Awards News: McIlvanney Prize 2022 - Shortlist Announced

From the press release from Bloody Scotland, the shortlist for the McIlvanney Prize 2022 has just been announced:

 

FINALISTS REVEALED FOR THE McILVANNEY PRIZE 2022 Sponsored by The Glencairn Glass Winners to be presented on Thursday 15 September 2022 In Bloody Scotland’s 10th Anniversary year, the judges are delighted to reveal the finalists for The McIlvanney Prize 2022: Liam McIlvanney – The Heretic (HarperCollins) Alan Parks – May God Forgive (Canongate) Ambrose Parry – A Corruption of Blood (Canongate) Louise Welsh – The Second Cut (Canongate) A hat trick for Canongate and indeed for Scottish independent publishing!  The McIlvanney Prize judges are Ayo Onatade, winner of the CWA Red Herring Award and freelance crime fiction critic, Ewan Wilson, crime fiction buyer from Waterstones Glasgow and Jacky Collins, otherwise known as the podcaster, Dr Noir and programmer of Newcastle Noir. They were unanimous in their praise for all four finalists: Liam McIlvanney - The Heretic (HarperCollins) The masterful rendering of a richly layered plot makes you want to read this novel again as soon as you've finished it. It's a warts and all tale with memorable characters and a great setting. Alan Parks - May God Forgive (Canongate) This expertly handled and morally ambiguous novel paints a dark and mesmerising portrait of 1970s Glasgow. The skillfully written and complex plot builds to a thrilling and highly unconventional denouement. Ambrose Parry - A Corruption of Blood (Canongate) A real slow burner of a novel which is a marvellous tale of murder and deception in Victorian Edinburgh. It handles some difficult subject matter with sensitivity and care and has a real feeling of authenticity. Louise Welsh - The Second Cut (Canongate) The raw, tight prose of this novel delivers an edgy glimpse into the underbelly of 21st century Glasgow. The novel features the welcome return of Rilke from Louise's classic debut The Cutting room in a witty and sometimes sordid tale of a rank outsider. The winner will be revealed in Stirling on Thursday 15 September.  All of the shortlisted authors will be invited to a VIP reception at the Church of the Holy Rude at 7pm and to lead the torchlit procession from Stirling Castle to The Albert Halls where the winner of both the McIlvanney and the Bloody Scotland Debut Prizes will be revealed at approximately 8.30pm. They will then be interviewed on stage by BBC Radio Scotland’s Janice Forsyth.

Bloody Scotland Awards

The longlist for the The McIlvanney Prize for the best Scottish Crime book of the year has been announced:

Last year's winner was Pine by Francine Toon.

Also announced is the shortlist for the Scottish Crime Debut of the Year:

Bloody Scotland 2021 is scheduled for 17-19 September, keep up to date via their website.

Awards News: McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year 2018 - Longlist announced

From the press release, news of the longlist for McIlvanney Prize for Scottish Crime Book of the Year 2018. The winner is announced at Bloody Scotland which takes place in Stirling between 21 and 23 September.

Two years ago the Scottish Crime Book of the Year Award was renamed the McIlvanney Prize in memory of William McIlvanney who established the tradition of Scottish detective fiction. This year his son, Liam McIlvanney, has made the longlist for the 2018 McIlvanney Prize.

The complete longlist, revealed today, has been chosen by an independent panel of readers:

Lin Anderson, Follow the Dead (Macmillan)
Chris Brookmyre, Places in the Darkness (Little, Brown)
Mason Cross, Presumed Dead (Orion)
Charles Cumming, The Man Between (Harper Collins)
Oscar De Muriel, The Loch of the Dead (Michael Joseph)
Helen Fields, Perfect Death (Harper Collins)
Alison James, Now She’s Gone (Bookouture)
Liam McIlvanney, The Quaker (Harper Collins)
James Oswald, No Time to Cry (Headline)
Caro Ramsay, The Suffering of Strangers (Severn House)
Andrew Reid, The Hunter (Headline)
Craig Robertson, The Photographer (Simon & Schuster)

It features an intriguing mix of previous winners, established crime writing luminaries, some emerging talent and a debut. The award recognises excellence in Scottish crime writing, includes a prize of £1,000 and nationwide promotion in Waterstones.

The judges for the next round will be chaired by Craig Sisterson and include comedian and crime fiction fan, Susan Calman who like Craig is joining the panel for a second year and crime reviewer, Alison Flood.

The finalists will be revealed at the beginning of September and the winner kept under wraps until the ceremony itself which this year will take place at the Church of the Holy Rude in Stirling and followed by a torchlight procession – led by the winner accompanied by Denise Mina and Val McDermid – to their first event at the Albert Halls.

Both the opening ceremony and the torchlight procession are open to the public but tickets are selling fast and capacity is less than at the castle last year so people are urged to book them now.

Awards News: McIlvanney Prize (formerly Scottish Crime Book of the Year) - Longlist announced

The longlist for the McIlvanney Prize (formerly Scottish Crime Book of the Year) was announced today. From the press release:

We're excited to announce the 2016 longlist of the McIlvanney Prize
(formerly the Scottish Crime Book of the Year) as:

The Special Dead - Lin Anderson
Black Widow - Chris Brookmyre
The Jump - Doug Johnstone
A Fine House in Trinity - Lesley Kelly
In the Cold Dark Ground - Stuart MacBride
Splinter the Silence - Val McDermid
The Damage Done - James Oswald
Even Dogs in the Wild - Ian Rankin
Open Wounds - Douglas Skelton
Beloved Poison - E. S. Thomson

From the Bloody Scotland website: "The winner of the Scottish Crime Book of the Year will now be awarded The McIlvanney Prize at an awards ceremony on the opening evening of Bloody Scotland, Friday 9 September in Stirling."

Awards News: Scottish Crime Book of the Year - Shortlist announced

I've just received the following press release announcing the shortlist for the Scottish Crime Book of the Year, the winner will be announced at Bloody Scotland.

SHORTLIST ANNOUNCEMENT: THE DEANSTON SCOTTISH CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR

Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival and the Deanston Distillery are delighted to announce the shortlist for the third annual Deanston Scottish Crime Book of the Year. The award, which recognises excellence in Scottish crime writing, includes a prize of £1000 and nation-wide promotion in Waterstone’s, will be announced at a gala event on Saturday 20 September as part of the Bloody Scotland Crime Writing Festival. The previous winners are Malcolm Mackay with How A Gunman Says Goodbye in 2013 and Charles Cumming with A Foreign Country in 2012.

The shortlist, which was chosen by a panel of readers from a longlist of 49 books, is as
follows:
Chris Brookmyre, Flesh Wounds
Neil Broadfoot, Falling Fast
Natalie Haynes, The Amber Fury
Peter May, Entry Island
Louise Welsh, A Lovely Way To Burn
Nicola White, In The Rosary Garden

Magnus Linklater, journalist and former newspaper editor; Angie Crawford, Scottish
Buyer, Waterstones, and Jenny Niven, Portfolio Manager for Literature, Creative Scotland,
form the 2014 Deanston panel of judges.

Dom Hastings, Festival Manager, Bloody Scotland, said:
‘We are delighted to be working with Deanston again on what is increasingly one of the most prestigious prizes on the Scottish literary scene – and especially given that the lineup this year is so strong. Christopher Brookmyre, Peter May and Louise Welsh are well known to both Scottish and international audiences, but it’s great to be able to welcome Natalie Haynes, known for her work in television and comedy rather than writing, with her first novel, and brand new writers Neil Broadfoot and Nicola White. They’ve all written fantastic books, which take a variety of approaches to the whodunnit structure, whether they’re experimenting with form and darker tones, trying to get inside the mind of a disturbed teenager, creating a dystopian plague-ridden London, examining the murky underworld beneath Edinburgh’s political sheen, imagining reincarnation around the Highland Clearances or exploring the restrictions of convent school life. The strength and diversity of this year’s shortlist proves that Scottish crime writing is still burgeoning and pushing boundaries, whilst enthralling readers.’


AUTHOR COMMENT:
Neil Broadfoot:
‘Being shortlisted for the Deanston is an absolute honour – and totally surreal. The crime-writing scene is bursting with incredible talent and great people at the moment, and to be plucked from all those superb writers to be shortlisted for the Book of the Year Award along with some of the biggest names in the business is a humbling experience. I’ve been a fan of Bloody Scotland as a reader since the festival began, so to be here now on the shortlist is just fantastic. Bloody brilliant, in fact!’

Chris Brookmyre:
‘It is an almighty validation to see Flesh Wounds on this shortlist. I believe that it is the most accomplished novel I have written, so having won plaudits for my earlier humorous work, it is particularly heartening to have the greater maturity and complexity of my more recent writing recognised.

Natalie Haynes:
‘I’m thrilled that Amber Fury has made the Deanston shortlist. This book is - aside from being a psychological thriller - my love letter to Edinburgh. When I was writing it, I hoped very much that Scottish readers would see it as one of their own. I couldn’t be more proud or delighted.’

Peter May:
‘I’m honoured to be on the shortlist for the Deanston Scottish Crime Book prize which, in its third year is going from strength to strength.’

Louise Welsh:
‘I'm surprised and delighted to be nominated for the Deanston Scottish Crime Book of the Year Award, it's lovely to be part of an award that celebrates crime fiction in Scotland.’

Nicola White:
‘I’ve lived in Scotland for thirty years but today I’m feeling freshly adopted. It’s a huge honour to be nominated for the Deanston Prize with my first book, particularly among such talented company and given the mighty strengths of Scottish crime writing now.’

Scottish Crime Book of the Year - Winner

Hot off twitter, the news is that the winner of the first Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Book of the Year is...Charles Cumming for A Foreign Country.

The other nominees were:

Will Jordan – Redemption

Philip Kerr – Prague Fatale

Peter May – The Lewis Man

Denise Mina – Gods & Beasts

Craig Russell – Dead Men & Broken Hearts

Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Book of the Year 2012

The shortlist for the first Bloody Scotland Scottish Crime Book of the Year has been announced:

Charles Cumming – A Foreign Country (Harper Collins)

Will Jordan – Redemption (Random House)

Philip Kerr – Prague Fatale (Quercus)

Peter May – The Lewis Man (Quercus)

Denise Mina – Gods & Beasts (Orion)

Craig Russell – Dead Men & Broken Hearts (Quercus)

The Award seeks to recognise and reward excellence in Scottish crime writing, first published between 1 August 2011 and 31 July 2012. Over 40 books of fiction and non-fiction were submitted by UK publishers. Eligible books were by writers born in Scotland, by writers living in Scotland, or books set in Scotland.

Read more about this new convention, Bloody Scotland, held 14-16 September in Stirling, here.

From my database I can identify the eligible fiction titles based on nationality but I don't record residence(!) or non-fiction titles so I have missed some titles (links are to Euro Crime reviews).

Eligible fiction titles

A. Titles by writers born in Scotland

Lin Anderson - Picture Her Dead
M C Beaton - Death of a Kingfisher
M C Beaton - Agatha Raisin as the Pig Turns
Tony Black - The Storm Without
Tony Black - Murder Mile
Sean Black - Gridlock
P J Brooke - Death's Other Kingdom
Christopher Brookmyre - When the Devil Drives
Julie Corbin - Do Me No Harm
James Craig - Never Apologise, Never Explain
Charles Cumming - A Foreign Country
James Douglas - The Doomsday Testament
Gordon Ferris - Bitter Water
Neil Forsyth - San Carlos
Gillian Galbraith - The Road to Hell
Andrea Gillies - The White Lie
Alex Gray - A Pound Of Flesh
Gerald Hammond - The Unkindest Cut
Ewart Hutton - Good People
Quintin Jardine - As Easy as Murder
Quintin Jardine - Funeral Note
Paul Johnston - The Silver Stain
Doug Johnstone - Hit & Run
William Jordan - Redemption
Philip Kerr – Prague Fatale
Alanna Knight - The Seal King Murders
Alanna Knight - Deadly Legacy
Stuart MacBride - Birthdays for the Dead
Val McDermid - The Retribution
Pat McIntosh - The Fourth Crow
Grant McKenzie - K.A.R.M.A.
Shona Maclean - Crucible of Secrets
Catriona McPherson - Dandy Gilver and a Bothersome Number of Corpses
Michael J Malone - Blood Tears
David Mark - The Dark Winter
Peter May – The Lewis Man
Louise Millar - The Playdate
Denise Mina - Gods and Beasts
G J Moffat - Protection
Stef Penney - The Invisible Ones
Danielle Ramsay - Vanishing Point
Ian Rankin - The Impossible Dead
Craig Robertson - Cold Grave
Craig Russell – Dead Men & Broken Hearts
Sara Sheridan - Brighton Belle
Anna Smith - To Tell the Truth
Alexander McCall Smith - The Limpopo Academy Of Private Detection
The Mulgray Twins - Suspects All!
Christopher Wallace - Killing the Messenger

B. Titles by writers living in Scotland (but not born in Scotland!)

Anne Perry - A Sunless Sea
Anne Perry - A Christmas Homecoming
Anne Perry - Dorchester Terrace

More Scottish authors and their titles (with reviews of many) are listed on the Euro Crime website

Event News: Bloody Scotland

Scotland will have its own crime festival this year. Bloody Scotland will take place in Stirling, 14-16th September 2012. Peering at the photo on the website, joining Ian Rankin will be Lin Anderson, Tony Black, Alex Gray, Allan Guthrie, Alanna Knight, Stuart MacBride, The Mulgray Twins, Craig Russell and many others from this list of Scottish authors.

Follow the progress on twitter: @bloodyscotland
Website: Bloody Scotland

Scottish crime fiction is amongst the best in the world

It is the most popular genre amongst Scottish readers both in bookshops and in libraries, it generates countless screen adaptations, and yet at present none of our 40 plus literature festivals celebrates it.

Bloody Scotland is an innovative festival which will showcase Scottish crime writing and place it in an international context. We will shortly be announcing a stellar cast of leading crime writers.

Stirling is the natural location for a major new festival, with easy access from the cities and also nearby Falkirk, Linlithgow, and Perth. Bloody Scotland seeks to build on the existing strengths of Stirling’s own successful Off the Page festival… and forge something new.