Imelda

John Herdman’s masterpiece of the modern Scottish Gothic appears in print from Leamington Books, with a new introduction from the author. Black humour and even blacker lives collide in a tale of love and murder on an old Borders family estate. In a grotesque story told from two perfectly contrasting angles we find the arrogant genius, Frank, known as ‘Superbo’, and his hated brother Hubert, whom Frank views as a farting, ponderous wretch.

Raw and immoral, Imelda is a subtle puzzle, mocking the reader in its quest for answers. Murder and madness this way lie―but who if anyone is to be believed in unpicking the deadly secrets behind the birth of cousin Imelda’s child?

An assured masterpiece from Scotland’s greatest living chronicler of the dark side, Imelda, first published in 1993 became an instant classic of Scottish letters.