be very, very good dear readers.

Shall we dally then?

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first came across Denise Mina when I read the collection, “Bloody Scotland,” and her contribution blew me away. I was determined to read more by her, but, where to start? Unsure of which of her series to try first, I decided on her stand alone novel, “The Long Drop,” which is based on the crimes of Peter Manuel and which was highly recommended by friend, and fellow reviewer, Nigeyb.

This novel is set in Glasgow, during the 1950’s; alternating between Manuel’s trial in 1958 and events in 1957 – particularly during a drunken night spent with William Watt. Watt’s family were killed, by Manuel, and Watt became a suspect in the crime. Responding to suggestions that Manuel knows where the gun used could be found, the two men are introduced by lawyer, Laurence Dowdall. What results is a bizarre evening, in which Watt and Manuel spend an evening in the bars and clubs of Glasgow; as well as visits to the home of Watt’s brother and Manuel’s parents.

Without doubt, Glasgow itself is very much a character in the novel. Set before the Clean Air Act, this is a city which is viewed through a fog of smoke. A city of tenements, bars, poverty, drunkenness and casual violence. You feel that children on these streets are in danger of losing their innocence. You are also aware that any young woman, who comes in contact with Peter Manual, is in danger of losing their life.

The scenes in the courtroom are almost painfully realistic, as Denise Mina allows her characters to reveal their bleak, tragic stories. The whole novel is atmospheric, dark and noir at its best. I listened to this on Audible and it was wonderfully narrated by David Monteath, who did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life. Absolutely loved this and look forward to discovering more of Denise Mina’s work.

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the late 1950's in Glasgow, Peter Manuel has been found guilty of a string of murders and is waiting to die by hanging. Every good crime story has a beginning and Manuel's starts with of William Watt's family.

Peter Manuel was a real life Scottish serial killer. This is a non-fic-fictional novel that the author has weaved a story around, while the author at aye true to the facts. This is a fantastic insight into Glasgow, policing and justice systems of the era. A book that quickly pulls you in and won't let you go till the end.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and the author Denise Mina for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[ReadAlongWithSue recovering from a stroke★⋆. ࿐࿔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is based on a true story. It’s around a year before I was born 1957.
The serial killer Peter Manuel.

Halfway through I thought I’d google about this to give myself a bit of clarity compared to the real event. It helped me a lot to get some questions answered in my head.

I have to say, I’ve never heard of this before.

It was an interesting account and disturbing.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This is a fictionalized story about a true life crime in the 1950's. The trial of Peter Manuel apparently was quite famous as he left a wide swath of victims in his wake. He was also an incredibly stupid criminal who was his own worse enemy.

William Watts family was brutally murdered and the book concerns a meeting between him and Manuel after the murders. The book fluctuates between that meeting and the trial of Manuel. It also deals with the underbelly of criminal life in Glasgow.

The book is remarkable in its atmospheric setting. It really has the feeling of the 1950's and captures the times quite well.

Thanks to Net Galley for the copy of the book in exchange for a review.

[Zuky the BookBum · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Denise Mina, but it won't be the last! I found this novel instantly exciting and by the time I got to 30% I was hooked and couldn't put it down, finally finishing it at 1:30 in the morning. This novel drips with menace and chills you to the bone in some parts, it's really a fantastic and quick thriller read.

This book tells the story of Peter Manuel, real life Scottish serial killer. Like with so many other books on the market nowadays, this is a non-fic-fiction novel. It's based its contents on real events but the author has weaved a story around it too.

What's so striking about this novel is Mina's ability to tell a story. The story flowed brilliantly and it never lost my interest, even when we started getting into some of the more in-depth and historic facts about Glasgow. The writing style is short and snappy, so you really feel yourself racing through this.

Characters. Oh wow, the characters. Somehow, you feel simultaneously angry and empathetic for everyone in this book, even Peter Manuel, the serial killer. Mina's character development is superb and you find yourself getting drawn into each person's story so quickly. We follow Peter Manuel and William Watt throughout most of this novel, but there are small scenes popped in that introduce characters we only meet once throughout the entire book, yet I still felt like I knew them and I still invested myself in their stories, no matter how short.

Overall, this book was really superb and if you're looking for something dark, but quick to read, this is the book for you. At only 240 pages, you'll find yourself racing through this! I can't wait to read more of Mina's work, if it's all as good as this one.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 rounded down

I had to Google who Peter Manuel was before I read this, and read it only knowing that he was a Scottish serial killer who was one of the last people hung in the UK before the death penalty was abolished.

This semi-fictionalised retelling of the trial and the lead up to his arrest was a disappointing read. I couldn't get the order of what was happening straight in my head, found the first ~75% of it a slog to get through, and the last quarter of the book only held my interest slightly more. I can't work out if it was the way the story was told - mostly very descriptive and with short sentences - or something else, but it wasn't a page turner, and I finished feeling like I didn't really get to know any of the characters at all.

Mina painted a bleak picture of Glasgow, and I appreciated all the little facts about what was happening at the time, but unfortunately these were not enough to redeem this one for me.

[Linda Strong · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE LONG DROP was this author's first attempt at writing true crime. This is the story of Peter Manuel and the murder of three women in the family of William Watt.

In the beginning, Glasgow police held William Watt as the prime suspect in the killings. Watt determines to clear his own name since the police don't seem interested in looking any further for the real killer.

When he reaches out asking for information, he receives a letter from Peter Manuel. He claims he knows who the killer is, demands a huge sum of money ... but then he's known to be a liar. So is he telling the truth this time? Or is this another play for money?

Manuel wants a sit-down meeting with Watt and soon enough, the drinking gets out of hand and the two men spend a long night in many bars and clubs.

The next time the unlikely pair meets is across the witness stand in court--where Manuel is on trial for the murder of Watt's family. Manuel calls Watt to the stand to testify about the long, shady night they shared together. And the shocking testimony that Manuel coaxes out of Watt threatens to expose the dark hearts of the guilty...and the innocent.

This is a look at crime in 1950s Glasgow. It's dark and dreary. None of the characters have any redeeming qualities .. and they just weren't likeable. I have read other books by this author and enjoyed her writing. This one was just a miss for me.

Many thanks to the author / Little, Brown and Company / Netgalley for the digital copy of THE LONG DROP. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 3 out of 5]

You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.

Denise Mina delivers a true crime story infused with fiction as she tells the story behind Scotland’s very first serial killer. Deemed to be the trial of the century in 1950’s Glasglow, The Long Drop recounts the fight for innocence for the accused father, William Watt, and the denial of guilt by the known liar and murderer, Peter Manuel. While the outcome of this story is well-known, Denise Mina offers readers the opportunity to read about a trial—thanks to her access to transcriptions—interspersed with her own reimagining of the mysterious night that both William Watt and Peter Manuel spent together trying to bargain for freedom in their own particular ways. While William Watt only wishes to find the gun that was used to kill three members of his family, Peter Manuel attempts to play with an innocent man’s emotions and thoughts and secure his way to a win-win situation. In The Long Drop, the author proposes an exploration of the capital punishment, as well as the darkness within everyone, innocent or guilty.

Capital punishment still remains relevant in some regions around the world, but The Long Drop sure does bring into light the controversy that surrounds the measure. The raw depiction of the punishment and the whole procedure that leads up to the event in the 1950s underlines the very joke that the whole system used to be. From unreliable witnesses to criminals representing themselves (still modern issues), this story tickles your fancy for what you’d think a trial shouldn’t be like. While half the book focuses on the later trial that leads to the end of Scotland’s first serial killer, Peter Manuel, the other half embraces Denise Mina’s version of the unknown twelve hours that a killer and the accused victim spend together before the grand trial that will change the life of many individuals. These moments that are cleverly and cunningly interwoven into the plot gives us a glimpse into the mind of a killer and his compulsive ability to lie.

Unfortunately, the writing wasn’t my cup of tea. More often than not, it felt like I was watching a very dull episode on the Discovery channel. Everything was told explicitly and in a straight-forward fashion. Short sentences were also regularly used, making it feel like we were repeatedly jabbed, but without any real reactions being solicited. There was something really raw yet lackluster in the way that the story was conveyed, but it definitely didn’t help that you knew the outcome to this story since it was based on true events. Readers who are truly invested in the trial that took place in Scotland and who wishes to see Denise Mina’s reimagining of the famous hours spent between Peter Manuel and William Watt will surely get a good kick out of this book, but fans of thrillers will have to lower their expectations in order to indulge this genuinely fascinating trial.

It’s riveting what occurs between William Watt and Peter Manuel and forces you to wonder how far an innocent individual would go to clear his name of the suspicions that the society has on him. Denise Mina is definitely a fantastic writer who sticks to the facts as she sews a remarkable story from scratch. There are some amazing moments throughout the book that highlights her ability to stun and mesmerize you with her writing style. Regrettably, it fell flat and monotone to my eyes a little too often and failed to keep my intrigue high. Blame is however hard to put on the author as she couldn’t have swayed to far away from the truth and could only try and depict a criminal in the most authentic way possible. The version of the truth that Denise Mina offers us remains interesting enough to please fans of true crime and is definitely worth checking out if the case tickles your curiosity.

Thank you to HarperCollins Canada for sending me an Advance Copy for review!

Yours truly,

Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: http://bookidote.wordpress.com

[Nigeyb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Winner of the Gordon Burn Prize 2017, and the McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Novel of the Year 2017

A gripping, semi-fictionalised account of the crimes and trial of Peter Manuel, aka the Beast of Birkenshaw, a late 1950s Scottish serial killer.

The Long Drop is a quick and easy read. Immersive and impressive, it exerts a powerful sense of time and place. These events occurred just before the huge urban renewal of inner city Glasgow and the end of an era of extreme poverty and depravation - it's a city on the cusp of change and opportunity. Denise Mina's evocation of the Glasgow underbelly Peter Manuel inhabited is utterly convincing, much of it an absolute masterclass in tension and horror. Many scenes take place in pubs and clubs. I could smell the stale smoke and sense the drunken chaos. Patrick Hamilton would have approved.

The Long Drop has an intriguing and effective non linear narrative. It's not a whodunnit more of a lean and dispassionate exploration of an array of outlandish personalities who were involved in the case of this notorious, if now largely forgotten, serial killer. The story often tests credulity yet all these people did exist and these events did actually happen.

This true crime classic is nuanced, weird, vivid and compelling, almost existential. I was enthralled by this expertly written account. Highly recommended

5/5

[lucky little cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Warning: all of this is mildly spoilerish*

I adore and admire Denise Mina's Glasgow-based crime novels, but I went into this one knowing nothing about it since it's a stand-alone. This time Mina has set about "bringing the dirty old town to life" by illuminating the true crimes and trial of 1957 serial killer Peter Manuel. The resulting novel is immersive; Mina's pretty clearly on a mission to show things as they were, especially the working class neighborhoods and their denizens.

So we see lowlife suspect Manuel pair briefly with small-time Bill Watts, himself the accused father, husband, and brother-in-law to three of the victims. The two men pool their notoriety to take possession of the best table at a tough bar. Such is their desperation for power, respect, or any near-semblance of these.

A later account of Manuel casually hiding out at another family's home, walking past their corpses to flick their curtains open & closed to fool the neighbors, is as chilling as anything I've ever read. In the tiniest bit of redemption, a nosy neighbor registers that the curtain-flicking signals something amiss: the motions are too violent, the results too messy. Decent people are seen, known, and missed in this universe.

Mina is one of that tribe of the most generous of mystery writers: she gives readers space and time to draw conclusions about who's guilty of what before she confirms facts for us. She's also a finer student of human nature than most of us can ever hope to be. How else to explain Mina's exploration of what a serial killer's mother might feel, what crumb of dignity she might necessarily fight to salvage?

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a literary retelling of the final days & trial of Peter Manuel, a serial killer who was hanged in Glasgow’s Barlinnie Prison on July 11, 1958. Nicknamed “the Beast of Birkenshaw”, he was convicted of 7 murders & suspected of others.

On Sept. 17, 1956 Glasgow businessman William Watt’s wife, daughter & sister-in-law were murdered while he was away on a trip. But police were under tremendous pressure to make an arrest & decided Watt was as good a suspect as any. He spent more than 2 months in prison until prominent lawyer Lawrence Dowdall secured his release. Watt went on to spend much of the next year carrying out his own investigation in an effort to clear his name. On Jan. 1,1958 another family was murdered & from then on, Manuel’s days were numbered.

Much has been written about the case & the author stays true to the facts while adding her own spin on some of the unanswered questions. The story has 2 main threads that are told in alternating chapters. The first takes place over the course of one night in Dec. 1957 as she imagines a meeting between Watt & Manuel. We follow them as they hit every bar in town, both with private agendas. Watt believes Manuel knows where the murder weapon is & he wants it. And Manuel…..well, he just wants money & someone to toy with.

The other thread begins 6 months later in 1958 as Peter Manuel goes on trial. One by one we hear from all those called to testify including Manuel’s parents & Watt himself.

As both story lines progress, ugly truths are gradually revealed as we follow the 2 MC’s in dual time lines. Mina does a wonderful job of slowly peeling back the layers of these 2 complex characters. Watt initially comes across as a crass, nouveau riche social climber desperate for respect. But it’s her portrait of Manuel that makes your blood run cold. He can turn from charming manipulator to violent sociopath in a heartbeat & will genuinely make your skin crawl. It’s like watching a chess game between 2 well matched opponents & there’s a continuous power shift as they try to outmanoeuvre each other.

It’s stylishly written & rich in period detail. Glasgow in the 1950’s is another character in itself. Parts of the blackened city would later be levelled but at the time it was a dark & gritty place with well known gangsters controlling their turf. It also illustrates the popular beliefs & societal prejudices at a time when the class system was still in effect.

This is not a thriller in the traditional sense as most of the violence is described in retrospect. There is much more dialogue than action. It’s a thought provoking & psychological study of 2 flawed men that keeps you guessing & I particularly enjoyed the author’s twist on how Watt’s family ended up dead. Who knows….maybe it’s true.

[Craig Sisterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Denise Mina is a heck of a good crime writer, and in her latest offering she turns her pen towards a retelling of a real-life crime in 1950s Glasgow. More particularly, towards the bizarre events that saw serial killer Peter Manuel meeting with William Watt, the husband and father of two of his victims - a man who had himself been accused of the crime - and in effect going on a drinking binge together for an entire night in Glasgow. A dangerous yet strangely exhilarating situation for both of them, as they tried to outfox each other while also enjoying the night out on the town.

Truth is stranger than fiction, as they say.

This is quite a different style of book for fans of Mina's earlier Garnethill, Paddy Meehan, and Alex Morrow series. It's a literary true crime tale, where Mina has combed historic documents to bring the crime, and that time, to vivid life on the page. At the Granite Noir festival in Aberdeen last weekend, where Mina was onstage for sessions dealing with crime fiction vs true crime, and the nature of evil, she called her book a 'reimagining' of the missing hours of Manuel and Watts' late-night escapades, as well as a different take on the official Peter Manuel 'serial killer' story that was told by the press.

Elegantly written, THE LONG DROP is a cracking page-turner, where even if you know something of the real-life tale, and its results, you're drawn in, and pulled along. A stay-up-all-night-to-finish-it kind of book. I certainly did. Mina is a master storyteller, regardless of whether her characters are fictional or based on real persons. Because her writing is so good, she's able to digress and thread in historical details and facts without losing the flow. THE LONG DROP isn't just a story of what might have happened on that strange night between Watt and Manuel, but a superb insight into Glasgow of the time, from its policing and justice systems, to family life, to the bars and 'hard men' of the city.

Read full review on Crime Watch, here:
http://kiwicrime.blogspot.co.uk/2017/...

[Aditya · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5

The Long Drop was featured in Crimereads as one of the best books of the decade. Well I vehemently disagree; it actually should feature as one of the worst. William Watt’s family has been brutally murdered and he is the chief suspect. To clear his name, he offers a reward for information and hardened criminal Peter Manuel steps up. They spend a decadent night in Glasgow drinking together and mingling with the city’s criminal underbelly. A second timeline has Manuel on trial for killing Watt’s family six months later.

It is based on an actual case though Mina does not mention it. She tries to understand the players and her biggest takeaway is Manuel was a depraved serial killer who never took responsibility for his actions and was a complete psychopath who might as well have raped women for attention and fame. Mina’s book ends up celebrating the killer once again. She writes like a journalist whose main focus is Manuel - A domestic terrorist, he controls the house with his moods; and she spends little time on the victims. There is some wry wit but she is mostly hard facts and those are not interesting. Bleak works for me when characters are interesting, my bigger problem with the book is that it is utterly boring. I am not interested in lowlifes who murder and maim with impunity and show little remorse when caught. It tells the tale of a sadist best left forgotten. It is short on insight and style and has a narrative voice that I did not find engaging. Books like this keep me away from true crime.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

BABT

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b09t...

Description: The Long Drop' is Denise Mina's first foray into true crime. The award-winning author reimagines the trial of Scotland's first serial killer, Peter Manuel, in a dark and compelling exploration of truth and storytelling.

Glasgow, 1957. Businessman William Watt wants answers about his family's murder. Small time crook Peter Manuel claims to have them. But you don't get something for nothing. Over the course of a bizarre night these unlikely drinking partners will swap stories and attempt to cut a deal with the goal of emerging from scandal with reputations, and profits, intact.

2/10 Lawyer Laurence Dowdell takes the stand as Manuel is tried for eight murders

3/10 Six months after the bizarre pub crawl, Manuel is on trial for murder

4/10: William Watt takes the stand

5/10: Watt and Manuel struggle to stay ahead of the gangster Dandy McKay


Manuel's victims during his killing spree

Revealed: Taunting letters serial killer Peter Manuel wrote from his prison cell



TV: In Plain Sight is based on real life story of serial killer Peter Manuel

[Jessica Woodbury · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mina used to change things up a lot before she dived into the Paddy Meehan and Alex Morrow series, and she's back in the habit with THE LONG DROP. Based on a true story about a man whose family was murdered and the man convicted of killing them, and told in parallel narratives--one long night the two men share, and the criminal trial that follows.

Some of these chapters are so well done I was nearly holding my breath. Many of them are exquisitely suspenseful even though the outcome is really a foregone conclusion. But others are meandering and bogged down. The narrative sometimes seems to go slightly off the rails, and it's a slim book already so these faults are more prominent than they may be otherwise.

It's not a good entry into Mina, I'd really only recommend it to readers with the patience to see it through, who enjoy sitting back and letting Mina set the scene. She really dives in to some of the specific characters here, and as always she's expert at setting and a sense of place and time.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grimly Glaswegian...

William Watt wants to clear his name. His wife, sister-in-law and daughter have been brutally murdered in their home, and Watt is the chief suspect. But convicted rapist and burglar, Peter Manuel, recently released from prison, claims he knows who did the murders and can lead Watt to the murder weapon, a gun which has passed from hand to hand through the criminal underworld of Glasgow. So one December evening in 1957 the two men meet and spend a long night together drinking and trying to come to some kind of deal – a night during which the truth of the killings will be revealed.

This book is based on the true story of Peter Manuel, one of the last men to be hanged in Scotland, in the late 1950s. A notorious rapist and brutal murderer, Manuel was a bogeyman in the Glasgow of my childhood, though he died before I was born. Adults spoke of him in hushed tones or sometimes threatened disobedient children that Peter Manuel would get them if they didn't behave. In the old tradition, his story was turned into a rhyme that little girls sang while skipping ropes...

Mary had a little cat
She used to call it Daniel
Then she found it killed six mice
And now she calls it Manuel.

Despite this, I knew almost nothing about the actual crimes of which Manuel was convicted, so came to the book with no preconceptions, and made a heroic effort to avoid googling in advance. And although the blurb already seems to suggest what the outcome of the Watt case might be, it's not nearly as clear cut as that – Mina does a wonderful job of obscuring and blurring the truth, so that I spent the whole time not quite sure how major parts of it would play out, and immediately had to rush off on finishing to find out how closely the story she tells had stuck to the facts. The answer is that she largely has, but has taken a few fictional liberties. These are just enough to mean the suspense element will work just as much for people who know the case as those who don't, I think.

Above the roofs every chimney belches black smoke. Rain drags smut down over the city like a mourning mantilla. Soon a Clean Air Act will outlaw coal-burning in town. Five square miles of the Victorian city will be ruled unfit for human habitation and torn down, redeveloped in concrete and glass and steel...Later, the black bedraggled survivors of this architectural cull will be sandblasted, their hard skin scoured off to reveal glittering yellow and burgundy sandstone. The exposed stone is porous though, it sucks in rain and splits when it freezes in the winter.
But this story is before all of that. This story happens in the old boom city, crowded, wild west, chaotic. This city is commerce unfettered. It centres around the docks and the river, and it is all function. It dresses like the Irishwomen: head to toe in black, hair covered, eyes down.

But the story is only a part of what makes this wonderful book so special. Despite being in my pet-hate present tense, the writing is fantastic. The portrayal of Glasgow feels amazingly authentic – the juxtaposition of wealth and poverty; the buildings blackened by the soot of the industrial revolution before the big clean up that happened later in the century; the lifestyles of respectable people and criminals alike; the gangsters great and small; the perpetual almost tribal sectarianism between Protestant and Catholic that has marred so much of the city's history; the relationships between married couples; the pubs as a male preserve; the edge of danger that comes from the ever present threat of violence – everything! It reminded me strongly of McIlvanney's Laidlaw books – less poetic perhaps, or at least less affectionately so. McIlvanney doesn't beautify the city or hide its darkness, but nevertheless his books read like a love letter to it and its people – Mina's depiction is harsher, colder perhaps, but still balanced and nuanced.

And sometimes the book is gut-wrenching in its emotional truth and power. The man giving evidence about the murder of his daughter when we are made privy to his thoughts behind the spoken evidence. The sudden use of war metaphors when a man who had served in WW2 comes across a scene of bloody brutality. It drew tears from me more than once, for the fierceness of its truthfulness and the power of the prose as much as for the tragedies in the story. And there are other passages where a different, gentler kind of truthfulness emerges – the mother torn between her love for her child and what she sees as her duty to God; the children left to run free in the streets in a way that would be almost unthinkable now.

They search the car. In the glovebox they find a tin of travel sweets. The lid lifts off with a white puff of magician's smoke. Inside, translucent pink boiled sweeties are sunk into a nest of icing sugar. These are posh sweets.
Reverently, the boys take one each. They savour the flavour and this moment, when they are in a car, eating sweets with friends. In the future, when they are grown, they will all own cars because ordinary people will own cars in the future but this seems fantastical to them now. In the future they will think they remember this moment because of what happened next, how significant it was that they found Mr Smart's car, but that's not what will stay with them. A door has been opened in their experience, the sensation of being in a car with friends, the special nature of being in a car; a distinct space, the possibility of travel, with sweets. Because of this moment one of them will forever experience a boyish lift to his mood when he is in a car with his pals. Another will go on to rebuild classic cars as a hobby. The third boy will spend the rest of his life fraudulently claiming he stole his first car when he was eight, and was somehow implicated in the Smart family murders. He will die young, of the drink, believing that to be true.

The book has been longlisted for this year's McIlvanney Prize and, though I've only read a few of the other contenders, I can't imagine how any book could be a more suitable winner. Scottish to its bones, it nevertheless speaks to our universal humanity. Crime fiction where the quality of the writing and insight into a particular time and place would allow it to sit just as easily on the literary fiction shelf. Not only do I think this is one of the books of the year but I suspect and hope it will become a classic that continues to be read for many decades to come, like Capote's In Cold Blood or McIlvanney's own Laidlaw. I hope I've persuaded you to read it...

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Random House Vintage.

www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com

[Roman Clodia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a chilling read set against a dark vision of 1950s Glasgow, a place imbued with an ultra-hard macho culture where it's legal for a man to rape his wife and where softer emotions in men need to be kept hidden; where women believe that only 'bad' girls get raped, and parents collude to paper over the psychological fissures in their son.

Mina's book is part-fact, part-fiction as she recounts the trial of Peter Manuel for serial murder and rape, while interspersing these scenes with a fictional night spent drinking together by Manuel and William Watt, the father and husband of some of Manuel's victims.

The portrait of Manuel is grotesque: a liar, a sadist, a man with a fractured sense of his own identity, so keen to show off his own cleverness that he takes on his own legal defence - and even though we know how the story will end, Mina keeps the tension pulling us forward.

I was less gripped by the long-drawn bar-crawl and relationship between Manuel and Watt: it starts in an intriguing manner but feels like it loses its way somewhat then comes back for an almost obligatory twist in the tale.

Despite some misgivings, Mina succeeds in conjuring up a harsh and brutal world in fine detail - 3.5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher for an ARC via NetGalley

[Thomas Stroemquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading Denise Mina makes me happy. The themes of her stories are often dark, horrifying and depicting awful and unjust things happening to people. Still, she writes so brilliantly well that there’s still not one that I haven’t enjoyed greatly.

In this, based on true life events, she almost surpasses herself when she brings to life a string of characters and weaves an intriguing and suspenseful story around what is known about the happenings surrounding Peter Manuel and William Watts in the late 50’s. The method and execution inevitably brings Capote’s In Cold Blood to mind. I’m a huge fan of that book also, and I can promise that anyone that is will appreciate this one as well.

A really good story (for me) invariably has ambiguous and multi-faceted characters and one of the most prominent features of this one are the vivid portraits of the involved. It’s almost like by basing the story on real people, Mina manages to give them an additional dimension that would not be found in a fictional character. Either that, or she just is that bloody good.