'The finest Scottish novelist of our time' Telegraph

Eddie Cameron is a salesman for Rocklight Ltd., an electrical equipment firm in Glasgow, where he has been fiddling the firm's expenses. Eddie's life is in tatters - his wife hates him, and his violent temper has left his mistress teetering on the edge of sanity.

"There is a sense of moral growth in A Gift from Nessus that lifts it out of the ordinary . . . almost frighteningly truthful and moving" - * The Times *

"McIlvanney is a compassionate writer and leaves an impression both of high seriousness and great charm" - * Sunday Telegraph *