For our third and final Bloody Scotland podcast Ali spoke to the shorlisted writers for this year's McIlvanney Prize which is for the Scottish Crime Book of the Year.
First of all he caught up with Calum McSorley (Squeaky Clean), Craig Russell (The Devil's Playground), and Robbie Morrison (Cast A Cold Eye) to hear about their nominated novels and what it means to be on the shortlist. They also discuss the pervading influence of William McIlvanney's writing, the welcoming and supportive nature of the crime writing community, why Glasgow is such a natural setting for crime fiction, their experiences of Bloody Scotlands of the past, and what they are looking forward to this year.
Later Ali spoke to the fourth shortlisted writer, previous podcast guest Denise Mina, to talk about her nominated novel The Second Murderer and its inclusion on the McIlvanney Prize Shortlist, and so much more - including Denise's thoughts on literary prizes, her experiences of Bloody Scotland, and the challenges of setting a novel in an LA which no longer exists.
When brought together the conversations makes for essential listening for anyone with an interest in books - crime related or otherwise - as it was such a treat to talk in depth with four fascinating and very different writers. The winner of this year's McIlvanney Prize will be announced on Friday 15th September.
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