THE BEST OF SCOTTISH BOOKS

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.

Rookie lawyer Grace Zulu does not give up easily. She escaped an arranged marriage to put herself through university. Now she’s got her first case.

Her client is young Willbess ‘Bessy’ Mulenga, who has been arrested for offences ‘against nature’. Bessy works in a men-only bar, loves to dance, to wear dresses and live freely. But in 1990s Zambia, following your own identity can get you beaten, jailed or even worse. Grace is determined to get Bessy out of custody. Then her terrified, bruised client goes missing without a trace. She knows something bad has happened and that someone is trying to cover it up. Along with the most unlikely group of allies, Grace must take on powerful enemies at the highest levels – even risk her own safety – to get to the truth. The whole truth.

A debut novel that soars with passion and humanity, The Lions’ Den is a moving story of prejudice, corruption, injustice, courage and solidarity. It shows us that no cause is ever a lost one.

A powerful collection of poems that look at parenthood, solitude, love and memory. Pulling objects from everyday life – a hallway mirror, a rock found in her son’s pocket, a field of goldenrods at the side of the road – Maggie Smith reveals the magic of the present moment.

The poems in Goldenrod celebrate the contours of daily life, explore and delight in the space between thought and experience, and remind us that we decide what is beautiful.

Rookie lawyer Grace Zulu does not give up easily. She escaped an arranged marriage to put herself through university. Now she’s got her first case.

Her client is young Willbess ‘Bessy’ Mulenga, who has been arrested for offences ‘against nature’. Bessy works in a men-only bar, loves to dance, to wear dresses and live freely. But in 1990s Zambia, following your own identity can get you beaten, jailed or even worse. Grace is determined to get Bessy out of custody. Then her terrified, bruised client goes missing without a trace. She knows something bad has happened and that someone is trying to cover it up. Along with the most unlikely group of allies, Grace must take on powerful enemies at the highest levels – even risk her own safety – to get to the truth. The whole truth.

A debut novel that soars with passion and humanity, The Lions’ Den is a moving story of prejudice, corruption, injustice, courage and solidarity. It shows us that no cause is ever a lost one.

A powerful collection of poems that look at parenthood, solitude, love and memory. Pulling objects from everyday life – a hallway mirror, a rock found in her son’s pocket, a field of goldenrods at the side of the road – Maggie Smith reveals the magic of the present moment.

The poems in Goldenrod celebrate the contours of daily life, explore and delight in the space between thought and experience, and remind us that we decide what is beautiful.

A GUARDIAN BOOK TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2024

A NEW STATESMAN FICTION HIGLIGHT OF 2024

AN OBSERVER FICTION TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2024

AN IRISH TIMES FICTION TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2024

October, 1891. Butte, Montana. A hard winter approaches across the Rocky Mountains. The city is rich on copper mines and rampant with vice and debauchery among a hard-living crowd of immigrant Irish workers.

Here we find Tom Rourke, a young poet and balladmaker, but also a doper, a drinker and a fearsome degenerate. Just as he feels his life is heading nowhere fast, Polly Gillespie arrives in town as the new bride of the devout mine captain Long Anthony Harrington.

A thunderbolt love affair takes spark between Tom and Polly and they strike out west on a stolen horse, moving through the badlands of Montana and Idaho. Briefly an idyll of wild romance perfects itself. But a posse of deranged Cornish gunsmen are soon in hot pursuit of the lovers, and closing in fast . . .

The Heart in Winter is a savagely funny, achingly beautiful tale set in the Wild West.

*Listed as one of TIME’s 18 Black leaders working to end the racial wealth gap*

In Kenya the pool was green and surrounded by concrete so hot it burnt the soles of her small feet. She didn’t know any different. A decade later she would be double British Champion and the first Black women ever to swim for Great Britain. But this story is not about making history.

As her body and mind are sharpened through gruelling training, press scrutiny, and the harshness of adolescence, Rebecca questions who she is swimming for, and what the onward journey to the Olympics will cost her.

A compulsive and unforgettable study of intensity, These Heavy Black Bones meditates on Blackness, identity, and the ecstasy of peak physical performance. In stunning prose, Rebecca charts her careers’s ascent, her singular love of the water, and lays bare the pressures within her swimming world.

In thirteenth-century Ireland, a woman with power is a woman to be feared.

When a young Alice Kyteler sees her mother wither under the constraints of family responsibilities, she vows that she will not suffer the same fate. When she discovers she has a flair for making money, she soon builds a flourishing trade. But as her wealth and stature grow, so too do the rumours about her private life. By the time she has moved on to her fourth husband, a blaze of local gossip and resentment culminates in an accusation that could prove fatal.

Inspired by the first recorded person in Ireland to have been condemned as a witch, Bright I Burn gives voice to a woman lost to history, who dared to carve her own space in a man’s world.

In the early 1960s scientists at the University of California, Berkeley set out to establish the key factors effecting health and longevity. Their results, known as the ‘Alameda 7’, you already know: don’t smoke, drink in moderation, sleep seven to eight hours a night, exercise, eat regular meals, maintain a moderate weight, eat breakfast. Years later, however, the same team discovered an eighth factor, one that proved more important than all the others: social connection.

When we form meaningful bonds with others, our wounds heal faster, we shake off infections more quickly and our blood pressure drops. We are less likely to have Alzheimer’s, heart attacks or strokes. When people feel that they have strong social support, they perform better on tests of mental focus, memory and problem solving. Greater connection can fuel creativity, increase our financial stability and enhance our work productivity. But making friends can also be daunting.

In The Laws of Connection, David Robson does two important things: he takes us through the fascinating science behind the effects of social connection and he unpacks the research that shows that we are all better at being social than we might think. We will meet ideas such as ‘the liking gap’ and ‘the gratitude gap’, learn to recognise ‘frenemies’ and discover a powerful conversational strategy known as the ‘fast-friends procedure’ that promotes instant rapport. Being social doesn’t have to mean having dozens of friends, it can also mean having one true, deep connection with another person. As Robson shows, we can all benefit from the laws of connection.

A GUARDIAN BOOK TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2024

A NEW STATESMAN FICTION HIGLIGHT OF 2024

AN OBSERVER FICTION TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2024

AN IRISH TIMES FICTION TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2024

October, 1891. Butte, Montana. A hard winter approaches across the Rocky Mountains. The city is rich on copper mines and rampant with vice and debauchery among a hard-living crowd of immigrant Irish workers.

Here we find Tom Rourke, a young poet and balladmaker, but also a doper, a drinker and a fearsome degenerate. Just as he feels his life is heading nowhere fast, Polly Gillespie arrives in town as the new bride of the devout mine captain Long Anthony Harrington.

A thunderbolt love affair takes spark between Tom and Polly and they strike out west on a stolen horse, moving through the badlands of Montana and Idaho. Briefly an idyll of wild romance perfects itself. But a posse of deranged Cornish gunsmen are soon in hot pursuit of the lovers, and closing in fast . . .The Heart in Winter is a savagely funny, achingly beautiful tale set in the Wild West.

*Listed as one of TIME’s 18 Black leaders working to end the racial wealth gap*

In Kenya the pool was green and surrounded by concrete so hot it burnt the soles of her small feet. She didn’t know any different. A decade later she would be double British Champion and the first Black woman ever to swim for Great Britain. But this story is not about making history.

As her body and mind are sharpened through gruelling training, press scrutiny and the harshness of adolescence, Rebecca questions who she is swimming for and what the onward journey to the Olympics will cost her.

A compulsive and unforgettable study of intensity, These Heavy Black Bones meditates on Blackness, identity and the ecstasy of peak physical performance. In stunning prose, Rebecca charts her career’s ascent, her singular love of the water, and lays bare the pressures within her swimming world.

In the early 1960s scientists at the University of California, Berkeley set out to establish the key factors effecting health and longevity. Their results, known as the ‘Alameda 7’, you already know: don’t smoke, drink in moderation, sleep seven to eight hours a night, exercise, eat regular meals, maintain a moderate weight, eat breakfast. Years later, however, the same team discovered an eighth factor, one that proved more important than all the others: social connection.

When we form meaningful bonds with others, our wounds heal faster, we shake off infections more quickly and our blood pressure drops. We are less likely to have Alzheimer’s, heart attacks or strokes. When people feel that they have strong social support, they perform better on tests of mental focus, memory and problem solving. Greater connection can fuel creativity, increase our financial stability and enhance our work productivity. But making friends can also be daunting.

In The Laws of Connection, David Robson does two important things: he takes us through the fascinating science behind the effects of social connection and he unpacks the research that shows that we are all better at being social than we might think. We will meet ideas such as ‘the liking gap’ and ‘the gratitude gap’, learn to recognise ‘frenemies’ and discover a powerful conversational strategy known as the ‘fast-friends procedure’ that promotes instant rapport. Being social doesn’t have to mean having dozens of friends, it can also mean having one true, deep connection with another person. As Robson shows, we can all benefit from the laws of connection.

In thirteenth-century Ireland, a woman with power is a woman to be feared.

When a young Alice Kyteler sees her mother wither under the constraints of family responsibilities, she vows that she will not suffer the same fate. When she discovers she has a flair for making money, she soon builds a flourishing trade. But as her wealth and stature grow, so too do the rumours about her private life. By the time she has moved on to her fourth husband, a blaze of local gossip and resentment culminates in an accusation that could prove fatal.

Inspired by the first recorded person in Ireland to have been condemned as a witch, Bright I Burn gives voice to a woman lost to history, who dared to carve her own space in a man’s world.

Scotland, 1306.

While the King of Scots wages a desperate, bloody war for Scotland?s independence, four intrepid Scottish knights flee from cunning Templar Knight Geoffrey De Charney’s labyrinth on a treasure barge. What follows is a journey directly to the heart of the conflict, and a vivid depiction of the scheming, treachery and violence it entailed. Meanwhile, Kings Edward of the first of England, Philip the fourth of France, and Haakon the fifth of Norway each plot to destabilise each other and become the dominant force in Europe. They each have their own reasons to thwart the Scots, and each will stop at nothing to gain their victory. The fight for the nation?s soul has begun, and nothing will ever be the same.

The second in a planned series of eight novels on the Scottish Wars of Independence, L.A Kristiansen’s Revenge of the Tyrants features some of its most famous (and infamous) participants in a brutal struggle for freedom, power, and revenge.

Alistair Moffat tells the extraordinary story of the Highlands in the most detailed book ever written about this remarkable part of Scotland.

The chronicle begins millions of years ago, with the dramatic geological events that formed the awe-inspiring yet beloved landscapes, followed by the arrival of hunter gatherers and the monumental achievements of prehistoric peoples in places like Skara Brae in Orkney. The story continues with the mysterious Picts; the arrival of the Romans as they expanded the boundaries of their huge empire; the coming of Christianity and the Gaelic language from Ireland; the Viking invasion and the establishment of the great Lordship of the Isles that lasted for three hundred years.

The Highlands are perhaps best known as the key battleground in Bonnie Prince Charlie’s doomed attempt to restore the Stuart monarchy and its dreadful aftermath, which saw the suppression of the clans and the whole of Highland culture. This situation was exacerbated by the terrible Clearances of the nineteenth century which saw tens of thousands evicted from their native lands and forced to emigrate. But, after centuries of decline, the Highlands are being renewed, the land is coming alive once more, and the story ends on an upbeat note as the Highlands look forward to a future full of possibilities.

While this is an epic history of a fascinating subject, Moffat also features the stories of individuals, the telling moments and the crucial details which enrich the human story and add context and colour to the saga of Scotland.

Twenty-two long years, 264 torturous months, more than, 1,100 despairing weeks. The Tartan Army’s foot soldiers were waiting for a leader of substance and in Steve Clarke they finally found their general.

On his appointment in 2019 the former Chelsea stalwart faced the challenge of succeeding where a long line of predecessors could not. A string of household names all found tournament football out of reach – but under Clarke no summit feels to beyond Scotland’s grasp. With the experience of Euro 2020 under his belt and time spent moulding a squad capable of going toe to toe with the world’s finest, Euro 2024 represents another major milestone.

We Can Boogie goes behind the scenes of Scotland’s remarkable rise and explores the extraordinary story of the man who has led the revival and of the team he has shaped. It is a story told through the eyes of those who know him best. Former teammates and coaching colleagues lend their voices alongside an all-star cast of past and present Hampden favourites in a tale of triumph and hope.

One flirty Hollywood actress. One grumpy Scottish islander. One magnetic connection.

When her acting career hits rock bottom, Hollywood star April Sinclair returns to her Scottish hometown on the Isle of Skye to lick her wounds. In desperate need of distraction, she sets her sights on restoring her family whisky distillery to its former glory. But she wasn’t expecting short-tempered and totally irresistible Malcolm Macabe to be the one in charge.

Master distiller Mal has three loves in his life: whisky, his dog, and silence. He has no time for the pampered princess poking her nose around, even if said princess is the one who got away. Mal is content to wait her out. She’ll grow bored and run back to her glamorous world eventually.

But their shared desire to save the distillery will mean working a lot closer than either of them might wish . . .

With a stunning rural Scottish setting, a healthy measure of steaminess, and a rugged heartthrob to die for, opposites definitely start to attract in this spicy enemies-to-lovers, grumpy-sunshine romcom.

Readers are already falling in love with April and Mal…

‘One of my favourite books of the year’

‘This book is a delight! Mal and April have my heart . . . Take me to Scotland, PLEASE!’

‘This story is really special’

‘If you like your romances sweet and spicy, with a dash of hilarious meddling siblings and the world’s cutest dogs, then this is the read for you!’

‘This story is so deliciously vibrant ? from the characters to the setting, it was so easy to get lost in the novel’

THE 12 MILLION COPY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE LEWIS TRILOGY AND THE CHINA THRILLERS
AWARD WINNING AUTHOR OF THE CWA DAGGER IN THE LIBRARY 2021

‘Enzo MacLeod is one of the most unusual crime solvers I have ever met.’ BookBrowse
‘No one can create a more eloquently written suspense novel than Peter May.’ New York Journal of Books

The penultimate chapter in the Enzo Files, sees Enzo enter the volatile and – now, it appears – violent world of haute cuisine.

PUY-DE-DÔME, FRANCE.

A Silenced Man.

Footprints in the snow lead to the murder scene of Marc Fraysse, France’s most celebrated chef – brutally shot before he could make the revelation of his career.

A Determined Man.

Seven years on and the mystery still raw, Enzo Macleod, forensic investigator, forays into the heated world of haute cuisine to uncover bitter feuds and a burning secret.

A Hunted Man.

The Fraysse family history is as twisted as Enzo’s own. And in his pursuit of truth, the depths of deceit threaten to consume Enzo – and that which he cherishes most.

LOVED BLOWBACK? Read the series finale, CAST IRON
LOVE PETER MAY? Order his new thriller, THE NIGHT GATE

Little pockets of happiness are around us all the time, waiting to be discovered.

We just have to slow down, pause and find our Happy.

Paint rainbow skies, plant seeds, smell the earth after it’s been woken up by raindrops, jump in puddles, stargaze on dark evenings, dance your heart out, share a book – and at the end of the day cuddle up and let yourself be held by arms that feel like home. This is Happy. Where do you find yours? This is a joyful picture book for very young children, full of delight in the world, outdoors and indoors, showing how happiness can be found in the smallest things. The lyrical story and beautiful illustrations encourage children to slow down and use all their senses to notice and enjoy the natural world. Happiness is truly all around us.

AN INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERSHORTLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZEA GUARDIAN BEST MEMOIR OF 2023

A WATERSTONES BEST BOOK OF 2023

John Niven’s little brother Gary was fearless, popular, stubborn, handsome, hilarious and sometimes terrifying. After years of chaotic struggle against the world took his own life at the age of 42.

Tracking the lives of two brothers in changing times – from illicit cans of lager in 70s sitting rooms to ecstasy in 90s raves – O Brother is a tender, affecting and often uproariously funny story. It is about the bonds of family and how we try to keep the best of those we lose alive. It is about black sheep and what it takes to break the ties that bind. Fundamentally it is about how families survive suicide, ‘that last cry, from the saddest outpost.’