Trainspotting author to kill off one of the four main characters in new book

"Which one of them is wearing Dead Men's Trousers?"

They say good things come to those who wait and for everyone who waited over 20 years to see the sequel to Trainspotting, this saying rang true. The fab four of Renton, Begbie, Spud and Sick Boy returned to our screens at the start of 2017 to continue on from the madness of 1996, when Renton was last seen walking over a London bridge after ripping off his 'best mates' (well, except for Spud). Author Irvine Welsh has made it pretty clear in the blurb for the next Trainspotting book that one of the main characters will be saying goodbye to fans for good. We hope you weren't holding any glasses reading that last sentence... According to The Scotsman, Welsh's upcoming novel, Dead Men's Trousers, will see the foursome reunite but a plot summary which has been released by publishers Penguin has revealed that one of the much-loved characters will not make it to the end of the book. The story is likely to form the basis for a third Trainspotting film according to Welsh himself and it is set in Edinburgh during Hibernian FC's win in the Scottish Cup final in May 2016. Renton is now a successful manager of international DJs who bumps into his old rival Begbie who, surprisingly, doesn't want to strangle him to death. Sick Boy and Spud (as always) are desperate to earn a quick buck and end up involved in the practice of organ harvesting and this is where "things start to go so badly wrong." The end of the blurb reads like so:

"Lurching from crisis to crisis, the four men circle each other, driven by their personal histories and addictions, confused, angry – so desperate that even Hibs winning the Scottish Cup doesn’t really help. One of these four will not survive to the end of this book. Which one of them is wearing Dead Men’s Trousers?"

The 336-page book is to be published in hardback on 29 March 2018.