Bloody Scotland Debut Prize Shortlist 2026

 

Bloody Scotland prides itself on supporting new talent and The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize which began in 2019 has launched the careers of numerous Scottish crime writers including David Goodman, Natalie Jayne Clark, Tariq Ashkanani, Allan Gaw, Claire Askew, Kate Foster and Callum McSorley. For the first time ever, the shortlist for The Bloody Scotland Prize is entirely made up of women, which feels extremely appropriate given that Denise Mina – a vocal champion of women’s rights – is guest programmer for the festival in 2026. She said:

“As a previous judge of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, I am absolutely delighted to see that the 2026 Bloody Scotland Debut shortlist is entirely made up of women. For decades, short lists only had occasional women or none at all. A debut is always a howl into an indifferent abyss.  Sometimes the abyss is listening and it thinks you’re fucking brilliant. Congratulations!”

The full shortlist for the 2026 Bloody Scotland Debut Prize is revealed to be:

Frances Crawford with A Bad, Bad Place (Transworld) An alumni of the University of Glasgow creative writing course, she was tutored by bestselling crime writer, Louise Welsh. Described as The List of Suspicious Things meets Shuggie Bain it was acquired by Transworld in a ten publisher auction. It has also just been shortlisted for the Theakston’s McDermid Debut Prize. She lives in Glasgow.

Linda Duncan McLaughlin with Original Sins (Into Books). The manuscript for this novel was nominated for the CWA’s Debut Dagger. In the book a troubled young woman discovers that her birth father is a convicted serial killer and confronts the possibility that she has inherited his darkness. Linda is a playwright and a screenwriter for River City on BBC Scotland.

Kirsty Lockwood with We Know What You Did (Orion) which will be published on 4 June. Described as Strange Sally Diamond meets Listen for the Lie, it is a character-driven suspense novel from an award-winning Scottish journalist. Kirsty lives in Glasgow.

Zoë Rankin with The Vanishing Place (Viper). She grew up in Scotland but now lives in New Zealand where her love of hiking in remote locations inspired the idea for her novel about a young girl who has witnessed a double murder deep in the bush.

May Rinaldi with Liar Thief (Black Spring). She has previously been selected for Pitch Perfect and won the 2023 Black Spring Press Crime Novel which led to their publishing it in 2025. It’s a psychological thriller about two childhood friends, one a self-confessed serial killer, one a cop. She lives in Dumfries & Galloway.

The judges for 2026 are broadcaster, Bryan Burnett, crime writer, Vaseem Khan and chaired by Bloody Scotland founder, Alex Gray who said: “Lin Anderson and I decided from the start of Bloody Scotland that we wanted to bring on the crime writers of tomorrow as well as showcasing the best of Scotland and elsewhere. Now, as the chair of the judging panel for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize, I’m thrilled to read the shortlist and help select the winner each year.”

Kirsty Nicholson, Marketing Director at Glencairn – sponsors of The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize with The Glencairn Glass, the official glass for whisky, said: “We’re always excited to see the shortlist for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize and this year it’s particularly encouraging to see so many talented women represented. We’re also delighted to see Frances Crawford included following her success in winning our 2023 Glencairn Glass Crime Short Story Competition – it’s wonderful to see her career continuing to flourish. We congratulate all of the shortlisted authors and wish them the very best of luck.”

The winner will be revealed on the opening night of the festival at the Church of the Holy Rude on 18 September.

For more information about the prize and the festival, please visit the Bloody Scotland website.

Denise Mina to be Guest Programmer for Bloody Scotland 2026

 

Denise Mina Revealed to be Guest Programmer for 

Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival 2026

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.

McIlvanney Prize 2024 Shortlist

 

The Shortlist for the McIlvanney Prize has been announced by Bloody Scotland. The award, previously known as the Bloody Scotland Prize for Scottish Crime Writing, will be presented on Friday 13 September 2024 on the first night of the Bloody Scotland Festival. 

Congratulations to all the nominated authors. 

2023 McIlvanney Prize Shortlist: Bloody Scotland

 

The Shortlist for the 2023 McIlvanney Prize for Scotland's prestigious annual crime writing award, was announced. The Prize is named in memory of the 'Godfather of Tartan Noir', the great William McIlvanney: 

Squeaky Clean by Callum McSorley (Pushkin): the judges said: "A wonderfully rich and funny new voice in Scottish crime. McSorley has created characters you invest in and plot that keeps you hooked right from the start."

The Second Murderer by Denise Mina (Vintage): the judges said: "Seriously stylish and oozing with attitude, this Philip Marlowe mystery is an exquisite read."

Cast a Cold Eye by Robbie Morrison (Macmillan): the judges said: "A story inhabited by brilliantly drawn characters. Not just a crime novel but a vivid and immersive account of life in Glasgow in the 1930s."

The Devil's Playground by Craig Russell (Little, Brown): the judges said: "Mesmerising from the start. Devilishly dark and dripping with menace. A breath-taking masterclass in twisty crime writing."

These events are part of a three-day annual showcase of crime writing at Bloody Scotland, which is Scotland's international crime writing festival. Both prizes are again sponsored by The Glencairn Glass, Kirsty Nicholson, Design and Marketing Manager at Glencairn Crystal, said: 

"Now in our third year of sponsoring these prestigious awards with the Glencairn Glass, we’re very proud to be a part of this amazing Scottish annual event in the world of crime fiction. We continue to be impressed and enthralled by the talented authors who enter and we wish everyone the very best of luck."

The 2023 Bloody Scotland festival begins at 1: 30pm on Friday, September 15 , with the final event concluding at 2pm on Sunday September 17. It takes place at various venues in the historic centre of Stirling, including the Albert Halls, Trinity Church, and the Golden Lion Hotel. 

Finalists Revealed for The McIlvanney Prize 2022

Sponsored by The Glencairn Glass

Winners to be presented on Thursday 15 September 2022

In Bloody Scotland’s 10th Anniversary year, the judges are delighted to reveal the finalists for The McIlvanney Prize 2022:

Liam McIlvanney – The Heretic (HarperCollins)

Alan Parks – May God Forgive (Canongate)

Ambrose Parry – A Corruption of Blood (Canongate)

Louise Welsh – The Second Cut (Canongate)

A hat trick for Canongate and indeed for Scottish independent publishing! The McIlvanney Prize judges are Ayo Onatade, winner of the CWA Red Herring Award and freelance crime fiction critic, Ewan Wilson, crime fiction buyer from Waterstones Glasgow and Jacky Collins, otherwise known as the podcaster, Dr Noir and programmer of Newcastle Noir. They were unanimous in their praise for all four finalists:

Liam McIlvanney – The Heretic (HarperCollins) The masterful rendering of a richly layered plot makes you want to read this novel again as soon as you’ve finished it. It’s a warts and all tale with memorable characters and a great setting.

Alan Parks – May God Forgive (Canongate) This expertly handled and morally ambiguous novel paints a dark and mesmerising portrait of 1970s Glasgow. The skillfully written and complex plot builds to a thrilling and highly unconventional denouement.

Ambrose Parry – A Corruption of Blood (Canongate) A real slow burner of a novel which is a marvellous tale of murder and deception in Victorian Edinburgh. It handles some difficult subject matter with sensitivity and care and has a real feeling of authenticity

Louise Welsh – The Second Cut (Canongate) The raw, tight prose of this novel delivers an edgy glimpse into the underbelly of 21st century Glasgow. The novel feature the welcome return of Rilke from Louise’s classic debut The Cutting room in a witty and sometimes sordid tale of a rank outsider.

The winner will be revealed in Stirling on Thursday 15 September. All of the shortlisted authors will be invited to a VIP reception at the Church of the Holy Rude at 7pm and to lead the torchlit procession from Stirling Castle to The Albert Halls where the winner of both the McIlvanney and the Bloody Scotland Debut Prizes will be revealed at approximately 8.30pm. They will then be interviewed on stage by BBC Radio Scotland’s Janice Forsyth.

Bloody Scotland Reveals 10th Anniversary Programme

 

Stirling 15-18 September 2022

We are very exciting to announce our 10^th 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 10^th 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.

Tickets can be bought here.

The programme can be found here.

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 10^th 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 10^th 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. 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.

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 10^th 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 10^th 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.

BLOODY SCOTLAND HYBRID FESTIVAL EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS AND EXTENDS RUN FOR 2022

 

Bloody Scotland hybrid festival which ran from 17-19 September 2021 and closed its virtual doors on 30 September outperformed targets and has prompted organisers to extend their run for next year. Bloody Scotland 2022 will now start in the historic city of Stirling on Thursday 15 September with the torchlight procession and awards presentation and run through to Sunday 18 September.

Online and in person attendance this year was 16,000 and included visitors from over 30 countries. While many audience members were delighted to return to Stirling in person, the digital offering (paid for this year) was also extremely popular. The festival also extended its reach with approximately 25% of physical and online visitors attending the festival for the first time.

All sponsors remained on board and publishers welcomed the digital programme as a means of advertising their authors beyond those who normally pick up a physical brochure.

As Bloody Scotland starts planning for the 10th Anniversary in 2022, founding chair, Jenny Brown is stepping down. 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 handing 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, Abir Mukherjee, Lin Anderson, Craig Robertson, Gordon Brown, Catriona Reynolds and Muriel Robertson.

Bloody Scotland McIlvanney Prize 2021 Finalists Revealed

 

Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival reveals

five finalists for the McIlvanney Prize 2021 

sponsored by The Glencairn Glass with match funding from 

Culture & Business Fund Scotland

Five years ago the Scottish Crime Book of the Year Award was renamed the McIlvanney Prize in memory of William McIlvanney. This year his final book, The Dark Remains, completed with the help of Ian Rankin, was launched at the Edinburgh Book Festival immediately prior to the announcement of the McIlvanney Prize shortlist.

The McIlvanney Prize judges this year include Karen Robinson, formerly of The Times Crime Club and a CWA judge; Ayo Onatade, winner of the CWA Red Herring Award and freelance crime fiction critic and Ewan Wilson, crime fiction buyer from Waterstones Glasgow.

They selected five finalists from the longlist of thirteen. The list includes 2015 winner, Craig Russell; established names Stuart MacBride and Alan Parks and two debut authors, Emma Christie and Robbie Morrison who beat some of the biggest names in crime fiction to make the cut. Emma Christie was one of the up and coming authors selected to appear at Crime in the Spotlight as a support act for The Never Ending Panel last year.

The judges described Craig Russell as ‘an author who never disappoints and always gets to the heart of a story’ and they ‘loved the presentation of Victorian Edinburgh and Celtic myths’ in HYDE (Constable)

They praised THE APRIL DEAD by Alan Parks (Canongate) for ‘continuing to innovate’ and said they ‘enjoyed the well-drawn characters and cliffhanger ending’.

They called THE COFFIN MAKER’S GARDEN by Stuart MacBride (HarperCollins) ‘a dark, edgy and original novel, full of action and a great sense of place with just the right kind of humour'

They described THE SILENT DAUGHTER by Emma Christie (Welbeck) as ‘taking the domestic noir genre and offering something fresh and different with well controlled characters’ and called EDGE OF THE GRAVE by Robbie Morrison (Macmillan) ‘. They enjoyed the pace of the novel and the unforeseen twist at the end. Both are also on the shortlist for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize.

The Glencairn Glass, the World’s Favourite Whisky Glass and the Official Glass for Whisky is again sponsoring both The McIlvanney Prize and The Bloody Scotland Debut Crime Novel of the Year. Culture & Business Fund Scotland have generously given matched funding.

The winners of both prizes will be revealed at the Albert Halls in Stirling at 5.15pm on Friday 17 September and broadcast live on-line.

Bloody Scotland Virtual Festival 2020 Now Available on YouTube

 

Bloody Scotland closed its virtual doors on Sunday evening (20th) but the majority of the programme is now available on YouTube at- https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaZgeYYd3QV-l5I0sYjGOVVMjnHY5LaF_ via our channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/bloodyscotlandfestival

The virtual Festival will be online for the next month until October 30th allowing crime fans to dip into sessions they missed or revisit events they particularly enjoyed. Authors are still available for interview to promote their events online.

The response to the virtual Festival has been resoundingly positive:

‘Where other festivals might have shrunk, this one grew in ambition. The organisers of Scotland’s annual crime writing festival refused to let the small matter of a global pandemic get in their way, upping the ante with some truly international online events.’
David Robinson, The Scotsman.

‘The Festival happened but like so many cultural events it was all online. I have to say, WOW! Big respect to the team. Everyone’s talking about it. It was a huge success.’
Janice Forsyth, The Afternoon Show, BBC Radio Scotland

‘Congratulations, brilliant numbers for terrific events.’
Karen Robinson, Times Crime Club

‘Online #BloodyScotland has been fun… the chats are awesome! Instead of being told to shush during panels we’re encouraged to talk. Brilliant @BloodyScotland’
Anthony Neil Smith, Professor of English at South West Minnesota State University

‘Bloody Scotland was absolutely wonderful. You all did a brilliant job with it. I did miss being up in Stirling and getting to see everyone but it did let me finally get a taste of Crime at the Coo.’
Alison Campbell, Blogger, A Bookish Life.

One unusual result of the virtual Crime at the Coo is that it has led to debut author, Dugald Bruce Lockhart releasing an EP featuring the track he sang at Bloody Scotland. https://music.apple.com/gb/album/fazed-ep/1532806696 Crime writing clearly maketh music stars…

Bloody Scotland Reveals Team Captains for Annual Scotland v England Football Match

Bloody Scotland Team Managers, Craig Roberston (Scotland) and Luca Veste (England) today revealed that their teams will again be captained by Chris Brookmyre and Mark Billingham for the annual Bloody Scotland Crime Writers Football Match which will take place at 2pm on Saturday 21 September.

The football match was the brainchild of Craig Robertson in 2014 and the first year Ian Rankin, Mark Billingham, Chris Brookmyre and Martyn Waites all signed up to play.  Following a resounding victory for Scotland Craig Robertson said “In a drunken, triumphalist haze we waved our English friends a fond and patronising farewell, sending them homeward to think again. Unfortunately, they did think again and they came back two years later and gubbed us”. 

The football has taken place on the Bowling Green at Cowane’s Hospital ever since though following a dispute when Thomas Enger (a Norwegian semi-professional footballer) joined the Scottish team new rules were drawn up. Teams now have to be made up exclusively of Scottish crime writers and English crime writers. No publishers, no editors, no agents, and definitely no professional footballers. One highlight for the English team this year is former Gladiator turned crime writer, Mark Griffin.

It is free to watch and in recent years has had the addition of a pop-up gin bar courtesy of Stirling Gin who provide Bloody Scotland cocktails for the fans – and sometimes for the players!

If you would like to interview Craig Robertson, Luca Veste, Mark Billingham or Chris Brookmyre please contact fiona@brownleedonald.com

Stirling: a Shire with its Share of Savagery

As the crime writing community warms up for the fifth Bloody Scotland festival, with Val McDermid, Chris Brookmyre, Helen Fitzgerald, Nicci French, Stuart MacBride and many more, William Sutton offers a guide to Stirling as a suitable spot for criminal fraternising.

It thrilled me, as a wee boy, that David Balfour, hero of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Kidnapped, hid under old Stirling Bridge on his cross-country quest to clear his name: the very same bridge that I passed on the way to the Thistle Centre or Stirling County Cricket Club.

From RLS to Rebus

Stevenson, author of two and half of literature’s most memorable characters (Long John Silver, Jekyll/Hyde) often stayed here (in the spa town of Bridge of Allan, along the road from my school). I later discovered Stevenson’s cave on the Darn Walk, a welcome escape for those exhausted by Stirling nightlife and the inspiration for Ben Gunn’s cave in Treasure Island. That may be a children’s book, but there’s no doubt Stevenson was a crime writer.

If you don’t consider The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde a crime novel, read over Hyde’s misdeeds again and try telling that to Operation Yewtree.

Iain Rankin was astonished how few spotted that his Rebus novel Hide and Seek was a homage to Stevenson. Rankin explored his admiration for Stevenson’s gothic masterpiece in this excellent BBC documentary.

Deceptively peaceful

Viewed from the Wallace Monument, the Carse of Stirling seems a peaceful landscape. Yet the area has its share of violence.

I grew up down the road, in Dunblane. Fiction plumbs the depths of terrible crimes. William McIlvanney, through his hero Laidlaw, urges us to treat murderers as humans: “There are no monsters…only people.” But who can imagine Thomas Hamilton’s state of mind as he drove there from Stirling on March 13 1996?

Today, you will find commemorative gardens, a community centre, and a memorial to the tragedy in Dunblane Cathedral.

On the High Street, the gold letter box celebrates Andy Murray’s Olympic victories.

Gateway to the Highlands

Seven battlefields are visible from the top of the Wallace Monument’s 246 steps. From earliest childhood, I was convinced that the Battle of Bannockburn was the crux of world history, and that Robert the Bruce’s axe cracking Henry de Bohun’s head was the most important combat of the millennium.

The back road over Sheriffmuir passes the Gathering Stone of the Clans, where the Jacobite forces struggled through marshes to an inconclusive battle. A remote luncheon at the 17th Century Sheriffmuir Inn will inspire windswept thoughts in any writer.

Stirling in fiction 

Stirling Castle, on its rocky outcrop, is the breathtaking monument that tells me I’m home.

It is also the dramatic location for Tunes of Glory, the film of James Kennaway’s psychological novel, starring John Mills and Alec Guinness, in which a suicide is misreported as murder.

 

Iain Banks’ underrated crime novel, Complicity, features key moment at Stirling University. Throughout this sassy political thriller Banks sows seeds of dissent in the characters’ early lives – hopes, loves and betrayals – laying down clues in nostalgic flashback.

Beside the monument and the University sits Dumyat, the beginning of the Ochil hills. Rennie McOwan’s Light on Dumyat, an absorbing children’s adventure story, may tempt to you to try the stroll up, with glorious views as far as Edinburgh – if it’s not raining.

Auld Enemies

My school history books proclaimed Stirling the gateway to the Highlands. I never understood why armies didn’t simply go around it – until I read Tears for a Tinker.

Jess Smith’s travellers’ tales unravel the secrets of the peat bogs around Stirling.

Following the clearances, destitute Highlanders were pardoned and employed to drain the bogs, in return for small patches of land. They uncovered Roman artefacts, jewellery, weaponry – well beyond the Antonine Wall – and even whale bones. It was a Labour Colony; yet this exploitation led to the area’s fruitful settlement.

Divided allegiances

Today Stirling is Scotland’s compromise town. It’s perfect for events like Bloody Scotland, with divided allegiance to the bigger cities. Stirling voted strongly to stay EU, after voting almost as definitively to stay in the UK.

Enjoy the Scotland v England crime writers football grudge match, free and unticketed at Cowane’s Hospital, 1.30pm on Sat 20th September.

The Scots will look to celebrate, as William Wallace did at the Battle of Stirling Bridge. The English will prefer to recall Wallace’s dismembered head spiked on London Bridge.

Stirling facts (via Stirling Council):

• The British currency ‘sterling’ derived from the town mint, producing coins from silver mined in the Ochils.
• The Black Boy fountain commemorates 30% of Stirling’s population killed by the Plague of 1369.
• The elite S.A.S. unit was founded by James Stirling of that famous Stirling family.
• The 1971 film Kidnapped, starring Michael Caine, was partly shot in Stirling.

William Sutton, author of Lawless and the Flowers of Sin (Titan Books), grew up in Dunblane and went to school in nearby Bridge-of-Allan.

Lawless and the Flowers of Sin is his second mystery featuring a Scots detective in Victorian London. Lawless and the Devil of Euston Square tackled the building of the Tube and sewers; the new book investigates a different kind of underworld.

www.william-sutton.co.uk

f/williamgeorgeq

t @WilliamGeorgeQ