Willie McIntyre is a Scottish novelist whose novels mix comedy, legal procedure, social comment and action. His debut novel was Relatively Guilty and subsequent works have included Duty Man, and Sharp Practice. He is a lawyer working in criminal defence.
The protagonist is Robbie Munro, a Scots criminal defence lawyer who tends to do the wrong thing for the right reason or, failing which, for the right price. Robbie's office is situated in the Royal Burgh of Linlithgow; not a stone's throw from the birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots, but the action takes place throughout Scotland and further afield. Based in Scotland and drawing on McIntyre's thirty years as a criminal defence lawyer, there is a rich vein of dry-humour running through the stories which he describes as an antidote to a tendency in crime/legal fiction these days to feature either a serial killer, dispatching people in ever more interesting and gory ways, or very serious lawyers who only ever seem to have one case on the go at any given time. The protagonist, Robbie Munro, is very much a real life lawyer, constantly juggling a series of cases, battling with the Scottish Legal Aid Board and awkward clients, while trying to retain some form of personal life. One gets the distinct impression that McIntyre is not only writing about what he knows, but from the heart and, probably due to his own experiences, can't resist the occasional dig at the Scottish Government and what he sees as its constant meddling with the criminal justice system. Notwithstanding their relatively light-hearted approach, the books open the lid on the Scottish courts, while dealing with some very serious issues. Each story raises an interesting philosophical or ethical question, such as, in the first book in the series, Relatively Guilty, what is crime, and does the end justify the means? Though the plots are often complex, they are never confusing such is McIntyre's deftness of touch. The books have been well received by many fellow professionals, on both sides of the Bar, due to their accuracy in law and procedure and the main character's frank, if sardonic, view on the idiosyncrasies of Scots criminal justice system.
Written by McIntyre's alter ego, a character from the fictional Best Defence Series, this is a guide to some of the best and most readily available Scots single malt whiskies.
Recurring characters
Some of the recurring characters in the Best Defence series are listed below:
Robbie Munro, a Scots criminal defence lawyer
Alex Munro, Robbie's father, ex-police officer, disapproving of his son's profession
Malky Munro, Robbie's elder brother, former soccer legend and apple of his father's eye
Grace-Mary, Robbie's long suffering secretary.
Jake Turpie, Robbie's landlord and well known local crook.
Sheriff Albert Brechin, A judge with few doubts, and even fewer reasonable ones
