THE BEST OF SCOTTISH BOOKS

It’s the summer of ’97 and the repressed Scottish town of Pitlaw is itching for change. Enter the Freakslaw – a travelling funfair populated by deviant queers, a contortionist witch, the most powerful fortune teller, and other architects of mayhem. It doesn’t take long for the Freakslaw folk to infiltrate Pitlaw’s grey world, where the town’s teenagers – none more so than Ruth and Derek – are seduced by neon charms and the possibility of escape.

But beneath it all, these newcomers are harbouring a darker desire: revenge. And as tensions reach fever pitch between the stoic locals and the dazzling intruders, a violence that’s been simmering for centuries is about to be unleashed.

‘Delightful, delirious and transgressive, this book is the wildest of carnival rides, an open-mouthed kiss with the lingering taste of candyfloss and smoke. Jane Flett has created a queer punk masterpiece and we should all be so lucky to have our lives turned upside down by a visit to the Freakslaw.’ – Leon Craig, author of Parallel Hells.

The astonishing true story of Glasgow gangland confidant James McIntyre, aka Jimmy Two Guns

James ‘Jimmy Two Guns’ McIntyre was Glasgow’s go-to gangland lawyer and consigliere to one of Scotland’s foremost crime families. His maverick approach to the law and a client list that included some of the most feared gangland figures of the time – including the McGoverns and Paul Ferris – ensured that he was always in demand but under the constant scrutiny of the authorities.

Now Jimmy Two Guns recounts the cases he handled, the strokes he pulled, plus his arrests, a high-speed car chase with the drug squad, his time in ‘the cooler’ for allegedly attempting to murder a cop and much more. He tells how he bounced back after being the target of a near-fatal underworld hit, before being arrested by an armed response unit for possession of two pistols, and reveals with wit and a sharp pen what it’s really like being a lawyer for the underdog.

Whatever you thought you knew about crime and justice, think again – because for Jimmy Two Guns, the truth has always been stranger than fiction.

‘Crooked judges, bent cops and hypocrites in high places – the most truthful legal memoir you’ll ever read. Superb.’

Matthew Hall, bestselling novelist and BAFTA-winning screenwriter of Keeping Faith

‘James McIntyre was a legal barracuda swimming both sides of the line; this memoir is his modus operandi.’

G.F. Newman, creator of Law & Order and Judge John Deed

Ann Cleeves Classic Crime – engaging mysteries to savour, beloved characters to meet again.

A Lesson in Dying is the first mystery novel in the Inspector Ramsay series by Ann Cleeves, author of the Shetland and Vera Stanhope crime series.

Who hung the headmaster in the playground on the night of the school Halloween Party?

Almost everyone in Heppleburn either hated or feared the viper-tongued Harold Medburn. Inspector Ramsay is convinced it was the headmaster’s enigmatic wife but Jack Robson, school governor and caretaker, is determined to prove her innocence.

With the help of his restless daughter Patty, Jack digs into the secrets of Heppleburn, and uncovers a cesspit of lies, adultery, blackmail and madness . . .

The clock is ticking-

Detective Constable Angus MacVicar has just landed his dream job – transferred out of uniform and assigned to Oldcastle’s biggest ongoing murder investigation: Operation Telegram, hunting the -Fortnight Killer.

Every two weeks another couple is targeted. One victim is left at the scene, their corpse used as a twisted message board. The second body is never seen again.

This should be the perfect chance for Angus to prove himself, but instead of working on the investigation’s front line, he’s lumbered with the forensic psychologist from hell. A jetlagged, sarcastic, know-it-all American, on loan from the FBI, who seems determined to alienate everyone while dragging Angus into a shadowy world of conspiracies, lies, and violence.

It’s been twelve days since the Fortnight Killer last struck, and the investigation’s running out of time. The darkness is growing, and if Angus isn’t careful, it’ll swallow him whole.

Brought to you by Penguin.

The chilling and unique new thriller from Sunday Times bestselling author Stuart MacBride: ‘One of this country’s finest crime writers’ Daily Mail

*****Available to pre-order now*****

©2024 Stuart MacBride (P)

2024 Penguin Audio

The latest Bob Skinner mystery from the legendary Quintin Jardine.

‘The legendary Quintin Jardine . . . such a fine writer’ DENZIL MEYRICK

On a sunny seaside August morning, a woman on maternity leave spots a body wedged in rocks on a Scottish beach. Gavin Ayre’s riding gear sparks the assumption that he had been thrown by a panicked horse . . . until an autopsy reveals this was no accident. Soon it becomes clear that Ayre’s life was as big a mystery as his death. Detective Superintendent Harold ‘Sauce’ Haddock heads an investigation that is running into the sand, until a link is revealed between the victim and another man in Spain, with a surprisingly similar name.

Faced with the twin puzzle Sauce turns to his mentor, Bob Skinner, moved on from the police service to head an international media group. Soon the two friends are at the heart of a multi-layered conspiracy, as they search for the answer to the prime question . . . who killed Gavin Ayre?

Praise for Quintin Jardine’s Bob Skinner series:

‘A highly charged, fast-moving crime thriller’ HERALD

‘Scottish crime-writing at its finest, with a healthy dose of plot twists and turns, bodies and plenty of brutality’ THE SUN

‘Well constructed, fast-paced, Jardine’s narrative has many an ingenious twist and turn’ OBSERVER

This book is aimed at players and coaches (male & female) of all levels. James Knott and Andrew O’Connor have created a comprehensive and up to date guide to bowling for coaches, players and parents featuring photographs and diagrams along with sixty accessible drills.

This is an essential guide to the intricate skills required to become a successful bowler for both players and coaches. With input from a wide range of elite players and coaches, past and present, this is an invaluable guide to developing bowling skills for young and old alike.

This island of Lismore boasts a remarkably rich heritage, both in terms of historic monuments and of an unbroken tradition of Gaelic culture. From their first sight of Tirefour Broch, dominating approaches from the mainland, visitors to the Isle of Lismore can explore an outstanding heritage of monuments to the past – Bronze Age cairns, medieval castles, the Cathedral of Argyll, carved graveslabs, deserted townships and watermills, not to mention a Stevenson lighthouse. Because of its strategic position at the mouth of the Great Glen and its fertility, the island played an important part in the prehistory and early history of the West Highlands and Islands.In this book, Robert Hay tells the story of Lismore from earliest times to the present day, providing fascinating insights into the island’s history, as well as that of the whole area.

Edinburgh, 1791. Isobel Duguid and her friend Clessidro are the stars of the Edinburgh Musical Society. Clessidro sings opera and Isobel sings famously dark Scottish ballads, despite being incapable of holding a tune. They roam the streets of Edinburgh, enjoying an opulent lifestyle.

One night a note arrives from the mysterious Cecilia Abercorn, asking if Isobel’s most notorious song, The Fiddler’s Wrath, might be included in a book. It’s the tale of a prima donna who died of heartbreak after her husband committed murder and was sent to the gallows. Isobel is intrigued. But Mrs. Abercorn’s curiosity about the ballad is far more than a fickle interest. When Clessidro goes missing, Isobel is forced to confront her past and the truth about The Fiddler’s Wrath begins to emerge.

Using the geography of Edinburgh to guide us through the story, this dark tale becomes more complicated than anyone could have imagined and awakens the chilling retribution of a once buried secret.

‘Somerville’s infectious enthusiasm and wry humour infuse his journey from the Isle of Lewis to southern England, revealing our rich geological history with vibrant local and natural history’ – Observer

‘A meticulous exploration of the ground beneath our feet. Glorious’ – Katherine Norbury

‘A remarkable achievement’ – Tom Chesshyre

‘His writing is utterly enticing’ – Country Walking

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The influence Britain’s geology has had on our daily lives is profound. While we may be unaware of it, every aspect of our history has been affected by events that happened ten thousand, a million, or a thousand million years ago.

In Walking the Bones of Britain, Christopher Somerville takes a journey of a thousand miles, beginning in the far north, at the three-billion-year-old rocks of the Isle of Lewis, formed when the world was still molten, and travelling south-eastwards to the furthest corner of Essex, where new land is being formed. Crossing bogs, scaling peaks and skirting quarry pits, he unearths the stories bound up in the layers of rock beneath our feet, and examines how they have influenced everything from how we farm to how we build our houses, from the Industrial Revolution to the current climate crisis.

Told with characteristic humour and insight, this gripping exploration of the British landscape and its remarkable history cannot fail to change the way you see the world beyond your door.

‘Somerville is a walker’s writer’ – Nicholas Crane

Learn from Britain’s leading dragonfly expert how to invite dragonflies and damselflies into your garden and create the conditions for them to thrive.

In this compact and accessible wildlife primer, ‘Dragonfly Ambassador’ Ruary Mackenzie Dodds shows how to set up a tranquil garden haven for dragonflies, with straightforward, easy-to-follow guidance on preparing your pond, what plants to include in it, and how to manage and enjoy it.

With stunning colours and phenomenal flying abilities, dragonflies are beautiful creatures that are also vital to our ecosystem. This book outlines, too, how caring for something as specific and delicate as a dragonfly can provide a welcome respite from the everyday demands of life. We can, as always, learn so much from the natural world, even – and sometimes especially – from its smallest creatures.

Learn how to transform your garden into a haven for dragonflies and damselflies, nurturing your own mental health and protecting the planet as you do so. Every pond counts!

36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem is an urgent, unsettling reckoning with identity – and the violence of identity. For Le, a Vietnamese refugee in the West, this means the assumed violence of racism, oppression and historical trauma.

But it also means the violence of that assumption. Of being always assumed to be outside one’s home, country, culture or language. And the complex violence – for the diasporic writer who wants to address any of this – of language itself.

Making use of multiple tones, moods, masks and camouflages, Le’s poetic debut moves with unpredictable and destabilizing energy between the personal and political. As self-indicting as it is scathing, hilarious as it is desperately moving, this is a singular, breakthrough book.

36 Ways of Writing a Vietnamese Poem is an urgent, unsettling reckoning with identity – and the violence of identity. For Le, a Vietnamese refugee in the West, this means the assumed violence of racism, oppression and historical trauma.

But it also means the violence of that assumption. Of being always assumed to be outside one’s home, country, culture or language. And the complex violence – for the diasporic writer who wants to address any of this – of language itself.

Making use of multiple tones, moods, masks and camouflages, Le’s poetic debut moves with unpredictable and destabilizing energy between the personal and political. As self-indicting as it is scathing, hilarious as it is desperately moving, this is a singular, breakthrough book.

Hope and practical help for people with dementia, their families, friends and carers.

Rosemary Huntley explains what it’s like to have dementia, examining its impact, outlining options and strategies for care – and much more.

Suggested activities, reflections and prayers at the end of each chapter, along with poetry and biblical references throughout, help to aid reflection and will strengthen emotions and faith whilst offering hope to both those with dementia and their carers.

The Waverley Abbey Insight Series is based on one-day seminars held by CWR at Waverley Abbey House to give insight into some key issues that many people struggle with today.

Edinburgh, Scotland’s capital city, has a dramatic cityscape and its heritage is reflected in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of its Old and New Towns in the city’s centre. The city has a wealth of historic streets and buildings, overseen by natural and manmade landmarks such as Castle Rock and Arthur’s Seat but the city has seen myriad changes through the years, including slum clearance and the development of new residential areas in the suburbs, new retail centres, the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, the growth of the financial district from the 1990s onwards and a new tram system.

Edinburgh Reflections features an exciting collection of historic and modern pictures that are individually merged to reveal how the area has changed over the decades. Each of the 180 pictures in this book combines a recent colour view of Edinburgh with the matching sepia archive scene. Through the split-image effect, readers can see how streets, buildings and everyday life have transformed with the passing of time. Local author Jack Gillon presents this fascinating visual chronicle that ingeniously reflects past and present glimpses of Edinburgh.

This book will be of interest to residents, visitors, local historians and all those with links to the area.

Scotland’s diverse landscapes, extensive coastline and mix of cultural and historic influences are reflected in its rich food and drink heritage. The country is famous for porridge and other oat foods, haggis, grouse and whisky but there is much more to Scotland’s food and drink than these foodstuffs. There are many interesting dishes that deserve to be celebrated and the huge variety of local produce stretches far beyond Forfar bridies, Arbroath smokies, Fochabers gingerbread and Montrose cakes.

In this book Gilly Pickup looks at the special foodstuffs, dishes and drinks that have characterised Scotland over the years, picking out the many interesting stories that contribute to this country’s food and drink narrative. Scotland has a diverse culinary heritage, each different area and region boasting its own local produce and traditions, and today its food and drink businesses and annual events associated with its food and drink are major sectors of the Scottish economy. Tipsy Lairds and Rumbledethumps: Scotland’s Food and Drink will appeal to all those who are interested in the history of Scotland and its food and drink heritage.

Cairn: A marker on open land, a memorial, a viewpoint shared by strangers.

For the last five years poet and author Kathleen Jamie has been turning her attention to a new form of writing: micro-essays, prose poems, notes and fragments. Placed together, like the stones of a wayside cairn, they mark a changing psychic and physical landscape.

The virtuosity of these short pieces is both subtle and deceptive. Jamie’s intent ‘noticing’ of the natural world is suffused with a clear-eyed awareness of all we endanger. She considers the future her children face, while recalling her own childhood and notes the lost innocence in the way we respond to the dramas of nature. With meticulous care she marks the point she has reached, in life and within the cascading crises of our times.

Cairn resonates with a beauty and wisdom that only an artist of Jamie’s calibre could achieve.

This collection is full of stories that children love to hear time and again. Told by local storyteller Tim Porteus who grew up in Midlothian, these stories are in his bones.

Full of witches and wizards, magical creatures and eerie happenings, there is something to delight and amuse in every tale. The stories are all tied to a specific place in Midlothian and will also encourage an interest in the area, helping children engage with the history of their surroundings.

This collection is full of stories that children love to hear time and again. Told by local storyteller Tim Porteus who grew up in Midlothian, these stories are in his bones.

Full of witches and wizards, magical creatures and eerie happenings, there is something to delight and amuse in every tale. The stories are all tied to a specific place in Midlothian and will also encourage an interest in the area, helping children engage with the history of their surroundings.

Community. It’s a word we are used to hearing everywhere from political speeches to fast-food advertisements. But can we really define it?

Using her own experiences, joyful or painful, in communities, as well a strong analysis of political and cultural shifts, Casey Plett shows how overuse of the word has caused it to become disconnected from the reality it signifies.

Here, Plett suggests an alternative, moving towards a definition that acknowledges community as necessary for our existence – a source of comfort, knowledge and love – even while it has the potential to become dogmatic, cliquey or outright harmful.

On Community does crucial work in pushing harder on words and ideas we take for granted. It invites us to be more careful and intentional with our language, to consider how we relate to those we know – and to those we don’t know at all.