IAN RANKIN, Lynda La Plante and Ann Cleeves will be among the authors appearing at a major crime writing festival in September.
The Bloody Scotland crime writing festival in Stirling will also feature appearances by Chris Brookmyre, Sir Vince Cable, Peter May, Denise Mina, Alex Gray and a host of other writers.
The event, which runs from September 8 to 10, will be launched with a gala opening at Stirling Castle followed by a torchlight procession to the city’s Albert Halls, where Rankin will talk about 30 years of detective Rebus.
Val McDermid will also celebrate a 30-year anniversary during the festival as her first crime novel was published in September 1987.
The opening reception on September 8 will also see the announcement of this year’s McIlvanney Prize for the Scottish Crime Book of the Year.
Other highlights over the weekend include a joint appearance by Cleeves and actor Douglas Henshall, who plays detective Jimmy Perez in Shetland, the BBC adaptation of her series set on the isles.
Sir Vince, the former business secretary, will talk about his book Open Arms.
In an event titled The Policing Behind Procedurals, Police Scotland Deputy Chief Constable Iain Livingstone and Detective Superintendent Duncan Sloan will question author Gray about her research.
Festival director Bob McDevitt said: “Last year was my first year looking after the festival and I have to say that I was amazed by the tremendous vibe from our audiences – they really do come to have fun.
“Pick up a programme, have a good look through and decide what you fancy and then call your pals, get tweeting and Facebooking to let everyone know that Bloody Scotland 2017 is officially launched and tickets are on sale.”
The festival also features events including a quiz, a play, the Scotland-England crime writers football match, and a late-night gig from the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers.
Jenny Niven, of Creative Scotland, said: “What a year for Scottish crime writing as we celebrate 30 years of both Rebus and of Val McDermid’s singular talent.
“Bloody Scotland is a brilliant platform for one of Scotland’s fastest growing exports – and as usual the festival presents a terrific mix of our best loved and brand new writers.”
Bloody Scotland is supported by the National Lottery through Creative Scotland’s Open Project Funding, Stirling Council, the Open University and Stirling University. Bookdonors remains the title sponsor.
Enjoy the convenience of having The Sunday Post delivered as a digital ePaper straight to your smartphone, tablet or computer.
Subscribe for only £5.49 a month and enjoy all the benefits of the printed paper as a digital replica.
Subscribe