From the Shadows
Dark Tales & Hidden Stories
Dark Tales & Hidden Stories
The nights are drawing in; it's the perfect time to get cosy with crime fiction and we have an abundance of thrills and spills in this month's BooksfromScotland issue. And as well as championing new crime fiction, we also spotlight new voices in poetry and short fiction, childrens' adventure and histories that illuminate on Scotland's past. So get that cuppa, and get reading!
The film was premiered at the Bloody Scotland festival, Stirling, Scotland, on 17 September 2021.
Here is a selection of the books featured in the film:
Laidlaw, by William McIlvanney
The Dark Remains, by William McIlvanney and Ian Rankin
1979, by Val McDermid
Rizzio, by Denise Mina
The Way of All Flesh, by Ambrose Parry
His Bloody Project, by Graeme Macrae Burnet
The Shadows of Men, by Abir Mukherjee
In a House of Lies, by Ian Rankin
...
Welcome to Cooper By Tariq Ashkanani Published by Thomas and Mercer
They ask me to tell them a story.
Friendly words, spoken by tired men wearing crushed suits, over lukewarm coffee in a p...
The Dark Remains: David Robinson Reviews
‘They were passing a knot of middle-aged men, caps fixed tightly to heads, collars up. There were greetings, the intoning of ‘Mickey’ and ‘Spanner’. It felt almost liturgical, these men hungry for a b …
‘Two of the men lay clinging on to life, and both would die in the next few days. One of them was Police Watchman Dugald Campbell, the other a clerk, James Campbell. Dugald was the first police office …
Break in Case of Silence: New Writing Scotland
‘You’re the new and improved You. Sure, you’ve started eating meat again, but don’t tell her that. Just pretend you don’t, and we’ll deal with it after.’
The Puffin Portal: An Interview with Vashti Hardy
‘I like to ground my fantasy worlds with nods to our own world. That way they feel familiar yet other-worldly with their own rules and inventions.’
‘A consequence of this myth is that many Scots, once again, distance themselves from the reality of their country’s involvement with slavery and some claim instead to be fellow victims with the enslav …
Terms of Restitution: An Interview with Denzil Meyrick
‘When you look at Brian Scott, for example, he isn’t a million miles away from Paulie Walnuts.’
‘The wave of pain had the familiar effect of clearing his head. He breathed fast through the nose and bit blood from his lip, trying to stop the explosion from his lungs, but could not stop himself ho …
The Mystery of the Strange Piper
Summer 1989. Teenagers dabbling in the occult. Tragic consequences.
Look Where You Are Going, Not Where You Have Been
‘I should have been pleased, and I was, briefly—my plan to rescue Constance was in early motion. But my tired old skin went cold as I watched myself gather up all of the cards and shuffle them in read …
Sins of the Father: Debut Crime Fiction with Sharon Bairden
‘Thanks to the encouragement of the crime writing community, I finally bit the bullet and decided to write a book, something I’d always wanted to do, but never believed I could.’
Life is Elsewhere, Burn Your Flags
‘She wasn’t laughing. She hasn’t laughed much recently. Not much to laugh about. Even schadenfreude took a hammering this year.’
‘”Never you mind. The world didn’t start when you were born, laddie, and there’s things I remember that are best laid to rest.”‘
‘Facey tips him the wink. Shields nods and slips away. Jack Stirabout turns and warms his bum, but really he’s watching us, hooded eyes, black as printer’s ink, over his leather mug.’
‘However, before she had a chance to use either one, suddenly and inexplicably she found herself unable to breathe.’