Paying for It - Reviews

"A fine debut. Black is the new noir."

- Allan Guthrie
author of Savage Night

"Tony Black's first novel hits the ground running, combining a sympathetic ear for the surreal dialogue of the dispossessed with a portrait of a city painted in the blackest humour."
- Cathi Unsworth
in The Guardian

"This is one adrenalin-pumped novel that is as moving and compassionate as it is so stylishly written."
- Ken Bruen
author of The Guards

"Black has managed in his first book to show a maturity in his writing that some authors chase for years. I’d put him up there with Rankin and Kernick and Billingham with just this first novel. I can’t wait for more."
- Crimespree

"We've NEVER seen a series character so richly and honestly drawn from the get-go. The emotional punches connect solidly in Paying for It, as the pains of being a father and the pains of being a son are laid bare. The debut of the year."
- Thug Lit

"Tony Black is the real noir deal and Paying for It is one hell of a debut."
- Patrick Shawn Bagley

"A cross between early Pelecanos, Ken Bruen's Jack Taylor novels and Ian Rankin this makes for fantastic reading ... We already may have Sons of Spade's Favorite Novel of 2008 here!"
- Sons of Spade

"Black’s debut novel is incredibly strong; an evocative, unsettling journey to the heart of darkness that is modern Scotland ... This is page-turning, addictive stuff ... told with a voice that demands – and deserves – your utmost attention."
- Crime Scene Scotland

"This is a tough, dingy, well-written and admirably paced novel that skates the edges of despair."
- Crime Down Under

"This one will hit you hard. Not just a one to watch, but of all the new crime writers emerging this year, THE one to watch."
- Martyn Waites
author of White Riot

"This is a gritty, grungy ... quality thriller with a bit of a bite."
- The Cairns Post

 
"A first-rate debut ... a welcome addition to the crime fiction scene."
 - The Gold Coast Bulletin

"A debut that rises from the gutter and the bottom of the glass with bravura. Crime and alcohol will never be the same again."
- Maxim Jakubowski

 
"Isn't it great when you discover a new author that makes you say 'wow'? Tony Black is one of those."
  - Donna Moore
author of Go to Helena Handbasket

"One killer debut."
- Ray Banks
author of Donkey Punch

"In the increasingly crowded world of Scottish crime fiction, Black weaves wicked new paths through Old and New Town and fronts an unforgettable narrator in Gus Dury."
- Craig McDonald
author of Head Games

"A very welcome addition to the Tartan Noir genre adding to the strength of Scottish crime fiction."
- EuroCrime

 
"I was captivated by Black’s command of language, his sense of pace and the narrative striated with humour pulled right off the gallows. Black’s debut is a superb effort, and one for those who are lamenting the passing of Rebus and his Edinburgh. Perhaps Dury’s Edinburgh is as interesting, if not more than Rebus’."
- Ali Karim
Shots Mag

''With plenty of action, smart dialogue, a pacy plot, and a group of likeable characters Paying for It is a splendid debut.''
- It's Criminal

''With Paying for It, Black delivers tight prose, spot-on dialogue, and a story that is both riveting and heartbreaking ... Great read ... In the years to come, I’m expecting much, much more from Tony Black.''
- Greg Bardsley