Laidlaw is the first novel of a series of crime books by William McIlvanney. It features DI Laidlaw and DC Harkness, his assigned assistant, in their attempts to find the brutal sex related murderer of a Glasgow teenager. Laidlaw is marked by his unconventional methods in tracking the killer, immersing himself in a 70s Glasgow featuring violence and bigotry.

This novel is considered the first 'Tartan Noir' and is cited as being inspiration for the Rebus novels by Ian Rankin.