"Slugs and snails are after me..."

The contemporary Sherlock Holmes drama 'Sherlock' , written by Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, will have its first airing on July 25th with the first episode A Study In Pink.

A video interview with Ian Rankin from Sky Arts.

Nicholas Royle at the Independent really enjoyed Alice Thompson's THE EXISTENTIAL DETECTIVE. And a nice review for Caro Ramsay's DARK WATER.

Karen Campbell recently attended a Library Garden Party. What a lovely idea - I would love to have been there.

No crime fiction at the Inverness Book Festival? Booooooo. So head on over to the Galway Arts Festival.

And, finally, a rather excellent post from Alistair Braidwood at Scots Whay Hae! about punk rock and short stories. And that reminds me that I still haven't given up on my hope that someone will come out with an anthology of short stories inspired by Ramones songs. Anyone? So many possibilities. What about 53rd and 3rd with its tale of a male prostitute:

"Then I took out my razor blade
Then I did what God forbade"

Or Blitzkrieg Bop's "Shoot'em in the back now"

And the rich implications of Teenage Lobotomy's:
"Now I guess I'll have to tell 'em
That I got no cerebellum" (which just have to be some of the finest lyrics ever!)

And then of course there's I Don't Wanna Go Down To The Basement, You're Gonna Kill That Girl, You Should Have Never Opened That Door, Born to Die in Berlin, Cabbies on Crack, Heidi is a Headcase, Too Tough To Die...lots of delicious inspiration there.