Festival programmer Lee Randall chats with Denise Mina and Helen FitzGerald about their work Authors and fans are ready to solve a murder or two in Aberdeen - Granite Noir 2020 preview February’s weather is cold, dark and stormy - perfect for curling up with a good book. However, if you’re a crime fiction lover … Continue reading Feature: Granite Noir 2020
Category: Tartan Noir
Review: Perfect Crime
Helen Fields - Perfect Crime Published by Avon Books, paperback £7.99. I bought this book new. For her previous book, Perfect Silence, Helen Fields did a pop-up signing at Bloody Scotland in Stirling. I snaffled a copy - new-to-me-author? yes please! - and while I felt the plot pushed the boundaries hard in terms of … Continue reading Review: Perfect Crime
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: Conviction
Denise Mina - Conviction Published by Vintage, paperback £8.99. My review is of the hardback edition (Harvill Secker, £14.99) purchased new. The prologue - which speaks of telling the truth and reveals the fact our main character, Anna, is actually called Sophie - immediately puts your senses on high alert. Anna is married to Hamish, … Continue reading Review: Conviction
Review: Breakers
Doug Johnstone - Breakers Published by Orenda, paperback £8.99. I received a free proof copy from the publisher for review purposes. Much of Doug Johnstone’s work falls into two camps: action-packed (Smokeheads, Crash Land) or psychologically powerful (Gone Again, The Jump). Last year’s Fault Lines saw him weld these strands together and in Breakers he … Continue reading Review: Breakers
Feature: Bloody Scotland 2019
Welcome to the festival... The torchlight procession The legendary Curly Coo Entertainment aforethought at Bloody Scotland - preview Scotland has so many book festivals readers are spoiled for choice. But for crime fiction fans, the weekend of 20-22 September is particularly special, as Bloody Scotland arrives in Stirling for the eighth time to bring authors … Continue reading Feature: Bloody Scotland 2019
Review: How The Dead Speak
Val McDermid - How The Dead Speak Published by Sphere, paperback £8.99. My review is of the Little Brown hardback edition (£18.99), which I bought new. I’ve been a big fan of Val McDermid’s books for many years, and Tony Hill and Carol Jordan are two of my favourite characters in crime fiction. I’ve reread … Continue reading Review: How The Dead Speak
Review: The Art Of Dying
Ambrose Parry - The Art of Dying Published by Black Thorn Books, paperback £8.99. I received a proof copy (of the Canongate Books hardback edition) from the publisher for review purposes. The Art Of Dying offers more of the alluring combination of crime fiction and historical fact seen in last year’s The Way Of All … Continue reading Review: The Art Of Dying
Review: All That’s Dead
Stuart MacBride - All That's Dead Published by HarperCollins, paperback £7.99. I received a proof copy (of the hardback edition) from the publisher for review purposes. After last year’s superlative The Blood Road, I wondered what Stuart MacBride was going to do next. I needn’t have worried – All That’s Dead is a much slower … Continue reading Review: All That’s Dead
Review: Fallen Angel
Chris Brookmyre - Fallen Angel Published by Abacus, paperback £7.99. I received a proof copy (of the Little, Brown hardback edition) for review purposes. The past few years have seen Chris Brookmyre explore new territory with the “space noir” of Places In The Darkness and Ambrose Parry historical crime novel The Way Of All Flesh. … Continue reading Review: Fallen Angel
