THE BEST OF SCOTTISH BOOKS

Her rugged Highlander…is the gallant son of a laird!

Her rugged HighlanderIs the gallant son of a laird!Travelling alone through the treacherous Scottish Highlands, Madeleine d’Evremont is saved by rough-looking soldier, Grant Rathmore. Attraction flares between them as he escorts Madeline on her perilous escape to France, until she discovers he’s the heir of a respected Laird! Madeline knows she must let him go – surely the daughter of a humble adventurer could never be a suitable match for him now?

Pip the gnome plays happily with his woodland friends, the mouse, robin, wren and spider. Follow them through spring, summer, into autumn and then winter.The colourful illustrations and simple words introduce very young children to the seasons, with bright green leaves in spring, warm sunshine in summer, blustery wind in autumn and snowfall in winter.Perfect for bedtime, the story ends as we look up at the stars and say good night to Pip.

‘Stunning’ – Sunday TimesClaire Askew won the Scottish Debut Crime Award with her debut All the Hidden Truths, praised as ‘A meticulous and compelling novel’ by Ian Rankin.’What if I told you,’ he said, ‘that I believe my mother’s life to be in danger?’Robertson Bennet returns to Edinburgh after a 25-year absence in search of his parents and his inheritance. But both have disappeared. A quick, routine police check should be enough – and Detective Inspector Helen Birch has enough on her plate trying to help her brother, Charlie, after an assault in prison. But all her instincts tell her not to let this case go. And so she digs.George and Phamie Bennet were together for a long time. No one can ever really know the secrets kept between husband and wife. But as Birch slowly begins to unravel the truth, terrible crimes start to rise to the surface.Beautifully written and ingeniously plotted, Cover Your Tracks confirms Claire Askew as a major new talent in crime fiction.Praise for Claire Askew’s novels:’Stunning debut… compellingly written’ – Daily Mail’A meticulous and compelling novel about the aftermath of a major crime and its effect on the affected families and investigating officers both’ – Ian Rankin’Splendid debut… thoughtful and well-written’ – Guardian’Gripping, heartbreaking and horrifyingly plausible. I couldn’t tear myself away from this book. Claire Askew is a stunning new voice in crime fiction’ – Erin Kelly, author of He Said/She Said’Moving and memorable’ – The Sunday Times’A fine, thought-provoking debut’ – Mail on Sunday’Claire Askew takes us away from the obvious plot and asks us tantalising questions… an absorbing psychological trio for Askew’s thought-provoking entry into crime fiction’ – The Times

The tense tale of a deadly terrorist plot set in Holland, from the acclaimed master of action and suspense.AMSTERDAM AIRPORT HAS DISAPPEAREDBLACKMAILThe mass of water in its place is the work of the FFF – an Irish terrorist group who want to force Britain’s hand.SUBTERFUGEThe Dutch call in Detective Lieutenant van Effen – feared interrogator and undercover intimate of the criminal Krakers gang – to sabotage the FFF’s plan.DISASTERIf van Effen fails and the FFF get control of the vital dyke, either Holland will sink beneath the sea or Britain will be awash with blood.

Little Owl doesn’t want to go to bed . . .His pillow is too lumpy, his quilt is too hot and what is that strange snorting noise he can hear?Perhaps one last bedtime story will help or maybe, just maybe, Mummy Owl has an ingenious way to soothe her restless Little Owl and help him get a good night’s sleep . . .From the creators of Little Owl’s Egg and Little Owl’s First Day comes another irresistible story that is wonderfully reassuring for all wakeful little night owls. Perfect for little hands, this beautifully illustrated board book is ideal for soothing nighttime worries.

**THE BRAND-NEW THRILLER FROM THE #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER****’A TERRIFIC WRITER’ MARK BILLINGHAM****PETER MAY: OVER 5.5 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE**In a sleepy French village, the body of a man shot through the head is disinterred by the roots of a fallen tree. A week later a famous art critic is viciously murdered in a nearby house. The deaths occurred more than seventy years apart.Asked by a colleague to inspect the site of the former, forensics expert Enzo Macleod quickly finds himself embroiled in the investigation of the latter. Two extraordinary narratives are set in train – one historical, unfolding in the treacherous wartime years of Occupied France; the other contemporary, set in the autumn of 2020 as France re-enters Covid lockdown.And Enzo’s investigations reveal an unexpected link between the murders – the Mona Lisa.Tasked by the exiled General Charles de Gaulle to keep the world’s most famous painting out of Nazi hands after the fall of France in 1940, 28-year-old Georgette Pignal finds herself swept along by the tide of history. Following in the wake of Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa as it is moved from chateau to chateau by the Louvre, she finds herself just one step ahead of two German art experts sent to steal it for rival patrons – Hitler and Goering.What none of them know is that the Louvre itself has taken exceptional measures to keep the painting safe, unwittingly setting in train a fatal sequence of events extending over seven decades.Events that have led to both killings.The Night Gate spans three generations, taking us from war-torn London, the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, Berlin and Vichy France, to the deadly enemy facing the world in 2020. In his latest novel, Peter May shows why he is one of the great contemporary writers of crime fiction.(P)2021 Quercus Editions Limited

Scottish Highlands, 1958Britain is awash in Cold War anxiety as Mirabelle Bevan heads for the Highlands on a holiday to visit Superintendent Alan McGregor’s family. More glamorous than she expected, the Robertsons welcome her with open arms and an array of cocktails, but she has scarcely arrived when the body of an American fashion buyer turns up brutally murdered, plunging the local village into disarray and sending shockwaves around the close, Highland community.Mirabelle can’t resist investigating, but what she finds lays the limitations of her feelings for McGregor bare and calls into question the loyalties of all those around her from the Robertson’s housekeeper Mrs Gillies to the family of the dead woman. What started as a relaxing break in scenic surroundings soon spirals into a week fraught with danger. As the press descend on the Robertson’s Highland estate, it rapidly becomes clear that things are not as black and white as they first appeared and Mirabelle can’t count on anyone . . .Praise for Sara Sheridan:’Sara Sheridan never fails to surprise. Unfailingly stylish, undeniably smart, Miss Bevan is destined to bring the exploits of the past to the best-seller lists of the present’ – Daily Record’Beautifully realised vivid characters, both heroes and villains, the atmospheric Brighton setting and plot that zipped along at a lovely pace left me in no doubt that Sara Sheridan and Mirabelle Bevan are a crime force to be reckoned with’ – Goodreads’Beneath that prim exterior lies a fearless, fly-by-the-seat-of-her-pants kind of gal. One part Nancy Drew, two parts Jessica Fletcher, Mirabelle has a dogged tenacity to rival Poirot’ – Sunday Herald

***THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER***’Immensely exciting and atmospheric’ ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH’Move over Rebus’ Daily Mail’Exciting, pacy, authentic’ ANGELA MARSONS’Convincing Glaswegian atmosphere and superior writing’ The TimesWhether you’ve read them all or whether you’re discovering this bestselling series for the first time, this Lorimer mystery is the perfect winter read to cozy up withAlex Gray’s new novel BEFORE THE STORM is available to pre-order now_____________________DSI Lorimer is back with a brand new case. And the stakes have never been so high . . .When his old friend and former colleague is shot dead at his home, Detective Superintendent William Lorimer is devastated. And his problems are only just beginning. It’s not long before two further deaths are reported: both victims ex-policemen.It’s clear this is a targeted campaign against their own, yet with no other link between the victims to identify the killer, Lorimer’s police team are starting to panic. Who will be next?Lorimer knows he must keep his cool if he is to solve the case. But with time running out before the next attack, he’s struggling to ignore the sickening question at the back of his mind:Will he get to the killer, before the killer gets to him?_____________________WHAT READERS SAY ABOUT WHEN SHADOWS FALL’Alex Gray’s great crime fiction series is one you can pick up at any stage and not feel lost . . complex, intriguing, tense”A fast-paced thriller with lots of twists and turns”This series just gets better and better and everything still feels fresh. Highly recommended’

‘Nobody does cosy, get-away-from-it-all romance like Jenny Colgan’Sunday Express’A sheer delight from start to finish’ Sophie Kinsella___________________________________They live five hundred miles apart. Yet their lives are about to collide . . .Curl up and escape with Jenny Colgan’An evocative, sweet treat’ Jojo Moyes’This sweet romance will lift your spirits’ Sunday Mirror’Gorgeous, glorious, uplifting’ Marian Keyes’Irresistible’ Jill Mansell’Just lovely’ Katie Fforde’Naturally funny, warm-hearted’ Lisa Jewell’A gobble-it-all-up-in-one-sitting kind of book’ Mike Gayle___________________________________Lissa loves her job as a nurse, but recently she’s been doing a better job of looking after other people than looking after herself. After a traumatic incident at work leaves her feeling overwhelmed, she agrees to swap lives with someone in a quiet village in Scotland.Cormac is restless. Just out of the army, he’s desperately in need of distraction, and there’s precious little of it in Kirrinfief. Maybe three months in London is just what he needs.As Lissa and Cormac warm to their new lives, emailing back and forth about anything and everything, finally things seem to be falling into place. But each of them feel there’s still a piece missing. What – or who – could it be?And what if it’s currently five hundred miles away?___________________________________Why readers ADORE Jenny Colgan’Jenny Colgan has a way of writing that makes me melt inside”Her books are so good I want to start over as soon as I have finished”There’s something so engaging about her characters and plots”Her books are like a big, warm blanket”Her stories are just so fabulous”She brings her settings and characters so vividly to life”The woman is just magic’

“A house is not a home for wild things;wild things need to run, and soar, and swim.”In the quiet dawn of the spring forest a boy finds an orphan fawn, hungry and alone. He carefully carries her home, caring for her while she grows strong. The boy and the fawn become inseparable. Together they spend long summer days running through the glen, leaping over the heather, and lying in the dappled sunlight.But the young deer is a wild thing and too soon she is ready to discover a home of her own.The boy misses his friend and worries for her when a big storm threatens. Can the boy and the fawn find each other again? Are some bonds stronger than goodbye?Lyrical and atmospheric, this beautiful picture book by award-winning author Louise Grieg and emerging illustrator Julia Moscardo is an uplifting story of belonging, the enduring connection between humans and nature, and a tender lesson in learning when to let go of those you love.

This is a layman’s guide to all aspects of Scottish society and there is no other book quite like it. The aim of this book is to share an understanding of the information and data that should underpin the political debate in Scotland. If you just want some facts and figures then you’ll find them within, but the intention is not just to list statistics about Scotland; it is to highlight sources, dismantle barriers of jargon and place information in a context where you can relate them to your morals and politics. In short, to assist anyone who wants to improve their knowledge of our society.

From Julia Donaldson, bestselling author of The Gruffalo, and award-winning illustrator Yuval Zommer, comes a charming minibeast twist on the ugly duckling story.Crawling through the garden, the little Woolly Bear Caterpillar wonders what kind of moth she will become. Bonny and bright, stunning and smart, but not kind, the other caterpillars laugh at the small, plain Woolly Bear. There is one thing that they are sure of: Woolly Bear could never be as beautiful as them! But could one little caterpillar be about to undergo a truly terrific transformation?Brilliantly written and stunningly illustrated this engaging picture book comes complete with a non-fiction mini book written by a nature specialist.

A unique and fascinating look at Victorian society through the remarkable lives of an enlightened and philanthropic aristocratic couple, the Marquess and Marchioness of Aberdeen, who tried to change the world for the better but paid a heavy price. This is a true tale of love and loss, fortune and misfortune.In the late 19th century, John and Ishbel Gordon, the Marquess and Marchioness of Aberdeen, were the couple who seemed to have it all: a fortune that ran into the tens of millions, a magnificent stately home in Scotland surrounded by one of Europe’s largest estates, a townhouse in London’s most fashionable square, cattle ranches in Texas and British Columbia, and the governorships of Ireland and Canada where they lived like royalty.Together they won praise for their work as social reformers and pioneers of women’s rights, and enjoyed friendships with many of the most prominent figures of the age, from Britain’s Prime Ministers to Oliver Wendell-Holmes and P.T. Barnum and Queen Victoria herself. Yet by the time they died in the 1930s, this gilded couple’s luck had long since run out: they had faced family tragedies, scandal through their unwitting involvement in one of the “crimes of the century” and, most catastrophically of all, they had lost both their fortune and their lands.This fascinating family quest for the reason for their dramatic downfall is also a moving and colorful exploration of society in Victorian Britain and North America and an inspirational feast for history lovers.

Like many young people of his generation, Craig Weldon came of age on hills all around the British Isles, but especially the Munros in Scotland. With his friends he braved the high mountains of the Cuillin and the lower tops of Gloucestershire, wild Welsh farmers and even wilder midges in the Highlands. Usually funny, sometimes dangerous, more often wet, one thing was for sure: life was never boring!

Dundee Street Songs,Rhymes and Games: The William Montgomerie Collection, 1952 – In 1952 when these songs and rhymes were recorded in Hilltown, Dundee there may not have been a street or playground anywhere where the sound of children singing and playing was part of everyday life. Although there had been Scottish collectors of ‘bairn sangs’ since the 1820s, it was not until the 1940s that anyone in Scotland audio-recorded the actual sound of playground voices. These recordings of school children captured the vitality of the local dialect, the spontaneity of their language-use outside the classroom, their repertoire of songs, rhymes and games, their musicality , as well as the sounds that echo the speed and accuracy of their hand-eye co-ordination. (Audio links included in the notes).

A small town in Galloway, on the south-west coast of Scotland.A cottage mysteriously unchanged since 1941.A dead nurse.And lawyer Peter Caiman with 1 million in his bank account, and no idea how it got there.This series of puzzles is explored in a six-part thriller starring David Ashton, Stella Forge, Vivienne Dixon and Ian Stewart.From Edward Boyd, the author of The Same River Twice, The Candle of Darkness and Castles in Spain.CastPeter Calman …… David AshtonJenny …… Stella ForgeMagda …… Vivienne DixonOld Hansford …… Ian StewartDouglas/Elphinstone …… Robert PatersonJock …… John SheddenReceptionist …… Tamara KennedyAnderson/McLeod …… John BuickNurse Nicolson …… Anne CullenDunsmore …. Gregor FisherScholl …. Brown DerbyMary …. Doreen CameronDr Webber …. Sandy NeilsonBrill / Clerk…. Finlay WelshWalter Hansford …. Ronald AitkenBullivant …. Arthur BolandLeighton …. Tom CriddleDirected at BBC Scotland by Patrick Rayner.First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in April 1984

Like many young people of his generation, Craig Weldon came of age on hills all around the British Isles, but especially the Munros in Scotland. With his friends he braved the high mountains of the Cuillin and the lower tops of Gloucestershire, wild Welsh farmers and even wilder midges in the Highlands. Usually funny, sometimes dangerous, more often wet, one thing was for sure: life was never boring!

NO ONE WILL FORGET …

In a grimy flat in Glasgow, a homemade bomb explodes, leaving few remains to identify its maker.

Detective Harry McCoy knows in his gut that there’ll be more to follow. The hunt for a missing sailor from the local US naval base leads him to the secretive group behind the bomb, and their disturbing, dominating leader.

On top of that, McCoy thinks he’s doing an old friend a favour when he passes on a warning, but instead he’s pulled into a vicious gang feud. And in the meantime, there’s word another bigger explosion is coming Glasgow’s way – so if the city is to survive, it’ll take everything McCoy’s got …

The supremely entertaining, moving, and unpredictable new thriller from multi-award-winning bestseller Chris Brookmyre is a wholly original masterpiece and the best crime novel of 2021.

Millie Spark can kill anyone.

A special effects make-up artist, her talent is to create realistic scenes of bloody violence.

Then, one day, she wakes to find her lover dead in her bed.

Twenty-five years later, her sentence for murder served, Millicent is ready to give up on her broken life – until she meets troubled film student and reluctant petty thief Jerry.

Together, they begin to discover that all was not what it seemed on that fateful night . . . and someone doesn’t want them to find out why.