Reviews
From a lover of royalty to a French Revolution prisoner
One-time mistress of the Prince of Wales, who later became George IV, career courtesan Grace Dalrymple Elliott led a fascinating life. This major new biography, written by two Dalrymple Elliot enthusiasts who met online through their love of history, explores the life, loves and family of the celebrated personality who ended up as a prisoner…
Read MoreA mystery as a dead man returns full of life
The first in a new series from The Legend of Barney Thomson writer Douglas Lindsay, this chilling crime novel follows ex-spy turned detective Ben Westphall, who has retreated to the north of Scotland to live a quiet life. But the reawakening of a cold case quickly draws him into the sinister world of international organ…
Read MoreA complete guide to discovering the true Scotland
Scotland the Best is described as the ‘true insider’s guide to Scotland’. Author Peter Irvine has composed everything that a Scots traveller ought to know, from the best artisan cafes and restaurants to hidden gems, secret waterfalls and country walks. This is the perfect guide to Scotland for tourists planning a trip to the country…
Read MoreYour chance to add some colour to Scottish icons
Exploding onto the hobby and leisure scene recently, the popularity of adult colouring shows no sign of abating. Here, illustrator Laura Henderson, a graduate of the Glasgow School of Art, takes us on a colouring journey across Scotland. Covering the country’s most iconic subjects, from castles and stately homes to feats of engineering, myths and…
Read MoreLook to the skies in a striking art collection
Scott Naismith believes that the primary purpose of an artist is to encourage others to look at the world differently. This is something he certainly achieves with Scottish Skies, a striking collection of work which depicts the colourful, atmospheric and ever-changing skies over Scotland’s coastlines, lowlands, highlands and islands. With notes divulging the thought process…
Read MoreA nuclear-charged thriller set in the Highlands
Conspiracies surrounding illegal radioactive convoys heading for the nuclear plant at Dounreay in the Highlands leads to tense relations between Westminster and Holyrood, in Deadly Secrecy, by Andrew Scott. After the death of anti-nuclear activist Angus McBain, journalist Willie Morton investigates as suspicions rise that campaigner McBain’s death was no accident. Scott cleverly weaves this…
Read MoreAn entertaining read to put spring in your step
The Nature of Spring, by Jim Crumley, one of Scotland’s foremost wildlife writers, sees him continue his seasonal writing series with the addition of spring. This thought-inducing paean to nature brings the issues of the natural world to the forefront, reminding us of global warming and the threat it brings to Scottish species such as…
Read MoreScots history is reimagined to celebrate women
Where are the Women? by Sara Sheridan reimagines a Scottish history as one in which men are no longer disproportionately commemorated and women’s triumphs are lauded. In Sheridan’s world, Arthur’s Seat is renamed in honour of early Christian St Triduana, while the cave at Staff a references Malvina, not Fingal. The author asks readers to imagine…
Read MoreForget Scandi Noir fiction – try this Scandi Blanc
Alexander McCall Smith, who is well-known for his prodigious writing speeds, having now penned over 100 novels, has established a new genre, Scandi Blanc. This contrasts with the oppressively heavy and relentlessly dark Scandi Noir. McCall Smith’s latest page-turner makes for an easy and light-hearted read, even if it is still full of crime. We…
Read MoreSocial issues at the heart of new mystery novel
Runaway is the third installment of MacLeary’s Harcus and Laird series, and is a unique read for enthusiasts of crime fiction. Two ordinary middle-aged women attempt to run their own private investigative agency while balancing part-time jobs and family life, with their latest intriguing case revolving around a missing housewife who mysteriously disappears without a…
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