Alan Parks - The April Dead Alan Parks, author of the Harry McCoy series Published by Canongate Books, hardback £14.99. I received a copy of the novel from the publisher as I chaired a panel at Bloody Scotland 2021 that included the author. Many thanks to Jamie Norman for facilitating this. First, the official blurb: In a … Continue reading Review: The April Dead
Category: Bloody Scotland
Interview: Sharon Bairden
The Five By Five Interview with Sharon Bairden Author Sharon Bairden “Five By Five?” Um, well… I wanted a name for this (hopefully regular) feature, and as well as being a big crime fiction fan I am also a big Buffy The Vampire Slayer fan, with a soft spot for “rogue slayer” Faith, who uses … Continue reading Interview: Sharon Bairden
Review: A Dark Matter
Doug Johnstone - A Dark Matter Published by Orenda Books, paperback £8.99. I received a proof copy from the publisher for review purposes. I've long been a fan of Doug Johnstone's exquisitely crafted novels, whether on the breathlessly tumbling plot-heavy side such as Hit And Run or Crash Land, or the heartbreaking character work of … Continue reading Review: A Dark Matter
Exclusive guest post! By Neil Broadfoot
Author Neil Broadfoot on the importance of the Bloody Scotland crime fiction festival to him as a writer and a crime fiction fan The Golden Lion welcome... A Bloody Scotland cocktail... The torchlight procession... I suppose we should be used to it now. It started with the inevitable cancellation of Newcastle Noir then, like the … Continue reading Exclusive guest post! By Neil Broadfoot
Featurette: McIlvanney shortlist
1 September, 2020 - The McIlvanney Prize shortlist is announced Today Bloody Scotland unveils the shortlisted authors in contention for the 2020 McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year, sponsored by the Glencairn Glass. The shortlist for the 2020 McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year:Andrew James Greig, Whirligig (Fledgling)Doug Johnstone, … Continue reading Featurette: McIlvanney shortlist
Feature: Bloody Scotland programme
Bloody Scotland crime fiction festival swaps Stirling for cyberspace in 2020 The Golden Lion, 2019 Torchlight procession, 2019 The Curly Coo Bar, 2019 As was announced a few months ago, due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, Bloody Scotland will not be going ahead as normal in Stirling in September. However, the organisers have created a … Continue reading Feature: Bloody Scotland programme
Review: Bury Them Deep
James Oswald - Bury Them Deep James Oswald on his book tour in February Published by Wildfire Books hardback £16.99. Paperback (due out 3 September) £7.99. I was loaned a proof copy by a friend. James Oswald celebrated the launch of this tenth Tony McLean novel with a mini tour of Scotland in February when … Continue reading Review: Bury Them Deep
Review: Bad Memory
Lisa Gray - Bad Memory Thomas & Mercer paperback, £8.99. I bought this new. The path from journalist to novelist is a well-worn one, and for good reason - the love of and a confidence in the use of words, the discipline of writing to a deadline and the familiarity of being edited are staples … Continue reading Review: Bad Memory
Feature PS: Bloody Scotland 2019
The 2019 McIlvanney Prize longlist was one of the strongest I've seen in all the years I've been following it, and I say that having read the majority of it before the list was published, and the rest (bar the two debuts, marked *) since. I mean, just feast your eyes on all that crime … Continue reading Feature PS: Bloody Scotland 2019
Review: The Way Of All Flesh
Ambrose Parry - The Way Of All Flesh Published by Canongate Books, paperback £8.99. I received a free proof copy (of the hardback edition) from the publisher for review purposes. The Way Of All Flesh begins, as so many hackneyed crime novels have done before, with a man standing over the dead body of a … Continue reading Review: The Way Of All Flesh
