International bestselling crime writer, Denise Mina, is today revealed
to be the guest programmer for the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing
Festival 2026 which will return to the historic city of Stirling from 18-20
September.
She follows the success of Sir Ian Rankin, who as the first ever guest
programmer brought a host of big names to the 2025 festival including Kate
Atkinson, Kathy Reichs and the Reverend Richard Coles.
Denise is working alongside 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 the prestigious Festival.
All will be revealed when the programme launches in June 2026. Bob
McDevitt said:
‘I'm very much looking forward to working with Denise on this year's programme and can't wait to share some of the details of what she's bringing to the party! She's one of my favourite writers, a passionate advocate for Scottish culture, a champion of other writers, and a huge supporter of book festivals.’
Denise Mina 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.”
Denise is one of most charismatic authors writing in Scotland today and
a great ambassador for crime writing internationally. She first won the
McIlvanney Prize in 2017 with The Long Drop when she led the inaugural torchlit
procession from Stirling Castle flanked by Val McDermid and Ian Rankin. She won
again in 2019 with Conviction. The second time, slightly by default, when the
chosen winner announced her intention to share the prize with her fellow
finalists. The other winners looked perplexed;
Denise was delighted.
She has a busy year in 2026. The world premiere of The Long Drop is on
at The Citizens Theatre in Glasgow this summer and the play of her novella
Rizzio (Polygon) is currently in development. Her most recent book, The Good
Liar (Vintage), is published in paperback in March and will be Scottish Book of
the Month for Waterstones. The Guardian, the New York Times, the Wall Street
Journal and the FT selected it as one of their Books of the Year 2025.
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