#BloodyScotland News – reminder of Longlist for McIlvanney Prize #CrimeBookFestival #BookFestival

BLOODY SCOTLAND REVEALS THE LONGLIST FOR THE 2025 McILVANNEY PRIZE
sponsored by The Glencairn Glass

Winner to be presented on Friday 12 September 2025 on the opening night of the festival

Bloody Scotland reveals the longlist for the 2025 McIlvanney Prize. The winner will be announced in the ballroom of The Golden Lion Hotel on the opening night of the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival and lead a ‘Day of the Deid’ procession to the Albert Halls. This year the prize will be judged by BBC Radio Scotland presenter, Nicola Meighan; Journalist, Arusa Qureshi and Crime Blogger, Gordon McGhie.

The 2025 longlist – selected by an Academy composed of booksellers, librarians, bloggers and broadcasters – is today revealed to be:

WHISPERS OF THE DEAD by Lin Anderson (Macmillan)
THE MIDNIGHT KING by Tariq Ashkanani (Viper)
THE DYING LIGHT by Daniel Aubrey (HarperNorth)
CARNIVAL OF LIES by D V Bishop (Macmillan)
UNSOUND by Heather Critchlow (Canelo)
THE MOON’S MORE FEEBLE FIRE by Allan Gaw (Polygon)
THE GOOD FATHER by Liam McIlvanney (Bonnier)
PAPERBOY by Callum McSorley (Pushkin Press)
THE GOOD LIAR by Denise Mina (Vintage)
GUNNER by Alan Parks (John Murray)
DEATH OF SHAME by Ambrose Parry (Canongate)
MIDNIGHT AND BLUE by Ian Rankin (Orion)
A THIEF’S BLOOD by Douglas Skelton (Canelo)

The list features five authors who got their first big break when they were shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize. Callum McSorley was shortlisted for the Debut in 2023 when he went on to win the main McIlvanney Prize. Tariq Ashkanani and Allan Gaw have both won the Debut Prize – in 2022 and 2024 respectively. Heather Critchlow and Daniel Aubrey have also both come through the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize pathway, Heather was shortlisted for the Debut Prize in 2023 and Daniel in 2024.

D V Bishop, who originally won Pitch Perfect at Bloody Scotland in 2018, is one of only two authors who appears on the long list for the second year in a row. Douglas Skelton – who has now been longlisted for the prize six times – also appeared on the longlist last year.

Festival Director Bob McDevitt said:

“Supporting new writers is at the heart of Bloody Scotland and it is great to see so many authors graduating from the debut shortlist to the main prize and slugging it out with more established names. I’m glad I don’t have to pick a winner from this excellent crop of crime novels!“

Last year’s winner, Chris Brookmyre, has a presence as 50% of Ambrose Parry with his wife, former consultant anaesthetist Marisa Haetzman and Guest Programmer, Sir Ian Rankin, is on the list with his latest Sunday Times bestseller, Midnight and Blue.

The McIlvanney longlist and the Bloody Scotland shortlist will be promoted in bookshops throughout Scotland in the period between the announcement and the presentation at 6pm on Friday 12 September. The winners will both be interviewed on stage in the ballroom of The Golden Lion by BBC presenter, Bryan Burnett.

Kirsty Nicholson, Glencairn Crystal’s Design and Marketing Manager, said:

“We’re delighted to be sponsoring the McIlvanney Prize with the Glencairn Glass – the official glass for whisky. It’s fantastic to see so many wonderful authors on this year’s long list. We’d like to raise a glass and say a big congratulations and good luck to all the talented authors who have made it through.”

#Review By Lou of No Way Out By Adam Croft – The Rutland Crime Series @adamcroft #NoWayOut #Book 6 of the #TheRutlandCrimeSeries #CrimeFiction with #Deals to be had

No Way Out
By Adam Croft

It’s been a while, but The Rutland Crime Book series by Adam Croft is back!
It was worth the wait. This is book 6. They work well as standalones as the crimes are completed within singular books. There is a thread running through about the detectives lives though, but you can quickly catch up as that’s not the main crux of each story. Thanks to Adam Croft, I have been able to read and review all the books to date in this series. Discover my latest as you scroll down. Check out his deal with personalised signing too…

Blurb

In the wake of a devastating storm, a body is found on Hambleton peninsula. DI Caroline Hills is called to investigate, and is immediately plunged into a complex case of deception and murder.

With the storm cutting off the only road in or out, the killer must still be on the peninsula. As Caroline and her team delve deeper into the victim’s last hours, they uncover a web of romantic entanglements, hidden motives, and a mysterious newcomer.

But when the road reopens and a second body is found, the stakes are raised, and the investigation takes a deadly turn. Can Caroline untangle the truth before the killer strikes again?

Review

No Way Out is a worthy return to Rutland, the smallest county in England. There’s a lot of fictitious crime in such a small place, thinking about it, as I write this from the smallest county in Scotland…

A storm leaves devastation in its wake, as well as a body. The storm provided the perfect cover to dispose of someone, or so the killer thought. What unfolds is not as simple as that. Secrets, lies and romance are all tangled together, which DI Caroline Hills and her team need to detangle before they can get to the heart of the truth about their body. It provides a twisty read.

As, like the other books in the series, there is a bit about the lives of the detectives, which adds intrigue in itself. All is not well at the moment within the team as something big happens. The question is, will they all pull through and what might things look like within the team in the next book, assuming there will be another. It’s that type of series that could run and run.

No Way Out is, like the others in the series, a police procedural that sits between that and cosy crime, with a good pace, with well-written characters.
It’s a book that readers can unwind with after a busy day and lose themselves in the population of Rutland.

Adam Croft has a nice looking deal of 10% off from his website for his books and he can do a dedication too: https://adamcroft.net/products/no-way-out

#Spotlight on A Backstage Betrayal by Michael Ball Out 12th Nov 2024, Full Review to Come @MrMichaelBall @ZaffreBooks #CompulsiveReaders #BlogTour #TheatreCrime #Theatre #Books

Out on 12th November, A Backstage Betrayal would make a great pre-Christmas read or a gift for theatre and book lovers alike. For now, here is a sneak peek at what the second book by Michael Ball is all about. A proof copy has just arrived for me (19th November) to review from… I know, so exciting and I’m so lucky, so a full review will come soon. For now, check out the stunning cover and the blurb.

‘Full of glamour and intrigue. It slips down as easily as any cocktail.’ Fern Britton

ESCAPE TO THE EMPIRE THEATRE WITH THE NEW NOVEL FROM MUSICAL THEATRE LEGEND, MICHAEL BALL.

GLAMOUR. DECEIT. SECRETS. SCANDAL. THE THEATRE MAY SEEM GLAMOROUS, BUT SECRETS WAIT BEHIND THE CURTAIN.

1926. Running a theatre may appear to be all about the showbiz, but times are hard at The Empire. Following a turbulent period Jack Treadwell, erstwhile proprietor, his mother Lillian, and his playwright wife Grace, know they need to get things back on track – and how better than with the annual pantomime, a new venture, and an all-singing all-dancing talent contest, showcasing the best performers around.

But could Lillian’s new admirer, Grand Duke Nikolai Kuznetsov, be bringing disaster in his wake? Will The Empire be caught up in the scandal surrounding West End star, Stella Stanmore? And what are their enemies in Highbridge planning?

While Jack and Grace fight to ensure the show does go on, a royal visitor raises the stakes and a young widow, Sally Blow, dares to dream that the talent contest might be her big break.

As the talent contest draws closer, tragedy strikes. Amid the glitz and glamour there are strange goings on and a plot afoot. Is everything Jack and Grace have worked so hard for about to come crashing down? And could this be curtains for The Empire?

In this perfect Christmas gift for theatre lovers, Michael Ball transports readers to the roaring twenties as he works his magic in this second Empire Theatre novel.

#Review of #ConfessionsOfATeletubby edfringe #EdFringe #WhatsonEdinburgh #WhatsonEdi @nikkismedley @thespaceuk #SurgeonsHall #Edinburgh

Confessions of A Teletubby

Nikki Smedley who played Laa Laa

Review by Louise Cannon

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Confessions of A Teletubby with Nikki Smedley is fabulous in glowy Laa Laa yellow.

It’s interactive in a way I hadn’t expected. If you’re in the audience, get your “uh-oh’s” ready. All will be revealed if you attend.

Nikki Smedley is a powerhouse of energy and enthusiasm as well as engaging.

What is very interesting is what it takes to make it onto tv and what, specifically she had to do to try and get the part. She candidly peels back the costume to reveal what it was really like to wear and what it did to her skin.

This isn’t a show about revealing anything totally explosive, although there is a startling moment of something incredibly tragic.

What is surprising in the current climate is the sheer love that still pours from her all these years later.

This is an entertaining talk with each confession that’s revealed. There’s lots to be learnt about the inner world and making of Teletubbys. Like when the Teletubbys say “bye bye”, there’s a heartwarming glow at the end of this show.

She also has a book, first published in 2022 called “Over The Hills and Far Away.” I rated it 5 stars.

#Review by Lou of #Memoir – Over The Hills And Far Away – by Nikky Smedley @StoryNikky @sandstonepress #Autobiography #NonFiction #Teletubbies

#Review The Naseby Horses by Dominic Brownlow @DominicBrownlow @LouiseWalters12 #Fiction #NewBook

The Naseby Horses
By Dominic Brownlow
Rated: 4 stars ****

A beautifully, descriptive, philosophical fictional book to treat the senses and be amongst nature. Thanks to Louise Walters at Louise Walters Books, for sending me this rather beautiful printed/physical copy.
Please find the Blurb and Review below…

Blurb

Seventeen-year-old Simon’s sister Charlotte is missing. The lonely Fenland village the family recently moved to from London is odd, silent, and mysterious. Simon is epileptic and his seizures are increasing in severity, but when he is told of the local curse of the Naseby Horses, he is convinced it has something to do with Charlotte’s disappearance. Despite resistance from the villagers, the police, and his own family, Simon is determined to uncover the truth, and save his sister.

Under the oppressive Fenland skies and in the heat of a relentless June, Simon’s bond with Charlotte is fierce, all-consuming, and unbreakable; but can he find her? And does she even want to be found?

Drawing on philosophy, science, and the natural world, The Naseby Horses is a moving exploration of the bond between a brother and his sister; of love; and of the meaning of life itself.

Review

The cover is beautiful with its shimmery light of the moon on the water. The by-line of “Your swan is dead” is intriguing and attention grabbing. All does becomes clear as to what that it means as readers delve deeper into the nature of the Fens and also discover what The Naseby Horses are.

Simon has epileptic seizures and rather likes his Auntie Anne and Uncle Pete and sister Charlotte. He is also rather taken by a book called “Bewick’s Swan” all about migration patterns of the swan and more…

The book is very descriptive and does seem to use every adjective, which is a little unfortunate in some places. In saying that, it is beautifully written and has a real sense of place, that I think the author is keen for readers to enjoy and so, on that level, it works. The book also improves in its flow a few pages in, so it is definitely worth sticking with it.

As the story goes on, something happens to Simon’s sister, Charlotte. What Simon feels is born out of intense care and empathy, so much so that he doesn’t feel right doing anything enjoyable as eating, which is put very well and is quite a common feeling for those who can feel sympathy and empathy to large degrees. So, this is well-observed and considered.

The book goes between the life of the Bewick swans and the life of the human characters, as both types of families want to protect their young. There is something almost poetic about some of the symmetry that occurs within the book.

There is an explanation as to what The Naseby Horses were, which has a fascinating history, and yet much seem to be shrouded in secrecy. It is this that Simon is convinced has something to do with Charlotte’s disappearance. He is also convinced there is a connection between himself, Charlotte and their ancestors, which all adds intrigue to this rather mysterious book. It’s all very philosophical, which makes it absorbing.

Social Media Links
Author’s Twitter: @DominicBrownlow

Publisher’s Twitter: @LouiseWalters12

Giveth and Taketh by Rota @TheMCRota @Wildpressed @lovebooksgroup #lovebookstours

Giveth and Taketh
by Rota

Later than I had planned, so apologies for those waiting. I have been delayed a little due to a family circumstance, that unusually distracted me. All is better than it was today. I have an evocative Cover Reveal for you today. Check out this cover art and what the book is all about. I must say, it sounds very interesting and topical. There is a link as to where and how to purchase at the bottom too.

Blurb

Was Donald Trump able to become President because God abandoned us? Are Jews white? Does Hell have better weather than Heaven?

In Giveth and Taketh, Rota addresses all of these questions, discussing his own experience and political theology as a Jewish person in the Trump-era while also exploring broader issues of race, mental health and grief.

About the Author

Rota is a poet and public interest lawyer living in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

His work has been featured by Button Poetry, Entropy!, FreezeRay Poetry, Alternating Current (February 2020), Jet Fuel Review, and elsewhere. He is a proud member of the MMPR collective and the Assistant Executive Editor of Knights’ Library Magazine.

By day, he supervises law students who provide free legal services to veterans. You can’t miss him. He’s the tallest Jew for miles.

Twitter handle: @TheMCRota

Buy Link

http://www.wildpressedbooks.com/giveth-and-taketh.html