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That Was The Year That Was: The Best Of 2020 Podcasts – Books (Part I)…
This year was such a great one for Scottish writing that we had to split our Best Books of 2020 podcast into two parts to fit in...
Dec 4, 20202 min read


The Good Word: SWH!’s 10 Best Books Of 2020…
There are plenty of ‘Books Of The Year’ lists around this time competing for your time and attention, but we like to think that Scots...
Dec 3, 20208 min read


Obsessive & Compulsive: A Review Of Tom Gillespie’s The Strange Book Of Jacob Boyce…
With Christmas hoving into view, we’ll be posting reviews of some of the best books of 2020, (a few of which have appeared in different...
Nov 30, 20202 min read


Spanish Fly: A Review Of Morgan Cry’s Thirty-One Bones…
Over the years I have spent more than a few holidays in that part of Southern Spain which stretches from Malaga to Puerto Banus, an area...
Oct 22, 20202 min read


Quines Of Crime: A Review Of Claire MacLeary’s Payback…
Successful long-running series have a fine balancing act to pull off. Each book should work as a standalone read, with a plot which has a...
Jul 17, 20203 min read


Head Girl: The SWH! Podcast Talks To Olga Wojtas…
For the latest SWH! podcast Ali spoke to writer and journalist Olga Wojtas about her novels Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Golden Samovar...
May 28, 20202 min read


Dig The New Breed: A Review Of Doug Johnstone’s A Dark Matter…
If only everything in life was as dependable as a Doug Johnstone novel. Over the years he has become a writer whose books you can open...
May 6, 20203 min read


The Real McCoy: The SWH! Podcast Talks To Alan Parks…
For the latest SWH! podcast Ali spoke to writer Alan Parks about his latest Harry McCoy thriller, Bobby March Will Live Forever. The two...
Apr 24, 20202 min read


Three’s A Charm: A Review Of Alan Parks’ Bobby March Will Live Forever…
It can be difficult for a writer to make their mark in the crowded, thriving, marketplace that is Scottish crime fiction. Tartan Noir, as...
Apr 12, 20203 min read


*Loving The Alien: A Review of Martin MacInnes’ Gathering Evidence…
*A version of this review first appeared on the Books From Scotland website. Head there to sign up to their newsletter and never miss an...
Apr 3, 20204 min read


Fully Booked: A Preview Of Aye Write! 2020…
*This year’s Aye Write! has been postponed. For full details go to https://www.ayewrite.com/Pages/default.aspx* From today (12th – 29th)...
Mar 12, 20206 min read


Rebel Ink: A Preview of the Paisley Book Festival…
Today (20/2/20) sees the start of the inaugural Paisley Book Festival, which runs until Saturday 29th Feb. With the theme of ‘Radical...
Feb 20, 20204 min read


What Lies Beneath: A Review Of Helen Sedgwick’s When The Dead Come Calling…
The popularity of Scottish crime fiction shows no signs of slowing with new titles published weekly, Bloody Scotland becoming one of the...
Jan 24, 20203 min read


A Town Called Malice: A Review Of Stephen Watt’s Fairy Rock…
Arguably Scotland’s two greatest literary exports are poetry and crime so it makes sense for someone to combine the two. For anyone...
Jan 9, 20203 min read


That Was The Year That Was: The Best Of 2019 Podcasts – Books…
For our Best Books of 2019 podcast Ali was once again joined by Publishing Scotland’s Vikki Reilly to have a chat about their year in...
Dec 13, 20192 min read


His Bloody Valentine: A Review Of Alan Parks’ February’s Son…
The Glasgow crime novel has a rich, varied and celebrated tradition. Many would cite William McIlvanney’s Laidlaw as the first true...
Oct 10, 20194 min read


Where Extremes Meet: A Review Of Helen’s Fitzgerald’s Worst Case Scenario…
What is crime fiction? Discuss… It’s a question that has been nagging at me for a few years now. I used to think I knew what it looked...
Aug 2, 20194 min read


The Ties That Bind: A Review Of Doug Johnstone’s Breakers…
As Scots Whay Hae! moves towards its 10th year one writer in particular has been with us most of the way – the estimable Doug Johnstone....
Jun 21, 20193 min read


Storm Warning: A Review Of Douglas Skelton’s Thunder Bay…
A new novel from Douglas Skelton is always reason for cheer so the recent publication of his latest, Thunder Bay (Polygon Books) was...
Apr 29, 20193 min read


That Was The Year That Was: It’s The Best Of 2018 Podcasts – Part 1 (Books)…
For our Review of the year in Scottish writing and all things bookish Ali was once again joined by Booky Vikki herself, Publishing...
Dec 17, 20182 min read
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