Val McDermid - Past Lying Published by Sphere (Little, Brown), hardback £22, paperback £9.99, also available in ebook and audiobook. I received a proof copy of the novel from the publisher for review purposes. Many thanks to Laura Sherlock for facilitating this. First, the official blurb: Edinburgh, haunted by the ghosts of its many writers, is also the cold case beat of DCI Karen Pirie.

Michael J Malone - The Howling (Blog Tour) Published by Orenda Books, paperback £9.99, also available in ebook and audio book. Many thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me to take part in the blog tour. You can buy the book direct from the publisher at: First, the official blurb: Vowing once more to remove herself from society, Annie is living alone in her little cottage by the shores of a loch.

Spotlight on Nordic / Scandinavian crime fiction... and connections

Festival offers crime fiction fans a Bloody good time Authors and readers are set to flock to Stirling this weekend to share their love of the genre, from tense psychological thrillers to cosy mysteries to beloved police procedurals, writes Louise Fairbairn We've had such scorching summer weather in most of Scotland for months it seems a shame to wish it was autumn, but crime fiction fans love the turn of the seasons, as it heralds the return of the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival in Stirling.

The Five By Five Interview with Allan Gaw Allan Gaw came to my attention, as I suspect was the case for a lot of people, when he bagged the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize in 2024 - I'd read three of the four shortlistees and figured it would be a tough decision for the judges; the one I hadn't read was Allan's, The Silent House Of Sleep.