Bloody Scotland
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
Scotland has often been depicted as a land of haunting, misty moors and literary genius. But Scotland has also been a place of brutal crime, terrifying murder, child abuse, and bank robbery. From the southern border to the Northern Isles, suspicion and suspense are never far away. Edinburgh, with its reputation for civility and elegance, has often been the scene of savagery; the dark streets of industrial Glasgow and Dundee have protected thieves and muggers, while the villages of coast and countryside hide murderous men and wild women. Stellar contributors to Bloody Scotland include Val McDermid, Christopher Brookmyre, Denise Mina, Peter May, Ann Cleeves, Louise Welsh, Lin Anderson, Doug Johnstone, Craig Robertson, E. S. Thomson, Sara Sheridan, and Stuart MacBride. From murder in a Hebridean blackhouse and a macabre tale of revenge among the furious clamour of an eighteenth century mill, to a dark psychological thriller set within the tourist throng of Edinburgh Castle and an "urbex" rivalry turning fatal in the concrete galleries of an abandoned modernist ruin, this collection uncovers the intimate—and deadly—connections between people and places.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The dozen entries in this fine anthology of original crime stories edited by Crawford (Fallen Glory) all feature actual Scottish landmarks, from castles to weaving mills. Highlights include Val McDermid's "Ancient and Modern," a revenge tale set around a secret structure that's the site of great love and tragedy, depending on one's point of view, and Ann Cleeve's "The Return," set, as readers of her Inspector Jimmy Perez series will be pleased to discover, on the remote Shetland Islands. (Perez makes the briefest of cameos.) The story is more mythological than procedural, drawing on the connection of the islands and the protagonist to the old Norse gods. Perhaps the standout is Denise Mina's "Nemo Me Impune Lacessit" (Latin for "no one provokes me with impunity"). Focused on parenting, nature, and what is beyond one's control, this harrowing tale will leave readers feeling as gutted as the day's fishing catch. Other notable contributors include Stuart MacBride and Christopher Brookmyre. Fans of contemporary Scottish crime fiction will be well pleased.