It has been a year of firsts. The first year Bloody Scotland had an all-woman shortlist for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize. The first year four of those women made it onto the longlist for the McIlvanney Prize and now, for the first time ever, the same author has won both The Bloody Scotland Debut Prize and the McIlvanney Prize. Congratulations to Frances Crawford whose novel A Bad, Bad Place (Transworld) has swept the boards at Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival this year, only two months after picking up the McDermid debut prize at Harrogate.
Guest programmer Denise Mina has long been vocal about the lack of women in the prize landscape and is thrilled by the result. She said: ‘Frances Crawford’s ‘A Bad Bad Place’ is a novel of profound depth and scope. Insightful, harrowing and very funny, it deals with the reality of violent crime and its impact on many victims. This is a spectacular debut from a wonderful new voice. She is the very first double winner and it could not be more deserved.’
Bloody Scotland co-founder, author and chair of the Debut Prize judges Alex Gray said: ‘A Bad, Bad Place captured my heart from the first mention of Janey’s dog, Sid Vicious. From then on the Glasgow patter and the different characters wound around me like a familiar … though not so comfy… blanket. Beautifully written, thoughtfully perceived from a child’s perspective, this is one novel that will remain with me for a long time to come.’
McIlvanney Prize judge, author and broadcaster, Sally Magnusson, said: ‘This is a novel full of Glasgow wit and deep humanity. Unpacking a harrowing crime through the impressions of a grandmother and a child is gloriously original. The world we encounter through their eyes is scary, unfair, misogynistic, tragic – and wonderfully funny. The cost of murder is movingly evoked in a way that stays with you long after the book is closed.’
Kirsty Nicholson, Marketing Director at Glencairn, sponsors of The Bloody Scotland Debut and McIlvanney Prizes with The Glencairn Glass, the official glass for whisky, said:‘This has been a truly remarkable year of firsts for Bloody Scotland and we are delighted to celebrate Frances Crawford’s extraordinary achievement. Winning both the Debut and McIlvanney Prizes is an incredible accomplishment and a testament to her exceptional storytelling talent. It is particularly wonderful to see Frances’ journey come full circle, having won our Glencairn Glass Crime Short Story Competition in 2023. A huge congratulations on this well-deserved success – we cannot wait to see what comes next!’
The presentation of both prizes took place in the Church of the Holy Rude at on Friday 18 September before a grand procession led by guest programmer Denise Mina to her event with Lee Child at The Albert Halls.
Frances Crawford started writing late in life. She secured a scholarship to study Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow and credits her tutor, Louise Welsh, with encouraging her to take her short story and develop it into a novel. She graduated aged 60 with MLitt (Distinction). The short story won the Glencairn Glass Crime Short Story competition in 2023. Following a ten-way auction Transworld editor, Finn Cotton, acquired rights from agents Oli Munson and Euan Thorneycroft at A M Heath. At Bloody Scotland 2025 an informal proof signing drew larger crowds than some of the event signings. A Bad, Bad Place was published to great acclaim in February 2026 and will be published in paperback on 31 December. Bloody Scotland is delighted to celebrate an extraordinary new talent representing Scottish crime writing on the world stage.
