Book Review - Family Man - Into Creative
Posted by colin.b on Sat, 20 Jun 2026
Hey everyone.
This is a great review of my new book 'Family Man' from Into Creative. If you fancy checking out 'Family Man' I have attached a link to the book on Amazon. Plus a link to the 99p kindle offer currently running on my second book Who's Aldo.
Having thoroughly enjoyed Colin Burnett’s first two books – A Working Class State of Mind (Pierpoint Press, 2021), and Who’s Aldo?, (Tippermuir Books, 2023) – I was very keen to begin on the last chapter of this Scottish East Coast trilogy. In the debut book readers were introduced to the novelist’s protagonist, Adolfo Ali (Aldo), his two sidekicks, Craig and Dougie and the beloved wee Staffy Bruce, through a series of connected short stories, while in the second, a novel centred on Aldo as the narrative focus, we learn more about his underworld, dark thoughts and growing adoration for his ‘son’ Bruce.
Let me say immediately that I was not disappointed. The humour, local dialect and charismatic cast of characters are all there as before, but this time Burnett takes us into a much darker place where the contrast between Aldo’s love and devotion to his family, Roxy, Jen and of course, Bruce, could not be more distinct from that of his role as hardman and the de facto leader of Edinburgh’s crime ‘family’. New voices variously provide more depth, intrigue, violence and comedy and as the plot unfolds, the reader is lured into a sinister world of viciousness and aggression.
The author revealed in a recent interview that he wanted to write a crime book in a similar vein to The Sopranos and that influence is definitely present. Although Bruce does not figure as strongly as he did previously, he is still highly regarded, not only as a pet or son to Aldo, but as a therapist too. Where the gangster-father talks over dilemmas and decisions with his wee dog, in a similar way to Tony Soprano confiding in his psychiatrist, Jennifer Melfi, Bruce’s role as Aldo’s second self is comedic and touching, showing his master’s gentler side, every bit as much as his relationship with his partner and daughter does.
Then again, we have his darker side.
And so much darker – and more disturbing – it is too. Here we see our anti-hero’s moral compass bent to the extreme when not only are Aldo’s family, friends and colleagues threatened, but his status too.
Written in the first person, we gain an invaluable insight into the social and political issues which Burnett wants to raise, through this crime-world setting and its characters. Entitled elitists, who feel they can get away with treating their perceived social ‘inferiors’ in any manner they please, are challenged early on in this book, resulting in an unexpected alliance.
Shady investments, gang rivalry, and Columbian cartels take over from ensuring local justice against mean and irresponsible landlords and misogynists, forcing Aldo to call in favours in a tense bid to maintain control of Edinburgh’s streets.
As always, Burnett controls the narrative with humour that really does leave the reader laughing aloud. The familiarity of local phrases, delivered in the distinctive east-coast dialect, is one of the key features in maintaining engagement, in spite of some of the most malicious and violent scenes that Aldo and company have administered yet. It is in these actions, as well as in his thoughts that the psychotic side of Aldo is revealed. Although not quite as sadistic as, say Richard Gadd’s antagonistic, Ruben, the humourless elder brother in the HBO/BBC Drama Half Man, the violence portrayed reaches similarly shocking heights. Demonstrating that his Edinburgh can match David Chase’s New Jersey in its atrocity, Burnett shows that his lead protagonist can balance the duality of family values and steadfast loyalty, against brutality and betrayal as supremely as Tony Soprano himself does.
Even amidst the chaos, the author is capable of exhibiting moments of light and ambivalence, particularly when Burnett takes us into the minds of other characters. For instance, when Craig and Bruce have an unexpected adventure in Bonnyrigg, we are treated to a Fargo like diversion which sees Bruce back in the limelight and brings a whole new dimension to the comedic element. The chapter told by Dougie, however, lets us see that even his best friends recognise that Aldo is ‘the nuttiest of nut jobs’ … but they love him all the same, and will risk their lives to come to his aid when needed.
And this is the crux of the appeal of Family Man. It is the genuine humanity, warped compassion and true friendship that lies beneath his hard exterior, that keeps readers engaged with this crazy character and his underworld life. He is loving, caring, loyal and funny to the extreme, which is why you really do want to know what happens next, in each chapter of this book, and hopefully, in its sequel.
Link to 99p Kindle offer for Who's Aldo: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Whos-Aldo-Colin-Burnett-ebook/dp/B0CQ8TVNTK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0
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