Family commitments limited me to three events at this year's Bloody Scotland, and I chose well.
First up was an hour listening to Denise Mina and Karin Smirnoff interviewed by Jenny Brown.
photo credit: Calderglen English @CglenEnglish
Denise Mina, crime writer and playwright from Glasgow who has written countless bestselling works including the famous Garnethill Trilogy, has been asked by the estate of the late Raymond Chandler to write a new book featuring his iconic private detective Philip Marlowe. Mina has just released The Second Murderer, and it was fascinating to hear how she reimagined Marlowe in her LA-based mystery. I was inspired to buy the book but before reading that I'll read some Raymond Chandler. Until now I've only seen the films – including The Big Sleep, and Farewell My Lovely.
Karin Smirnoff is a Swedish writer of numerous crime books and has been asked to write three new novels to continue the world-famous Millennium series originally created by the late Stieg Larsson. Like most people in the world, it seemed, I devoured Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the others back in the 2000s. It will be fascinating to read how Karin Smirnoff continues the exploits of Lisbeth Salander in The Girl with the Eagle's Talons
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photo credit: Calderglen English @CglenEnglish
Next up for me was a session featuring Robert Rinder and Nadine Matheson. Both have long experience in the legal profession and have turned to crime writing. A very humorous chat, although the two high-flying lawyers made it clear how important it is to them that Legal Aid is reintroduced without means testing, and how committed they are to Human Rights Law.
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photo credit: Emma Styles Author @emstylesauthor
Thirdly, a hilarious hour with two famous crime writers who discussed the importance of humour in their recent writing. Mark Billingham, creator of the hugely successful Inspector Tom Thorne series, was an actor and comedian before he turned to writing. His latest book The Last Dance is receiving rave reviews for its storytelling and comedy. Antti Tuomainen is a Finnish writer whose dry humour was irresistible. His latest book is The Rabbit Factor.
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All in all, another superb festival laid on by Bloody Scotland.