The Cutting Room

By: Louise Welsh

Narrated by: Alan Cumming

Short-listed, Guardian First Book Award, 2002

Winner, CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger, 2002

Winner, Saltire Society First Book of the Year, 2002

When Rilke, a dissolute auctioneer, comes upon a hidden collection of violent and highly disturbing photographs, he feels compelled to discover more about the deceased owner who coveted them. Soon he finds himself sucked into an underworld of crime, depravity and secret desire, fighting for his life.

©2022 Louise Welsh (P)2022 Canongate Books

Critic reviews

"Unputdownable." (Sunday Times)

"I was hooked from page one." (Guardian)

Love Allen Cumming!

This story was very interesting. The narrator is superb. Makes me want to go to Scotland again. I’m looking forward to the next novel in this series. The subject matter is dark but fascinating!

Engaging

I loved the characters. They had substance. I felt empathy for them. Interesting story. Unique. The accent of the reader sounded authentic, but was easy to understand. I'm looking forward to book 2.

slow start but good end

Well read with differing voice inflections and accents for the characters. A real cliffhanger towards the end.

Very good mystery with literary strength

Excellently read by Alan Cumming. This well-textured novel far exceeds my own genre expectations, and explores LGBTQ narratives with intelligence and compassion.

The Cutting Room

As an Alan Cumming admirer, there was never a doubt in my mind that he wouldn’t deliver. But of course he did. His smooth Scottish burr glided in and out through the antics of the characters with ease. As far as the story goes, it was an important topic to address. Ms. Welsh had a fine grasp on the characters, and
I very much enjoyed the grittiness, cunningness, and greediness of them. Yet, they still had compassion. I look forward to listening to Alan narrate the next installment of Rilke!