… Three Scottish Crime Books
Everyone knows somebody who loves a good crime thriller, and Christmas is the perfect time to start thinking about giving the person you love a book about gruesome murder. It might be to do with all the red decorations, or watching people brutally rip apart crackers but whatever the case might be, people love crime novels at this time of year. Below are some of my favourites from this year, to give you some inspiration for your homicidal holiday shopping!
No Dominion, Louise Welsh
The final instalment in Welsh’s Plague Times Trilogy, No Dominion brings together her two main characters in a world that is almost as terrifying as this one. Once you or your loved one has finished reading it, it will probably be one of the few times in your life you think, “man, I need more plague”. Buy this for your favourite hypochondriac, along with a map of Orkney.
Want You Gone, Chris Brookmyre
If you want to get your gran’s blood racing while she’s boiling the sprouts, this is the book for you. Part of a series, but easily accessible if you’ve not read the previous novels, Want You Gone was one of my favourite books this year. In fact, I stole it from my gran, just so I could read it. That’s how good it is.
You Don’t Know Me, Brooke Magnanti
After reading Magnanti’s first crime novel in one sitting last year, I knew her follow up was going to be a thrilling read. Located in the same world as The Turning Tide, with some overlapping characters, Magnanti’s ability to completely shift from small town Scotland to the power struggles of parliament leaves you begging to know more about every character you encounter, no matter how small their role first appears to be. Buy this for yourself, because you deserve a thrill.
Words by Andrew Smith.
