THE BEST OF SCOTTISH BOOKS

Celebrating Fifty Years of Picador BooksYou think adoption is a story which has an end. But the point about it is that it has no end. It keeps changing its ending.From the moment when, as a little girl, she realizes that her skin is a different colour from that of her beloved mum and dad, to the tracing and finding of her birth parents, her Highland mother and Nigerian father, Jackie Kay’s journey in Red Dust Road is one of unexpected twists, turns and deep emotions. In a book remarkable for its warmth and candour, Kay discovers that inheritance is about much more than genes: that we are shaped by songs as much as by cells, and that what triumphs, ultimately, is love.Taking the reader from Glasgow to Lagos and beyond, Red Dust Road is a heart-stopping story of parents and siblings, friends and strangers, belonging and beliefs, biology and destiny.’Like the best memoirs, this one is written with novelistic and poetic flair. Red Dust Road is a fantastic, probing and heart-warming read’ – IndependentPart of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

The latest in the hugely popular 44 Scotland Street series from the worldwide bestselling author, Alexander McCall SmithIt’s the most anticipated event of the decade: Big Lou and Fat Bob’s wedding and everyone is invited! After a wonderful day, Big Lou crashes back down to earth and finds that she is a victim of her own success. The lure of those famous bacon rolls is preventing her from leaving hungry customers without their daily dose of deliciousness – even to go for a long-awaited honeymoon. Will Big Lou find the happiness she so richly deserves? Everyone in Scotland Street hopes so, but, as Burns warned, the best laid plans…The relative peace and tranquillity of 44 Scotland Street is about to be disrupted. Irene is to return for a two-month stay, consigning Bertie to a summer camp. Not satisfied with that, she somehow manages to come between the enigmatic nun, Sister Maria-Fiore dei Fiori di Montagna, and her friend, the hagiographer, Antonia Collie.Can a person really change, even after being struck by lightning? Bruce’s metamorphosis and new-found outlook on life is put to the test as he prepares to leave his creature comforts for the monastic simplicity of Pluscarden Abbey. His house sitter, meanwhile, gets a little too comfortable in his new life and discovers that the talented Bruce Anderson’s shoes are all too easy to slip into. With great taste comes great responsibility.Come and discover The Enigma of Garlic and join the delightful denizens of Edinburgh’s most famous address. This latest instalment of the much-loved 44 Scotland Street series is wise, witty, and full of warmth.

Your favourite Scottish detective returns in 2023 in an enthralling new mystery’Immensely exciting and atmospheric’ ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH’Move over Rebus’ Daily Mail’Exciting, pacy, authentic’ ANGELA MARSONSHOW DO YOU SOLVE A MURDER, WHEN ALL YOU HAVE ARE QUESTIONS?___________When a prominent MSP goes missing, DSI William Lorimer wastes no time in investigating. Robert Truesdale was fronting the controversial campaign to legalise drugs in Scotland, and his enemies were numerous. With every passing day, the chances of finding him alive grow slimmer.Then the worst happens. A car bomb explodes in a nearby village, and the blackened body pulled from the wreckage appears to be Truesdale’s. Yet there are details that don’t add up and soon Lorimer is questioning whether the victim was all he claimed to be.Lorimer calls on the assistance of his friend, PC Daniel Kohi, who has infiltrated a local gang as part of a police initiative to crack down on drug-related crime in Glasgow. As their investigation draws them into the dark heart of Glasgow’s criminal underworld, Lorimer and Kohi discover that danger is everywhere and nobody is as they seem.___________WHAT READERS SAY ABOUT ALEX GRAY”I have read every book in the Lorimer series and each one has been a pleasure” *****”Alex Gray is a master storyteller” *****”She never disappoints” *****”I cannot wait for the next book” *****”Her writing always keeps me engrossed” *****

Your favourite Scottish detective returns in 2023 in an enthralling new mystery’Immensely exciting and atmospheric’ ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH’Move over Rebus’ Daily Mail’Exciting, pacy, authentic’ ANGELA MARSONSHOW DO YOU SOLVE A MURDER, WHEN ALL YOU HAVE ARE QUESTIONS?___________When a prominent MSP goes missing, DSI William Lorimer wastes no time in investigating. Robert Truesdale was fronting the controversial campaign to legalise drugs in Scotland, and his enemies were numerous. With every passing day, the chances of finding him alive grow slimmer.Then the worst happens. A car bomb explodes in a nearby village, and the blackened body pulled from the wreckage appears to be Truesdale’s. Yet there are details that don’t add up and soon Lorimer is questioning whether the victim was all he claimed to be.Lorimer calls on the assistance of his friend, PC Daniel Kohi, who has infiltrated a local gang as part of a police initiative to crack down on drug-related crime in Glasgow. As their investigation draws them into the dark heart of Glasgow’s criminal underworld, Lorimer and Kohi discover that danger is everywhere and nobody is as they seem.___________WHAT READERS SAY ABOUT ALEX GRAY”I have read every book in the Lorimer series and each one has been a pleasure” *****”Alex Gray is a master storyteller” *****”She never disappoints” *****”I cannot wait for the next book” *****”Her writing always keeps me engrossed” *****

Voices from the Hills is the story of the barriers and struggles encountered and the personal courage and self-confidence shown by female athletes doing things because they wanted to in the male-dominated sport. They suffered discouragement and even resistance in those early days.Steve Chilton has researched the subject deeply, interviewing many female athletes whom he rightly describes as pioneers. Thanks to them, female participation has become accepted and now increasing numbers of athletes are competing at the traditional fell races, international mountain races, and the endurance challenges such as the Bob Graham Round.The story is predominantly told through the words of those early pioneers, who look back over their lives, and running careers, and who fought for equality of opportunity and reward.

Welcome to Haarville — if you’ve arrived, you’ve survived. Off the grid and not on the maps, it’s a place shrouded in fog and steeped in pungent pongs. Everything here smells fishy, especially the town’s suspicious new arrivals.Twelve-year-old Manx Fearty is an orphan (his family has a terrible habit of dying, terribly), and now he’s about to lose their perpetual device shop to sinister newcomers claiming to be long-lost relatives. As he sets out to prove them wrong, Manx finds himself on the trail of a murky, mist-muddled mystery — and it’s one he needs to solve fast, otherwise Haarville is doomed.With the help of his fiercely protective drag-queen guardian Father G (aka the fabulous Gloria in Excelsis), loyal best friend Fantoosh, and oystercatcher-with-attitude Olu, Manx wades through secrets, schemes and some stomach-churning seafood. Can he save both his family’s legacy and his town?Darkly comic but full of heart, this quirky middle-grade mystery adventure from Justin Davies, award-winning author of Help! I Smell a Monster and Whoa! I Spy a Werewolf (Orchard Books), is perfect for fans of Malamander and A Series of Unfortunate Events.

Voices from the Hills is the story of the barriers and struggles encountered and the personal courage and self-confidence shown by female athletes doing things because they wanted to in the male-dominated sport. They suffered discouragement and even resistance in those early days.Steve Chilton has researched the subject deeply, interviewing many female athletes whom he rightly describes as pioneers. Thanks to them, female participation has become accepted and now increasing numbers of athletes are competing at the traditional fell races, international mountain races, and the endurance challenges such as the Bob Graham Round.The story is predominantly told through the words of those early pioneers, who look back over their lives, and running careers, and who fought for equality of opportunity and reward.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE BLOODY SCOTLAND DEBUT PRIZE 2022’Beautifully written and a real page turner -a wonderful insight into the early quest to understand and give a voice to people who cannot hear. ‘ Elisabeth Gifford’A fascinating exploration of deafness and human value amid the sights, sounds of smells of 1817 urban Scotland.’ Sally Magnusson ‘told with great empathy and heart’ Guinevere Glasfurd’A striking and stylish literary page-turner that breathes life into the past’ Zoe Strachan’Skilfully combines crime fiction with a woman’s struggle to speak the truth’ The TimesIn the burgeoning industrial city of Glasgow in 1817 Jean Campbell – a young, Deaf woman – is witnessed throwing a child into the River Clyde from the Old Bridge.No evidence is yielded from the river. Unable to communicate with their silent prisoner, the authorities move Jean to the decaying Edinburgh Tolbooth in order to prise the story from her. The High Court calls in Robert Kinniburgh, a talented teacher from the Deaf & Dumb Institution, in the hope that he will interpret for them and determine if Jean is fit for trial. If found guilty she faces one of two fates; death by hanging or incarceration in an insane asylum.Through a process of trial and error, Robert and Jean manage to find a rudimentary way of communicating with each other. As Robert gains her trust, Jean confides in him, and Robert begins to uncover the truth, moving uneasily from interpreter to investigator, determined to clear her name before it is too late.Based on a landmark case in Scottish legal history Hear No Evil is a richly atmospheric exploration of nineteenth-century Edinburgh and Glasgow at a time when progress was only on the horizon. A time that for some who were silenced could mean paying the greatest price.

Welcome to Haarville — if you’ve arrived, you’ve survived. Off the grid and not on the maps, it’s a place shrouded in fog and steeped in pungent pongs. Everything here smells fishy, especially the town’s suspicious new arrivals.Twelve-year-old Manx Fearty is an orphan (his family has a terrible habit of dying, terribly), and now he’s about to lose their perpetual device shop to sinister newcomers claiming to be long-lost relatives. As he sets out to prove them wrong, Manx finds himself on the trail of a murky, mist-muddled mystery — and it’s one he needs to solve fast, otherwise Haarville is doomed.With the help of his fiercely protective drag-queen guardian Father G (aka the fabulous Gloria in Excelsis), loyal best friend Fantoosh, and oystercatcher-with-attitude Olu, Manx wades through secrets, schemes and some stomach-churning seafood. Can he save both his family’s legacy and his town?Darkly comic but full of heart, this quirky middle-grade mystery adventure from Justin Davies, award-winning author of Help! I Smell a Monster and Whoa! I Spy a Werewolf (Orchard Books), is perfect for fans of Malamander and A Series of Unfortunate Events.

DCI Kelso Strang is led to believe that something very odd is going on around the prosperous fishing port of Tarleton. A young doctor is seen throwing herself off a cliff, a local farmer meets a grisly end and accusations of extortion unsettle the local communityStrang finds himself so caught in a spider’s web of criminality that he is entirely unprepared when he is struck by the worst tragedy of his career.

THE UNPUTDOWNABLE, UNMISSABLE NEW THRILLER FROM THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR.It was supposed to be an easy job.All Detective Constable Edward Reekie had to do was pick up a dying prisoner from HMP Grampian and deliver him somewhere to live out his last few months in peace.From the outside, Glenfarach looks like a quaint, sleepy, snow-dusted village, nestled deep in the heart of Cairngorms National Park, but things aren’t what they seem. The place is thick with security cameras and there’s a strict nine o’clock curfew, because Glenfarach is the final sanctuary for people who’ve served their sentences but can’t be safely released into the general population.Edward’s new boss, DI Montgomery-Porter, insists they head back to Aberdeen before the approaching blizzards shut everything down, but when an ex-cop-turned-gangster is discovered tortured to death in his bungalow, someone needs to take charge.The weather’s closing in, tensions are mounting, and time’s running out – something nasty has come to Glenfarach, and Edward is standing right in its way…******Praise for Stuart MacBride:’A magnetic mix of creepy places, dark humour, horror and violence’ Sun’Dark and brilliantly written’ Linwood Barclay’MacBride is a damned fine writer’ Peter James’MacBride’s thrillers just keep getting better’ Express’Crime fiction of the highest order’ Mark Billingham***AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW***

From the award-winning author comes a much-anticipated sequel to the Scottish Crime Book of the Year The Quaker…Glasgow 1975A deadly fireAn arson attack on a Glasgow warehouse causes the deaths of a young mother and child.Police suspect it’s the latest act in a brutal gang warfare that’s tearing the city apart – one that DI Duncan McCormack has been tasked with stopping.A brutal murderFive years ago he was walking on water as the cop who tracked down a notorious serial killer. But he made powerful enemies and when a mutilated body is found in a Tradeston slum,McCormack is assigned a case that no one wants. The dead man is wearing a masonic ring, though, and Duncan realizes the victim is not the down-and-out his boss had first assumed.A catastrophic explosionAs McCormack looks into both crimes, the investigations are disrupted by a shocking event.A bomb rips through a pub packed with people – and a cop is killed in the blast. The cases are stacking up and with one of his own unit now dead, McCormack is in the firing line.But he’s starting to see a thread – one that connects all three attacks…

Lochmaben is situated in the ‘debatable lands’ on the main route into Scotland north from Carlisle. The area has historic connections to the family of Robert the Bruce. This close-knit community has lost several of its basic amenities in recent years but the recent community buyout of the Castle Loch has been a great success with many volunteers coming together.’Lochmaben Voices’, a project to collect the memories of the town’s residents by recording interviews with them, was set up in 2011. The eldest interviewee was born in the 1920s and the youngest in 2000s and the transcriptions reflect the various accents heard in the region.For this book, three broad categories were identified: Lochmaben, both as a physical place and a community; personal recollections of living in the town; memories of the town during the Second World War, including military connections.

Maisie the mountain hare loves playing hide and seek with her brother Archie and their friend Thomas the ptarmigan. Archie is the best at hiding and Maisie has the keenest eyes. As the baby hares grow, their coats turn white to help them camouflage in winter. But with no snow in sight, the siblings are in danger. Can Maisie and Archie work together to stay safe?Written in Lynne Rickards’ signature rhyme, this is a playful tale of friendship and teamwork. Abigail Hookham’s dynamic illustrations of Scottish animals and heather-covered Cairngorm landscapes are full of detail and character.From the author of best-selling Skye the Puffling and Rowan the Red Squirrel, and the creators of Oran the Curious Otter, Maisie the Mountain Hare is a fun and lively celebration of Scotland’s amazing mountain wildlife.

Meet Bonnie the Highland cow in this unique novelty shaped board book!Bonnie likes eating tasty grass, but she does not like pesky flies. Bonnie likes her warm hairy coat, but she does not like impatient cars. And Bonnie loves her new wee calf!Young ones will enjoy spending time with a happy Highland cow and her friends in this colourful and sturdy board book, which is full of bright and dynamic illustrations and lots of fun details to spot.

Say hello to Scotland’s most famous feathered friends!From the rare swooping osprey to the burrow-digging puffin, and the fast-diving gannet to the capering capercaillie, children will love meeting Scotland’s different birds in these fun and friendly illustrations.Is that a golden eagle soaring high above the mountains?Packed with lively pictures and simple, clear words, this bold picture book from Kate McLelland, illustrator of There Was a Wee Lassie Who Swallowed a Midgie and Hello Scottish Animals!, brings her trademark bright illustration style to this perfect introduction to Scottish birds for young children.

Brought to you by PenguinTHE UNPUTDOWNABLE, UNMISSABLE THRILLER FROM THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR.Who do you trust when everyone’s guilty?Marky Bishop is dying. That’s why they’ve given him a compassionate early release, only where can a career criminal like him go to spend his final months?From the outside, Glenfarach looks like a quaint, sleepy, snow-dusted village, nestled deep in the heart of Cairngorms National Park, but things aren’t what they seem. The place is thick with security cameras, and there’s a strict nine o’clock curfew, because Glenfarach is the last safe haven for people who’ve served their sentences but can’t be safely released into the general population.For Detective Constable Edward Reekie, this was supposed to be a simple delivery job – drive his new boss up to HMP Grampian and collect Marky Bishop, take him to Glenfarach, then head back home again. Nothing dangerous or complicated.So how could it all go so horribly wrong?The weather’s closing in, tensions are mounting, and time’s running out – something nasty has come to Glenfarach, and Edward is standing right in its way…Praise for Stuart MacBride:’A magnetic mix of creepy places, dark humour, horror and violence’ Sun’Dark and brilliantly written’ Linwood Barclay’MacBride is a damned fine writer’ Peter James’MacBride’s thrillers just keep getting better’ Express’Crime fiction of the highest order’ Mark Billingham(c) Stuart MacBride 2023 (P) Penguin Audio 2023

DCI Kelso Strang is led to believe that something very odd is going on around the prosperous fishing port of Tarleton. A young doctor is seen throwing herself off a cliff, a local farmer meets a grisly end and accusations of extortion unsettle the local communityStrang finds himself so caught in a spider’s web of criminality that he is entirely unprepared when he is struck by the worst tragedy of his career.

Carrie Kills A Man* is about growing up in a world that doesn’t want you, and about how it feels to throw a hand grenade into a perfect life. It’s the story of how a tattooed transgender rock singer killed a depressed suburban dad, and of the lessons you learn when you renounce all your privilege and power.When more people think they’ve seen a ghost than met a trans person, it’s easy for bad actors to exploit that – and they do, as you can see from the headlines and online. But here’s the reality, from someone who’s living it. From coming out and navigating trans parenthood to the thrills of gender-bending pop stars, fashion disasters and looking like Velma Dinkley, this is a tale of ripping it up and starting again: Carrie’s story in all its fearless, frank and funny glory.*”Spoiler: That man was me.” – Carrie