SHORTLIST REVEALED FOR THE BLOODY SCOTLAND DEBUT PRIZE 2022
We are delighted to announce the shortlist for the Scottish Crime Debut of the Year 2022. With thanks to The Glencairn Glass for their support of this year's prizes.
The shortlisted titles are:
Tariq Ashkanani, Welcome to Cooper (Thomas & Mercer, Amazon)
Frankie Boyle, Meantime (John Murray).
Amanda Mitchison, The Wolf Hunters (Fledgling Press).
George Paterson, The Girl, The Crow, The Writer and The Fighter (Into Books).
Sarah Smith, Hear No Evil (Two Roads).
The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize was launched in 2019 and two of the early winners, Claire Askew and Deborah Masson have this year graduated to the longlist for the McIlvanney Prize.
The shortlist for the 2022 Debut Prize features two women and three men. In a David and Goliath moment the behemoth that is Amazon is battling Into Books, an indie so small they haven’t yet published enough books to qualify for membership of Publishing Scotland.
The full shortlist is:
Tariq Ashkanani, Welcome to Cooper (Thomas & Mercer, Amazon). A dark thriller set in small town America by an Edinburgh based solicitor and podcaster.
Frankie Boyle, Meantime (John Murray). A picaresque detective story set against the backdrop of post referendum Scotland by one of Britain’s best-known comedians and writers.
Amanda Mitchison, The Wolf Hunters (Fledgling Press). Set in a brutal, chaotic Scotland of the near future. The author is an award-winning journalist and author of several children’s books.
George Paterson, The Girl, The Crow, The Writer and The Fighter (Into Books). An epistolary tale of murder and chicanery which spans continents and lifetime by a writer, DJ and musician.
Sarah Smith, Hear No Evil (Two Roads). Based on a true case from Scottish legal history about a young Deaf woman accused of murder. Smith is a family history researcher and a creative writing tutor.
Arusa Qureshi, a former editor of The List, replaces Janice Forsyth as a judge for the Bloody Scotland Debut this year and she joins Kenny Tweeddale from sponsors, The Glencairn Glass, and Simon Lloyd from Waterstones.
The McIlvanney longlist and the Bloody Scotland shortlist will be promoted in bookshops throughout Scotland in the period between the announcement and the presentation on Thursday 15 September. For the first time the presentation will take place AFTER the torchlight procession through Stirling in order that all shortlisted authors can take their place at the front. The procession will conclude with a formal event at The Albert Halls where the two winners will be revealed and Janice Forsyth will interview them live on stage.
Bloody Scotland is Scotland’s International Crime Writing Festival, providing a showcase for the best crime writing from Scotland and the world, unique in that it was set up by a group of Scottish crime writers in 2012. Full information at bloodyscotland.com
The festival takes place in various venues (including The Albert Halls, The Tollbooth and the social hub of the festival, The Golden Lion Hotel) in the historic town of Stirling from 15-18 September 2022.
The Bloody Scotland Prize for Scottish Crime Writing first awarded in 2012 was renamed The McIlvanney Prize in 2016. The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize was introduced in 2019 and won by Claire Askew who this year made the McIlvanney longlist along with Deborah Masson who won the Debut Prize in 2020.
In 2018 Bloody Scotland began a partnership with Harvill Secker to encourage new crime writers of colour. The winner of the inaugural prize was Ajay Chowdhury and in December 2021 it was won by Dettie Gould with The Light and Shade of Ellen Swithin.
Bloody Scotland in partnership with The Glencairn Glass, the world’s favourite whisky glass, recently resurrected the short story competition which took place in the first year. The latest incarnation, with media support from the Scottish Field Magazine, received entries from all over the world. Many previously unpublished. The winner was from Australia and was published in Scottish Field Magazine.
To make the festival more affordable for everyone and mark our 10th Anniversary we’re offering a limited number of tickets at £5 each for 10 of our events (see bloodyscotland.com/10-at-5).
A 10% discount is available for all events in Stirling to people residing in the Stirling Council area. (see bloodyscotland.com/localdiscount)
In addition free standby tickets will be offered to the unemployed or those on low income on the day of the event if there is good availability (see bloodyscotland.com/standby)
We are committed to making Bloody Scotland an accessible festival. All of the venues are accessible by wheelchair and BSL interpretation is available at events on request. Email info@bloodyscotland.com A free shuttle bus between venues is available for those who need it. Seating is unreserved so please advise at time of booking if you require a wheelchair space or have any specific needs and we will do our best to accommodate them.
The Bloody Scotland board is made up of crime writers Lin Anderson, Craig Robertson, Gordon Brown and Abir Mukherjee, James Crawford (chair), Muriel Robertson (finance) and Catriona Reynolds (governance). PR, Marketing & Sponsorship is handled by Fiona Brownlee and Tim Donald of Brownlee Donald Associates. Social Media and the website is handled by Dawn Geddes.
Bloody Scotland receives vital funding from Creative Scotland, Stirling Council and Culture and Business Fund Scotland. We are also grateful to our many sponsors and supported including The Glencairn Glass, H W Fisher, Stirling Castle, Literary Tours in Egypt, Waterstones, The Open University in Scotland and Go Forth Stirling along with a wide range of publishers.
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at www.ourcreativevoice.scot
BLOODY SCOTLAND REVEALS 10th ANNIVERSARY PROGRAMME
Stirling 15-18 September 2022
We are very exciting to announce our 10th anniversary programme!
Ten years on from the first Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival the run has extended to four days, the number of events has doubled and the authors are more diverse than ever.
2022 sees the return of several Bloody Scotland favourites that we haven’t seen since the pre-pandemic days of 2019. Our dramatic torchlit procession through Stirling historic old town led by the pipes and drums of the Royal Burgh of Stirling Pipe Band and Stirling and District Schools Pipe Band encourages locals who don’t normally attend literary events to get involved. Scotland tackle England in our crime writers’ football match at the new venue of King’s Park, a free fun event which is also aimed at breaking down barriers. There will be a return of the ever-popular Crime at the Coo cabaret featuring an array of crime writers showing off their musical talents and the much-loved Quiz this year takes the form of Vaseem Khan and Abir Mukherjee’s ‘Red Hot Night of a Million Games’ in which they steal the best bits from the game shows of yesteryear and mash them up into something truly remarkable.
Val McDermid has described Bloody Scotland as a ‘dizzying weekend of pleasure’, Jake Kerridge talking on BBC Radio 4 praised Bloody Scotland for ‘thinking outside the box’ creating ‘a sort of fringe’ and William McIlvanney spoke fondly of it being ‘so friendly, so welcoming’. It is with great delight that we look forward to putting on that sort of inclusive, imaginative festival again to celebrate our 10th Anniversary.
In addition to the headliners we are welcoming to Stirling such as Sir Ian Rankin, Anthony Horowitz, Lisa Unger, Jeffrey Archer, Ann Cleeves and Frankie Boyle, debuts are at the heart of what Bloody Scotland is all about. The very first festival featured a ‘Fresh Blood Panel’ and this year in addition to the ‘Bloody Scotland Debut Prize Panel’ we have ‘Alex Gray’s New Crimes Panel’ plus debut authors appearing in various events throughout the programme and twenty new authors appearing ‘In the Spotlight’ on stage ahead of the established names.
We continue our commitment to bring the festival to the wider world and those who can’t make it to Stirling can buy digital passes for individual events or the whole weekend. Val McDermid, David Baldacci, Sara Paretsky, Donna Leon and Irvine Welsh will all join us live for digital sessions. More information about which events will be available to watch on-line can be found at bloodyscotland.com/digital-pass
Alan Bett, Head of Literature and Publishing at Creative Scotland said:
‘Much has changed in the decade since Bloody Scotland launched their first festival, in terms of Scottish crime writing and literature festivals more generally. This 10th anniversary programme is not only the biggest, it also embraces a hybrid model that means a wider audience can engage with authors either on stage or on screen. Bloody Scotland continues to promote the highly popular genre of Scottish crime writing to the world, while also connecting Scottish readers to the work of both new and much loved authors.’
James Crawford, Chair of Bloody Scotland said:
‘It’s fantastic to be able to mark the 10th anniversary of the festival with a full, four-day programme of in-person events - along with a brilliant selection of digital offerings - featuring the best that crime writing has to offer. Bloody Scotland was established a decade ago to shine a spotlight on crime writing and to help develop a whole new generation of writers. Debut authors have always been central to this, and to the vibrant community that has grown up around the festival. Along with the excitement of seeing familiar faces comes the thrill of finding your new favourite writer. Bloody Scotland 2022 is a festival full of possibilities and discovery.’
Stirling Councillor Leader, Councillor Chris Kane said:
‘The fact that Bloody Scotland is now enjoying its 10th Anniversary is a welcome plot development for a festival that has grown into one of Stirling’s most loved events. Bloody Scotland has brought a wide range of visitors into Stirling over the years while making sure Stirling residents are an integral part of the occasion, such as the spectacular torchlit procession that lights up our city centre.’
Bloody Scotland is Scotland’s International Crime Writing Festival, providing a showcase for the best crime writing from Scotland and the world, unique in that it was set up by a group of Scottish crime writers in 2012.
The festival takes place in various venues (including The Albert Halls, The Tollbooth and the social hub of the festival, The Golden Lion Hotel) in the historic town of Stirling from 15-18 September 2022.
The Bloody Scotland Prize for Scottish Crime Writing first awarded in 2012 was renamed The McIlvanney Prize in 2016. The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize was introduced in 2019 and won by Claire Askew who this year made the McIlvanney longlist along with Deborah Masson who won the Debut Prize in 2020.
In 2018 Bloody Scotland began a partnership with Harvill Secker to encourage new crime writers of colour. The winner of the inaugural prize was Ajay Chowdhury and in December 2021 it was won by Dettie Gould with The Light and Shade of Ellen Swithin.
In order to maintain a year-round presence Bloody Scotland set up the Bloody Scotland Book Club in Spring 2021. The panel rotates every month and those on the panel take responsibility for choosing the three books which are discussed.
In 2017 Bloody Scotland partnered with Historic Environment Scotland to produce the Bloody Scotland book of short stories which has been reprinted for the 10th Anniversary and will be distributed free of charge throughout Stirling and the surrounding areas to encourage more engagement with Scottish crime fiction within the local community.
Bloody Scotland recently resurrected the short story competition which took place in the first year. The latest incarnation, sponsored by The Glencairn Glass with media support from The Scottish Field received over 132 entries from all over the world. Many previously unpublished. The winner was from Australia and was published in the Scottish Field Magazine.
To make the festival more affordable for everyone and mark our 10th Anniversary we’re offering a limited number of tickets at £5 each for 10 of our events (see bloodyscotland.com/10-at-5).
A 10% discount is available for all events in Stirling to people residing in the Stirling Council area. (see bloodyscotland.com/localdiscount)
In addition free standby tickets will be offered to the unemployed or those on low income on the day of the event if there is good availability (see bloodyscotland.com/standby)
We are committed to making Bloody Scotland an accessible festival. All of the venues are accessible by wheelchair and BSL interpretation is available at events on request. Email info@bloodyscotland.com A free shuttle bus between venues is available for those who need it. Seating is unreserved so please advise at time of booking if you require a wheelchair space or have any specific needs and we will do our best to accommodate them.
The Bloody Scotland board is made up of crime writers Lin Anderson, Craig Robertson, Gordon Brown and Abir Mukherjee, James Crawford (chair), Muriel Robertson (finance) and Catriona Reynolds (governance). PR, Marketing & Sponsorship is handled by Fiona Brownlee and Tim Donald of Brownlee Donald Associates. Social Media and the website is handled by Dawn Geddes.
Bloody Scotland receives vital funding from Creative Scotland, Stirling Council and Culture and Business Fund Scotland. We are also grateful to our many sponsors and supported including The Glencairn Glass, H W Fisher, Stirling Castle, Literary Tours in Egypt, Waterstones, The Open University in Scotland and Go Forth Stirling along with a wide range of publishers.
Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at www.ourcreativevoice.scot
McIlvanney Prize 2022 Longlist Announced!
We are delighted to announce the longlist for the McIlvanney Prize 2022. In Bloody Scotland’s 10th Anniversary year, it seems very fitting that a clear longlist of ten books emerged after the prize readers scores were tallied. Six years ago, the Scottish Crime Book of the Year Award was renamed the McIlvanney Prize in memory of William McIlvanney. The Prize recognises excellence in Scottish crime writing, and includes a prize of £1,000 and nationwide promotion in Waterstones.
The longlisted titles are:
May God Forgive, Alan Parks (Canongate)
The Second Cut, Louise Welsh (Canongate)
A Rattle of Bones, Douglas Skelton (Polygon)
From the Ashes, Deborah Masson (Transworld)
A Matter of Time, Claire Askew (Hodder)
A Corruption of Blood, Ambrose Parry (Canongate)
The Heretic, Liam McIlvanney (Harpercollins)
Rizzio, Denise Mina (Polygon)
The Sound of Sirens, Ewan Gault (Leamington Books)
The Blood Tide, Neil Lancaster (Harpercollins)
The McIlvanney Prize will be judged by Ayo Onatade, winner of the CWA Red Herring Award and freelance crime fiction critic, Janice Forsyth, presenter of the Afternoon Show on BBC Radio Scotland and Ewan Wilson, crime fiction buyer from Waterstones Glasgow. The Glencairn Glass, the world’s favourite whisky glass, is again sponsoring both The McIlvanney Prize and The Bloody Scotland Debut Crime Novel of the Year for 2022.
Finalists for the McIlvanney Prize will be revealed at the beginning of September. The winner will be revealed in Stirling on Thursday 15 September.
The McIlvanney Prize recognises excellence in Scottish crime writing, includes a prize of £1000 and nationwide promotion in Waterstones. Previous winners are Craig Russell with Hyde in 2021, Francine Toon with Pine in 2020, Manda Scott with A Treachery of Spies in 2019 (who chose to share her prize with all the finalists), Liam McIlvanney with The Quaker in 2018, Denise Mina with The Long Drop 2017, Chris Brookmyre with Black Widow 2016, Craig Russell with The Ghosts of Altona in 2015, Peter May with Entry Island in 2014, Malcolm Mackay with How A Gunman Says Goodbye in 2013 and Charles Cumming with A Foreign Country in 2012.
The initial longlisting is handled by over 100 crime fiction readers from all over Scotland including booksellers, bloggers, librarians and festival-goers and the longlist is then handed to the high-profile team of judges to decide on the eventual winner.
We have also revealed our Scottish Crime Debut of the Year 2022.
You can find out more about each longlisted book here.
Judges revealed for the McIlvanney Prize & The Bloody Scotland Debut Crime Novel of the Year Award 2022
Sponsored by The Glencairn Glass
We are delighted to announce the judges for the 2022 McIlvanney Prize & Bloody Scotland Debut Prize which will be presented at Bloody Scotland this September.
BBC presenter, Janice Forsyth, who previously judged the Debut Prize has stepped up to judge The McIlvanney Prize.
‘I thoroughly enjoyed being a judge of the 2021 Bloody Scotland Debut Prize,’ Janice said. ‘There’s a particular thrill in reading the work of new and emerging Scottish writers, and last year’s shortlisted authors impressed with the range and originality of their work. So it’s a thrill to be back this year as judge of the McIlvanney Prize. It’s been a stellar year for Scottish crime fiction, so I anticipate vigorous debate among the Judges. Without coming to blows of course. Although that could make a good locked room novel…’
Janice will join last year’s judges Ewan Wilson, crime fiction buyer at Waterstones Glasgow & Ayo Onatade, crime fiction critic who has been promoted to chair this year.
Ayo said: ‘Judging the McIlvanney Prize is an incredible honour and I am delighted to be judging the prize for another year. I am very much looking forward to reading the forthcoming submissions. I am in no doubt that we will once again have some very hard decisions to make when it comes to deciding the winner. It is a role that I am looking forward to.’
The longlist, which is selected by a panel of crime fiction fans and booksellers, will be revealed on Tuesday 7 June and the shortlist selected by the judging panel will be announced on Tuesday 30 August.
Janice will be replaced as a Bloody Scotland Debut judge by Arusa Qureshi, a former editor of The List who recently hosted the on-line Bloody Scotland Book Club. Arusa joins Kenny Tweeddale from sponsors, The Glencairn Glass, and Simon Lloyd from Waterstones.
The shortlist will be revealed on Tuesday 28 June and the following day Bloody Scotland will be hosting a reception at Scotland House in London which it is hoped that many of the McIlvanney longlisters, Bloody Scotland shortlisters and their publishers and agents will attend ahead of the CWA Daggers dinner.
The McIlvanney longlist and the Bloody Scotland shortlist will be promoted in bookshops throughout Scotland in the period between the announcement and the presentation on Thursday 15 September. For the first time the presentation will take place AFTER the torchlight procession through Stirling in order that all shortlisted authors can take their place at the front.
The procession will conclude with a formal event at The Albert Halls where the two winners will be revealed and Janice Forsyth will interview them live on stage.
Roll on September!
Bloody Scotland Book Club celebrates first anniversary
On Wednesday 30 March 2022, Bloody Scotland Book Club will officially be a year old! We’ll be celebrating our first anniversary with a special Book Club featuring our festival co-founder, Lin Anderson who will chair a lively discussion between Live & Deadly blogger Mary Picken, journalist Louise Fairbairn and Tommy Zyw.
The Bloody Scotland Book Club evolved out of lockdown when we realised how much crime fiction fans enjoyed chatting to each other outside the Festival and how easy it was to engage with the Bloody Scotland audience in a virtual world.
Although it will never replace the joy of being together at the Festival itself, The Bloody Scotland Book Club keeps the Bloody Scotland buzz going throughout the year and has established itself as a crime fiction highlight at the end of each month. Over 2000 people have signed up for The Book Club which broadcasts live on Facebook and on catch up on YouTube.
The first Book Club launched on 31 March 2021 hosted by author and Bloody Scotland board member, Craig Robertson and featured four guests – journalist Jane Hamilton, blogger Mary Picken, podcaster Zoe Venditozzi and bookseller Simon Lloyd with a reach of 170. By February 2022 the Book Club reach had increased to over 1100.
The virtual Book Club ranges from new releases to classics. The 1st Anniversary edition will focus on classic, Get Carter by Ted Lewis; historical crime, Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson and the first in the international bestselling Rebecca Connolly series Thunder Bay by Douglas Skelton.
Celebrate our anniversary with us on the 30th of March at 7pm over on Facebook Live.
The Glencairn Glass announce the winners of their inaugural short story competition
The Glencairn Glass has been celebrating Scottish crime writing talent over the past two years as headline sponsor of both the McIlvanney Prize and the Bloody Scotland Crime Debut of the Year Prize. To support this creative collaboration, The Glencairn Glass launched its first very own crime short story competition, in partnership with Scottish Field magazine and Bloody Scotland, inviting all budding crime writers to curate their stories around the theme: ‘A Crystal-Clear Crime’.
The winner and runners up were selected by a panel of three judges including Deborah Masson, 2020 winner of the Bloody Scotland Debut Crime Novel of the Year, Peter Ranscombe, Scottish Field’s drinks columnist and author of the historical thriller Hare, and Bloody Scotland co-founder Gordon Brown, who writes under the name of Morgan Cry.
The competition attracted entries from all over the world and the judges have now revealed the winner as Brid Cummings, with her story Halmeoni’s Wisdom – a dark tale of human trafficking, illegal trade and a desire for freedom. The runners up were Jennifer Harvey and Judith O’Reilly. Congratulations to all!
You will also be able to read the winning story along with the runners up stories on The Glencairn Glass website: www.whiskyglass.com from Monday 11th April.
For further information on the chosen short stories and the judges’ comments, visit: https://whiskyglass.com/crime-short-story-competition/
Bloody Scotland 2022: dates announced
After the resounding success of our 2021 hybrid festival, we are so excited to extend our run for next year! Bloody Scotland 2022 will now start in the historic town of Stirling on Thursday 15 September with the torchlight parade and awards presentation and run through to Sunday 18 September.
As Bloody Scotland starts planning for the 10th Anniversary in 2022, founding chair, Jenny Brown is stepping down although she will remain on the board. She said:
‘It’s been an honour to chair Bloody Scotland since the idea of a Scottish crime writing festival was just an ambitious twinkle in the eyes of co-founders Lin Anderson and Alex Gray, to the splendid internationally-renowned event we have today. The success of the festival is down to the creativity of its directors and whole team, the dedication and energy of the Board, the commitment from our partners, the enthusiasm of crime readers and, above all, the brilliant support from crime writers themselves. As we look forward to Bloody Scotland’s 10th Anniversary in 2022, it’s great to be handed over the chair to Jamie Crawford, with the Festival in such good shape for its second decade.’
Incoming chair, publisher and TV presenter, James Crawford said:
‘Having been involved with Bloody Scotland as publisher of the Bloody Scotland book, and as judge for two years on the McIlvanney Prize, I am delighted to be joining as Chair. This is a festival that has a very strong identity and a clear and ambitious vision for the future, and I am very much looking forward to helping shape the plans for its 10th anniversary in 2022.’
Bob McDevitt will remain as Festival Director for 2022 supported by the marketing team Fiona Brownlee, Tim Donald and Jessica McGoff and the rest of the board, authors Abir Mukherjee, Lin Anderson, Craig Robertson and Gordon Brown with Catriona Reynolds and Muriel Robertson.
In the meantime, you can still get your Bloody Scotland fill by joining our Book Club discussion group and catching up each month on our Youtube playlist.
Roll on 2022!
Bloody Scotland 2021: the ultimate book recommendation post
First of all, a huge thank you to everyone who organised, volunteered and attended Bloody Scotland 2021. You made the festival an incredible experience, and we are so thankful.
One of the joys of a hybrid festival is that it continues well after the weekend! All of our events will be available to view (or re-watch!) until the 30th Sept, and you can still get your tickets here.
We've put together a list of all the books that were discussed or read from over the weekend. Consider this your ultimate to-read list!
Bloody Scotland 2021 Authors
Masterclass
Liam McIlvanney The Quaker
ES Thomson Nightshade
Steve Cavanagh The Devil's Advocate
Jo Nesbo
Jo Nesbo The Jealousy Man
Crimes of Many Colours
Ewan Morrison How to Survive Everything
Alan Parks The April Dead
William McIntyre Bad Debt
Sharon Bairden Sins of the Father
Bloody Scotland Prizes
Robbie Morrison Edge of the Grave
Alan Parks The April Dead
Emma Christie The Silent Daughter
Craig Russell Hyde
Stuart MacBride The Coffinmaker’s Garden
Mark Wightman Waking the Tiger
AJ Liddle No Harm Done
Ian Rankin - The Dark Remains
Ian Rankin & William McIlvanney The Dark Remains
Shocking Twists and Big Reveals
Kia Abdullah Next of Kin
Louise Candlish The Heights
Alex Knight Darkness Falls
Stuart Neville The House of Ashes
Kathy Reichs
Kathy Reichs The Bone Code
Murder, Polis
Marion Todd What They Knew
Neil Lancaster Dead Man's Grave
Margaret Kirk In the Blood
James Oswald What Will Burn
Douglas Skelton A Rattle of Bones
Forensic Investigations
Lin Anderson The Killing Tide
Elly Griffiths The Midnight Hour
Chris Merritt The New Home
The Alanna Knight Historical Panel
S.G. MacLean The House of Lamentations
ES Thomson Nightshade
Douglas Watt A Killing in Van Diemen's Land
The Body Politic
Alan Johnson The Late Train to Gipsy Hill
Robert Peston The Whistleblower
Searching for a Home
Sarah Hilary Fragile
Imran Mahmood I Know What I Saw
Tim Sullivan The Dentist
Secrets and Spies
Mick Herron Slough House
Charlotte Philby The Second Woman
Simon Conway The Saboteur
Alex Gray's New Crimes
Alex Gray Before the Storm
Bernard O'Keefe The Final Round
Lara Thompson One Night, New York
Rahul Raina How To Kidnap The Rich
Inga Vesper The Long, Long Afternoon
Around the World in 80 Deaths
Claudia Piñeiro Elena Knows
David Heska Wanbli Weiden Winter Counts
Sergei Lebedev Untraceable
Femi Kayode The Light Seekers
And Then There Were Three
Elle Connel Down by the Water
Susi Holliday The Last Resort
CL Taylor Sleep
Killer Bs
Mark Billingham Rabbit Hole
Christopher Brookmyre The Cut
The Science of Murder
Jim Fraser Murder Under the Microscope
Richard Taylor The Mind of a Murderer
Val McDermid
Val McDermid 1979
Pitch Black Humour
Doug Johnstone The Big Chill
JD Kirk Ahead of the Game
Antti Tuomainen The Rabbit Factor
Stephen King and Linwood Barclay
Linwood Barclay Find You First
Stephen King Later (Hard Case Crime) / Billy Summers
Nordic Noir
Heidi Amsinck My Name is Jensen
Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir Girls Who Lie
Lilja Sigurdardóttir Cold as Hell
Red Hot Chilli Writers and Guests
Abir Mukherjee Death in the East
Vaseem Khan The Dying Day
Stuart Turton The Devil and Dark Water
Anna Mazzola The Story Keeper
From the Cradle to the Grave
Liz Nugent Our Little Cruelties
Stuart MacBride The Coffinmaker’s Garden
Craig Sisterson Southern Cross Crime
Bloody Scottish History
Denise Mina Rizzio
Ambrose Parry A Corruption of Blood
Craig Russell Hyde
Slow Burning Secrets
Paula Hawkins A Slow Fire Burning
Lisa Jewell Invisible Girl
SJ Watson Final Cut
Jonathan Whitelaw Hellcorp
A Mexican Stand Off
Jeanine Cummins American Dirt
Guillermo Arriaga The Untameable
Oscar De Muriel The Dance of the Serpents
A Brother and Child Reunion
Lee Child with Andrew Child Better Off Dead
Morgan Cry Thirty One Bones
Karin Slaughter
Karin Slaughter False Witness
Louise Welsh No Dominion
Spotlighters
Patricia Marques The Colours of Death (opened for Jo Nesbo)
Tariq Ashkanani Welcome to Cooper (opened for Ian Rankin)
Stuart Johnstone Out in the Cold (opened for Kathy Reichs)
Ann Bloxwich What Goes Around (opened for Lin Anderson and Elly Griffiths)
Sarah Sultoon The Source (opened for Alan Johnstone and Robert Peston)
Anna Bailey Tall Bones (opened for Secrets and Spies)
Abigail Dean Girl A (opened for Around the World in 80 Deaths)
Tina Baker Call Me Mummy (opened for Killer Bs)
Emma Haughton The Dark (opened for Val McDermid)
Danny Leigh Marshall Anthrax Island (opened for Stephen King and Linwood Barclay)
James Cairns McMahon Parallax (opened for The Red Hot Chilli Writers)
Ewan Gault The Most Distant Way (opened for Liz Nugent and Stuart MacBride)
Lynne McEwan In Dark Water (opened for Bloody Scottish History)
Alan Gillespie The Mash House (opened for Slow Burning Secrets)
George Colkitto A Dish Served Cold (opened for A Mexican Stand Off)
Mark Findlay Smith What He Never Said (opened for Lee and Andrew Child)
Sarah Goodwin Stranded (opened for Karin Slaughter)
A-Z of Crime Guests
Megan Abbott The Turnout
DV Bishop City of Vengeance
Ajay Chowdhury The Waiter
Sharon Dempsey Who Took Eden Mulligan?
Fiona Erskine Phosphate Rocks
Mick Finlay Arrowood and the Meeting House Murders
Ryan Gattis The System
Mari Hannah Without a Trace
Matthew Iden Chasing the Pain
Ed James Before She Wakes
Erin Kelly Watch Her Fall
Gytha Lodge Lie Beside Me
Saima Mir The Khan
Charlotte Northedge The House Guest
Stephen O’Rourke The Crown Agent
Christoffer Petersen The Ice Whisper
Matthew Quirke Hour of the Assasin
Rod Reynolds Black Reed Bay
Trisha Sakhlecha Can You See Me Now?
Russ Thomas Nighthawking
Lisa Unger Last Girl Ghosted
Sarah Vaughan Reputation
Chris Whitaker The Forevers
Richard Osman The Thursday Murder Club
Susie Yang White Ivy
Anne Zouroudi (Erin Kinsley) Missing
Announcing our 2021 Prize Winners Craig Russell and Robbie Morrison!
Congratulations to Robbie Morrison who won the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize for Crime Novel of the Year 2021 with Edge of the Grave!
| The judges said:
‘A terrific debut novel, with a memorable cast of characters, which impressed the judges with its ambitious, authentic, deep dive into the Glasgow gangland and class divides of the 1930s.’ |
Congratulations to Craig Russell who won the McIlvanney Prize for Best Crime Novel of the Year 2021!
| The judges said:
‘a fantastic book with a gothic background that draws you in and brings the reader back to the Scottish origins of Jekyll and Hyde’s creator, Robert Louis Stevenson. A dark tale that was a delight and a thoroughly entertaining read. It shows that Scottish crime writing is amongst the best in the world.’ |
Meet our Spotlighters 2021!
It’s not Bloody Scotland without showcasing new crime writing talent in the Crime in the Spotlight slots.
Before many of our events, emerging writers will have the chance to read from their work. Spotlight authors have gone on to great things, not least Graeme Macrae Burnet who ‘opened’ for Ian Rankin before being shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize.
We welcome this year’s spotlighters, who will be reading a little from their latest books ahead of some of our events this year.
With thanks to the Open University Scotland for sponsoring Crime in the Spotlight.
Please welcome...
Patricia Marques will read from
The Colours of Death
FRI 17 SEPTEMBER 4PM before
JO NESBO – THE JEALOUSY MAN
Tariq Ashkanani will read from
Welcome to Cooper
FRI 17 SEPTEMBER 7.15PM before
IAN RANKIN – THE DARK REMAINS
Stuart Johnstone will read from
Out in the Cold
FRI 17 SEPTEMBER 9PM before
KATHY REICHS – THE BONE CODE
Ann Bloxwich will read from
What Goes Around
SAT 18 SEPTEMBER 10AM
LIN ANDERSON & ELLY GRIFFITHS
Sarah Sultoon will read from
The Source
SAT 18 SEPTEMBER 11.45AM
THE BODY POLITIC
Anna Bailey will read from
Tall Bones
SAT 18 SEPTEMBER 1.30PM
SECRETS AND SPIES
Abigail Dean will read from
Girl A
SAT 18 SEPTEMBER 3.15PM
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DEATHS
Tina Baker will read from
Call Me Mummy
SAT 18 SEPTEMBER 5PM
KILLER B'S
Emma Haughton will read from
The Dark
SAT 18 SEPTEMBER 6.45PM
VAL MCDERMID – 1979
Danny Leigh Marshall will read from
Anthrax Island
SAT 18 SEPTEMBER 8.30PM
STEPHEN KING & LINWOOD BARCLAY
James Cairns McMahon will read from
Parallax
SAT 18 SEPTEMBER 10.15PM
THE RED HOT CHILLI WRITERS
Ewan Gault will read from
The Most Distant Way
SUN 19 SEPTEMBER 11AM
FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAV
Lynne McEwan will read from
In Dark Water
SUN 19 SEPTEMBER 12.45PM
BLOODY SCOTTISH HISTORY
Alan Gillespie will read from
The Mash House
SUN 19 SEPTEMBER 2.30PM
SLOW BURNING SECRETS
George Colkitto will read from
A Dish Served Cold
SUN 19 SEPTEMBER 4PM
A MEXICAN STAND OFF
Mark Findlay Smith will read from
What He Never Said
SUN 19 SEPTEMBER 5.30PM
A BROTHER AND CHILD REUNION
Sarah Goodwin will read from
Stranded
SUN 19 SEPTEMBER 7PM
KARIN SLAUGHTER