The Rise of Scottish Crime Fiction

Dark Travellers charts the rise of crime fiction in Scotland. Taking as its inspiration William McIlvanney’s novel Laidlaw published in the 1970s, the short film, commissioned by Publishing Scotland in partnership with Bloody Scotland, (annual crime writing festival held in Autumn each year), is written and presented by Jamie Crawford and produced and directed by Richard Nicholls of Swift Films. The writers featured are, in order, Val McDermid, Denise Mina, Chris Brookmyre, Marisa Haetzman, Graeme Macrae Burnet, Abir Mukherjee and Ian Rankin.

The film was premiered at the Bloody Scotland festival, Stirling, Scotland, on 17 September 2021.

Here is a selection of the books featured in the film:

Laidlaw, by William McIlvanney

The Dark Remains, by William McIlvanney and Ian Rankin

1979, by Val McDermid

Rizzio, by Denise Mina

The Way of All Flesh, by Ambrose Parry

His Bloody Project, by Graeme Macrae Burnet

The Shadows of Men, by Abir Mukherjee

In a House of Lies, by Ian Rankin