The Violin Man’s Legacy – a review

The Violin Man’s Legacy
by Seumas Gallacher

Purchase copies here

Like retired footballers turning trainer, this story is about the professional soldiers, SAS and mercenaries, who retire into the security business, bringing their expertise in organised violence to the protection of legitimate businesses.

The main characters are solitary individuals, often with a personal tragedy in their baggage. This is a very shady world, where instant decisions are made about who dies and how, leaving no time for agonising over the whys and the wherefors. Morally, it’s all very easy, with few attacks of remorse afterwards. Bodies are left for the bin men to collect, and the killers of friends are tracked down remorselessly, just on the margins of legality, but with the connivance of the police.

I found myself turning the pages, hoping the characters on the ‘good’ side would not get hurt, and hoping the ‘bad’ guys would get…