Interactive #Review by Lou of : The Psychology of Villains, an @Bloody Scotland Panel featuring Craig Robertson, Alex North, Prof Graham Pike & Prof Zoe Walkington @CraigRobertson_ #AlexNorth @OUScotland #OU #CriminalPsychology #Books and #Psychology #PsychologyOfVillains

The Psychology of Villains: Craig Robertson, Alex North,
Prof Graham Pike & Prof Zoe Walkington

Review by Louise Cannon

This panel was absolutely enthralling and you too can study The Psychology of Villains. It was one of the best panels of its type where the human condition is examined. It was where the world of psychologists and fictional crime writers converged and created something special, that is deep and meaningful and wholly relevant to everyone’s lives. If you’re interested, after the review there is a way to delve into this.
Seriously, you can for Free at the Open University. You can find a QR Code to see if you can spot a liar mid-way and after the whole review, another one so you can do the course, if you would like to.
It explores the psychological theory of why the villains are so appealing, and how they shape our real-world thinking.

The way the panel presented the topic was seamless and hooked interest immediately. They make you, in all their powers, want to delve deeper. Every part was explained in plain English, making it accessible to everyone

Psychology is absolutely fascinating, how the brain works and if you look into it, there are many “rabbit holes” you can creep into. This course demystifies and throws some interesting light as it links the powers of reading fiction to the real world. They also talked about real cases. Discover a little about the linkage between books and outside books as you scroll down. First, why not have some fun.

Can You Spot A Liar?
Go on and have a go before the rest of my review… Show your phone or tablet camera to the QR Code and it will pick it up.
I have tested this and the link does work.

What was importantly brought up was the evidence there is that readers of fiction have more empathy in the world than those who do not. Fiction holds a key to providing people a way of being more empathetic to people who they wouldn’t normally come across in real life, or normally relate to. An example of this is looking at a criminal’s life, asking the questions about what drove them to a particular situation, did something add to their lives to make them want to commit a crime, but from a safe distance. A book gives that safe distance, and can help when watching the, sometimes harrowing reporting on the news and in newspapers. They did reiterate to keep safe and still to distinguish between the good behaviours and the bad behaviours in life. There wasn’t a naivety about this. There was still that understanding of victim and villain.

They talked about the transportation into someone else’s world, para-social relationships and the assimilation of how we interpret the existing world. They also talked about how this is relevant within books (and a bit like in tv when you don’t disassociate a character played from the person playing them) and how readers can delve deep into the characters, imagine and feel the emotions and how this is all relevant to the real world too…

You can delve into this Short Open University Course by, again, pointing your phone or tablet camera at the QR code in the photo.

#CoverReveal of Arivia – Fangs of the Frost by D.H. Willison inc blurb @dhwillison #Fantasy #worldbuilding #magic #bookish #ice #winter ReadingCommunity #TalesOfArivia series

Today, I have the pleasure of being part of a team to reveal book 5 of the Arivia Series, thanks to the author D.H. Willison. Arivia – Fangs of the Frost by D.H. Willison will publish on 14th October 2025.

Cover Artist: Betty Elgyn Interior Artist: Si’yann

Check out the fantastical wintry cover and be transported to a different world, one of magic, a quest, the meeting of humans and monsters, below. Then, discover a little bit about Fangs of The Frost and a little of what you can expect within those adventurous pages…

Being sent on a quest to save an entire city and granted the city’s full resources is a grand honor. Unless that city is Xin, with no resources to speak of.

A magical secret from Xin’s past threatens the city’s future, and Darin must lead a rag-tag group to a frigid city at the end of the world to save it. Their dilapidated old trade schooner may be haunted, but it survived conversion into the world’s first harpy aircraft carrier. And more importantly, it was cheap.

Can a misfit crew of humans and monsters overcome creepy creatures, mysterious magical phenomena, and the whims of the Empress of the Ice? How does a couple get alone time on a ship, when one of them is the size of the ship? And will Darin and Rinloh finally put the naughty in nautical?

Join Arvia’s most eclectic heroic duo for adventures on the high seas! Caution: may contain questionable relationship advice, gratuitous human + nonhuman cuddle sequences, and/or singing.

If you like what you see here. If it’s whet your appetite to delve into the land where there’s Fangs of the Frost, or even consider it as an early buy for a Christmas present, look out for it on 14th October 2025.

#Review of Bloody Scotland Panel – Watching the Detectives featuring Alex Grey, Neil Lancaster, John Sutherland, Graeme Macrae Burnet @BloodyScotland @neillancaster66 @GMacraeBurnet #AlexGray @policecommander @HQstories @OrionBooks #BloodyScotland #CrimeFiction

Watching the Detectives
Featuring Alex Grey, Neil Lancaster, John Sutherland, Graeme Macrae

Crime in the Spotlight debut novelist before the main event was Reme Kone who has previously worked on producing Killing Eve, Lewis and more… The book sounded mysteriously dark and gripping.

The main event

This was an insightful talk into the minds of crime writers, viewers and readers of crime fiction, hostage negotiation situations, forensics and the human condition.

The authors were compelling to listen to and chose interesting slants about how they approached the topics they wanted to speak about.

The authors talked about people fascinating them and celebrating scenic locations such as The Highlands of Scotland. You could just imagine them drawing upon experiences and people watching, taking everything in for their next books, including the darkness of humans, such as incels, having to negotiate hostage situations and more…

They mentioned how now, people think they are experts in the field of crime. Now, most of these authors have worked in this field, such as in the police. Now, and you see it when people watch or read detective novels, people assume they’re experts because they read everything that they deem to be true. There is a great deal of detail and truth, but as previous people have mentioned, such as Sue Black, not all the details go into a book as it is also there for entertainment. I thought this an incredibly important point they made, perhaps to have people re-assess their position when they are reading or watching crime dramas unfold.

They dug around the reasons for such a thirst for crime fiction at the moment and it isn’t all because we are a blood-thirsty society. We like to explore the human condition, dig beneath the surface into the psychological make-up of a person, they observed. Characters are pushed to extremes and unlike in real life, when an end result could take years, it’s done all in one or a few sittings, so a lot faster for a resolution.

Each have books newly published and a book in the pipeline…

#Review by Lou of Murderous Media. A Bloody Scotland Panel featuring Jeremy Vine and Steph McGovern @theJeremyVine @StephLunch @BloodyScotland #Deadline #MurderOnLineOne #BloodyScotland

Murderous Media
Jeremy Vine and Steph McGovern

Review by Louise Cannon

Jeremy Vine is someone who lots of us have listened to on the radio on BBC Radio 2 over many years. I practically grew up listening to Ken Bruce’s Popmaster, a bit of music and then Jeremy Vine, even when young on the radio on long car journeys to a UK holiday destination. He truly likes Agatha Christie.

Steph McGovern is known for doing some of the financial news on BBC Breakfast, who knew someone could actually make that watchable?! She has also done Steph’s Packed Lunch and has something else lined-up.

They are both highly entertaining and joyous on a panel together.

Both have debut novels published and have another on the way. These ones are set where they know, but in the case of Steph, she informed that she will be moving away a bit from the tv studio world in her second…

Jeremy’s is Murder on Line One and takes place at places where the radio listeners are tuning in… It sounds mysterious and entertaining. I’ll review in due course.

Steph McGovern’s is set on a tv set when the earpiece gets hacked and turns out there is an abduction… It sounds intriguingly immersive and I will review in due course…

The talk was illuminating and very entertaining. The insight behind the scenes, that they can carefully fictionalise through their experiences and what they’ve seen sounds interesting. They have terrific anecdotes about workplaces, Trump, Archer and more… They also talked about fiction being freedom from fact-checking to the same intensity and discipline you need to for the news, but there were some details they did check to ensure they were giving their readers correct information. They also gave insight into the beginnings of their careers and in Steph’s case, also the construction industry and the fact she dispelled the myth of needing a “BBC accent” to be on the telly.

They talked about their authentic selves and how they felt they needed to be their authentic selves on both the page and on-screen. What I often find interesting is that people who act or present, look confident, perhaps even a bit loud in that role, but in real life can be quite shy, something I have witnessed from some people I’ve had the privilege of meeting too. I think it gives hope for people and shows courage to be so exposed even when naturally shy and to be that honest with a room full of people too.

If you ever get the chance to see Jeremy Vine and Steph McGovern do a talk, I highly recommend it.

#BloodyScotland News #CrimeFiction #TrueCrime #Bookfest

BLOODY SCOTLAND INTERNATIONAL CRIME FESTIVAL KICKED OFF WITH THE PRIZE ANNOUNCEMENTS, A DAY OF THE DEID PARADE LED BY AN EFFIGY OF SIR IAN RANKIN AND THE BIG REVEAL OF THE MYSTERY CRIME WRITER

The winner of the McIlvanney Prize was revealed – in the ballroom with a giant crystal glass – to be Tariq Ashkanani with The Midnight King. It was presented to him on stage on the opening night of the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival by the winner of the 2024 McIlvanney Prize, Chris Brookmyre. Tariq, a solicitor from Edinburgh, appeared as a support act for Ian Rankin in Crime in the Spotlight at the 2021 festival and went on to win the Bloody Debut Prize in 2022. The McIlvanney Prize win brings the process of nurturing authors at Bloody Scotland full circle.

The judges who included broadcaster, Nicola Meighan, journalist and writer Arusa Qureshi and crime reviewer Gordon McGhie said:

“Tariq Ashkanani manages to create an atmosphere of dread while uniquely exploring the theme of nature vs nurture…When we speak about thrillers being page turners (this) should be used an example of how it should be done”

The winner of the 2025 Bloody Scotland Debut Prize was revealed to be David Goodman with A Reluctant Spy (Headline). Like Tariq he was previously selected for Crime in the Spotlight. He appeared as a support act for thriller writer Frank Gardner at Bloody Scotland last year. This year it is he who takes centre stage. He also won the inaugural Theakston Old Peculier McDermid Debut Award in July. He lives in East Lothian with his family.

The 2025 prize was judged by crime writer and Bloody Scotland founder, Alex Gray; broadcaster Bryan Burnett and Kenny Tweeddale from The Glencairn Glass. They said:

‘Everything about this feels authentic. In fact, the only thing that’s not believable is that this could be a debut novel.’
Kirsty Nicholson, Design and Marketing Manager at the awards sponsor Glencairn Crystal, said:

‘A huge congratulations to Tariq Ashkanani on winning the McIlvanney Prize with his page-turning thriller The Midnight King, and to David Goodman on receiving the Debut Prize for his gripping first novel A Reluctant Spy. Being a Scottish family company, we are proud to sponsor these distinguished annual awards with the Glencairn Glass, the official glass for whisky – both of which are deeply rooted in Scotland. It is an honour to help celebrate and shine a spotlight on such exceptional authors in the wonderful world of crime fiction.’

The prize giving was followed by the inaugural Bloody Scotland Day of the Deid procession with actors and local pipeband in full make up led by the two winners and an effigy of Sir Ian Rankin. It concluded at the Albert Halls where the ‘mystery authors’ behind Evelyn Clarke’s, The Ending Writes Itself, (HQ, 7 April 2026) were finally revealed to be #1 Sunday Times bestselling author, V.E. Schwab and longtime friend and screenwriter Cat Clarke. V.E. Schwab is best known for The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue and Bury Our Bones. HarperCollins acquired rights in a nine publisher auction and will be publishing simultaneously in the US and Australia.

Highlights on Saturday included Mick Herron (author behind TV series Slow Horses), broadcasters Steph McGovern, Jeremy Vine and The Reverend Richard Coles, bestselling writer Kate Atkinson, actor Richard Armitage and superstar of American crime fiction Kathy Reichs. The day concluded with a Bloody Scotland take on Crime Family Fortunes and the sold-out Karaoke at the Coo where famous authors took to the mic.

#Review by Lou of Dark Islands featuring Morag Pringle, Ronnie Turner, Chris Barkley @BloodyScotland #BloodyScotland #CrimeFiction #psychologicalthriller @ronnie__turner @TufferBarkley #MoragPringle @PolygonBooks @OrendaBooks #ReadingCommunity

Bloody Scotland Panel – Dark Islands
Featuring Morag Pringle, Ronnie Turner, Chris Barkley

review written by Louise Cannon

Morag Pringle’s book is The Final Truth. She used to write medical romances for Mills & Boon, which appears of higher quality writing than perhaps some readers give credit to. She mentioned about the high standards and high quality that has to be adhered to and met, which in-turn honed her skills.

Ronnie Turner’s book is Small Fires she is interested in folk lore, fairytales, nature vs nurture, identity, beauty, psychology. Now, this sounds an intriguing, yet winning combination to explore.

Chris Barkley talked of Man at the End of the Stair being a metaphysical, locked room mystery.

I read and reviewed this book and it is thought-provoking with strong themes and exceedingly atmospheric. It pulls you in with its ability to intrigue and its intensity.

They drew you into their talk of their islands, creating a sense of dark, moody atmosphere as they talked of losing phone signals, creating a claustrophobic feeling. Folklore and myth being woven together like a tapestry. Ronnie was especially interested in this and in-turn made you enter that world.

Chris Barkley brings up many thought-provoking points, such as an island being a psychological symbol.
They all mentioned how trauma and guilt is a journey. You could tell, they really examined these traits of the human condition and the what happened to a person to cause trauma.

Their books aren’t all heavy, they explained how there is a sweet innocence thread through them to lighten the themes and reading experience up a bit.

The talk was really fascinating, especially at the beginning and the middle. Some of the talk of writing experiences was interesting too, but it did feel like it lingered there a little too long, when the interest was that feeling of being or actually being on an island.