The Necessary Death of Lewis Winter

February 16, 2015
British author Mackay makes his U.S. debut with the dark first in his Glasgow trilogy. A powerful Glasgow boss, Peter Jamieson, hires Calum MacLean, a freelance hit man, to take out Lewis Winter, a smalltime drug dealer who has stepped on some dangerous toes. While 29-year-old Calum is a familiar type, a tough loner with few meaningful human connections, Mackay makes him oddly sympathetic. All the characters, from a police detective investigating a murder to Winter’s opportunistic girlfriend, come across as three-dimensional. The author also does a good job de-romanticizing the life of the hit man, capturing the dullness of Calum’s days as he goes through his preparations for the job. Understated dialogue shows that the characters know how to read what is not said, as well as what is said. Mackay doesn’t break any new ground, but tartan noir fans will be satisfied. Agent: Grainne Fox, Fletcher & Company.