Drunk on beetroot schnapps and off his face on illegally acquired meds, Billy Blackmore, a rookie crime journalist, makes one stupid decision that changes his life irrevocably. Driving home with his girlfriend and his brother, Charlie, after a party, Billy takes a detour to avoid the police and in doing so ends up in a situation far worse than being stopped for driving under the influence. Near Salisbury Crags the car hits something in the darkness - that something, they discover when they get out of the car, being a man. Billy's brother, a doctor, declares the man dead. With the man dead anyway, the trio quickly reason that to call the police would only ruin their own ..  Read the complete review

Mention "Edinburgh" and "crime" and "books" and you're likely to think of Ian Rankin. Mention "Edinburgh" and "drugs" and "books" and Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting is likely to be the first thing that comes to your lips. It seems they might have a rival, though. On the evidence of Hit and Run, mentioning "Edinburgh", "crime" "drugs" and books might make you think of relative newcomer Doug Johnstone. Driving home drunk and high on drugs, Billy Blackmore, his brother Charlie and his girlfriend hit a man and kill him. A split second decision to drive away without calling the ...  Read the complete review