Crime Writers Have Finger On The Pulse

 

Phil Miller at the Scottish newspaper the Herald offers a piece on crime writers and modern society.

Leading Scottish writer Val McDermid has said crime novels were popular in Scotland because crime ­writers could keep a "finger on the pulse" of modern society.

Leading Scottish writer Val McDermid has said crime novels were popular in Scotland because crime ­writers could keep a \"finger on the pulse\" of modern society.

 

McDermid, a bestselling author of crime books, said reading genre fiction was an outlet for the stress of modern life.

The writer, from ­Kirkcaldy, known for her novels featuring Dr Tony Hill, spoke after it was revealed the top 20 most read books from libraries in ­Scotland all belong to the crime or thriller genre.

She said: "Because most crime writers produce a book a year, we've always got our finger on the pulse of contemporary society.

"And now more than ever Scots are fascinated with what's going on in their world."

The writer added: "We feel really murderous a lot of the time and reading about it diverts us from doing it."

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/crime-writers-have-finger-on-the-pulse.23438662

You can also read my Philadelphia Inquirer review of Val McDermid's The Retribution via the below link:

http://www.pauldavisoncrime.com/2012/02/val-mcdermids-retribution-is-gripping.html 

Crime Leads The Way In Bloody Scotland

 

Gregor White at the Stirling Observer reports on the Scottish city's first crime festival.

Scotland’s first dedicated crime writing festival, Bloody Scotland, comes to Stirling this September, with plenty of big names including Ian Rankin, Denise Mina, William McIlvanney and Val McDermid.Icelandic and Norwegian writers Yrsa Sigurdardottir and Karin Fossum are also set to contribute.With Nordic crime riding high in the popularity stakes, writer and Bloody Scotland founder Lin Anderson considers how Scotland might fit the mould.

SCOTTISH crime fiction is among the best in the world.

You can read the rest of the story via the below link:

http://www.stirlingobserver.co.uk/lifestyle/arts-stirling/2012/07/27/crime-leads-the-way-in-bloody-scotland-51226-31481622/

You can also read my Philadelphia Inquirer review of a novel by one of Scotland's famed crime writers, Val McDermid, via the below link:

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/TheRetributionPhilaInquirerReview.jpg

Note: I lived in Scotland for two years in the mid-1970s while stationed on a Navy tugboat at the U.S. nuclear submarine base at Holy Loch. Although the weather was awful, I have fond memories of the people and the country. Ironically, although Scotland's crime writers are riding high, the crime rate in the country is relatively low.   

Scottish Crime Writer Val McDermid Celebrates 25th Novel

Steve Hendry at the British newspaper the Sunday Mail offers a story on popular crime novelist Val McDermid looking back at her beginnings as a crime writer.

The best-selling crime author's latest book, The Retribution, is her 25th in almost 25 years and is likely to add to her 10million sales worldwide.

But while her plan has come together in spectacular style, the landmark came as a surprise to the 56-year-old Fifer.

She said: "When I was writing it, it was just this year's book. It was only after I finished I thought, 'This is the 25th.' I couldn't quite believe it.

"It doesn't feel like I have that length of work behind me. I don't quite understand how it happened.

You can read the rest of the story via the below link:

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/editors-choice/2012/02/26/scots-best-selling-writer-remembers-her-roots-as-she-celebrates-25th-book-86908-23766539/

You can also read my Philadelphia Inquirer review of McDermid's latest novel The Retribution via the below link:

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/TheRetributionPhilaInquirerReview.jpg

My Philadelphia Inquirer Review Of Val McDermid's 'The Retribution'

The Philadelphia Inquirer published my review of Scottish crime writer Val McDermid's novel, The Retribution today.

My introduction to Scottish crime writer Val McDermid's compelling characters, clinical psychologist and criminal profiler Dr. Tony Hill and Detective Chief Inspector Carol Jordon, came from watching the outstanding TV series Wire in the Blood on BBC America a few years back.

I thought the TV crime drama, which was based on McDermid's novel The Wire in the Blood and starred Robson Green as Hill and Hermione Norris as Jordon, was interesting and entertaining. I planned to pick up a copy of one of McDermid's novels, but I have not read one until now.

You can read the rest of the review below:

Note: You can click on the above to enlarge.