Irvine Welsh shot to fame when Trainspotting was published in 1993. Welsh’s novel received as many good reviews as ones swathed in disgust and outrage— establishing a tradition that continues to this day. In addition to stage and screen plays, novellas and short stories, Welsh is the author of ten previous novels and four books of shorter fiction, including Skagboys, Glue, Filth, The Sex Lives of Siamese Twins and The Bedroom Secrets of the Masterchefs, among others. A Decent Ride (Doubleday) sees Irvine Welsh back in Edinburgh, this time with one of his most popular characters: ‘Juice’ Terry Lawson, a drug-dealing, gonzo pornstar and taxi driver, who encounters a series of charmingly filthy fares, each with unique challenges. Has he finally met his match in Hurricane ‘Bawbag’? Can he discover the fate of the missing beauty, Jinty Magdalen, and keep her idiot-savant lover, the man-child Wee Jonty, out of prison? Will he find out the real motives of unscrupulous American businessman and reality-TV star, Ronald Checker? And, crucially, will Juice be able to negotiate life after a terrible event robs him of his sexual virility, and can a new fascination for the game of golf help him to live without . . . a decent ride?
