10 fascinating facts about… Stranraer and Galloway

In the south-west of the country, it might be easy to forget about Stranraer and the Galloway area, with them being slightly off the beaten track when it comes to Scotland’s main transport network. But it’s an area full of natural beauty, with stunning coastlines, historic locations and friendly people. Here’s 10 fascinating facts about…

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Hamish Macbeth’s 30th case is another success

Hamish Macbeth has an iPad and an espresso machine . But don’t worry, he still doesn’t have a girlfriend. On his 30th outing, we find the laconic Highland detective happy as ever with his pet cat and dog in his beloved Lochdubh. But like Midsomer Murders, it is not long before the bodies begin to pile…

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An interesting guide to Scotland and the Scots

This entry in Winn’s ‘I never knew that’ series sees the author take a tour around Scotland detailing the people that have made this great land what it is. Various luminaries are detailed alongside their achievements and legacies. He also focuses on various well-known families and we learn of notable members of these clans and…

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Scots author has the Devil investigate crimes

A Scots writer’s new book has a devilish slant to it. Jonathan Whitelaw, from Glasgow, is delighted to launched The Man in the Dark, a sequel to the bestselling HellCorp. His debut novel was the critically acclaimed Morbid Relations. There’s another mystery to solve – a woman kidnapped by terrorists and the world trying to…

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From the slums of Glasgow to ruling the music world

The Youngs is an unconventional profile of the highly idiosyncratic Young brothers, who were the heart of the band AC/DC. Author Jesse Fink attempts to explain how Malcolm and Angus Young, two brothers who grew up in the Gorbals in Glasgow came to sell 200 million albums and become one of the best-selling bands of…

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Gaelic champion and author recognised

The co-author of a book on the HMY Iolaire disaster and a champion of Gaelic education have been awarded honorary fellowships by the University of the Highlands and Islands. Malcolm Macdonald and Annie Macsween were presented with the awards at the Lews Castle College UHI graduation ceremony at Martin’s Memorial Church, Stornoway. Honorary Fellowships are…

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Celebrating the wonderful sights of Scotland

Pete Irvine steps off the beaten track with this Scottish guidebook, Scotland: The 100 Best Places. The author is most famous for his Scotland the Best books, but this handsome coffee table homage to Scotland gives readers the chance to share his favourite ‘magnificent’, ‘reflective’ and ‘human’ places in this great land. Packed with gorgeous…

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Luxury living, a pool and Merlin’s grave in one property

A home dating from the 1640s – and reputed to be the last resting place of Merlin – is for sale on the property market. Presented by Knight Frank, Braes is a family home surrounded by private gardens and woodland yet only four miles from the motorway network. All of the original deeds dating from…

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Blood mystery at the heart of tense new thriller

The End of the Line comes from Gillian Galbraith, a former advocate at the Scottish Bar, specialising in medical negligence and author of the bestselling Alice Rice Mysteries comes a tense new thriller. When a 90-year-old man is found dead in his Edinburgh mansion, the bibliophile reviewing the old man’s documentation questions the circumstances surrounding…

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A gripping whodunnit – with laughs on the way

If you are looking to settle down with a gripping whodunnit – and a good measure of comedy – the latest crime novel from Angus McAllister, author of Close Quarters, is worth picking up. Set in Glasgow, Annette Somerville is a young single mother earning her living as an upmarket prostitute in a sauna parlour…

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