Bloody Scotland Online 2020

SCOTLAND’S INTERNATIONAL CRIME WRITING FESTIVAL

ONLINE 17—20 SEPTEMBER 2020 JEFFERY DEAVER — ATTICA LOCKE — PETER MAY — ANN CLEEVES — JO NESBO SIMON MAYO — ADRIAN MCKINTY — PROFESSOR SUE BLACK — LINWOOD BARCLAY VAL MCDERMID — IAN RANKIN — TESS GERRITSEN — LEE CHILD — DENISE MINA SHEENA KAMAL — LAWRENCE BLOCK — MARK BILLINGHAM ROBERT CRAIS — OYINKAN BRAITHWAITE

YO U W R I T E T H E B O O KS .

A N D L E AV E U S T O K E E P T H E M .

HW F i she r is a to p 25 cha rte re d a ccounta nc y f irm whic h ha s b een advi s i ng a u t ho rs a nd jo urna l is t s fo r ma ny yea rs, help ing t hem to m a n a g e t he ir f i na nc es.

Fo r a f re e co ns u l ta t io n , p l e a s e co n tac t And rew Sub rama nia m: ASu b ra m a nia m @ hw f isher.c o. uk

E X P R E S S YO U R TA L E N T. DEPEND ON OURS. W W W. H W F I S H E R.C O. U K

BLOODY SCOTLAND WOULD LIKE TO THANK… SPONSORS & SUPPORTERS

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The Caledonian Crime Writing Festival, Scottish Company No SC404578, Registered office: Caledonian Exchange, 19A Canning Street, Edinburgh EH3 8HE. The Caledonian Crime Writing Festival is a Scottish Registered Charity, known as Bloody Scotland; Charity No SC042615

EXPLORE

STIRLING

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Discover the sights and sounds of Stirling with the Explore Stirling APP including our film location trail.

Guided by locals who know the area best through narrated walking, cycling and driving routes.

For updates and information about more events in Stirling visit www.stirlingevents.org and for more inspiration to help you explore Stirling, visit www.yourstirling.com or follow us on twitter @StirlingAWS and Instagram @stirlingalive.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Or to put it in crime fiction terms, when a global pandemic kills off your festival, send out an APB for the best crime writers on the planet and create an online event like no other.

It was with great sadness that Bloody Scotland had to take the decision to cancel this year’s festival. It meant missing out on welcoming so many authors and readers, friends old and new, to historic Stirling for a criminally good weekend of books and fun.

However, rather than view it as a disaster – and realising that there’s been too much tragedy across the world for us to feel sorry for ourselves – we saw it as an opportunity. If people can’t come to Bloody Scotland, we can take Bloody Scotland to the world.

Bound only by the limits of our imagination (and we’ve plenty of that) rather than geography, we’ve assembled the best crime fiction authors from around the globe and are proud to present a line-up of writers that we’re sure you’re going to love watching from the comfort of your own home.

Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, Val McDermid, Tess Gerritsen, Jo Nesbo, Attica Locke, Lawrence Block, Ian Rankin, Ann Cleeves, Robert Crais, Oyinkan Braithwaite, the list goes on and on.

And the best news is that thanks to our sponsors, the festival is FREE. It will be broadcast live on the Bloody Scotland website and all you have to do is register in advance at bloodyscotland.com/events. More details on how to register can be found on page 7.

The exceptions are our opening event with Nordic Noir superstar Jo Nesbo which is being held on the Penguin Random House player and details of that can be found in the event listing on page 9, and the Bloody Scotland Masterclass.

We at Bloody Scotland owe a debt of gratitude to Creative Scotland for funding us and so allowing us to present a hi-tech, digital version of the festival to the world.

We’re also very grateful for the continued backing in these exceptional times from our other sponsors and funders including Stirling Council, Culture & Business Fund Scotland, HW Fisher, University of Stirling, Open University Scotland, the Faculty of Advocates, Go Forth Stirling and warmly welcome Glencairn Glass as sponsor of the McIlvanney and Debut Prize.

2020 has proven to be a hugely difficult time for arts organisations everywhere and we’re indebted to our sponsors for their continued support. Without them – and without you – a festival wouldn’t have been possible.

Stay safe and we’ll see you in September!

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CRIME IN THE SPOTLIGHT Bloody Scotland is continuing its drive to support new authors by letting them share a stage with the biggest names in the business.

Before many of our events, emerging writers will have the chance to read from their work. Spotlight authors have gone on to great things, not least Graeme Macrae Burnet who ‘opened’ for Ian Rankin before being shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize.

Sponsored by The Open University Scotland

To register for your free ticket to our events, go to bloodyscotland.com/events There you will be able to book tickets by the day – for Friday, Saturday and for Sunday. If you want to attend every day of the festival, you must book tickets for each day individually.

The website will direct you to the relevant Eventbrite page where you can claim your free ticket. You will receive an automated e-ticket immediately after registering but we will be in touch nearer to the events with further details on how to access your chosen events on our website.

Please note Jo Nesbo in Conversation and Masterclass events are not included with free daily tickets and must be booked separately.

If you have any questions or concerns about the booking process, please email info@bloodyscotland.com

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WHAT’S ON

AT A GLANCE THU 17 SEPTEMBER

7PM

JO NESBO – PENGUIN LIVE (PARTNER EVENT) FRI 18 SEPTEMBER

12PM

MASTERCLASS WORKSHOPS

2.15PM

MASTERCLASS INDUSTRY PANEL

3.30PM

PITCH PERFECT

6PM

GET ON BOARD: LIN ANDERSON, GORDON BROWN, ABIR MUKHERJEE AND CRAIG ROBERTSON

7PM

THE MCILVANNEY PRIZE

8PM

JEFFERY DEAVER: MY LIFE IN CRIME (WRITING)

9.30PM

THE FUN LOVIN’ CRIME WRITERS: BEHIND THE MUSIC SAT 19 SEPTEMBER

12PM

PROFESSOR DAME SUE BLACK: WRITTEN IN BONES

1PM

ANN CLEEVES AND PETER MAY

2PM

HIGH CONCEPT THRILLS: STEVE CAVANAGH, SIMON MAYO AND ADRIAN MCKINTY

3PM

FIVE CONTINENTS OF CRIME: LIN ANDERSON, OYINKAN BRAITHWAITE, ATTICA LOCKE, SHAMINI FLINT AND J.P. POMARE

4PM

AS IF REAL LIFE ISN'T SCARY ENOUGH: LINWOOD BARCLAY, TESS GERRITSEN AND YRSA SIGURÐARDÓTTIR

5PM

SCREEN TO SCENE: ROBERT CRAIS, HELEN FITZGERALD AND DEON MEYER

6PM

CRIMINAL MASTERMINDS: LAWRENCE BLOCK AND IAN RANKIN

7.30PM

CRIME AT THE COO ONLINE SUN 20 SEPTEMBER

11AM

THE NEVER-ENDING PANEL: A BLOODY TOUR OF BLOODY SCOTLAND

3PM

DESERT ISLAND CROOKS: CHRIS BROOKMYRE, LIZ NUGENT, HARRIET TYCE AND RUTH WARE

4PM

KEEP THEM SAFE: LOU BERNEY, S.A. COSBY, SHEENA KAMAL AND DENISE MINA

5PM

HOW TO CATCH A KILLER: KATHERINE RAMSLAND

6PM

TRAVELLING BACK IN CRIME: MARK BILLINGHAM AND JOHN CONNOLLY

7PM

CRIMINAL MASTERMINDS: LEE CHILD AND VAL MCDERMID

8.30PM

YOU THE JURY

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THU 17 SEPTEMBER

WHAT’S ON

T E X T 'BLOODY ' Putting on an online festival of this scale – and being able to bring it to you for free – has taken a monumental effort. In achieving it, we are grateful for the support of our funders and sponsors, without whom it wouldn’t have happened.

However, there are still costs associated with an online venture – paying authors and chair people, fees for festival and technical staff, plus the associated costs of programming, marketing and publicity – and we’d be glad of any help to cover them. The receipt of any donations may also allow us to make the festival available to even more people and help us plan for the 10th anniversary festival in 2021.

TO SUPPORT THIS YEAR'S ONLINE FESTIVAL AND HELP US PLAN FOR THE 10TH ANNIVERSARY FESTIVAL IN 2021…

Text BLOODY plus the number of the amount you'd like to give (up to £20) to 70490 (e.g. 'BLOODY 5' will donate £5, 'BLOODY 10' will donate £10, etc) Each text will cost your donation plus one standard network rate message.

But whether you want to donate or not, please register to watch for free, and we’ll see you all on 17–20 September. We can’t wait!

UIN PENG LIVE ER PARTN T N E EV

Jo Nesbo in Conversation

THU 17 SEPTEMBER 7PM—8PM We join the superstar of Scandi Noir to celebrate the launch of his latest thriller, the eagerly-awaited standalone The Kingdom. Nesbo has been a crime fiction phenomenon ever since The Bat, the first Harry Hole novel blasted into our consciousness in 2012. Since then, the likes of The Snowman, The Leopard and Phantom have excited readers around the world.

This special event is a must for Nesbo fans as the ticket price includes a signed hardback copy of Jo’s new novel.

The Kingdom is a tense and atmospheric thriller about two brothers bound together by dark secrets. Full of twists, devastating family legacies and an everincreasing body count, it has everything you’d hope for from a Nesbo novel.

Please note this is a Partner Event and is not part of our free festival programme. Tickets for this event can be booked at http://bit.ly/JoNesboLive Ticket + Book – posted to your door (UK addresses only): £20 (+£1.91 Fee) Ticket Only: £5 (+£0.92 Fee)

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WHAT’S ON

FRI 18 SEPTEMBER

BLOODY SCOTLAND ONLINE MASTERCLASS

Masterclass Workshops: William Ryan and Louise Welsh

FRI 18 SEPTEMBER 12PM—2PM Wherever you are in your crime writing journey, there’s always more to learn.

Whether you’ve finished a first draft or still wrestling with characters and structure, there’s something here to help you. The Masterclass will have answers to questions you haven’t thought of yet.

The Masterclass workshops will be taught by two crime writers with huge experience and bags of skill.

Award-winning author Louise Welsh is Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow. She will put all that experience into a crafted hour of teaching and it's sure to be packed with invaluable advice. William Ryan will explain how to pull off the perfect crime (novel). You'll find out how to identify a suitable victim, create a cast of suspicious characters and develop a detective and then you'll see how it can all be put into a story.

Masterclass Industry Panel

FRI 18 SEPTEMBER 2.15PM—3.15PM This is a unique chance for aspiring authors to listen to leading figures in the publishing world and to hear what’s hot, what’s not, and find out what gives them the best chance of breaking into the world of crime fiction.

There will also be an opportunity to quiz the panel and to get answers to some of those nagging questions that keep all writers awake at night as they wrestle with their fiction fears and hopes. Writing a great novel is only the first step in gaining a foothold on the crime fiction ladder and there are other obstacles to contend with.

The panel consists of literary agent, Oli Munson; Alex Saunders, fiction editor at Pan Macmillan; Vikki Reilly from Publishing Scotland; and Moira Forsyth, editor at Sandstone Press.

The panel will be chaired by Dr Gill Tasker, lecturer in publishing at Stirling University.

Ticket price: £35 (includes access to both Workshops and Industry Panel) Book here: https://bit.ly/3l8oaHn

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FRI 18 SEPTEMBER

WHAT’S ON

CRIME IN THE SPOTLIGHT

FRI 18 SEPTEMBER Karen Hamilton The Last Wife 8PM JEFFERY DEAVER Kate Simants A Ruined Girl 9.25PM THE FUN LOVIN' CRIME WRITERS

Pitch Perfect

FRI 18 SEPTEMBER 3.30PM—4.30PM This has become one of the most sought after – yet simultaneously terrifying – events for aspiring crime writers.

It’s their chance to pitch their novel before a panel of industry experts and perhaps grab themselves a dream publishing deal.

The number of writers willing to subject themselves to the ordeal has grown every year and 2020 has seen our biggest number of applicants yet. Many of those that have trodden the path before them have gone on to publishing success and include bestsellers like Joseph Knox, Steph Broadribb, Matt Wesolowski, Alison Belsham and Lisa Gray.

This year’s panel ready to offer guidance, criticism, and advice is: literary agent Oli Munson; Alison Hennessey – publishing director at Raven Books; Miranda Jewess – senior commissioning editor at Viper Books; and literary agent, and Bloody Scotland chair, Jenny Brown.

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WHAT’S ON

FRI 18 SEPTEMBER

Get on Board: Lin Anderson, Gordon Brown, Abir Mukherjee and Craig Robertson

FRI 18 SEPTEMBER 6PM—7PM The four crime writing members of the Bloody Scotland board will lead us into the weekend, talking about the perils and pitfalls of planning a book festival in the middle of a global pandemic, reminiscing about Bloody Scotlands past and looking forward to a fabulous weekend. They might just spill a few secrets of what goes on behind the scenes of organising and participating in this great celebration of crime fiction.

And, if they’re asked really nicely, they might even talk about their new books.

Oh, go on then, seeing as you insist, they’ll blether about The Innocent Dead, Thirty-One Bones, Death in the East, and Watch Him Die until someone makes them stop.

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The McIlvanney Prize

FRI 18 SEPTEMBER 7PM—7.30PM Now in its seventh year, the McIlvanney Prize for crime novel of the year has established itself as the pre-eminent and most coveted award for Scottish crime fiction. Named in honour of the late, great William McIlvanney, it has a stellar roster of winners: Charles Cumming, Malcolm Mackay, Peter May, Chris Brookmyre, Denise Mina, and Manda Scott.

The 2020 award features an impressively strong longlist and is guaranteed to produce a worthy successor to that fine list of authors.

The ceremony will also feature the shortlist for the Bloody Scotland Debut Novel of the Year, and the presentation to the winner of that prize. Last year’s inaugural winner was Claire Askew for All the Hidden Truths.

FRI 18 SEPTEMBER

WHAT’S ON

Jeffery Deaver: My Life in Crime (Writing)

The Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers: Behind the Music

FRI 18 SEPTEMBER 8PM—9PM

FRI 18 SEPTEMBER 9.30PM—10.30PM

Join us as we spend an hour in the company of one of the world’s leading crime writers. Jeffery Deaver is sold in 150 countries, translated into 25 languages, has sold over 50 million books and has legions of fans across the globe.

These paperback writers have been murdering songs for fun since 2017, entertaining audiences from Stirling to Belfast, London to Reykjavík, Glasgow to Cheltenham. They’ve even played Glastonbury (and may have mentioned it…)

His enduring series characters include forensic consultant Lincoln Rhyme and special agent Kathryn Dance.

The Lincoln Rhyme novel The Bone Collector was made into a movie starring Denzel Washington.

Mark Billingham, Chris Brookmyre, Doug Johnstone, Val McDermid, Stuart Neville and Luca Veste are the world’s leading crime writing superstar band but what were their own musical influences, whose poster was on their bedroom walls, how do they meld their differing tastes into one almighty rock n’ roll unit, and most importantly, which of them has the most groupies?

His latest novel, The Goodbye Man, sees protagonist Colter Shaw in pursuit of two young men accused of terrible hate crimes and finds himself forced to infiltrate a sinister cult.

With past careers that include being a journalist, a folksinger and an attorney, Jeff has fascinating stories to tell and the natural talent with which to tell them.

With festival footage of the band to entertain us, this promises to be an unmissable hour of chat and tunes as they tell all to occasional roadie and perennial drinks carrier Craig Robertson.

Chaired by radio presenter, Janice Forsyth BLOODYSCOTLAND.COM/EVENTS

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WHAT’S ON

SAT 19 SEPTEMBER

CRIME IN THE SPOTLIGHT

SAT 19 SEPTEMBER Sam Lloyd The Memory Wood 12PM PROFESSOR DAME SUE BLACK Leela Soma Murder at the Mela 1PM ANN CLEEVES AND PETER MAY Helen Sedgwick When the Dead Come Calling 2PM HIGH CONCEPT THRILLS Dugald Bruce-Lockhart The Lizard 3PM FIVE CONTINENTS OF CRIME Stephanie Wrobel The Recovery of Rose Gold 4PM AS IF REAL LIFE ISN'T SCARY ENOUGH D. V. Bishop City of Vengeance 5PM SCENE TO SCREEN Amer Anwar Stone Cold Trouble 6PM IAN RANKIN AND LAWRENCE BLOCK

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Professor Dame Sue Black: Written in Bones

SAT 19 SEPTEMBER 12PM—12.55PM The foot bone’s connected to the ankle bone. The ankle bone’s connected to what you’ve eaten, where you’ve been and who did you wrong. The secrets of our lives are written in our bones – if you have the skill and experience to unlock them.

One person who has that experience in spades is world renowned forensic anthropologist Professor Dame Sue Black. She will lead us on a remarkable journey to piece together the evidence in the bones, some of it hidden for years or even centuries, unlocking grave crimes and the downright bizarre.

Now shake dem skeleton bones and watch as Professor Black reveals how each part of us has a tale to tell.

Chaired by author and GP, Dr. Gavin Francis

SAT 19 SEPTEMBER

Ann Cleeves and Peter May

SAT 19 SEPTEMBER 1PM—1.55PM Two of the UK’s leading crime writers join forces in what is sure to be a fascinating insight into their books and careers.

Peter May has been responsible for the most prescient novel of the year.

Lockdown, written 15 years ago but turned down as being unrealistic, eerily predicted a world in quarantine that we’ve become all too familiar with.

It’s a busy publishing year for him as he’s also releasing The Silent Death, a scorching new thriller set in southern Spain.

Ann Cleeve’s latest book, The Darkest Evening, is a welcome return for her much-loved detective Vera Stanhope.

Driving home in a blizzard, Vera comes across a car slewed across the road, a toddler strapped in the back seat, setting in motion a series of bloody and baffling events.

WHAT’S ON

High Concept Thrills: Steve Cavanagh, Simon Mayo and Adrian McKinty

SAT 19 SEPTEMBER 2PM—2.55PM Strap yourself in for what’s sure to be a bumpy ride into the imaginations of three of the best thriller writers in the business. Expect twists and turns, breathless excitement and nail-biting action – and that’s just the conversation.

Steve Cavanagh’s run of storming legal thrillers continues with the engrossing Fifty-Fifty, in which two sisters accuse each other of their father’s murder.

In Simon Mayo’s Knife Edge, seven journalists are murdered in a series of coordinated attacks in the heat of a London rush hour. Adrian McKinty’s The Chain won the Theakston's Crime Novel of the Year and has been snapped up in a seven-figure movie deal.

Chaired by Catriona Reynolds from the Bloody Scotland board

Chaired by Jenny Brown from the Bloody Scotland board

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The World’s Favourite Whisky Glass is proud to sponsor the Bloody Scotland Debut Crime Book of the Year and the McIlvanney Prize for the Scottish Crime Book of the Year.

SAT 19 SEPTEMBER

WHAT’S ON

Five Continents of Crime: Lin Anderson, Oyinkan Braithwaite, Attica Locke, Shamini Flint and J.P. Pomare

As If Real Life Isn't Scary Enough: Linwood Barclay, Tess Gerritsen and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

SAT 19 SEPTEMBER 3PM—3.55PM

SAT 19 SEPTEMBER 4PM—4.55PM

Bloody Scotland goes truly global as we untangle time differences to bring you crime writers from five continents.

Our own Lin Anderson joins bestselling authors from America, Africa, Asia and Australasia to discuss their own work and crime fiction around the world.

As if 2020 hasn’t been frightening enough, three of the biggest names in international crime fiction are determined to scare us even further. All three of these crime writing superstars have added a terrifying new edge to their latest books.

Oyinkan Braithwaite’s stunning debut My Sister, the Serial Killer won the LA Times award for best crime thriller. The brilliant Attica Locke, author of Bluebird Bluebird and Black Water Rising, is a leading voice of a generation. Shamini Flint, born in Malaysia and now living in Singapore, is the bestselling author of the Inspector Singh Investigates series. JP Pomare is an award-winning Maori author living in Melbourne who is fast gaining international attention for his taut psychological thrillers.

The Innocent Dead is the latest in the critically acclaimed Rhona MacLeod series by Bloody Scotland co-founder Lin Anderson.

Linwood Barclay’s heart-stopping thriller Elevator Pitch will make you think twice about ever stepping into a lift again. In Tess Gerritsen’s The Shape of the Night, the old house on the hill is full of secrets but is the sense of danger coming from within its walls or somewhere else entirely? Gallows Rock, the latest from the queen of Icelandic Noir Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, starts with a body found hanging on an ancient execution site.

Our guide on how to not panic in a pandemic but be petrified by the pages instead will be chaired by crime writer Luca Veste.

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SAVE THE DATES FOR NEXT Y EAR'S BLOODY SCOTLAND — 17—19 SEPT 2021

Screen to Scene: Robert Crais, Helen FitzGerald and Deon Meyer

SAT 19 SEPTEMBER 5PM—5.55PM These three bestselling authors from the USA, Australia and South Africa have used a background in screenwriting to create outstanding novels.

Robert Crais wrote scripts for TV classics including Miami Vice, Cagney and Lacey, and Hill Street Blues before writing his first novel, The Monkey’s Raincoat, the first in the hugely successful Elvis Cole series. Helen FitzGerald started out writing children’s dramas for BBC Scotland before giving up to write a series of critically acclaimed novels, including The Cry which was dramatised on the BBC. Deon Meyer is the international award-winning author of 13 thrillers written in his native Afrikaans, is published in over 40 countries, as well as the writer of two television series and four movies.

They will be interviewed by fellow screenwriter turned author, Alexandra Sokoloff.

SAT 19 SEPTEMBER

Criminal Masterminds: Lawrence Block and Ian Rankin

SAT 19 SEPTEMBER 6PM—7.05PM Make sure you’ve eaten, feed the cat, walk the dog, pour yourself a glass or a cuppa and settle down to watch two giants of crime fiction in conversation.

Lawrence Block is the crime writers’ crime writer and a legend of the genre.

The author of 44 crime novels, he’s best known for two brilliant and long-running New-York set series; one about recovering alcoholic P.I. Matt Scudder, and the other about gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr.

When it comes to modern detective fiction, no one does it better than Ian Rankin. His outstanding John Rebus novels set the gold standard for police procedurals. Okay we're a bit biased as he’s one of our own, but the awards, the sales, the critics and the global readership back up every word of it.

He’s the guvnor.

WHAT’S ON

Crime at the Coo Online

SAT 19 SEPTEMBER 7.30PM—9PM A firm festival favourite, Crime at the Coo normally has just 40 public tickets which disappear within moments of the box office opening. However, this year’s virtual festival will allow the madness, mayhem and musical majesty of the Coo to be seen by many, many more.

Covid restrictions will decide the final format of this year’s event but we hope to bring you live author performances along with film of memorable acts from previous years and reminiscences from writers who graced the Coo’s legendary (and tiny) stage. We’ll try to dig out film of the likes of the Slice Girls, Luca Veste singing Britney Spears, Val McDermid’s ballads, Steve Cavanagh’s poetry and maybe even some of Chris Brookmyre’s uncensored sweariness.

Thanks, as ever, to Mandy of The Curly Coo Bar for the generous use of her pub on Barnton Street in Stirling to host our frivolous fiction festivities.

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WHAT’S ON

SUN 20 SEPTEMBER

CRIME IN THE SPOTLIGHT

SUN 20 SEPTEMBER Emma Christie The Silent Daughter 11AM THE NEVER-ENDING PANEL Chris McDonald Whispers In The Dark 3PM DESERT ISLAND CROOKS AJ Park The First Lie 4PM KEEP THEM SAFE Rosie Walker Secrets of a Serial Killer 5PM KATHERINE RAMSLAND Jenny Quintana Our Dark Secret 6PM STEP BACK IN CRIME Russ Thomas Firewatching 7PM VAL MCDERMID AND LEE CHILD

The Never-Ending Panel: A Bloody Tour of Bloody Scotland

SUN 20 SEPTEMBER 11AM—3PM Lin Anderson, Stuart MacBride, Neil Broadfoot, Andrew James Craig, Sandra Ireland, Hania Allen, Morgan Cry, Caro Ramsay, Sara Sheridan, JD Kirk, Mary Paulson-Ellis, James Oswald, Ambrose Parry, Craig Robertson, Denzil Meyrick, Jackie Baldwin, Theresa Talbot, Alan Parks, Abir Mukherjee, Alex Gray, Nicola White, Ben McPherson, Catriona McPherson, Lisa Gray, Alex Knight and S.J.I Holliday.

Kick your Sunday off in sinister style with a rolling conversation featuring the good and great of Scottish crime fiction. Like the best crime novels, there is a cast of devious characters who will deliver twists and turns, shocks and surprises. The biggest surprise however will be if it all goes without a hitch.

The (very) rough idea is that four or five authors will be chatting on your screen then one will drop off, a new one will appear, and the conversation will go where it goes. What happens in the end is anyone's guess.

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SUN 20 SEPTEMBER

WHAT’S ON

Desert Island Crooks: Chris Brookmyre, Liz Nugent, Harriet Tyce and Ruth Ware

Keep Them Safe: Lou Berney, S.A. Cosby, Sheena Kamal and Denise Mina

SUN 20 SEPTEMBER 3 PM—4 PM

SUN 20 SEPTEMBER 4PM—4.55PM

Take four leading crime writers, abandon them on a desert island with only their three favourite crime novels for company then sit back and watch the fun as the sharks circle. Yes, only books; no music, no luxury item, no Complete Works of Shakespeare, no Bible, just books, glorious books.

Lou Berney made his breakthrough with the multi-award winning The Long and Faraway Gone but then rocketed to international success with the incredible November Road. Shawn Cosby’s Blacktop Wasteland is the novel that every crime writer is talking about, a breath-taking and timely look at the American dream. Sheena Kamal is the rising star of Canadian crime fiction and the thrilling No Going Back is earning rave reviews. Denise Mina continues to push the genre into new and exhilarating directions with the brilliant The Less Dead.

Chris Brookmyre (Fallen Angel), Liz Nugent (Our Little Cruelties), Harriet Tyce (The Lies You Told) and Ruth Ware (One By One) will champion their favourite reads and the others will dismember or applaud their choices.

There will also be the chance for the audience at home to suggest their own crime fiction choices to the panel.

This event is hosted by author Jonathan Whitelaw, and any similarity to a long-running and much-loved BBC radio programme is purely coincidental. Honest.

Together, they are four of the hottest authors on the planet right now. All four novels feature the challenges of families new and old, with characters you will root for and who just might break your heart. Let’s hear how they did it.

Chaired by journalist, Craig Sisterson

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WHAT’S ON

SUN 20 SEPTEMBER

How to Catch a Killer: Katherine Ramsland

SUN 20 SEPTEMBER 5PM—5.55PM Katherine Ramsland knows serial killers.

She knows how they think, how they act, and how to catch them.

A professor of forensic psychology at DeSales University in Pennsylvania, she is the author of over 60 books, works with FBI profilers, trains law enforcement personnel, and has been a consultant for several TV shows.

She has studied serial killers, she’s interviewed them, and she even plays chess with one.

One of her most immersive projects was a years-long correspondence with Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer, to produce a terrifyingly fascinating plunge into the mind of a murderer.

Katherine will be interviewed by crime writer and clinical psychologist Chris Merritt.

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Travelling Back in Crime: Mark Billingham and John Connolly

SUN 20 SEPTEMBER 6PM—6.55PM Coincidences in crime fiction should always be treated with grave suspicion but sometimes, twists of fate just happen, and this one is a cracker.

Two of the world’s leading crime writers have both got new books out in which they take their series characters back to where it all began – the late 1990s – in gripping prequels.

In Cry Baby, Mark Billingham takes the iconic Tom Thorne back to 1996 to tackle his first case as portable phones appear, John Major is PM and Euro 96 is in full flow. John Connolly’s inimitable Charlie Parker emerges in 1997 Arkansas in The Dirty South as he investigates a series of murders of young black women.

Spice up your life with a trip back to the 90s with two of the best in the business.

SUN 20 SEPTEMBER

Criminal Masterminds: Lee Child and Val McDermid

SUN 20 SEPTEMBER 7PM—8PM Yes. Lee Child and Val McDermid.

Both of them. Together. In the one event. Don’t say we’re not good to you.

This really feels like one of those rare panels where any further explanation is a bit redundant. All it really needs is their names and then for us all to sit back and wait for it to start. If this was a live event in Stirling’s Albert Halls, then we know the queue would begin to form an hour ahead of time and wind all the way to the Golden Lion and back again.

Luckily, all you have to do is go to the Bloody Scotland viewer and enjoy two legends of the genre in conversation.

Still Life is Val’s 36th novel in a remarkable career and sees the return of her much-loved DCI Karen Pirie.

The Sentinel is the 25th Jack Reacher novel and first to be co-written by Lee and his brother Andrew Child.

WHAT’S ON

You the Jury

SUN 20 SEPTEMBER 8.30PM—10PM A woman is found dead in her flat, a rope around her neck. Was it suicide – as her husband suggests – or murder?

What’s it really like in a Scottish murder trial? Do lawyers cry out “Objection”?

Does the judge strike a gavel to maintain order? Are there dramatic witness box confessions?

Find out in this reconstruction in a real court room, based on an actual case, with real-life lawyers, court staff and scientists playing their own parts.

In 2019, we staged three sold-out performances of this outstanding play in the historic environs of Stirling Sheriff Court. Written by author Douglas Skelton in collaboration with the Faculty of Advocates, it gives the audience a real insight into what goes on in a Scottish murder trial.

Watch the film of the play then enjoy a discussion with Douglas Skelton and professional participants including forensic pathologist Professor James Grieve, soil scientist Professor Lorna Dawson and Advocates Laura Thomson and Paul Harvey.

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