Tommy The Bruce: An unsettling, atmospheric noir set in the remote Scottish Highlands

Our summary description

As Independent Scottish booksellers, we write all of our descriptions personally, we hope you enjoy this one.

Meet Tommy Bruce, an anti hero who could not be further from the legend his name suggests. He is drifting through life in a crumbling hotel in rural Perthshire, inherited from parents who left him little more than debt and responsibility. Lonely, overwhelmed and quietly defeated, Tommy spends his days watching the building decay around him, drinking away what little hope he has left.

Then Fiona McLean arrives. Bright, unexpected and full of possibility, she brings warmth and movement back into the hotel and into Tommy’s life. For the first time in years, things begin to feel salvageable. But light rarely comes alone. Old names resurface, unwelcome faces return, and dangerous forces from Tommy’s past slip in behind her.

As threats close in and pressure mounts, Tommy is forced to confront who he really is and how much he is willing to endure. This is a darkly funny, tender crime novel about failure, survival and the quiet moment when an ordinary man finally pushes back.