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Russel D. McLean
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The Death of Ronnie Sweets (and Other Stories) Kindle Edition

by Russel D McLean (Author), Sean Chercover (Foreword) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 out of 5 stars 28 ratings
Before he introduced the world to Scottish Private Investigator J McNee, award-nominated crime writer Russel D McLean wrote a series of gritty short stories featuring PI Sam Bryson, a young investigator with a strong sense of justice that is tested to the limit as he walks the mean streets of Scotland's fourth largest city.

The Death of Ronnie Sweets collects all the original Sam Bryson stories in one volume, with an introduction by award-winning US author Sean Chercover and an afterword by the author.

Many of these stories first appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine while others were published by Thrilling Detective Mystery Magazine, Spinetingler Magazine and Needle Publishing. They run the gamut from two-fisted tales of justice to studies of characters who find themselves in the darkest of situations. A heady mix of homage to the American hardboiled and the modern Scottish noir, these stories demonstrate why Russel D McLean is "not to be missed by fans of straight-up hardboiled noir." (RT Book Reviews)

PRAISE FOR THE SHORT STORIES OF RUSSEL D MCLEAN:

"...the stories exhibit such a sharp and honest voice it’s hard to believe they were written by a man in his early 20s. They are dark stories – sometimes very dark – but that darkness is balanced by both a dry Scottish wit and a genuine sense of concern for the people involved" Sean Chercover (from his introduction)

"...filled with rounded, human characters - no cartoon characters, just people who love and hate and care." Steven Torres for Nasty, Brutish, Short.

PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF RUSSEL D MCLEAN:

"The future of Crime Fiction is in good hands" Crimespree Magazine

"An atmosphere of delicious gloom" Mystery Scene Magazine

"Stylish and atmospheric." John Connolly
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  1. Print length
    164 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    18 Aug. 2011
  5. File size
    756 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
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  8. Enhanced typesetting
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005I6C0OA
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 18 Aug. 2011
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 756 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 164 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer reviews:
    4.3 out of 5 stars 28 ratings

About the author

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Russel D. McLean

Russel D. McLean

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An exceptional talent" - - John Connolly

Russel D McLean is the author of five novels featuring Scottish PI J. McNee. In order of release, they are: The Good Son, The Lost Sister, Father Confessor, Mothers of the Disappeared and Cry Uncle. He has released a further two noir novels set in Glasgow -- And When I Die, and Ed's Dead, both published by Saraband books. Ed's Dead has also been translated into several languages.

McLean's short stories have been published in a variety of markets including Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, the 2007 anthology Expletive Deleted, where 'Pedro Paul' was singled out by Publisher's Weekly as "awesomely dark", the "Geezer Noir" anthology Damn Near Dead 2: Live Noir or Die Trying and the forthcoming (2015) Mammoth Book of Professor Moriarty Adventures.

His official website can be found at www.russeldmcleanbooks.com, and you can follow him on Twitter @russeldmclean where he talks books, films, and so much more.

He spent over a decade in Dundee, and now lives in Glasgow.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
28 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's stories engaging and believable.

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4 customers mention ‘Readability’4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable, with one describing it as an impeccable read.

"...Having read this and the Good Son, I have stumbled across a great author who really knows how to write crime...." Read more

"...much authentic, and the morality, though not always the legality, impeccable. Highly recommended." Read more

"Recommended as good bedtime reading. Stories are short, enjoyable and believable. Very like Marlow's Sam Spade, but not as deep." Read more

"Loved this book. Great to read something based in my hometown & recognise the types of characters" Read more

4 customers mention ‘Story length’4 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the short stories in the book, finding them engaging and believable.

"...Yes there's darkness and violence but characters are well developed, compelling and believable. Buy it!" Read more

"I found the short stories enjoyable to read but some had abrupt endings where I thought the story could have been carried on further." Read more

"...McLean not only tells an engaging story but he also builds a relationship with his characters...." Read more

"Recommended as good bedtime reading. Stories are short, enjoyable and believable. Very like Marlow's Sam Spade, but not as deep." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Gary Brady
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 14 December 2012
    Verified Purchase
    My main interest in buying was because of the novelty of stories being set in my home town and anything else in terms of content, readability or character development was a bonus. Having read this and the Good Son, I have stumbled across a great author who really knows how to write crime. Yes there's darkness and violence but characters are well developed, compelling and believable. Buy it!
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  • whitefire
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 27 August 2018
    Verified Purchase
    I found the short stories enjoyable to read but some had abrupt endings where I thought the story could have been carried on further.
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  • avid reader
    5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting: who would have expected this from Dundee?
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 March 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This is a collection of short stories centred on Sam Bryson, a PI in Dundee, of all places. They are a bit off-the-wall in places, but the observation is pin-sharp, the settings pretty much authentic, and the morality, though not always the legality, impeccable. Highly recommended.
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  • Timothy C Stephen
    5.0 out of 5 stars Read it, loved it.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 March 2012
    Verified Purchase
    I recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys a good yarn. McLean not only tells an engaging story but he also builds a relationship with his characters. These stories have etched themselves into my memory and I guarantee they'll do the same for you.
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  • stevieb
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good read.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 December 2015
    Verified Purchase
    Recommended as good bedtime reading. Stories are short, enjoyable and believable. Very like Marlow's Sam Spade, but not as deep.
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  • Mel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 August 2014
    Verified Purchase
    Loved this book. Great to read something based in my hometown & recognise the types of characters
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  • Eva Dolan
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Original of McNee
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 December 2011
    I've got this theory on how you find good crime writers, purely non-scientific, but pretty reliable so far. Check out the author photo and if they look like a right piece of work, you buy the book. Nine times out of ten you'll get something decent. The other one you get Russel D McLean.
    The Death of Ronnie Sweets is a collection of McLean's early short works featuring Dundee P.I. Sam Bryson - yes Dundee has P.I.s, alright, who do you think tracks down the city's unfaithful spouses and insurance frauds? Or, in the case of a more committed character like Bryson, skipped witnesses, nonce councillors and a solicitor with some rather destructive daddy issues.
    Across ten short stories McLean builds a credible world around Bryson, the city is present without becoming overbearing and the cast of secondary characters is skilfully deployed, with many recurring right through; there's even a blink-and-you-miss-it cameo by the protagonist of McLean's novels, J McNee.
    Bryson is an engaging character, less intense than some literary P.I.'s but he feels refreshing for that precise reason. So he's handy with his fists and he likes a drink - glass houses people - he's also sentimental, loyal and maybe a bit too understanding for his own good.
    I was expecting a lot of blood and ruptures in this book, and I wasn't disappointed, but there's an emotional element here which is missing from a lot of gritty crime fiction. Mclean has a keen eye for human frailty and every story has a deep undertow.
    This collection is uniformly strong, although you do get a sense of progression in McLean's writing as it continues, finishing with Flesh and Blood, a heavily freighted story about the responsibilities and abuses of fatherhood. Served up with plenty of violence and a surprisingly sweet ending. Her Cheating Heart is another standout, a short but atmospheric story about a man who desperately needs to be told that his wife is being unfaithful. It's a two-hander, tough to write but beautifully executed.
    The Death of Ronnie Sweets feels very complete for a collection of short stories and promises great things for McLean's full length novels The Good Son and The Lost Sister.
    One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • TomW
    4.0 out of 5 stars Sam Bryson, Scottish PI
    Reviewed in the United States on 2 August 2013
    Verified Purchase
    I have finished reading "The Death of Ronnie Sweets (and other stories)" by Russel D McLean. This is a collection of short detective stories that have appeared elsewhere. They are about a Scottish PI named Sam Bryson. The dialogue is decidedly Scottish but, after reading a few pages, it becomes clearer. The stories were short and the action throughout each was fairly constant. All in all, I enjoyed these. I was happy for their brevity because I could finish one story without feeling I was interrupting it for dinner or sleep. I rated them 4 stars only because of the occasional difficulties in fathoming the Scottish idioms.
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  • J.S.G
    4.0 out of 5 stars well written, quick reads
    Reviewed in the United States on 27 December 2013
    Verified Purchase
    You could read each if these stories in a separate sitting but I found myself reading on to the next in most cases. They flow together and the characters are interesting, I found myself wishing for more and, lucky me, I am new to this author...on to shop for bigger writings!
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