Thee Most Exaulted Potentate of Love

Another Cramps-related blog post title (and no, those aren't typos). This one's for Heath Lowrance (not because he's an exalted potentate of love (although he may, of course, be just that), but because he asked for it.

I mentioned in a previous post that the wonderful ABSOLUTE ZERO COOL by Declan Burke has been short-listed for the Crime Fiction section of the Irish Book Awards. If you have read it, and would like to vote for it, you can do so here: http://www.irishbookawards.ie/PublicVote.aspx

A report from the Vancouver Writers' Festival on the event with Denise Mina, Stuart MacBride and Ian Rankin. And Stuart's questioned by the National Post, while Ian is reviewed in the FT.

A review of THE NARRATIVE OF JOHN SMITH - the unfinished lost novel of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the Economist considers Conan Doyle's voice, and a trailer for the new Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes movie A GAME OF SHADOWS.

Jason Isaacs on Kate Atkinson's Jackson Brodie. And a review of STARTED EARLY, TOOK MY DOG.

A review of M C Beaton's AS THE PIG TURNS. And one of the comedy stage version of John Buchan's THE THIRTY-NINE STEPS.

If you're in Edinburgh between October 26th and 29th, you might want to go and see Caroline Dunford's BURKE - about half of Edinburgh's notorious serial killing duo.

More on Val McDermid's favourite walk. And on the Million For A Morgue campaign which Val is closely associated with.

Hollywood Today talks to Catriona McPherson and reviews DANDY GILVER AND THE PROPER TREATMENT OF BLOODSTAINS.

From the ridiculous to the sublime

Ian Pattison, on how writing Rab C Nesbitt is more lucrative than crime fiction.

Why, Philip Kerr? Why? Well, there's one film I won't be going to see, anyway.

John Buchan's The 39 Steps a comedy thriller?

Louise Welsh in Iowa City on Sunday, Ian Rankin at the Aberfeldy Festival, Denise Mina in Berlin next February (sometimes I wish I was a famous writer rather than an obscure one). And Val McDermid and Alexander McCall Smith at the Dundee Literary Festival.

Lots of stuff about Alexander McCall Smith today.

Ewan McGregor on Irvine Welsh's TRAINSPOTTING.

Ken Hebenstreit pronounces Chris Ewan "not in the best of shape" but marvellous despite that.

Hmmmmmmm, I might have to subscribe to the Ayrshire Post so that I can get the new Tony Black early.

He's not Scottish, but here's a great interview with one of my favourite authors (and all round lovely man) Ken Bruen.

And, finally, the utterly brilliant (and totally bonkers) Douglas Lindsay on 'lugzhury'.

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.

A Teeny Tiny Thursday Post

Crime Time Preview has all the news on police dramas and thrillers on UK TV

A lovely article on Chris Ewan. Two of my favourite comedy crime characters - John Dortmunder and Charlie Howard.

Stuart MacBride has his first ever Bookseller Number 1. Congratulations Stuart!

Taggart goes international. Subtitles may be required.

Three new books about Sherlock Holmes.

More from Aly Monroe about the inspiration for Peter Cotton.

A couple of reviews for M C Beaton. First of all, The Book Nut enjoyed A HIGHLAND CHRISTMAS, and Books are Like Candy Corn on BUSY BODY.

Stella Rimington celebrates John Buchan's Richard Hannay.

Apologies for the uncustomary brevity - it's been a bit of a hectic week. More on Sunday(ish).

I Miss The Dead Dictators' Widows' Society

Bookblog for Bookworms with a piece on Kate Atkinson.

The best of the year lists are starting to appear. First of all, Ian Rankin (amongst others) weighs in with his favourites in The Guardian, and over in The Telegraph, Sadie Jones enjoyed Alice Thompson's THE EXISTENTIAL DETECTIVE.

Heath Lowrance over at the excellent Psycho-Noir has been getting people to list their top 20 noir novels. And here's my list (thanks for asking me, Heath, it was fun (of course, I'm now kicking myself for the ones I didn't include)).

Alexander McCall Smith will be appearing at the Bath Literature Festival at the end of February.

Denise Mina is interviewed in The Scotsman.

Val McDermid's Pick Of The Week on BBC Radio 4.

A Good Old-Fashioned 120 Unit Week reviews John Buchan's GREENMANTLE. Nice to see old stuff getting reviewed.

A report on the Lennoxlove Book Festival, including Ian Rankin thrilling the crowd with the revelation that Rebus may be back.

And another report of Val McDermid and Sophie Hannah at the Manchester Literature Festival. And the lovely Dorte reviews DEAD BEAT.

I've been wondering why I haven't received a request for cash from Mrs Sese-Seko and the rest of The Dead Dictators' Widows' Society for a while and here's my answer - they're all too busy conning Scotland's councils.

And, finally, talk about adding insult to injury...

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.

Snippets From All Four Corners of The Internet

The lovely Andy Jamieson of Waterstone's West End in Edinburgh tells me of what looks to be a very interesting event:

Waterstone's Edinburgh Geekzine is proud to present:

An evening with Ian Rankin.

Thursday 15^th October at 6pm 2009

Talk and signing at Waterstone’s West End.

Tickets are £3, and are available in limited quantity from the Waterstone’s West End branch, 128 Princes Street, 0131 226 2666.

“An exclusive in-store event with Ian Rankin, where he will be discussing Dark Entries, his debut graphic novel, starring the Hellblazer character, John Constantine.”

Store event contact: Andy Jamieson or Chris Barker (0131 226 2666, Waterstone's Edinburgh West End, 128 Princes Street, EH2 4AD)

And, talking of Ian Rankin, he recently walked for charity.

The always excellent Crimesquad.com (which, by the way, if it isn't on your list of regularly visited sites, should be) reviews Philip Kerr, Stuart MacBride (something a bit different from him) and Dundee author Chris Longmuir (she is also interviewed as part of the site's Fresh Blood series

Carol Anne Davis on a horrible, horrible true crime case in the UK.

Something a little bit different at the Cheltenham Literature Festival as Ann Widdecombe and Douglas Hurd (good grief) talk about their love of John Buchan. The whole event looks really good.

And a report from the Wigtown Festival's Got Talent show at the Wigtown Book Festival.

Bernadette at Reactions To Reading talks about Caro Ramsay's ABSOLUTION, a book my Dad also enjoyed a while ago.