"Firebrand"

Review by RK

Ron Culley's book blows the story open at last with verifiable accounts, reliable quotations, and a forensic examination of the facts, as well as a comparison with the lies and contradictions that the police and judicial system have consistently meted out to a disbelieving public.

"Firebrand"

Review by John Adler

At last the entire story of Willie McRae's death has been told. From his humble beginnings through his war years in India to his political and legal work in Scotland until his untimely death. Reading Culley's work it is difficult to come to any other conclusion that he was murdered at the hand of the state.

"Firebrand"

Review by Ian Finlayson

A very good exploration on the mysterious death of a Scottish firebrand.

"Firebrand"

Review by Donald Blair

If this book was fiction it would be a great read, if a little far-fetched in places. The fact that the whole story is true makes it a shocker. If you think that living in the UK means you are safe in a democratic country with a fair judicial system... Firebrand might make you think again.

"Dalriada"

Review by Gareth Wardell (Grousebeater) writer, essayist, film maker.

Ron Culley is that unique thing, a writer of hybrid novels; he weaves fact with plausible fiction so expertly you could swear he had been a fly on the wall.

"Dalriada"

Review by Alan Murray

Ron Culley follows in the hallowed footsteps of fellow Scot Alistair MacLean.

"Dalriada"

Review by Simon Ki

Another taut Scottish political thriller from Ron Culley.

"Dalriada"

Review by Jim Pirrie

Reading this book made me want to march on London!

"The Kaibab Resolution"

Review by Allan Thomson (New Brunswick, Canada)

I read this book while travelling and it really helped to pass the time with its fast action. It is an exciting book with intrigue, suspense, and is contemporary in its subject matter. I enjoyed the way Mr. Culley brings the reader directly into the lives of the well meaning Lattanzi family, then into the world of the radical Posse Commitatus and the Las Vegas Police in a way which you know will bring them all together at some point. The finale is exciting and surprising and you just want to get there to see how it all unfolds. For the romantic reader, the innocent relationship between the main characters Liam Brannigan and Susan Lattanzi is warm and cleverly woven into the story. Although it is a novel, it has a ring of truth and reality to it.
I highly recommend this book.

"The Kaibab Resolution"

Review by John Alder

I really enjoyed this book. I picked it up at the Airport and finished it by my return home from America. it was fast-paced but I also enjoyed the romance between the two lead characters - very believable. The interplay between the mafioso and the IRA was great fun and I found the book a real page turner. The conclusion was suspenseful and had a twist in the tail that caught me unawares. I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers-especially where there is a good deal of humor in play. This novel is as good as anything thats out there on the bookshelves riight now.
Five stars!

Gripping! (edited)

Peggy Williams (Prescott, Arizona, USA)

... unemployed but I just wanted to write and thank you for a real page turning thriller. I was completely swept up in the book's plot, loved the humor and characters. When I was a child my mom and I used to vacation in and around the Kaibab National Park and it was this that first drew me to the book. So glad it did. Hope you write more about Liam Brannigan and about Kaibab National Park...

Hello (edited)

Anton (Kildare, Ireland)

...so much interest but I loved your book about the IRA and the American right wing. Keep up the good work.

No Title (edited)

LM

...Hampstead in London but thanks for a great read. I just loved your book and can't wait for the next one.

Laughed out loud

Willie

Hello Mr. Author. ...very funny but there were funny bits and pieces throughout the book but they didn't detract from the pace of the action. You should write more stuff like this.

Enjoyed it

Melony Freeman (Taree, NSW)

The Kaibab Resolution is one of the best thrillers I've read. A great novel. I've recommended it to my reading group so I look forward to having the chance of discussing it with them.

Please feel free to use this email on your web site.

Loved Liam

Samantha (Sam)

Hi there

I just love my new hero, Liam Brannigan. It's a hoot that he's an all action, all conquering economist! Seriously though I just loved the book. I'm a sucker for subtle romance and I just fell in love with the male and female leads. Excellent.

Passing Time

Al (McMurdo Station, Ross Island, Antarctica)

Wow, what a great find. Bought this on line and took it with me to my posting here in McMurdo in Antarctica. I have already been asked to pass it to three other colleagues because of my enthusiastic comments at meal times (sorry about the missed royalties but it's not easy to get easy access to mail out here). I have to say that I really enjoyed the book. Good, good, good.

No title

Aiden

This book was given to me for my birthday as a gift and I finished it in one weekend I thought you would like to know this.

No title

(unsigned)

I loved the humour in this thriller. It's so unusual these days. Usually they're so po faced. I laughed a lot at some of the quips but also enjoyed the suspense.

No title

Amelia Bron (Ottawa, Canada)

I enjoyed this book more than other similar novels I've read recently as it was more action orientated but had just as many twists and turns. I have the sense that Liam Brannigan is about to become the latest hero although he's a bit more vulnerable and therefore a bit more credible than other action heroes who seem impervious to pain.

Inspirational!

Sir Alex Ferguson CBE (Manager, Manchester United FC)

Born in 1950, into a Glasgow still recovering from the war, Ron Culley grew up in a single-parent family, in one of the new housing projects on the periphery of the city built quickly and cheaply to accommodate its growing population. Despite early flirtations with mischief and having been expelled from school, Culley went on to spend forty years in public service in and around the city, twenty-three of them as chief executive of three of its key organizations. During a time of great change, when Glasgow transmogrified from an heavily industrialised city to one which embraced the new economies, it nevertheless left many of its communities struggling with poverty and lawlessness, the very conditions that inspired Culley to enter a life of service in the first place. Now retired, he lives in the south side of Glasgow with his wife, Jean as do his four sons. "I belong to Glasgow" is a proud claim that millions of people over the generations have made. Ron's book will certainly bring back memories for many people and, I hope, act as an inspiration for those who feel they have yet the ability to achieve more in life.

Excellent!

M.J. O'Neill

I got this book as a Christmas gift. I surprised myself by finishing reading it before the year was out. If you 'Belong to Glasgow' in any way at all, you will find this book a very entertaining and enjoyable read. It was well written, very interesting and very funny. There's not many books that make me laugh out loud. I loved it!

Fabulous.

L. Baird

This is a fabulous book. A mix of warm, witty and endearing personal commentary coupled with a serious, gritty and revealing insight into a life committed to public service in Glasgow. The book flows effortlessly and provides a social history of a young man growing up in Glasgow, managing to avoid many of the clichéd stereotypes, and in a way which begs for more.

Excellent Read

R. Gall

This book is a very enjoyable read. There is the nostalgia factor for West of Scotland males of a certain age, however there is much more to this book than a trip down memory lane. The author has done well in his career, but this book is not a padded "list of successes". It is a remarkable story of career progression with stories, many of them humourous, from the author's involvement in the musical scene and his footballing encounters. It illustrates what can be achieved by hard work and determination, and the right approach. A real sense of the author's personality shines through due to his honest approach in writing the book.

Recommended.

Pure Dead Brilliant By the Way

Big Bob

Like a previous reviewer notes, if you 'Belong to Glasgow' in any way you'll find this book fascinating. It is actually a social history of Glasgow told through the life of the author.

So, if you now live in Canada, Australia, South Africa or are an ex-pat Glaswegian this is a trip down memory lane.

It's funny as well by the way. Oh how I laughed. See me, see mince, ah hate it. See me, see 'I Belong to Glasgow', ah luv it.

What a Rare Title!!

Alan Anderson

This book brought back warm memories of a childhood in Glasgow as well as giving an insight into how the author moved from being a working social worker to Chief Executive of a powerful West of Scotland institution. The story is told with humor and no small degree of candour giving a wonderful view into the life of a working class boy, who with ability, drive and willingness to adapt, rose to a position of influence and power in a city & community he clearly loves.

It is a great read and will particularly appeal to those who were brought up in Scotland in the fifties and who think fondly of their roots in council schemes and who managed to take advantage of free educational opportunities denied to our children today.

What's Next?

Alice Fagan (Sydney, Australia)

Hiya Ron

I absolutely loved this book and would love to read more about Glasgow. I left in 1979 and live now in Sydney, Australia with my man Tom and three kids who are all growed up. I have tried to explain to them what it was like for me and Tom growing up in Possilpark before we emigrated. Now I'm going to make them read I belong to Glasgow instead. It says it all. I'd even forgotten about 'Kick the can'. More please.

Gangs (Edited)

Rab

...Ahhh. I was a member of The Young Crew gang in Pollok when I was a teenager in Glasgow for the most part it was just daft boays chasing other daft boays but one night I seen a guy get stabbed and he nearly died. I decided that enough was enough but it's not easy to leave a gang I'm now in Majorca with the second wife but this book remembered me how stupid it could get.

This book was excellento by the way. (Edited)....

Present. (Edited)

Albert Gaffney (Selkirk, Manitoba)

... but my wife got me this book for my Christmas and it put me in mind to check out some web sites about my old home toon the book was great and just made me remember things. I haven't been back in Scotland for twenty years. This book has made me homesick. It was a really good read...

Rerr Terr (Edited)

Graeme McKissock (Auckland, NZ)

......Hulloooo. What memories this has brought back. I absolutely loved Glasgow though I couldn't wate to leave it when I was younger. I'm now a painter and decorator in Auckland, NZ and haven't been home since I left. Still with Alice though they said it wouldn't lass. Still got my accent though...(edited)

No Title

Andy (Los Angeles, California, USA)

Hello

My wife got me this for a present and I just wanted to tell you that I loved it. Not only that, I got expelled from school too but I was in the BBs instead of the Scouts but it was the same idea. I come back to Glasgow to see people about every five year. I will tell them about it too because they would like it too not just people that live away from the city they were born in.

I'm in Los Angeles these days

Just wonderful

No name

Hello Mr. Culley (Edited)

...that you are a very gifted author and have used your skills to great effect in writing this book. I enjoyed it immensely and thought I should write and tell you even if only to encourage you to write another book about Glasgow. On the strength of this book, I also read your novel, The Kaibab Resolution and found it to be completely enchanting. More power to your elbow...

Paper Round

No name

Good morning from Durban

I noticed that your reviewers are Glaswegians from all over the world except South Africa. Let me put that right. I had a paper round in Maryhill and I'm still terrified of dogs or dugs as we called them. I got bit five different times and once it put me in hospital. I also hung round with a gang, the Fleet. We did some really stupid things. A woman saved me but we had to leave the city to build a life without the lunacy. Now in real estate and never looked back. The book was great and brought back wonderful memories. I have not been back in Glasgow since I left aged 28 but reading the book has given me pause for thought. Maybe I'll visit before it's too late. And all because of your book!

"Glasgow Belongs to Me"

Alan James

Ron Culley's compendium of Glasgow humour truly hits the mark. Punch lines that actually punch: including possibly the rudest description of Nick Clegg ever published. Just the right balance of in-yer-face hilarity against a background ambience of latent menace. Exceptional and thoroughly recommended.

"Glasgow Belongs to Me"

John Alder

I laughed long and loud at the jokes in this book. They were all new to me and I thought it was fantastic value. I now expect to re-tell them and claim them as my own when next I'm down the pub. I was impressed that none of them really offended good taste but all of the jokes and stories sounded as if they could be actually have been told by Wee Andy, Big Tam and all of the other characters in the book. I read Culley's thriller and his biography about Glasgow but this is an interesting departure. Very funny indeed. Looking forward to his next offering.

My favourite joke was the 'cornflakes' joke...but I accept the earlier reviewer's comment about Nick Clegg. Very funny indeed.

"Glasgow Belongs to Me"

Elliot

I cried laughing. I did. And the jokes are universal – not just about Glasgow.

"A Confusion Of Mandarins"

R Gall

This book is well worth a read. Some glorious banter, a gripping storyline with interweaving aspects involving the various characters and a tense climax to the tale. Enough twists and turns to surprise and ensure the unfolding of the drama can't be predicted. Some notable humour too. All in all a very good read.

"A Confusion Of Mandarins"

Essgee

A very enjoyable yarn, spun expertly along. The pace never falters from the first chapter to the very satisfying end game. The central characters, the good guys and the villains, are well supported and vibrant The book keeps you guessing and turning as it zips towards its conclusion. A must for anybody who likes their crime well seasoned, with lively banter and clever nuances. I'll be picking up more of Culley's work.

"A Confusion Of Mandarins"

S Richmond

Saw this book advertised as Ian Fleming meets Alastair MacLean meets John le Carré. Figured it was a bit boastful but it exceeded my expectations. A cracking tale told well. Lots of twists and turns with a couple of real rogues as heroes.

"A Confusion Of Mandarins"

Alice K

Best spy thriller I’ve read in ages. Also hilarious in parts.

"The Patriot Game"

Susan Murray

I was asked to read an advance copy of this book and found it utterly compelling. The true story of Nazis locating in Ireland after the war was new to me but by all accounts is verifiable. Historical fiction can be a difficult medium but Culley has mastered it in this novel. He manages to introduce flinty characters who are rounded and the reader soon cares deeply about their fate. This is a really good book and a most enjoyable read.

"The Patriot Game"

L.K Finn

This book entertained me thoroughly. It was an easy read and the plot was sufficiently complex to intrigue but not too complicated so as to confuse. Couldn’t believe the ending! Most entertaining.

"The Patriot Game"

Tom Higgins

I read everything I can get my hands on in respect of WW2 but found this to be new information. I checked out Culley’s assertions and found them all to be true. This book makes an important contribution to understanding aspects of the second world war and should be found interesting by all history buffs as well as those who just want a damn good read.

"Alba: Who Shot Willie McRae?"

‘A brilliant book. You won’t be able to stop reading’.

Donaidh Foirbeis

‘A great read’.

Annette Davidson.

‘A controversial story brilliantly told’.

John Alder

‘Fast-moving, gripping and a must, must read.’

Iain Allan

‘One of the best books I have read.’

Graham Baker

"The Last Colony"

‘A superb piece of work’

Craig McInnes

‘Just finished ‘The Last Colony’. Recommended.’

Catherine Campbell

‘A very important read for those interested in the independence of Scotland.’

John Alder

‘An exciting tale of the battle for a small country’s freedom.’

Roddy Martin

‘Excellent plot line, well written. A good read.’

Deirdre Boyd

"Rebellious Scots To Crush"

‘Completely believable and partly based upon a true story.’

J McManus

‘This is a scary premise. Brilliantly written.’

Allan Thomson

‘This story requires to be told. A great read.’

G. Cuthbert

‘A real page-turner. Ron Culley is a gifted story-teller.

Duncan Spence.

‘A marvellous Scots’ story of political intrigue. Donald John Morrison follows dark money to its corrupt destination - undermining a nation.’

Grousebeater.

"Odyssey"

‘I laughed until I wet myself - but I am a very old man!

The Dalai Lama

‘I preferred the Kindle version.’

Abraham Lincoln

‘Just the funniest and most informative book I’ve read.’

Stevie Wonder.

"The Odyssean Companion"

‘The photographs brought the author’s tales of foreign places to life.’

Jean-Paul Courment

‘I found myself smiling on most pages’

Thomas Docherty

‘Snow, sea or sand, Culley writes about each beautifully.’

John McGilp

‘I read this book during the pandemic and it was a real pick me up. Reading about far-away places was a real boost when I couldn’t leave my house. I simply loved the book.’

Lesley Davidson

"One Year"

‘And what a year it was. I enjoyed the book very much. It not only recounted the political traumas of 2014 but was very moving about the sad death of a good friend. Touching, sad, but also exhilarating.’

J.J. Strang

‘I remember 2014 as if it was yesterday - but Ron Culley added a flavour to my memories that I found tremendously poignant.’

Anthony Teeling

‘This book is a diary and will be of interest to people who lived through the Scottish Referendum as I did. I loved it and it brought back a lot of memories.’

Douglas T. Strachan

"The Bootlace Saga." Author, George Cuthbert. (Edited, Ron Culley)

‘A great read. It must have taken a lot of gumption to set off alone and travel through cold war Europe in a kilt. Engrossing!'

A. Murray

‘I found the part about Mr. Cuthbert walking around on an ice floe fascinating. I learned a lot about the seal industry. An excellent book!’

Simon Kee

‘A very interesting book. To read a first hand account of the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia was terrifically absorbing.’

Campbell Ferguson

‘As I read this book, it made me want to don my kilt and set off for a Norwegian forest. Great writing about an eventful time in this young man’s life.’

Bob Wick

‘Simply wonderful.’

Angela Nun

"The Never-Ending Story." Author, Campbell Culley. (Edited, Ron Culley)

‘I suspect this will fascinate generations of this man’s family.’

Ronnie Pollock

‘A very interesting and well-researched book. I enjoyed reading it even though it was about the lives of people long since departed this earth.’

Alex Tarbet

‘A well presented account of people growing up in Glasgow and wider Scotland.’

William Toye

‘I am an amateur genealogist and this book has revitalised my interest in my own family tree. I would love to write something as authoritative as this author sometime. Completely consuming. Well done that man!’

Alexander Higgins

‘My favourite parts were the social history and the research into the illnesses that people died from. Great piece of research.’

Samuel Ferguson.