"Wiggle your ears to get into the groove"

Have a wee Zombie Dance with The Cramps.

Panels for Crimefest are now up.

Alexander McCall Smith at the Oundle Literary Festival at the beginning of March, and in Buffalo, NY in April. Closer to home, Iain Banks is appearing in Edinburgh at the beginning of April. And Helen Fitzgerald is all over the place, the lucky minx. Sadly, I shall miss her Glasgow event by two days, and her Berlin event by two months. Luckily, I get to quiz her at Crimefest, along with Douglas Lindsay, Michael Malone and Damien Seaman. And Christopher Brookmyre, Stuart MacBride and Craig Robertson will be revealing their secrets in Aberdeen at the end of May. And Irvine Welsh will be appearing at Apple's Glasgow Buchanan Street store on Sunday to talk about ECSTACY. And here's the man himself as an extra in FILTH, which is currently filming in Edinburgh.

Lots of reviews today. Eurocrime reviews Craig Russell's THE DEEP DARK SLEEP, The Big Issue reviews Peter May's THE LEWIS MAN, Bestsellersworld on DEATH OF A KINGFISHER by M C Beaton, Norm at Crimescraps on Charles Cumming's THE TRINITY SIX, WildmooBooks reviews Val McDermid's REPORT FOR MURDER, Rikki's Teleidoscope reviews Alexander McCall Smith's THE COMFORTS OF A MUDDY SATURDAY.

The Indie Pedant looks forward to Irvine Welsh's SKAGBOYS.

Lovely Scottish publisher Blasted Heath buys a black comedy called THE VANITY GAME by H J Hampson. Excellent! I love black comedy and I love football. Result.

Popmatters reports that US crime overtakes British romance in British libraries. Luckily, Ian Rankin is holding up the side for the Brits.

Edinburgh's New Town to celebrate its literary history. And The Scotsman reports that Scottish arts would benefit from Scottish independence.

Jonny Lee Miller is to play Sherlock Holmes in a US TV version set in contemporary New York.

Denise Mina talks to Forbidden Planet about comics.

Finally, the Herald are looking for your help to come up with the rest of the list of the Top 100 Scottish novels. They already have 30 and there are plenty of familiar names in there.

Has it really been a week?

Hello, world, I'd forgotten what you look like. You're really rather lovely, aren't you?

Essays are done, but were swiftly followed by more whooshing deadlines. This week's involved me sitting on a bus listening to conversations. This almost led to me getting my wee head kicked in. But it was fun. I also spent two and a half hours going through a large bin of shredded paper trying to piece together something which should never have been shredded. Successfully, I may add. I felt like I was in a really long, very boring version of CSI Glasgow.

Anyway, just a wee Scottish crime fiction update.

Some Sherlock stuff first: a review of the film A GAME OF SHADOWS, and another one, and Steven Moffat on the TV Sherlock (which I'm really enjoying).

Alex Gray, Caro Ramsay, G J Moffat and Craig Robertson at the Pitlochry Festival from January 27th.

A review of Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD, one of Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG, Josephine Tey's THE MAN IN THE QUEUE and reviews of Alexander McCall Smith's THE FORGOTTEN AFFAIRS OF YOUTH and THE RIGHT ATTITUDE TO RAIN.

Peter May on the Quercus Couch.

Peter Rozovsky at Detectives Beyond Borders gets into Allan Guthrie's shorts.

A really interesting interview with Louise Welsh about Scotland.

Hopefully, I will get back to normal posting some time soon...maybe by July...

Can't Find My Mind

Soon, I will run out of Cramps titles. But not yet.

Writers talk about their bookshelves.

Lots of reviews today. Maxine at Petrona reviews Aline Templeton's LAMB TO THE SLAUGHTER, The World According To Who? reviews Stuart MacBride's BROKEN SKIN, Clover Hill Book Reviews talks about Craig Robertson's RANDOM, Emily Mah on THE DOUBLE COMFORT SAFARI CLUB by Alexander McCall Smith, whose THE FORGOTTEN AFFAIRS OF YOUTH is reviewed in The Boston Globe. Sarah's Book Reviews enjoyed M C Beaton's AS THE PIG TURNS and the lovely Declan Burke reviews the equally lovely Aly Monroe's ICELIGHT in The Irish Times, and the Book Nook on Denise Mina's THE END OF THE WASP SEASON. Finally, a couple of reviews for Anthony Horowitz' THE HOUSE OF SILK.

A review...nay, poetry (and very clever)...of Allan Guthrie's BYE, BYE BABY from Conniephoebe.

An article on Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. And a review. Or there's the TV version with Benedict Cumberbatch which returns in the new year.

Denise Mina in A Year In Reading. And more on the graphic novelisation of The Girl Blah Blah Blah books (possibly the only Denise Mina penned stuff I will never read, since I didn't care for the first of the Larsson books and didn't read any more of them).

Seven Questions with Ian Rankin in which he reveals he would be a maverick cop. And here he talks about how he kills people off. And he's requesting a Robert Louis Stevenson Day. And if you're in Chichester on 20th January you can hear Ian reading from his unpublished first novel.

Win a copy of Peter May's THE BLACKHOUSE. I'd be entering with Amphetamine Westerly if I didn't already have a copy.

And you can win a copy of Helen Fitzgerald's THE DONOR over at Stephen Moyer's page. Ooooooooh, nice!

TRICK OF THE DARK by Val McDermid is one of Oline Cogdill's top reads of 2011. And Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG is in the Washington Post's best of list.

Daisies Up Your Butterfly

Post title courtesy of the Cramps, of course - and no, I don't know what it means, either.

An interview with the dear and lovely (and sometimes deluded) Russel McLean over at Pulp Pusher. And The Crime Of It All interviews William Meikle.

The New York Times reviews Ian Rankin's THE IMPOSSIBLE DEAD, and Brandywine books reviews A QUESTION OF BLOOD. Stromness Library has Ian as their author of the month for November.

M&C on Conan Doyle's Moriarty in the media.

Yesterday was the first ever Robert Louis Stevenson Day. Whoops.

A review of Val McDermid's THE RETRIBUTION. And a great interview with her.

Stuart MacBride will be talking about his new book and the Million For A Morgue project, amongst other things, in Dundee on 4th February. Closer to home, here's a free event with Christopher Brookmyre on Monday if you're in Glasgow. I'm going along so will report back.

A review of Anthony Horowitz's Sherlock Holmes novel, THE HOUSE OF SILK, one of Craig Russell's THE LONG GLASGOW KISS, a reviewlet of Alexander McCall Smith's CORDUROY MANSIONS, and one of Philip Kerr's PRAGUE FATALE.

The Scotsman interviews Philip Kerr.

Finally, Edinburgh has been named the world's best literary city. I think Glasgow might have something to say.

Good News,Old News, New News

Catching up a wee bit here.

Brilliant film news for Tony Black - I can't wait to see this - Tony Black, Richard Jobson and Dougray Scott? Bloody hell - what a trio. Huge congratulations Tony.

A couple of reports from the Edinburgh Book Festival that are vaguely crime fiction related, including Bella Bathhurst's favourite moments from previous festivals.

A review of Ian Rankin's EXIT MUSIC, one of Alexander McCall Smith's THE FORGOTTEN AFFAIRS OF YOUTH, It'sACrime enjoyed Craig Robertson's SNAPSHOT and Karen at Austcrime reviews the CRIMESPOTTING short story collection.

An article on the TV version of Kate Atkinson's CASE HISTORIES.

Louise Welsh on Saturday Review.

Check out Val McDermid's Woman's Hour drama VILLAGE SOS.

Irvine Welsh on the set of ECSTACY.

The Gold, Steel and New Blood Dagger shortlists.

Wednesday Allsorts

Chris Ewan guest blogs over at Martin Edwards' place. And here, Martin talks about Paul Johnston. Lovely man that Martin Edwards (as well as being supremely knowledgeable about crime fiction).

Fifty Edinburgh Book Festival short stories. (Most of them are from last year's festival). Stories by Scottish crime fiction authors are from Gillian Philip, Karen Campbell, Denise Mina, Doug Johnstone, Louise Welsh,

A review of Craig Robertson's SNAPSHOT at Eurocrime.

If you're near Middlesbrough tomorrow, why not spend An Evening With Val McDermid? Or, if you're in Aberdeen on Sunday, you can see Stuart MacBride tossing a caber. Or talking about books. I'm not quite sure which. A bit further in advance, how about Christopher Brookmyre in North Berwick on August 9th?

The Telegraph offers audio chapters of Alexander McCall Smith's A CONSPIRACY OF FRIENDS read by Andrew Sachs.

BookDagger has an interview with Quintin Jardine.

Berlin Calling

I've been investigating things to see and places to visit for our forthcoming trip to Berlin - so far my list includes an abandoned amusement park, some mechanical monsters, a cinema in a squat, and a sex museum. Plus I'm wondering how Ewan feels about a tank driving experience. For me, not him, of course.

I've always said that Ian Rankin is one of the most generous people in crime fiction and this just proves it.

A few interviews. First of all ten minutes with Irvine Welsh, a video interview with William McIlvanney, an excellent interview with Tony Black over at Crimeculture, and Craig Robertson talks about RANDOM.

And, talking of Tony Black, he and the equally lovely Russel McLean will be at Cowdenbeath Library on March 17th.

Here's Doug Johnstone in the Scottish Review of Books. And he's having a launch party for SMOKEHEADS (which I've just received - woohoo!) on Thursday 3rd March in Edinburgh. And here's the unofficial trailer. And he's all over the place, the floozy. I'm hoping to make the Aye Write event on the 8th.

Milo of Milo's Rambles reviews Charles Cumming's THE TRINITY SIX.

Alexander McCall Smith's opera - The Okavango Macbeth - has its first UK airing in Edinburgh on 20th and 21st April.

Have a lovely weekend, dear Reader. More on Sunday.

Crimefest , Battles and Strippers

The Crimefest programme is up. Look at my lovely panelists. Despite the fact that being on a panel makes me physically sick, I'm excited to be asking all these lovely people questions.

At 11.20 am on Friday
I Was A Male Warbride: Confessions Of A Crime Fiction Author

• Chris Ewan
• Helen Fitzgerald
• Douglas Lindsay
• Steve Mosby
• Moderator: Donna Moore
  

At 2.10 pm on Friday
Monkey Business: When Mischievous Crosses Over Into Deceitful Behaviour

• Colin Bateman
• Colin Cotterill
• Chris Ewan
• L.C. Tyler
• Moderator: Donna Moore

I want to be Ian Rankin - not only does he get to attend video shoots (I love this song by St Jude's Infirmary), but he gets to talk to all sorts of cool musicians. Here he is, in conversation with Stuart Braithwaite from Mogwai who, incidentally, I saw in concert a couple of weeks ago (and who were most excellent). And here's Mr Rankin discussing Miss Jean Brodie.

My Favourite Books blog on Craig Robertson's RANDOM. And a eview of Philip Kerr's FIELD GREY.

An interview with Charles Cumming.

And Peter May talks about his latest book THE BLACKHOUSE.

Alexander McCall Smith and the Battle for Prestonpans.

And, finally, I'm definitely writing a story about this one. One thing strikes me though - she must have either big garters or fat legs to fit that amount of money in (I'm assuming it wasn't in $100 bills).

St Valentine's Day - Sin, Poison, Frog Sex and Elderly Bandits

Hello all. Well, what an excellent weekend. I learned to play Siouxsie's guitar part on the Banshees SIN IN MY HEART. Very badly. Next week - The Cramps' HUMAN FLY. That one involves more notes. Oh dear. This is shaping up to be a disaster, just like the time I had to play the recorder in the school play of The Pied Piper of Hamelyn. Still, at least I have the Poison Ivy boots, even if I can't play the notes.

This weekend's films were a Canadian film called THE BARBARIAN INVASIONS which was so bad we stopped it half an hour in, and Almodovar's BROKEN EMBRACES which was pretty good. Next weekend it's the Glasgow Film Festival so we're going to go to a couple of those - ATTENBERG and NOTHING'S ALL BAD. Anyone seen either of those?

I also had a splendid time looking for eBooks, loads of which are now sitting in my lovely new Kindle. February is Scottish reading month, but March may well have to be Kindle month.

A slew of reviews. First of all Terry Halligan at Eurocrime loves Craig Robertson's RANDOM. And, also at Eurocrime, the lovely Lizzie Hayes really enjoys Val McDermid's TRICK OF THE DARK. The Telegraph also gives TRICK OF THE DARK some ink.

Ian Rankin (amongst others) on the joys of Twitter.

I always seem to be pointing you towards Douglas Lindsay's blog, but that's just because his posts are always so interesting. This one talks about frog sex and testicle grabbing book covers.

Quintin Jardine will be launching his latest book THE LONER at Tranent Library on 31 March.

And, finally, the 'Granddad Bandit'. Some people have a real nerve, don't they? He just waited in line...

In Which Your Humble Blogger Is Called A Huge Ball

Today I am Dancing With Myself over at Nigel Bird's gaff, where Nigel calls me 'a huge ball'. I also bought a Kindle and got conned. It's been rather a good day, on the whole. On the getting conned front, I was walking through Glasgow and this very dapper elderly gent wearing a trilby and a mouth full of gold teeth approached me. "Latvia. Baltic. Tourist. Lovely. Glasgow. Lady. Shake hand, shake hand" he said. I translated this to mean "Hello lovely lady from Glasgow. I'm a tourist from Latvia, which is in the Baltics. Would you like to shake my hand?" So I did.

Beaming at me with his gold teeth twinkling in the Glasgow sun, he continued to pump my arm as though he was trying to milk me and said "One pound. One pound." I reached into my handbag. "Ten cigarettes. Three pounds, three pounds." I laughed and rummaged for my purse. "Hungry. Five pounds, five pounds." Soft touch that I am, gave him a fiver. As he folded it neatly and tucked it into a pocket he said, hopefully. "Ten pounds. Ten pounds."

"Not a chance, not a chance," I said, and walked off, laughing.

The Bowed Bookshelf enjoyed Ray Banks' BEAST OF BURDEN, Milo's Rambles reviews Craig Robertson's RANDOM, and The List reviews Tony Black's TRUTH LIES BLEEDING.

Peter May's THE BLACKHOUSE, set on the Isle of Lewis, only makes it to us thanks to the French. Merci, les gars.

Lots of news from Douglas Lindsay. And that'll be why my copy of 21 YEARS ON THE BACK OF DIXIE KLONDYKE'S SPANISH GUITAR hasn't arrived yet. Damn.

Alexander McCall Smith approves of Penelope Keith opening a tea room, and is vexed by teabags. Whilst Peter Kerr is having trouble with his pipes.

Have a lovely weekend, dear Reader.

From Zombies to Superheroes

Fancy some graphic novels? Geeks.co.uk reviews Denise Mina's A SICKNESS IN THE FAMILY, as well as some Sherlock Holmes adventures, including VICTORIAN UNDEAD: SHERLOCK HOLMES VS ZOMBIES. And Broken Frontier also reviews SICKNESS.

If you live in Tyneside, how about an evening with Stuart MacBride on February 3rd? No zombies...probably.

A review of Graham Moore's THE SHERLOCKIAN, and THE HOLMES AFFAIR and the blog In Which I Read Vintage Novels reviews John Buchan's THE THREE HOSTAGES. Keith Walters really enjoyed Craig Robertson's RANDOM, and reviews over at Eurocrime for M C Beaton's AGATHA RAISIN AND THE BUSY BODY and Grant McKenzie's SWITCH.

Talking of John Buchan, here's his grandson on the 39 steps to writing the perfect thriller.

Louise Welsh will be giving a reading at the University of Glasgow on Tuesday 18th January.

Allan Guthrie has a new blog E-Books That Sell.

It looks as though Alexander McCall Smith is going to be busy again next year. As well as the Aye Write gig, there's a musical night with him in Edinburgh on March 4th, and he's appearing at the William and Mary College in Colonial Williamsburg on April 7th.

Better hurry up if you want tickets for a special screening of TRAINSPOTTING on 2nd February.

And, finally, I do wish Glasgow could have its own Superhero like Seattle does. Given the latest bizarre twist to the Tommy Sheridan perjury trial, I think Glasgow's should be a wee yellow and black striped hero called Spelling Bee.

It's All About The Book Festival...Except For The Bits That Aren't

Sadly, due to other commitments, I'm not going to be able to make it through to any of the events I'd like to go to at the Edinburgh Book Festival, although I am hoping to get through to meet the lovely Bookwitch, who is blogging about events. Another excellent blog of festival events is the wonderfully named Crivens, Jings and Help Ma Blog who has so far posted excellent reports of events with Iain Banks and Christopher Brookmyre. And more splendid festival coverage by both Alistair Braidwood of Scots Whay Hae! and Colin Galbraith (a crime writer himself), who attended the event with Craig Robertson and Gillian Galbraith,

And, in other book festival news, the BBC's arts editor speaks to Ian Rankin about Scottish arts funding as The Bookseller reports that the festival expects to cut author events.

The List on Louise Welsh's NAMING THE BONES.

One great thing about the internet is that so many people are willing to share their thoughts on books they've enjoyed. I love that. So here are a couple of book-loving bloggers on Caro Ramsay's ABSOLUTION, and Craig Russell's LENNOX.

And, finally, more reviews - first of all Eurocrime on G J Moffat's FALLOUT, and then The Telegraph, The Guardian and The Herald all review Kate Atkinson's STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG.

Sunday Gallimaufry

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend the lovelyTony Black's book launch last week, but, apparently, both Ian Rankin and William McIlvanney made it. Damn - I always miss the best parties. But if like me you couldn't make it here's a video featuring the new book LONG TIME DEAD. And Tony tells the Press and Journal how he recently shared dinner and funny handshakes with the Freemasons. And a review of the book by Paul Brazill who calls it an urban classic - nice.

The charming Michael Malone interviews Bill Kirton.

Christopher Brookmyre with some schoolboy memories on video for BBC Radio Scotland.

In a recent blog post from Craig Robertson, he says he has just finished writing SNAPSHOT, the follow-up to his debut novel RANDOM.

Iain Banks' new book comes with an iPhone app.

Creative Scotland is officially launched.

The shortlist for the Theakstons Old Peculier crime novel of the year has been announced. Congratulations to all nominees.

The latet reviewingtheevidence round up has a couple of reviews of Scottish books - first of all Catriona McPherson's DANDY GILVER AND THE PROPER TREATMENT OF BLOODSTAINS and also Stuart MacBride's DARK BLOOD.

There's a hunt on for the lost manuscripts of Robert Louis Stevenson.

Summery Sunday Summary

Some of my favourite books get some excellent reviews - first of all Russel McLean's THE GOOD SON, then Sea Minor really enjoys Ray Banks' DONKEY PUNCH, and Helen Fitzgerald's MY LAST CONFESSION is pronounced to be uncomfortable, witty and warm-hearted.

The Independent visits Alexander McCall Smith, while the Sunday Star Times reviews THE DOG WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD, and Mattie Rawson enjoyed THE DOUBLE COMFORT SAFARI CLUB.

More on the Tony Black and Allan Guthrie double act.

Ian Rankin talks about books and music at the Galway Arts Festival on July 20th. And, talking of Ian Rankin, I'm not sure how old this interview is but it popped up in my google alert for Ian today.

Yet more reviews for Scottish crime fiction- Webbweaver calls Craig Robertson's RANDOM "deliciously disturbing", a reviewlet of Kate Atkinson's ONE GOOD TURN, Creative Loafing recommends Denise Mina as a great summer read, and an audiobook review of Peter May's THE RUNNER.

Lin Anderson becomes plot advisor for Brocken Spectre - a film based on the myth of the Big Grey Man of Ben McDhui, which is being made by a youth-run, non-profit, independent film company in the Scottish Highlands.

And finally, I'm a bit late with this one, and he's not Scottish, but here's an article on the demise of midlist authors, using as an example one of my favourite authors, Charlie Williams, and his brilliant Royston Blake series.

A Slew of News, Reviews and Interviews

Dear Scotland has an interesting interview with Christopher Brookmyre. And there's a fun one with Denise Mina at Powells Books, and a conversation with Alexander McCall Smith at The Atlantic. And Ian Rankin on youtube as part of the Edinburgh Reads programme.

Karen Campbell's SHADOWPLAY gets a nice - and well-deserved - review in The Times. And AFTER THE FIRE gets a rave review over at Eurocrime.

Stuart MacBride's DARK BLOOD is reviewed in the Huddersfield Examiner. Talking of Stuart MacBride he's appearing with Mark Billingham in Manchester onAugust 19th.

The Curious Book Fans Blog very much enjoyed Val McDermid's FEVER OF THE BONE. And Falcata Times loved Craig Robertson's RANDOM.

The Quintin Jardine literary tour around Edinburgh.

The Independent looks at the early years of Sherlock Holmes.

Some Scottish authors on the shortlists for the Barry awards. Congratulations to everyone on the lists.

And, finally, thank you to Library Journal and Shelf Awareness. Goodness me. I'm totally stunned, and well chuffed. What a lovely weekend. In celebration, we bought tickets to see Grinderman at the Barrowlands in September and the very funny Micky Flanagan at the Edinburgh Fringe in August. Life is good.

In Which I Realise My Dad Is A Secret Agent

A youtube interview with Craig Robertson about his recently released book RANDOM and his next novel SNAPSHOT (which sounds great). And an interview with the author on booksfromscotland.com.

Caro Ramsay (who should blog more often!) on the good times and bad times of writing.

The Glasgow Herald features G J Moffat in an article on how Scottish crime fiction leads the way in law and disorder.

Peter May on being a prowler. And an audio interview on the Stuph File.

And, finally, even spies have to move with the times. Although it strikes me that if they can't use Facebook and Twitter, how do they cope with all those little pens that take photos and bugs in flower vases, and lovely stuff like that? Blimey, even my Dad uses Facebook and he's in his mid 70s. (Luckily, he hasn't yet discovered Twitter. It's the only place I am safe on the Internet. (Dad - you really wouldn't like Twitter by the way. Trust me.)) Wait...maybe my Dad is secretly a spy. All those trips to take the rubbish out aren't to have a secret cigar but to test out his night vision goggles. Then he cleverly sprays himself with Eau De Cigar, just so that my Mum gets the pleasure of saying "Have you been smoking those foul things again Patrick?" and he keeps his cover. And perhaps when I was down at Christmas and he whispered in the ear of the next door neighbour's dog "The daffodils in Prague are blooming early this year" that wasn't senility, but spy talk.

Sleepy Sunday Summary

Ian Rankin is taking a European tour, just like the posh Victorians. His tour dates: 15 March, Cologne (sold out); 16th, Hugendubel Funf Hofe bookshop (Munich, 8.30pm); 17th, Rabenhof Theatre (Vienna, 8pm), 18th, Zurich (sold out). Hopefully this will lead to more Babelfish opportunities.

Closer to home, some Crime In The City events in Edinburgh this week with Helen Fitzgerald - Monday 15th (Moredun Library), Caro Ramsay - Tuesday 16th (Newington Library), Alanna Knight - Wednesday 17th (Blackhall Library) and Allan Guthrie and Helen Fitzgerald - Saturday 20th (Wester Hailes).

Here's the longlist for the Tesco Bank Summer Reads which was launched at Aye Write last weekend. Vote for your favourite title and win a Sony e-Reader

The Madhouse Family reviews Craig Robertson's RANDOM and, although it left an uncomfortable feeling, pronounces it a good read for people who like to see "sad little lives spiralling out of control".

Val McDermid's FEVER OF THE BONE is one of the Telegraph's Pick of the Paperbacks.

Ray Banks reports on his Avant! Noir event in London.

Denise Mina at Lit Sutra on letters from drunk readers, while the Seattle Times enjoys STILL MIDNIGHT.

An Irvine Welsh story appears in the anthology BECAUSE I AM A GIRL. And Sean Bean, Dougray Scott and Robert Vaughn are to appear in the Irvine Welsh directed gritty UK comedy THE MAGNIFICENT ELEVEN.

Football, Flashers and Flying Across the Clyde

Craig Robertson and others talk baddies to Bookdagger.

Edinburgh's Tales of One City has a Youtube channel. See Iain Banks, Doug Johnstone, Irvine Welsh and much more (thanks to @scottishbooks) .

Ian Rankin - celebrity whale watcher. And he is great to follow on Twitter "Apparently, my brand new Inspector Rebus short story, 'The Very Last Drop', will be published in Friday's 'Scotsman' newspaper", he says. Yippee! He also says: "wondering if the couple who won me on ebay left positive feedback..."

A great article in The Guardian on John Buchan's Richard Hannay books.

The lovely Karen over at Eurocrime comments on several books with a football focus, including books by Scots Bill Knox, Alex Gray and Alexander McCall Smith.

More from The Scotsman on Creative Scotland and the potential pitfalls which need to be avoided.

A reminder of a rather excellent sounding event with Ray Banks on Friday if you are in London.

Booksquawk reviews THE DARKNESS by Bill Kirton. The South African Times Live reviews Ian Rankin and Philip Kerr. And the delightful Bernadette in Oz enjoyed Caro Ramsay's SINGING TO THE DEAD, but has a double pronged rant about authors who do not update their websites and how all Scottish authors end up being called "the next Ian Rankin", even when they patently aren't. Well said, that woman.

The Chicago Tribune on why mysteries still matter.

Carol Anne Davies on a recent Home Office report which recommends that police stop talking about crime because it upsets people. Her story of being flashed at reminds me of when a friend and I were once flashed at in the Pere Lachaise Cemetery in Paris.

And, finally, there's only a week or so to go, so I'm getting as many plugs in as possible for my death defying plunge across the River Clyde on a piece of string. All sponsorship or encouraging comments gratefully received.

What I Read In February - Scottish Month

February was Scottish crime fiction month for me. And what an excellent time I had, too.

LOSS - Tony Black
Published: February 2010
Setting: Edinburgh
Protagonist: Gus Dury
Series?: 3rd
First Lines: 'Calls in the middle of the night rarely bring good news.'
Gus Dury is back with his wife, Debs, although their relationship is fragile. Also fragile is Gus' new-found sobriety. Relationship and sobriety are both threatened when Gus' brother is murdered and Gus, needless to say, resists all exhortations to leave the investigation to the police. His own attempts to find his brother's killer put him on the wrong side of just about everybody - the law, Debs, and some seriously dangerous men. Sometimes it seems as though Gus' only friends are his dog, Usual, and the unopened quarter bottle of whisky Gus keeps in his pocket. Luckily for Gus, he does have two good friends who step in and help him, without thought for their own safety. As Gus struggles to come to terms with the loss of his brother, things get darker and more dangerous. Wonderfully written, tough, edgy, and very dark, but with the odd flash of humour, LOSS made me cry at the end. Tony Black is a brilliant writer and I'm glad to see that the fourth in the series is out in July.

THE LOST SISTER - Russel McLean
Published: October 2009
Setting: Dundee
Protagonist: McNee
Series?: 2nd
First Lines: 'He doesn't waste a moment. Lets go of the axe, brings both hands round on either side of my head and slams them together.'
Hard-boiled Dundee PI McNee is called upon to investigate the disappearance of a teenage girl. He's reluctant, since the girl is the god-daughter of David Burns - someone that McNee is not particularly fond of, and that's putting it lightly. McNee lets himself be beguiled by his dislike of Burns - as well as his desire to right some wrongs - as he investigates the secrets and lies that lead him to become more and more emotionally involved in the case. Brutal, chilling, pacy and dramatic, THE LOST SISTER is superb - but very sad. I felt melancholic from about half way through and burst into tears at the end (it seems a pattern is developing!) McNee is an excellent character - tough as nails on the outside, but much softer on the inside - something he does his best to hide. He is uncompromising about right and wrong, his moral compass is firmly set, and his prickly exterior hides a troubled and isolated person who just can't get close to people. You don't know whether to hug him or punch him. Russel McLean spins a fine and expertly told tale.

A DARKER DOMAIN - Val McDermid
Published: September 2008
Setting: Fife, Scotland and Tuscany, Italy
Protagonist: DI Karen Pirie
Series?: I think it's a standalone
First Lines: 'The voice is soft, like the darkness that encloses them.'
DI Karen Pirie, head of Fife's cold case review team is intrigued when a young woman comes in to report the disappearance of her father twenty-five years before, during the miners' strike. He was last seen in 1984 in the small mining village where he lived. At the time, everyone thought he'd joined a group of miners who had betrayed their friends and families by going off to 'scab' at a coal mine down in England, even though it seems to be out of character. In addition, new evidence has turned up in a kidnap case involving the daughter and grandson of the richest man in Scotland. Her bosses want her to concentrate on the kidnapping, but Karen is determined to look into the disappearance of the miner. This is a very cleverly told story with multi layered plot-lines, locations and times. It's full of atmosphere and social history as Val McDermid vividly shows the breakdown of a community and the suffering, grievances and bitterness which have cast long shadows. Intelligent and tightly plotted with twists upon twists and turns upon turns. An excellent read which kept me up.

NAMING THE BONES - Louise Welsh
Published: March 2010
Setting: Edinburgh, Glasgow and Lismore
Protagonist: Murray Watson
Series?: Standalone
First Lines: 'Murray Watson slit the seal on the cardboard box in front of him and started to sort through the remnants of a life.'
Glasgow University professor Dr Murray Watson is taking a year's sabbatical to write a book about obscure poet Archie Lunan - a man who wrote one book of poetry and died young, over two decades before, in a boating accident off a small Scottish island. Murray's task is not an easy one - he has very little information, and no-one seems particularly keen to talk to him. As Murray delves into the poet's life, he wonders whether there's any point to his research. Murray's own life is lonely and troubled and he seems to drift aimlessly. He's having a loveless affair, he has a chilly relationship with his brother - his only remaining family, and he drinks too much. The book not only tells what happened to Lunan, but also puts Murray's own life under the microscope and looks at love, death, art and obsession. Despite its length and seemingly leisurely pace, NAMING THE BONES is a fast read. It's atmospheric with a great sense of place and a very gothic tone. The real stand-out for me though was the characters. Even the most minor character is vivid and memorable, even those only on the page for a short time.

RANDOM - Craig Robertson
Published: April 2010
Setting: Glasgow
Protagonist: The Cutter
Series?: Standalone
First Lines: 'She was talking but I couldn't take anything in'
A serial killer know as The Cutter is making Glasgow's citizens a little on edge. The killer seems to have scant regard for the police, and has decided that the best way to make people sit up and take notice is to get the Press involved. The police are baffled by the seemingly random murders. The victims have nothing in common, each one is dispatched in a different way and with ruthless efficiency, and everything about the killings appears to be totally random. The only reason the police are linking the murders at all is because after each one DS Rachel Narey receives the severed little finger of the victim's right hand. Dark, violent and unsettling, the book is told from the cold and chilling point of view of the serial killer. There is a reason behind the killings, and the reason is one which should have made me feel some sympathy towards the killer. It didn't. He's as frosty and dangerous as an icicle hammered into your heart. But his story is compelling and it's a clever trick to make me want to keep reading about a character who made my skin crawl.

FALLING - Gordon Brown
Published: June 2009
Setting: Glasgow
Protagonist: Ensemble cast
Series?: Standalone
First Lines: 'The door to the toilet slams open and I turn to the noise.'
Mild-mannered accountant Charlie Wiggs is minding his own business in the office toilet, when two thugs burst in, grab him and take him to the roof of the building, where they proceed to dangle him over the side. Nobody, including Charlie, the two thugs, and George the maintenance man who sees it all happening, are quite clear why Charlie is being mistreated in this way. FALLING is a fast-paced read with an ensemble cast, told from multiple points of view. Some of the narratives overlap which means that, as the hows and whys are gradually revealed, we get to see them from numerous viewpoints. A breezy caper novel with dark undertones.


In March I am only going to read books in translation. Well, apart from this little beauty which I have just received, and which is next on my list to read. WATCHING THE WHEELS COME OFF is one of the first two books from maXcrime (the lovely people who are publishing OLD DOGS), and it's by Mike Hodges (director of the original (and best) GET CARTER). It's described as "a delicious dark slice of black crime comedy". Perfect.

Quick and Dirty Posting

In the midst of editing, so a quick and dirty link summary.

It seems that everybody in the world likes Russel McLean - and quite rightly so. As an extra added bonus, one of those links also has a review of C David Ingram's THE STONE GALLOWS.

Christopher Brookmyre at the Winter Words Festival in Pitlochry on January 31st, while Alexander McCall Smith will be visiting Epping Forest in March.

Listen to the start of M C Beaton's DEATH OF A VALENTINE.

Author Craig Robertson revealed. I have a copy of his debut novel, RANDOM which looks good. I've decided that February is Scottish Crime Fiction Month chez moi and I shall be reading that one, Tony Black's LOSS (as soon as I buy a copy), Russel McLean's THE LOST SISTER and Gordon Brown's FALLING.

And talking of Tony Black, sadly, I shall miss the launch of LOSS at Blackwell's Bookshop in Edinburgh this Thursday. If, like me, you have been jonesing for a new Gus Dury, The Rap Sheet has an original short story featuring Gus. Great stuff.

The Big Thrill talks to Peter May.