We’re absolutely thrilled to announce that the one and only Denise Mina is our guest programmer for 2026.

The author of The Good Liar, Rizzio and the McIlvanney Prize winning novel, The Long Drop, will work alongside our festival director, Bob McDevitt, and the programming team – which includes fellow authors, Abir Mukherjee, Lin Anderson, Craig Robertson and Gordon Brown – to bring another world class line up of authors and special guests to Stirling in September. Denise follows the success of Sir Ian Rankin, who was Bloody Scotland’s first guest programmer last year.

Talking of the announcement, Denise, said: “Bloody Scotland is the high point of the crime fiction calendar in Scotland and I’m thrilled and honoured to be the second ever guest programmer. Established by crime writers for crime readers, every year feels like coming home.”

We can’t wait to tell you about the delights that Denise has in store for you later in the year.