William Leith15 June 2012
Hit & Run
by Doug Johnstone
(Faber, £7.99)
Billy is driving a car. He’s anxious. He’s been taking drugs. In the car are Zoe, his girlfriend, and Charlie, his brother. They’re driving home after a late night in Edinburgh. Billy is a rookie crime reporter. And then — bang! The car hits something — or rather, someone. It’s a man. Billy thinks he’s dead. He starts to call the police. But Charlie grabs his phone. Call the police, he says, and they’re finished. Driving on drugs that Charlie, a medic, has swiped from the local hospital. So they grab the body and dump it. Now, of course, there might be even more serious trouble. The dead man is a local crime boss. And Billy is assigned to report the case. Fast and exciting.
