There seems to be a rumbling in the north, a growing presence of criminal writing from Scotland. Following in the footsteps of two of the UK’s most successful writers – Ian Rankin and Val McDermid – Scottish crime authors are in vogue at the moment, with more and more books by Scots hitting the shelves. Some say a whole new sub-genre called tartan noir is developing, and we’ve received word that September will see the country’s first international crime writing festival – Bloody Scotland – take place in Stirling. And only today we reviewed The Crime Interviews, a book detailing the work of numerous Scottish writers.
So even though it’s not Burns Night or St Andrew’s Day, we decided to look at just a few of those Scottish names that you’ll have heard of, and possibly a few who’ll be soon be filling your bookshelves.
It would be remiss to start anywhere other than with the biggest Scottish name in the crime fiction field. Ian Rankin
Val McDermid
Hot on the heels of both Rankin and McDermid is Stuart MacBride
He may spend a lot of time outside of Scotland these days, yet Paul Johnston
For darker fare, Ray Banks
Craig Robertson
A writer who is a bestseller in Scotland with her Lorimer series of novels, Alex Gray
There is a realism present so manyof these Scottish books which is sometimes absent from other UK-based stories. Whether that’s an influence of place or time, I’m not sure. So I asked Helen FitzGerald
“My mum said 20 years living in the grey, murder capital of Western Europe, has made me write about darkness, despair, and deviance. She suggested I come home to Australia to write something with hope and joy in it. Taking her advice, I headed downunder in December, sat at an outside table in a cheerful, sunny beach-side cafe, and started writing. The story I started writing is about a dysfunctional Australian couple who accidentally overdose, kill and bury their baby whilst a raging bushfire burns folk to a crisp in the distance. Sorry Mum, it’s not Glasgow. It’s me.”
So, there you have it. An incredible list of Scottish crime writers to sink your teeth into. Undoubtedly I’ll have forgotten to include somebody imporant here. So please let us know who you think should be on the list in the comments section below.
Many thanks for the kind words! Scots wha hae!
Where’s the love for Denise Mina? In my opinion, she’s a much stronger writer than Gray or MacBride, and her characters are all very unique and engaging.
Denise Mina definitely needs to be added to the Tartan Noir list!
I am hooked on Denise Mina – her writing flows so easily and her characters are believable. Michael Malone – nice guy but could not get by the first chapter of Blood and Tears as he couldn’t string the words together to form a paragraph. Sorry.
To be fair, Luca only had so much room to work with an managed to include names that most people who are interested in genre fiction know (like McDermid) and people who have a tendency to inhabit the mid-list (like Banks)
Mina’s sales are doing just fine, trust me she doesn’t need the exposure and who knows? She may not be to Luca’s taste.
If she isn’t he’d be wrong though, just not wrong to not include her (or anyone) in his article.
All of these above are excellent reads. You may wanna have a look also at Ron Culley’s A Confusion of Mandarins, and yours truly, Seumas Gallacher (debut author)’s The Violin Man’s Legacy. Keep up the great work people…Cheers , Have a great day..
Seumas Gallacher
Thanks for suggesting Denise Mina, yes she’s a great writer too. Luca has covered a swathe of Scottish writers but there are bound to be more so it’s fantastic to hear about people like Ron Culley, Seumas Gallacher and so forth.
Everyone has different favourites. And, I really miss Taggart. “There’s been a murder…”
Good post and Mina, based on what I’ve read, is certainly worth checking out. And Donna Moore, too, for those of you who like laughing.
Denise Mina is an excellent writer. Gritty and true to life. Macbride, for me, is too far-fetched and unbelievable. And I’ve got a bad chest from inhaling all the passive smoke from DI Steel!
Ian Rankin is the master for me though. Miss John Rebus enormously.
Can I just take a moment to add my support to that of Seaumas Gallacher. I read that Ron Culley is the rightful heir to fellow Scot Alistair MacLean so I read his first book about gun control in America, The Kaibab Resolution. It was absolutely first class. His book A Confusion Of Kandarins equals it but is a wittier account of big oil. I still love Rebus. What it’s that Scots thriller writers have? Whatever it is, Culley and Rankine have it in spades.
I live in the Isle of Man but love reading Scottish writers so am enjoying this post. I heartedly agree earlier comments about Rankine and Banks and would also add Denise Mina. I’m looking forward to reading this new chap Gallacher but want especially to commend Ron Culley’s A Confusion Of Mandarins. I can see why he’s being compared with McLean. I’d personally compare him more with Le Carre as theres a spy dimension to ‘Mandarins’ although he’s much more readable and less dense in his plots. Still, the king has to be Rankine. He’s super!
That’s a good selection of Scottish writers, but there are far more than that. Her’s a list of the ones I can remember with me at the top of course –
Chris Longmuir;
Lin Anderson;
Russel D. McLean;
Alanna Knight (historical crime);
Gillian Galbraith;
Bill Kirton;
there are several more but I can’t recall the names off the top of my head, so does anyone want to add to the list?
Thanks for highlighting Bloody Scotland Festival. The whole festival is actually the brainchild of Alex Gray and Lin Anderson and they, along with a number of other authors and publishers that have made it happen. The full programme will be launched 17 May 2012. But in the meantime a short story competition has be launched if you are feeling creative. http://ow.ly/9FAkY
no problem. We’ll do a bit more on the festival soon in our News section as well
I agree the sanctification of Ian Rankine but don’t see Ron Culley in the same league – not a poorer league, just a different one. I loved his two latest novels but they seem to me to be more general thrillers with more than a nod towards the spy genre. I mean, there’s crime involved – but it’s mostly dastardly deeds.
But what I really wanted to say was a big pat on the back for those who dreamt up the idea of focussing upon Scottish writers. We have such a rich crop of writers in Scotland just now, it’s great to see them being recognised.
Here are my top five;
1. James Kelman
2. Alistair Grey
3. Alistair Maclean
4. Ron Culley
5. Ian Rankine
And what of Nigel Bird? He’s kicking ass and taking names.
Good point Chris, thanks for adding him here.
Gordon Ferris is pretty good- The Hanging Shed
Rankin is the daddy
He’ s not Scottish but in the spirit of Celtic brotherhood
Ken Bruen cuts the mustard in Galway noir