Reviews
Evocative portrait of life in the 21st century
Johnny’s return from London to stay with best friend Stevie in rural Fife is the final admission that his dreams of being an artist are over, in Three Craws by James Yorkston. On the bus home he meets Mikey, a low-level dealer from the area. As Johnny tries to get his life on track, Mikey…
Read MoreArgyll celebrated in geography and biography
Author Ian Bradley’s love of Argyll shines through as he takes both a geographical and biographical approach. He looks at the interplay of landscape and Christian belief through figures such as Columba, Carswell, sundry Campbells, George Matheson, George MacLeod and others. Drawing on original research and interviews, this is an enthralling and fascinating read for…
Read MoreCar boot find leads to a new case for sleuth
Private Investigations, an instalment in the Bob Skinner mysteries, sees the Edinburgh sleuth plunged into a gruelling new case. The former Chief Constable has seen his fair share of crime scenes, but few affected him as much as the horrifying sight he finds stowed in the back of a stolen car that collides with his.…
Read MoreA novel take on turbulent marriage of Robert Burns
The Jewel is a historical novel which follows the dramatic years of Jean Armour and Robert Burns’ courtship, and their turbulent, passionate married life. Bringing 18th-century Scotland to life, The Jewel is the story of a romantic and tragic relationship, with the death of six children and the early demise of Rab, aged 37. How…
Read MoreRural Scotland celebrated with history and tales
Dr Fiona-Jane Brown’s love of Aberdeenshire has been re-affirmed with the third instalment in a series of local history books. Hidden Aberdeenshire: The Land provides the history and folk tales from across the region in superb detail. A fun book of short stories, this collection links the historic sights of Aberdeenshire with its folklore, a…
Read MoreA beautiful photographic guide to the Isle of Skye
The Isle of Skye is a photographic evocation of one of the best-known and most-iconic parts of Scotland. Iain Kirk Campbell’s large landscape-format book beautifully captures Skye’s many different moods, from the darker, more brooding side of the island’s character, to its bright lights and cheerful flora and fauna. Divided into sections, the book looks…
Read MoreA crime thriller that ticks all the right boxes
Brooke Magnanti’s first stab at a crime thriller hits all the must-haves of the genre – secrets, lies… and dead bodies. Protagonist Erykah Macdonald had little to call her own growing up, but she turned things around and has a ‘nice’ life now – the kind of life you’re meant to want; pleasant house, good…
Read MoreGripping thriller will keep you glued into the night
Fans of the Inspector McLean crime novels will not be disappointed by this instalment, The Damage Done, with Oswald delivering another gritty page-turner that will keep you reading late into the night. When an Edinburgh Police vice squad raid goes embarrassingly awry, Inspector Tony McLean finds himself haunted by echoes of his first case. With…
Read MoreTrue events inspired this werewolf trial novel
Inspired by true events, The Wolf Trial is a historical epic telling the horrifying tale of a man whose crimes were thought so great, locals wanted to try him as a werewolf. Fictionalising the first documented case of a convicted serial killer, the Herald writer tells the story of Peter Stumpf, a 16th-century German landowner…
Read MoreA satirical look at what we value in modern culture
The Brilliant & Forever is an unusual novel draws the reader through its satirical looking glass into a recognisable but not-quite-familiar world. On a small island populated entirely by writers, the annual Brilliant and Forever Festival is a focal point in the calendar. Its stakes are glory or ignominy. Who will be chosen by the…
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