#Contraband

Jul 17, 2020
3 min

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 beginning, middle, and an end to bring matters to a satisfying conclusion. However, there also has to be another, equally important, strand – a narrative that runs through the series and keep regulars coming back for more. In recent years few have been as successful at this than Claire MacLeary with her Laird and Harcus books. We may be dra

May 28, 2020
2 min

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 and Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Vampire Menace (both published on the Contraband imprint of Saraband Books). Olga is one of warmest, wittiest, and downright readable writers around, and it was such a pleasure to be able to talk about her writing, the influences and inspirations behind the ‘Miss Blaine’s Prefect’ books, what she actually th

Feb 7, 2020
3 min

Comedy Of Terrors: A Review Of Olga Wotjas’ Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Vampire Menace

For those lucky enough to read Olga Wojtas’ 2018 novel Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Golden Samovar there are few, if any, novels more eagerly awaited this year than Miss Blaine’s Prefect and the Vampire Menace, the second in her series of comedic crime novels (both published on the Contraband imprint of Saraband). The first ‘Miss Blaine’s Prefect…’ book introduced us to time-travelling librarian, and Marcia Blaine School For Girls alumna, Shona McMonagle who found herself re

Dec 13, 2019
2 min

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 books. As well as discussing in detail their personal favourites they look at the writers who have left their mark, awards and award winners, festivals old and new, the healthy state of Scottish poetry, the continuing prosperity of crime fiction, what’s happening in the publishing world, the prevailing trends and themes of 2019, what to look fo

Nov 12, 2019
4 min

Lessons From History: A Review Of Catherine Czerkawska’s A Proper Person To Be Detained…

Sometimes you start a book which defies your expectations to such an extent that the only thing to do is recalibrate and start again. That’s what happened with Catherine Czerkawska’s A Proper Person To Be Detained (Contraband, Saraband Books). I knew the story was centred around a real-life crime, one which had a direct relationship to Czerkawska and her family, and think I was expecting a whodunnit with the author acting as detective through the ages. I should have known bet

Apr 25, 2019
2 min

The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency: The Scots Whay Hae! Podcast Talks To Claire MacLeary&#8230

Claire MacLeary For the latest podcast Ali spoke to writer Claire MacLeary about her trilogy of Aberdeen set crime novels, Cross Purpose, Burnout, and her latest, Runaway (all published on the Contraband imprint of Saraband Books) . These novels introduced readers to Maggie Laird and ‘Big’ Wilma Harcus, two middle-aged women who join together to work as private investigators. Claire and Ali discuss the central characters, how they are a refreshing change from the norm, other

Apr 12, 2019
3 min

Our Friends In The North: A Review Of Claire MacLeary’s Runaway…

One of the defining characteristics of most successful crime series is to have protagonists who readers look forward to spending time with. This is particularity prevalent in Scottish Crime Fiction. From Sherlock Holmes to John Rebus and beyond, the best crime writers have created characters who are undoubtedly flawed – arguably defined by those flaws – but who carry enough charisma, charm and intrigue to keep us on their side. It’s with that in mind that we can give a warm w

Oct 23, 2018
3 min

Begin Again: A Review Of Douglas Skelton’s The Janus Run…

As regulars to SWH! will know, crime-writer Douglas Skelton is one of our favourite novelists. He has been a guest on our podcast, and his most recent novels, 2016’s The Dead Don’t Boogie & 2017’s Tag – You’re Dead both featured in their particular years’ ‘Best Of’ roundups. They were taken from his series of Dominic Queste novels, which feature a Glasgow gumshoe obsessed with film, noir, and film noir. Skelton has Queste speaking and acting as if he roams the streets of Broo

Apr 23, 2018
3 min

The Quines Of Crime: A Review Of Claire MacLeary’s Burnout…

One of the finest crime fiction debuts of recent years was Claire MacLeary’s Cross Purpose (right). Published in 2017 on the Contraband imprint of Saraband Books, it introduced two new crime fighters in the unfamiliar form of Maggie Laird and “Big” Wilma Harcus, an odd couple in a fine and long tradition from Holmes and Watson to the vast majority of recent TV detectives (Morse/Lewis, Scott/Bailey, Creek/Magellen and Hayes/Addison being just a few personal favourites). Howeve

Feb 9, 2018
3 min

From Russia, With Love: A Review Of Olga Wotjas’ Miss Blaine’s Prefect And The Golden Sa

This year is the 100th anniversary of the birth of the writer Muriel Spark. You may have noticed – you MUST have noticed – but if you haven’t you soon will as all sorts of events and celebrations are either underway or planned. If ever a writer and their work deserved celebration it is estimable Muriel Spark. We will be recording a Muriel Spark podcast in the coming weeks to pay our own tribute to arguably the greatest Scottish writer of the 20th century, but in the meantime

Oct 26, 2017
1 min

Happy Accidents: The Scots Whay Hae! Podcast Talk To Graeme Macrae Burnet…

Graeme Macrae Burnet. The primary reason was to discuss his latest novel, The Accident On The A35, but the conversation turns to the work of George Simenon, existential fiction, home-town chauvinism, the importance of character, the formative nature of teenage years, the writer/publisher relationship, different approaches to writing, and a whole lot more. Graeme also looks back on life since his second novel, His Bloody Project, was shortlisted for the 2016 Man Booker Prize,

Oct 13, 2017
3 min

The Road Less Travelled: A Review Of Graeme Macrae Burnet’s The Accident On The A35…

How do you follow a cultural touchstone – something which captures a moment, stands aside from what’s around it, and which moves from the reviews to the news section of the papers? If you’re The Stone Roses, after a seminal debut, you lock yourself away for five years in the studio. If you’re Sam Raimi, you basically remake your breakthrough film, Evil Dead, with a bigger budget and call it Evil Dead II. And if you’re J.D. Salinger, challenged to write a sequel to Catcher In

Jul 22, 2017
3 min

Going Underground: A Review Of Michael J Malone’s Dog Fight…

Glasgow and violence – writers have played no small part in making sure the two are seen as closely related. The 1935 novel No Mean City is perhaps the most infamous text, with its focus on the razor gangs of the Gorbals, but you’ll also find plenty of blood, sweat and tear-ups in the work of writers as diverse as Alexander Trocchi, Frank Kuppner, William McIlvanney, Louise Welsh and Denise Mina, and it’s a list which just goes on. In fact, it is not that easy to think of a

Jun 22, 2017
3 min

You’ve Got To Pick A Pocket: A Review Of Louise Hutcheson’s The Paper Cell…

The novella is a form of writing which has fallen out of favour in recent times, and that’s as bewildering as it is unfortunate. We are constantly told that there is little appetite for epic fiction (fantasy aside). If you happen to have a novel on the go at the moment there is a good chance it is between 60-80,000 words long, something which is as much about finance as fashion. Another trend from the last ten years has been the happy resurgence of the short story which is on

May 24, 2017
1 min

Crime Time: The Scots Whay Hae! Podcast Talks To Writer Douglas Skelton…

In the latest podcast, Ali and Ian met up with writer Douglas Skelton, initially to talk about his Dominic Queste novels, The Dead Don’t Boogie and Tag – You’re Dead, but the discussion touched upon so much more. They talk about Douglas’s ‘Davie McCall’ series of novels, his non-fiction, the importance of secondary characters, Glasgow’s fascination with crime, the influenc As you would expect, if you have read Skelton’s recent work, there are plenty of cultural references and

May 3, 2017
3 min

Return Of The Craic: A Review Of Douglas Skelton’s Tag – You’re Dead…

Among the more welcome returns in 2017 is that of Glasgow detective Dominic Queste in Douglas Skelton’s new novel, Tag – You’re Dead. If you read last year’s The Dead Don’t Boogie (which was one of our Books Of 2016) you’ll have been looking forward to this since turning the last page. If you didn’t that won’t affect your enjoyment of Tag – You’re Dead which works equally well as a stand-alone thriller. But you should. That’s not to say that this novel is simply a retelling o

Mar 3, 2017
3 min

Carter The Unstoppable Killing Machine: A Review Of Russel D. McLean’s Ed’s Dead…

It’s no spoiler to say that in Ed’s Dead, Ed dies. He is Jen’s boyfriend, a man who is at one-moment keen to seem her knight in shining armour, the next he is looking around for another potential conquest, doing so in plain sight. Jen is swiftly coming to the realisation that everything he does is what’s best for Ed – what makes him feel good and look good. As his associate Dave puts it, “He’s a dick. But he’s cool too, aye?”. At least one half of that statement rings true to

Jan 9, 2017
3 min

Devil’s Advocate: A Review Of Neil Broadfoot’s All The Devils…

The last few years have seen a real development in the breadth of what I’m going to loosely call Scottish crime fiction. A genre which for so long seemed one-dimensional in style as well as content has become as varied and interesting as any other area in Scottish writing today, arguably more so. Don’t misunderstand me, there have always been great writers in this genre. McIllvanney, Rankin, Brookmyre, McDermid – they all have a style which is distinctly theirs and which has

Sep 6, 2016
4 min

Dance Macabre: A Review Of Douglas Skelton’s The Dead Don’t Boogie…

If this subject interests you, you can still listen to the full podcast here, but the short version is this; on the one hand, if you can be categorised as a genre writer it will arguably help booksellers to market you, and perhaps gets your books into the hands of those who otherwise may not have read them. On the other hand, you risk assumptions being made about your writing which are unfair, or just plain wrong, and which may put off another group of readers. Although you

Oct 6, 2015
4 min

Claret And Anger: A Review Of Graeme Macrae Burnet’s His Bloody Project…

It is all too rare that contemporary Scottish fiction looks to its own rich past to tell us something new. James Robertson’s The Testament of Gideon Mack and John Burnside’s The Devil’s Footprints are two fine examples from the last 10 years which spring to mind, and there are echoes of both in Graeme Macrae Burnet’s latest novel His Bloody Project. Channeling Robert Louis Stevenson, James Hogg and even Arthur Conan Doyle, it’s a novel which leads you down deliberate and dark